The Official Kamen Rider Thread

[DuelGundam2099]

Since Kamen Rider Wizard just aired in Japan a few hours ago I figured this would be a good time to make a Kamen Rider thread since I am sure there are fans here. I'll post some content soon, right now I want to see what you guys have worth mentioning on the 40+ year old franchise.

[Strike Zero]

A Kamen Rider thread, you say?

Well, it's about damn time!

I'll post some more in-depth thoughts about the various shows later when I feel more up to writing a long post -- right now I'll just say that Fourze was pretty damn great (though not as great as OOO), and I'm excited to see if Wizard turns out to be just as good.

[DuelGundam2099]

So yeah I got into this franchise back in May through Decade and since then I kind of like this franchise although the random jump cuts get on my nerves. Since Decade I have seen G, J, ZO, Shin, ZO, Amazon, W, and Black and am currently going through Kuuga (ep 21), OOO (ep 8 ), and V3 (ep 12). I am thinking of watching Hibiki or Kiva next since like Decade everyone says it is terrible and I seriously doubt it is. Here is where I rank the major works I have watched in their entirety:

Spoiler

Amazon
Black
J
ZO
ZX
Decade
W
Shin
G


Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders Vs. Dai Shocker
Hanuman and The Five Riders
Kamen Rider OOO and W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core
Kamen Rider W and Decade: Movie War 2010
Kamen Rider Black: Terror! The Phantom House of Devil Pass
Kamen Rider Black: Hurry to Demon Island
Kamen Rider SD
Kamen Rider World
Kamen Rider V3 Vs. Destron Mutants
Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/Gaia Memories of Fate
Kamen Rider The First
Kamen Rider Kuuga Vs. Go-Jiino-Da
This is Kamen Rider Black
Hard-Boiled Delusion Diary
Kamen Rider The Next

I never got why people like W.

[Strike Zero]

I never got why people like W.

Why am I not surprised?

Anywho, the first Kamen Rider series I ever saw was Kabuto, and since then I've been a big fan of the franchise, though not necessarily of every show, namely most of the Showa era shows. To date, the series I've watched through to completion are Kabuto, Ryuki, OOO (my all-time favorite thus far) and Fourze. Other shows I've seen partially and have been meaning to continue are Agito (sooo good), W, 555, Black and Den-O (though I'm not in any particular hurry to get back to Den-O).

There have also been shows I've tried and just didn't care for. If one doesn't strike my fancy within the first few episodes, I don't bother with them. The vast majority of the Showa era shows I've sampled are simply too outdated for my tastes (I've seen the first episodes of the original, X and Super-1 and was too busy laughing at what was going on to be able to enjoy them properly). I've also had problems with some of the Heisei-era shows; Kuuga and Blade bored me with their first eps, so I stopped watching them. Hibiki managed to thoroughly weird me out with its opening musical sequence, and Kiva's first episode flat-out annoyed me, so those two I never bothered with either. Den-O actually fell into this category at first, but it's evidently the most popular series in Japan ever and for all time, so I've tried to stick with it just to see what all the fuss was about and to see if it somehow manages to get better.

[DuelGundam2099]

Why am I not surprised?

I do not follow you....

[Strike Zero]

I'm not sure how to put it exactly. It just doesn't surprise me that you "don't get" the popularity of one of the most popular and well-liked Kamen Rider shows.

[DuelGundam2099]

Popular I understand since it's Kamen Rider, but why it is liked I do not get. I don't hate W but I find it really mediocre and Akiko........ Just...... Ugh (what did Accel see in her?). Kuuga has a similar feel although unlike W I actually somewhat enjoy it even if it tries too hard to act like Law and Order.

Black

It is very solid all around although if you're expecting much character development in anyone don't hold your breath.

X

After seeing the unofficial movie that features Hanuman I am somewhat interested in seeing this series. Sadly so little was translated. I mean it has Starfish Hitler for pete sake!

You could watch Amazon since it is the shortest series.

[Strike Zero]

So, you understand why something is "popular" but you don't understand why the same thing is also "liked." O...kay, then.

I myself haven't seen all of W, but I have really enjoyed what I've seen. I guess I would agree that the plot itself isn't terribly interesting, but Shotaro and Phillip are fun characters and I love the hard(o)-boiled(o) detective motif. If neither of those things did anything for you, I could understand not being enthralled by the rest of the show.

