Kamen Rider Black Sun (Spoiler Free) Review.

 

Black Sun is still a relatively new series, so I’m going to avoid Spoilers and keep this (mostly) short. I will touch upon some minor spoilers to provide context, but nothing like character deaths or massive plot details. This is also going to be a much more casual and loose review with the assumption you’re familiar with the original series.

But if you want me to sum up Black Sun in short: Kamen Rider meets Clive Barker’s Nightbreed with a dash of Judas and the Black Messiah. It is the most Radical Rider has been in ages, possibly one of, if not the most radical story in the franchise.

If you wish, let’s continue on.

Gavan Bluray Review: A New Standard

 

Back in 2019, I reviewed the first entry of the Metal Hero Series; Uchuu Keiji Gavan, a show laden with impressive stunts, a unique style completely different from either Rider or Sentai, and an incredibly magnetic lead in the form of Kenji Ohba.
My overall thoughts on the show remain the same, so feel free to go take a look at the review if you need a refresher on the series itself and more detail on why it’s a great show.

Limited Run Games Castlevania Ultimate Edition.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve tackled something game related, huh? But this is a bit different from even those seldom articles because this isn’t so much about the games as the package surrounding them. It’s also a bit different in that this isn’t something you can buy anymore.

You might ask why bother reviewing something long since out of production, but I figure this could give an idea of what to expect should you ever order from Limited Run Games, from the experience, the end product, and my overall impressions.

Kamen Rider W review.

 

Strap in, this is going to be a long one.

Shin Kamen Rider Prologue Review.

 

Shin Kamen Rider Prologue started development as soon as Black RX finished in 1989. Originally it was pitched in a Manga format similar to how ZX was, but that idea was quickly scrapped. Ishinomori's son, Joe Onodera, wrote a hook while his father worked separately on a synopsis for a new project: Kamen Rider Gaia. Eventually, Junichi Miyashita would join Onodera to develop a more proper script, taking some concepts from Ishinimori's Gaia work- some early iterations even had the main character called Gaia before settling upon Shin.
Rather than a series, a movie was proposed, and Toei's release of Lady Battle Cop in 1990 would help spur interest in developing a direct-to-video Kamen Rider film.

Some of the earliest ideas were a bit out there. The first was of a man Cosplaying Kamen Rider and is injured saving someone, eventually somehow becoming a real Kamen Rider. Producer Shinichiro Shirakura shot that down immediately, requesting something more traditional. Although Ishinomori seemed really intrigued by the original pitch.

Still, Ishinomori had to approve of the direction, and going back to basics again wasn't what he had in mind, at least not exactly. They already did that with Black, after all. If Black was a return to form and Rider 1 was the basis for which all others branched out, then Shin would be the roots of the metaphorical tree. A true Kamen Rider 0. Ishinomori wanted Onodera and Miyashita to explore the Kamen part- the mask and the horror it hides. Resulting in a Rider without a suit or belt, the monster lay bare in its most basic iteration.

Now, Shin is a bit of a unique thing to review because it's technically incomplete. This was meant to be the opening to something that might've had two to four more parts, hence the prologue. That said, I can still review this for what it is- which is an introduction laying the groundwork. Now, let’s get into this properly.

Kamen Rider Shin primarily follows Shin Kazamatsuri (Katsuhisa Ishikawa) a former motorcycle racer who has given up his dream to assist his father, Daimon Kazamatsuri (Akira Ishihama) a geneticist working for The Institute of Super Science Technology (ISS) on enhancing humans to overcome various diseases and ailments- Shin being their greatest success yet.

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Review.

 

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed a Sentai series for this blog, huh? Almost as long as reviewing a recently airing series, the last of which was Kamen Rider Build- as far as live-action was concerned anyway. I couldn’t give a pinpoint overall reason, just that there hasn’t been a lot of modern stuff that’s interested me. As far as Sentai is concerned, I gave both LuPat and Ryusoulger chances, but neither really grasped me despite some intriguing dynamics in Lupat and wonderful action is Ryusoul. I’ve heard great things about Kiramager, which was written by Kuuga and Gokaiger writer, Naruhisa Arakawa. That greatly piques my interest, but this review isn’t about that.


Since this series just recently ended, I do want to give a brief summary of my thoughts before diving into spoilers. The short and to the point version is that I overall enjoyed my time with Zenkaiger. For as wonderfully comedic and over the top the show is, there is a surprising amount of heart with a very strong theme of family. As overplayed as that often is with Sentai, there’s no denying Zenkaiger does a wonderful job of integrating it from every angle. The core team bounces wonderfully off one another, each with their own (sometimes conflicting) personalities that are put to good use throughout the show with a decent amount of focus. Although it may be disappointing that the substantial character arcs are still relegated to the leader, sixth, and dark ranger. But I can hardly complain, all things considered, it’s some of the best parts of the show.

There are still some issues. The villains aren’t that interesting and it suffers from being a bit cramped at times, such as introducing the dark ranger and sixth back. And there is the sad reality of the insistence on the number of toys is becoming an ever-increasing issue that at times can bog down the pacing or feel really tacked on.

Regardless, this was the first time in a very long time that I really enjoyed Sentai and would recommend you at least watch six episodes to see what you think.


But, if you don’t mind spoilers and want to get into the details of the whole story, what I love, what I have issues with, and so forth, hit the jump.