Don't Say No, Just Watch More!

Getting past the silly concept of "Fruit Samurai", and despite the awkward, way-too-long dance scenes that happen early in the show, Gaim is a stellar entry into the Kamen Rider franchise. The characters here are written with great depth and are very interesting. The fight choreography is good and the suit designs are great. Oren Pierre Alphonso is one of my favorite characters in any Kamen Rider series. I do have to say it has its issues though. It frequently has to find time to insert crossovers to other things such as upcoming movies - between important plot points they will arbitrarily add in weird moments for the sake of making these things episodes. On top of that, watching the group dance is strange. It's like they wanted to do something like Sega's Jet Set Radio franchise, but they couldn't show their protagonists doing something illegal like spray painting, but they still wanted that "street" feeling, so they put in these silly dance scenes. However, you're gonna want to stick around to see the great way the characters develop through the series, the cool suit designs, and the interesting twists and turns of the plot. Amazing stuff!

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DRAW! RIDER CARD!

Kamen Rider Ryuki is a fun watch. I wouldn't necessarily call it perfect - the moments of levity feel a lot like Agito before it, which is a series I do not particularly like. I found, especially early on, the moments of the characters interacting with each other were kind of making me feel secondhand embarrassment rather than humor over the situation. I'm also not big on the suit designs in this series, especially the main character's. However, Ryuki is still a very good story when analyzed as a whole. Interesting concepts and characters, a solid character-driven story, a neat gimmick in the belts and transformations of the series. It's a series I have a lot of respect towards and one that I can look back on fondly, but can also recall the many times throughout the series that I found myself sort of let down by the ways characters interacted being a bit annoying. It's not perfect, but it is definitely a huge step up compared to the story before it in the early Heisei catalogue.

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Ultra Exciting

This movie is so much fun. To be honest, I have never been much for Ultraman - when I got into Tokusatsu I was mainly into Godzilla, and when I was considering tackling full-on Tokusatsu shows with substantial length, I decided to dive into Kamen Rider, not wanting to explore many other franchises mainly because of just how much overall time would be spent watching everything of all of these franchises. So, as a franchise outsider, I just have to say this is still quite enjoyable. The story does feel a bit cobbled together, like it's 3 episodes of the show in a movie instead of one standalone thing, but even with that issue the fights that are there are fun and interesting, the CGI is impressive, and I had a smile on my face the entire time.

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Catch The Wave!

Kamen Rider Den-O is very silly. This can be interpreted in many ways. It contains an absolutely hilarious protagonist in Ryoutarou, with the energy I can only describe as "sad wet dog". The allies Ryoutarou gains along the way are all fun in their own way and they have a great, silly chemistry to them. Deneb is an adorable character. Den-O is very much carried by its characterization and its strong, well-written humor.

That being said, it has very many flaws in its writing of the plot. Spoilers Ahead.




There really isn't much of a plot. The series is, a large majority of the time, 2-parters where the group deals with a monster that goes into the past. There is a mystery that is introduced near the beginning of the series and does not truly elaborate on the mystery until the last few episodes. I was hoping even a little crumb of lore would be given, but the characters themselves even have issue talking about the plot. The villain introduced is very... Odd. I think the character has potential, and there are things about him that work, but at the end of the day he is introduced so soon it feels very sudden to finally have a single, solid villain. Overall, the series pushes too much of its plot into the very very back end and doesn't really give enough solid, story-changing lore throughout the series proper to say it has a gripping story.

Overall, I do think Den-O is very fun, but if you're getting into a Kamen Rider series for a strong/interesting plot like you'd find in Geats, Ryuki, or Build, you'll be thinking something is sorely missing from this entry.

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An Unfortunate Diagnosis

It is with a heavy heart that I must say I was a little disappointed by Ex-Aid. I had heard it lauded as one of the greats of the franchise alongside favorites such as Build and OOO. Unfortunately, I could not find myself to become as attached to this one. Ex-Aid has some truly terrible costume designs. A large majority, save maybe 1 or 2 suits, look pretty bad. The general gimmick of this season is one that takes a *lot* of watching before you finally get over the hurdle of how dumb the idea of a "Doctor who saves with the power of Gaming" is. The series can feel a tad repetitive at times, especially due to how often suits tend to be reused. The belts themselves have a really odd, clunky, ugly design. Overall, it's just a series that isn't pretty.