One of the main reasons I'm even watching Black is because Black's suit is one of my top favorite designs out of all the Riders, so there's always that.

I have had a feeling that of all the pre-Black shows, Amazon might be one that I could actually enjoy. Once I get around to finding subs for it, I'll definitely check it out.

[DuelGundam2099]

I thought the detective motif was an issue (which is weird because I NEVER have issues with motifs), but then I watched the OOO and W movie and it worked perfect for Skull. I guess the characters did not make it work.

Amazon might be one that I could actually enjoy.

If you like violent animal fights! Also the villains are genuinely FUN, not generic (okay maybe a little) self absorbed elitist evil, but actual get their hands dirty and be grizzly evil.

[Strike Zero]

Well, I just finished the first episode of Kamen Rider Wizard.

THIS. IS GOING TO BE.

SO.

AWESOME.

[EZero8]

Kuuga and Blade bored me with their first eps, so I stopped watching them.

I haven't finished Kuuga so I can't say much about it, but you're seriously missing out by skipping Blade. It definitely starts off a little slow, but eventually it turns into arguably the most well-written Kamen Rider of the Heisei-era IMO.

[Raiden]

Been watching since Kabuto and i think the only one that disappoints me to this day is.....Decade.

I mean i liked the concepts and all, and i had no problem with the cliffhanger ending, but what we got in the Decade Final Chapter portion of Movie Wars 2010 just felt cheap and out of place. I mean it seems like whatever they had planned for it originally that they showed at the end of Episode 31 was scrapped in favor of an All Riders Vs Dai Shocker 2.0 rehash (probably because All riders Vs Dai Shocker at the time kicked major butt at the Japanese box office). But yea anyway while DuelGundam2099 doesn't get why people liked W (and i think he was awesome btw), i don't get why people let Decade sly after the crapfest that is Movie War 2010 (the Decade portion only).

Anyway i thought Fourze was awesome too, and Wizard seems good so far. Though i prefer the mid series upgrade forms more

Spoiler

Being the Dragon Styles of the elements if you seen the scans

[Kavik Ryx]

\\Well first time in years posting, and Kamen Rider has been mostly what I have been watching. Might as well start here.

As of now, I have seen five series in their entirety, as well as The First and Shin Kamen Rider. Of those five (Ryuki, Den O, W, OOO, and Fourze) I think the only one I didn't much care for was Fourze, probably beause it felt like the MLP:FIM of Kamen Rider. The three written by Kobayashi (Ryuki, Den O, and OOO) I can say I loved, though each of them felt incomplete in places. I still have millions of questions about how Ryuki ended. Oh and Strike Zero, don't feel too bad about not getting too into the story for Double/W. As great as the show is based on style and character, the plot never really goes anywhere, even at the end. It actually gets quite muddled when Foundation X is introduced in the third act. Currently I have been watching Hibiki, and have reached the point where it noticeably jumps the shark. I will still watch it 'till the end, but, seeing where it is about to go, is it salvaged in any way?

Oh, and nice to see love for OOO. That one was by far my favorite.

[DuelGundam2099]

I was going to post originally on Sunday when I finished V3, but I figured I would wait until I finished Kuuga (which was minutes ago).

i don't get why people let Decade sly after the crapfest that is Movie War 2010 (the Decade portion only).

One reason: It was NOT a cliffhanger ending. Seriously, those are the worst conclusions you could have in any story. I wondered how Decade survived at point blank range from Diend's gun, but I assumed he was not permanently damaged since riders survive bullets and ridiculous attacks all the time. Movie War also allowed us as an audience to view just how powerful Decade would be as the destroyer or devil of worlds and sure enough he lived up to his name. Decade was implied to be the most powerful rider and they backed it up, something I honestly cannot fault them for. I thought the conclusion was nice although aside from the end I will admit Decade's portrayal of Kuuga was dumb (even when I did not see the series yet I knew he could not have been that unlikeable in his own show; sure enough I was right).

Now that OOO is the only rider series I am still watching I figured I might as well begin watching Black RX since I enjoyed Black and I actually had a figure of him when I was kid based on the Saban Masked Rider line.

Stop looking at me.

I was 4.

Seriously you can stop being baffled.

Okay.

