I really liked Ex-Aid. Yuya Takahashi thrilled me with most everything he did in a show I was certain I would drop. It was so good that I had high expectations for Zero-One. Those expectations have been met thus far.
Kamen Rider Zero-One 13 left me cold.
AIMS teaming up with Aruto felt like nothing. There was no real tension or drama to it. The way it was positioned in the episode, the fact that so much more focus was put on Izu and Wazu and the focus tearing away from Valkyrie and Vulcan was a let down.
It made the AIMS Riders feel so irrelevant. Besides that, the moments with Izu and Wazu didn't work for me. I didn't feel like there was enough of a connection or attachment between them to sell the sacrifice and drama.
Shining Hopper somehow saving Aruto was also a disappointment. If Izu had put herself in peril by pushing him out of the way or deflecting the attack WITH Shinning Hopper that would have landed well for me. This all feels too clean and easy for everyone.
My favorite part of the episode was learning that using this complete Shinning Hopper to its full capacity takes a toll on Aruto. I have hopes we'll see some great heroism on display as Aruto drains himself to access the extra power to save others.