Finished OOO. I came out liking it way more than I thought I would. I know people said it kinda meanders a bit and while it did feel like that, I never felt like the show wasn't just a blast to watch in general. As much as I loved W, I had felt a bit more fatigue with that and never really cared much for the Sonozaki family as antagonists outside of Kirihiko which was written out early. I know it's a kids show essentially, but the twists were a little too obvious for even turning your brain off and not thinking about it. I still loved W a ton and think it's excellent, this isn't to say it's any better or worse than OOO. Just as a point of comparison. Mainly since it's the sequel and while it seems well liked, people seem to put it under W for valid reasons.
OOO's final act was great, though. Eiji and Ankh played really well off of each other as characters and seeing the stakes finally build up and their arcs hit their climax and the way it was resolved was really satisfying and engaging to me. Their dynamic was fun on top of having a lingering tension. I still have yet to watch any Kamen Rider movies, but I liked the more open style happy ending than the more in your face "it was all fine all along!" ending that W and Fourze ended with. Not that they weren't emotionally satisfying or I disliked that, but OOO just felt different.
I feel like it'd be impossible for me to choose between W, OOO, and Fourze as a favorite almost because they were all just so fantastic and a blast to run through. I finished 3 entire Rider series in less than 2 months and that is really insane for me. I actually am already 5 episodes into Kamen Rider Wizard. I know it's one of the less beloved ones and it's pretty apparent as to why already. But I figured since I've seen the first 3 Phase 2 Heisei series I would just go linearly from here and stop before Zi-O so I could go back to Showa and Phase 1 Heisei depending on how I felt. I'm still having fun with it, but it's a whole lot less interesting and fun from the get go. The soundtrack is definitely a bit disappointing as well, especially after how great W's and OOO's OSTs are.
Either way, I've had a blast with this series. Sad I dodged it for so long because I never would have imagined I liked it this much. I love it a ton and it's something really special. Feels satisfying to know I've knocked out a few in such a short time without any fatigue and cool to know there is still a ton of great stuff waiting for me.