Aside from RX I also thought of taking on Agito, Kabuto, Hibiki, or Kiva next. Agito is the sequel to Kuuga and I imagine that they fixed some of the rough spots the first series had. Kabuto I have heard the most positive about and from the look of it seems like the Ultraman Nexus of the franchise. Hibiki is said to be total jump the shark material episode 30 onward. Kiva is said to be the only rider series worse than Decade and with comparisons to a certain hated Gundam series from 2004. I do not know, what do the local fans think? Keep in mind that my tastes are not those of most people.

[Kavik Ryx]

I'm starting Kabuto after I finish up Hibiki. My friends have nothing but good things to say about it. The first 30 episodes of Hibiki are good, though on the dry side. While I would not say that what comes afterward is awful or should be avoided. But what comes after episode 30 is a series of questionable, dubious, and just terrible decisions at time, which spoil what the show had been working up too. From a stylistic perspective though, I would recommend it all the way through though.

[UC Fan Xman]

Well, I stopped watching Kamen Rider after Fourze. I mean, at first I thought I was being unfair to the series, but afterwards I thought that it was becoming far too much like a Super Sentai series like Denji Sentai Megaranger, or Engine Sentai Go-Onger. Now aside from Kamen Rider Metoer's story, the rest was a little too "light" for my taste. Now, if it was like a college-drama, it would be a different story.

[DuelGundam2099]

Well I just finished Fourze minutes ago, finished Agito last week, finished Black RX earlier this month, and last night I started watching Ryuki with the first three episodes. Black RX felt like an improved version of Black while Agito was an amplified version of Kuuga (in both the pluses and minuses). Fourze sort of grew on me and I didn't mind it being light although the humor was a little too extreme at times (at least it wasn't like W where it whiplashed alot). Most of the horoscopes were just okay although Libra, Leo, and Sagitarius were well done villains.

Then there's Ryuki, oh boy. The series my second least favorite anime was based on, the series Saban tried to give Kamen Rider a second chance with here in the states, the only series other than Kuuga that Decade didn't rearrange in chronological order, the series that started the alternate universe movies that last until either Kabuto or Kiva (not sure which, I know Den-O stopped it though), and the series that began large rider casts per series (I'd say Agito started that but 4's not "a lare cast"). It's also right up there with Black, Kuuga, W, and to a lesser extent Blade and Kabuto as among the series that get more praise than criticisms (unless /m/'s a bad example of the Kamen Rider fandom). And....

And....

AND....

AND!....

Not bad so far although the main character's a bit of a klutz. Noticeably the video quality compared to Agito seems cheap (although still better than Kuuga).

[Khandri]

^ Actually, Saban wasn't responsible for Kamen Rider Dragon Knight; a group by the name of Adness was. At the time it aired, Saban hadn't gotten back into the business of making kids' shows yet. (And here's an odd thing: Dragon Knight did really poorly here in the States, but the Japanese-dubbed version was apparently a big hit in Japan, even though it was a rehash of a Japanese show.)

As it is, Ryuki is what got me initially interested in Kamen Rider ten years ago, when I was only watching it in raw Japanese week by week because toku fansubbing really hadn't taken off yet. But now I'm watching it again fansubbed (am about halfway through), and now that I can better understand what's going on, I'm enjoying it even more. Shinji starts off as a huge doofus, yeah, but even midway into the series, after a whole lot of terrible stuff has gone down, he shows some real growth.

That said, ever since then, I've kinda had a love-hate relationship with Kamen Rider. I haven't been watching too many of the more recent series (I think I got through about half of 555 back when it was new and then a third or half of Den-O before I lost track of both of those/got distracted by other things) because the themes haven't grabbed me too much, and they felt too gimmicky. But I gave Wizard a try when it first started back in the fall because I'm not following the current sentai series, and I'm enjoying it a lot despite its own gimmicky nature with all the rings. The fantasy/magic themes are right up my alley, and I'm rather liking the core cast of characters.

I think now that more series new and old are being fansubbed, I may go back and give more of them a chance. It's just going to be a matter of seeing what's out there and what looks good.

[Strike Zero]

and I'm rather liking the core cast of characters.

You actually like Shunpei? o_O

...Well, whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

[Khandri]

Okay, well, he's a bit annoying. But I survived Gai in Gokaiger just fine, and he's kinda like Gai Light.