Thankfully, partway through the series, the story has ways of exploring themes that could only really be seen in a story like this, with such an odd and honestly dumb concept. It leads to a story that has a majority of its runtime being bogged down by a plot that's difficult to connect to with characters you don't really want to see in action, but has some shining moments of interesting writing and characterization. Overall it's an odd beast to say the least.

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A show with HIGHSxLOWS

Kamen Rider Gotchard is an odd one. After the powerhouse meta story that was Kamen Rider Geats, Gotchard seemed like it wanted to be a return to the fun, monster-of-the-week format with silly jaunts and funny characters about. Unfortunately, I don't think it did so without sacrificing a lot of potential. I'd like to list my positives towards the show first, though! I think the suit designs in Gotchard are overall *stellar*. The monsters are really fun, weaving in a repeated aesthetic throughout them in new and interesting ways each time. The Rider Suits overall look really slick! Also, the first female secondary Rider! The Abyssalis Sisters are really interesting each in their own way.

Unfortunately, one way or another, each of these things that I state is a positive gets hampered. While several characters get plot threads and conclusions and character arcs, other arcs seem to be rushed to conclude, some seem to conclude poorly or without fanfare, and other characters just don't get one. The ending is really rough. The overall plot can be slow to progress at times and can seemingly be interrupted by sudden things that feel out of left-field. The appearance of a character akin to Decade or ZiO as a plot-sensitive character feels odd in a show that isn't an anniversary or celebration of an era. Overall while Gotchard had potential, it really stumbled and dropped the ball.

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̶S̶o̶ ZO Good

With its beautifully designed suits, fun to watch practical effects including moments of stop-motion, and foreboding atmosphere, this really feels like it hearkens back to the feeling the Original 13 episodes of classic Kamen Rider Ichigo. I love the tone of this one - the unsettling atmosphere and the insurmountable feeling of the main villain of this special gives it a action-horror feeling all to reminiscent of 70's anime OVAs. There's a single-take action shot in this movie that's done beautifully. The soundtrack is energetic when it needs to be and really exciting. I really wish that this movie had a longer run time, just because I'd like to have had some more opportunities to see the main character's struggle. However, what's here is a good and classic Kamen Rider feeling movie with an added grittiness in a short burst.

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A Kamen Rider Carrying Anno's Spirit

Shin Kamen Rider is a flawed but incredibly fun movie. The info dumps that come with the story structure can hurt the pacing - Hideaki Anno seems to love scenes of characters explaining powers and lore in long-winded explanations, detailing all the little bits of science that go into his concepts. The structure is also very much akin to Shin Ultraman, feeling like an homage to several episodes in one movie rather than being a movie with a single plot line throughout. However, the music is stellar - either one-to-one pulls or fantastic remixes of songs from the original 1971 Rider series. The fight choreography is fun and exciting, the designs of the villains and the redesigns of Ichigo and Nigo are brilliant. The characters have fun chemistry and all work well together. It is an exciting homage to the franchise.

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Has Its Demons, But Lives With It

Kamen Rider Revice is a lot of fun. Despite being an anniversary series, it can be easily watched without prior knowledge of the other Kamen Riders that proceeded it, with it at most showing homage to these past Riders in their suit designs. The story itself is mixed - it kinda drags, and some of the arcs that happen can be less engaging than others. But the interpersonal drama is very well written and the concepts of inner demons are approached in unique and interesting ways for everyone involved, keeping the show feeling fresh each time it touches on its themes. The midpoint made me start to worry about one of the important reasons I was interested in the series, but it came back around to being fun and enjoyable, with a great way to wrap up the end. The supporting cast is all very interesting and fun, with George and Ikki's father in particular being a highlight for me. The opening is SO MUCH FUN, with the music overall being good. Suit designs are really good, with base Revi being a standout for me. Fight choreography was great, and it has one of the most impactful fights in the entire franchise in a later episode. Overall, while it has some issues with the larger plot, the interpersonal moments are very good, I love how it went about studying its themes, and the combat is very fun to watch with it focusing on two Riders with very different personalities. Great stuff!

