I watched this without having seen Ryuki (but coming off of Zi-O and having familiarity with Kamen Rider in general). I feel like I would have gotten more out of it, emotionally, if I had... but I get the feeling I would also have probably been disappointed. This has the feeling of wanting to be Dark and Complex without really understanding how that works. It did, at least, make me want to watch Ryuki - these characters and these actors under directors and writers that Get them sound exciting.