It's cool, yeah. But that just means he won't get to join in on the KR Taisen fun :p

Yeah it would have been. He is one of the best Non-Rider supporting characters ever.

Well I'm done with the six episodes of X with proper subs.

Yesterday I complained about how Shocker didn't use guns very much, but there's really not much to that complaint that applies to G.O.D. Man. G.O.D. fuckin loooooves guns. So many guns. Jeez.

I didn't think it was that good a design, but seeing it in action, I like X's suit way way way more than I thought I would. It's great. Really want the figuarts now.

Anyway, X isn't bad. I hope the full thing gets subbed someday, especially since it really is just 35 episodes.

And now, on to...Amazon, I guess? I dunno. I've wanted to watch Amazon for a long time, and I still do...but frankly I feel a little burnt out on Showa right now. I think I'm gonna watch the first episode as a test, but if it doesn't totally hook me I'm going to move on to Gaim, and come back to Amazon after that. Let's see...

So the rhino runs a train all over Kuuga, proving that transformation is, in fact, not a free action here.

Anyway, it seems the rhino is targeting trucks due to the exhaust they output. Is he fighting for the environment? I dunno. All I know is that they speak English (Japanese) for the first time (Technically second, as they spoke it a few episodes back, but it was one sentence and mimicking what the radio was saying).

The subplot involving one of Yusuke's teachers is also interesting. I'm only pointing it out because, honestly, it's the first time in the series where I felt any sort of interest. The possibility of Yusuke's former teacher quitting because Yusuke would be unable to meet up for a date planned 16 years after the fact holds the most tension out of anything else the series has offered thus far.

Ohhh, so it seems the Rhino was disturbed by how loud they were. Alrighty!

Anyway, despite Kuuga almost getting wrecked, rhino is stopped by the timely intervention of another Grongi, who looks like a fish but I don't know for certain. They have a scuffle and fall off a cliff. However, next time we see them, fish man is gone and only rhino is still around.

So Yusuke starts training to increase his kicking ability while Ichijou decides to use himself a bait, getting into a large truck and driving about to find rhino.
In the meantime, the teacher and the girl (I swear I'll get her name down one of these days...) finally meet up and start discussing Yusuke. It seems even as a grade schooler, he had his winning smile and attitude, endearing himself to his teacher as well. It was touching how many people he affected. After a revelation about how Yusuke got his trademark thumbs up, the teacher decides to continue teaching.

Meanwhile, Kuuga gets into another encounter with rhino. Using his new training, he manages to destroy him with a powerful kick right in his face.

Well, I watched the first episode of Amazon. It was pretty much exactly what I was expecting and hoping for. Certainly a very different sort of Rider, and very great. I am definitely looking forward to watching the rest. But...it wasn't just quite enough to get me to postpone the fruity Riders any longer.

So I'm watching Gaim now. I'm four episodes in. It is pretty great.

Since I caught up with Drive six weeks ago, I've watched Blade, 43 episodes of Kamen Rider, six of X, and one of Amazon. What I'm saying is, the past six weeks have been filled with a lot of very standard, if not sub-standard, definition video. So what I'm saying I'm saying is, man are the modern series pretty. This HD soothes the soul.

Not that I'm holding poor video quality against the old shows or anything. Just saying, it's nice.

Anyway, the opening scene in Gaim is...very impressive honestly. The armies and all that stuff...very big, very dramatic. Definitely hype as hell.

Series and characters themselves have been interesting. Kouta is a riot (dem faces in episode 2) and a total weak and directionless chump, a character type I must admit to liking a fair bit. Kaito is a jerk ass, but a good one. Takatora is...violent. Mitchy I'm liking a lot.

This is one place (of many) where the fact that I know certain Spoilers is probably going to color my experience of the series, (though as spoilers come the eventual twist that Mitsuzane is a total asshole is huge and impacful enough as to be pretty unavoidable) but I am certainly liking him a lot at the moment.

Plot thus far is interesting. I know a bit about the Inves, but not a whole lot...enough that with blatant context provided I can probably guess what happened in episode 1. If it is what I think, well this show stealthily got off to a depressing start, which I suppose is appropriate considering that it's supposed to only get darker as it goes on.

But anyway, as a whole it's pretty good so far, and I definitely look forward to seeing how it progresses. It's supposed to get pretty intense, and I'm very definitely looking forward to that.

Sakurako Sawatori. I had to look that up. Something about her name is just really hard to remember. I can remember the names of most supporting characters from all the Rider shows I've watched, but hers always slips my mind for some reason.

I remember watching Kuuga and feeling sorry for her character, because mostly she just sits at her computer and answers phone calls. Of course there are rare instances where she goes out, but most of the time she's more of a plot-device instead of a character.

This alliteration and identical amount of syllables throw me off, so I end up combining her names (Since she always introduces herself with the opposite name Godai calls her) and I end up getting confused and just typing "The girl" when referring to her.

Anyway, 13. The fish Grongi who screwed over the rhino returns and starts a rampage, first on a large boat, then on some dock and shore workers who accidentally got cut.
As all of this goes down, a man pretending to be an unknown lifeform shows up. However, he has given up on humanity and might have mental issues.
Meanwhile, Jean has uncovered more ancient artifacts, and this is making Kuuga's Spidey sense go crazy, flashing visions to him mid-fight. I'm particularly interested in where this is going.

Anyway, the Grongi are counting their kills, which was obvious since the bracelet, but it's good to know with certainty. I'm still a little confused as to why, but I guess we'll get there.

As for Sawatori, yeah, she is kind of a plot device. As much as they try to give her a character, it seems that all Godai and Ichijou ever do while interacting with her is "Translate the thing. Have you translated more of the thing? Please keep translating the thing."

Sakurako (had to double-check the spelling :p) is never the most active character, no. She does eventually get out of the research room more, though. And, if nothing else, she does at least contribute to the plot. I can think of a few Rider Girls who never even manage that (looking at you, Rinko, you beautifully-assed ball of wasted potential).