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Kamen Rider 1971 - An Aged Titan

The original Kamen Rider 1971 cannot be understated as an incredibly important pillar of pop culture in Japan and beyond. The series that truly started it all. With its iconic design of the original Kamen Rider (referred to as Ichigo) and the subsequent second Rider (referred to as Nigo), it paved the way for a founding father in the tokusatsu genre. However, it's a difficult beast to talk about, because while charming, it is incredibly flawed. The series starts very strongly, with a lean towards horror. It was always monster-of-the-week, but what made it interesting early on was how it leaned into the fear of everyone involved. Even the main character, Ichigo, has internal fears that are set up early on. However, as the series progresses, in order to stay on the air it had to be changed to be more lighthearted. Unfortunately this drops a lot of the overt story of Kamen Rider 1971 and ends up making it an incredibly repetitive watch, as plot only truly progresses about once every thirty episodes or so, and with it being the longest Kamen Rider series on its own (not including sequel shows like Black & Black RX or Kuuga & Agito) it can sometimes be a gauntlet. Make no mistake, this show is NOT made to be binged AT ALL. And while it feels unfair of me to review a show made 52 years ago as if it was made in the modern era, we have to concede that our perception of these things, including the very way in which it is viewed, has fundamentally changed since its creation. We have to acknowledge the way that these things change, and that includes the franchise itself as it progresses. At this point, while this is the originator of all Kamen Riders, I would in no way say it is a good first show to watch for inquisitive minds interested in the franchise due to its inability to be enjoyably be watched in succession like some others. It is an entertaining watch in short bursts, but mind-numbing when watched too quickly. If you do watch it, try not to binge it to get through it. Take sips, don't chug. Enjoy the fun and crunchy practical effects and the inventive ways they get around having zero budget. The camp can be fun, the designs can be silly, and it can be a series that gets a good laugh or two, even if unintentionally. But if you are tempted to watch it quickly to get to some of the other stuff in the franchise, it will become a difficult watch as the formulaic nature of the series turns your brain into putty.

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LONG, LONG AGO, SHOWA ERA

Kamen Rider Black is, overall, fantastic. It may be a great introduction to the series as a whole. The suit designs are great, the stunts are exciting, Kotaro's transformations into Black might be one of my favorite Henshins in the series. It also has a great end credits sequence - the single, isolated Kamen Rider Black marching ever forward. It's a great way to summarize the show in general. It carries itself with a distinct tone - it is dark, and at times perilous, but at the same time it still has moments and episodes of more wild, silly concepts for episodes. While it can sort of effect the tone of the overall series, it also stands to show the humanity that Kotaro wants to keep dear. It isn't perfect, because some of these episodes can really mess with the overall tone of the series, but it's not to a grueling extent like the OG 71 series could be at times. It's not my absolute favorite but it is definitely high up on the list.

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Real Clever, No Time to Deliver

This one has a fun concept - a movie with a looming threat that is literally counting down in real time with the movie's duration. I really like that concept! Unfortunately, it means that we don't really get much of a chance to get to know about the villain in any way that isn't uninteresting or rushed. This is also the movie where Zero Two makes its appearance, which I think is a really neat suit. Action is fine, story is a bit rushed but that's to keep it in time with its original concept so I kinda forgive it? Overall with an interesting concept it didn't really have the time to grip me or keep me thinking about it after I was done with it.

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A Tragic Tale

Kamen Rider Saber surprised me. I had heard that this series in particular wasn't one of the well-loved, and for some reason that made me want to watch it more, see if maybe people were overreacting about its quality. At first, if I'm to be totally honest, I was in the same boat. The first dozen or dozen-and-a-half episodes are rough, slowly paced, and feel aimless. The main gimmick of books feels sort of oddly put into the setting, and the Belt Sounds are just... So annoying. But after that point, the story hits a high point, being interesting and compelling and heartfelt. And then it goes back to being just okay with a very meh ending in my opinion. It feels like a roller coaster, easing you into and out of the interesting parts of the story. The suit designs start off as being a bit clunky but turn really good! The fight choreography is overall good as well! I also like the OP, and absolutely ADORE the Ending Song. Also, Touma's got fantastic outfits all throughout the series.

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