I like 555... It's one of those things where I just found it really interesting despite its horrendous flaws.

I'm nearing the end of Kuuga too! I'm on episode 44, and things have definitely gotten more interesting, but it still feels a bit slow and isn't as compelling as some other seasons. I think I can safely say that Ichijou is my favorite "battle assistant" though and the fight scenes tend to be really fun, (especially when Kuuga randomly decided to do bike-fu).

Agreed on all counts; W is one of the all-time greats.

I say this as a dedicated hater of the show, but Faiz does have some redeeming qualities. Takumi is an enjoyably main Rider and the action is usually pretty good. It's just that the rest of the show is drowned in a sea of forced melodrama.

Black is awesome, though. I hope you enjoy it.

Well I survived Wizard... I'll survive this. I hope.

Thanks. I never got into Showa before but I'll "force" myself to watch the entirety of Black now because I hope that after the first few episodes I'll be able to get into it and enjoy it.

It’s mostly the older style I’m not too keen on. Not the optics or the suit design, I like the old suit, it’s the pace and the presentation of the older shows that’s not for me. But I hope this show can prove me wrong.

Finished Agito last night (well the series anyway, still gotta watch the TV Special and Project G4) and I'm kinda mixed on the whole thing. It had some really great episodes, the characters all bounced off each other pretty well and the whole mystery element was really cool to watch unfold once it got going. But at the same time it took a hell of a long time to gain momentum, the finale felt somewhat anticlimactic and in general I can't help feeling the show felt it was being far cleverer than it actually was.

The first half of the show had very little in the way of plot progression, and as I stated earlier in this thread the whole "G3 goes into battle, gets wrecked, Agito shows up, rinse/repeat" got old really quickly and didn't need to go on for half as long as it did.

The ending was a bit weird too. Not specifically the finale itself, more the sudden "one month later" time jump for the last five or so episodes. It's strange because despite having some really strong episodes the whole thing just felt weirdly disjointed from the rest of the show.

Despite not being a particularly big fan of Agito himself, the suit designs in this show were great - especially Gills and Another Agito. Really hope those two get better figures one day.

One thing this show did REALLY well however was the supporting characters. Ozawa is hands down one of my favourite non-Rider characters from the shows I've seen so far (she's no Ichijo but she comes damn close) and even Houjo was weirdly engaging despite managing to stay a massive dick from start to finish.

Writing all this out makes it sound like I'm hating on the show a lot more than I want to. I guess its the kind of relationship I have with Black - the good parts are utterly amazing but then there's a lot of mediocrity to wade through to get to them. Gonna need to mull the show over a bit more before I write my full review I guess.

The thing with the Showa era is that it's very episodic. It's extremely rare to see any form of ongoing plots or even subplots. A lot of it is just "monsters threaten random kid; Kamen Rider miraculously stumbles into the situation and helps out." Black is a little better in this regard because the Nobuhiko storyline is always percolating in the background, but it still only gets really serialized near the very, very end.

I don't recommend trying to binge watch older tokusatsu shows - the lack of an ongoing narrative and formulaic tendencies really stand out the more you watch at once. I'm slowly working on Zubat right now, which is magnificent, but it's also pretty much the same basic episode every single time. I think that I'd get bored pretty quickly if I tried to watch a lot of it in one sitting.

Agreed - it always felt a bit like the show had reached its real climax, then realized there were still 5-6 episodes to go. I like some of those episodes a lot (and am still pissed about Risa), but they do feel tacked on.

Kamen Rider Faiz Episode 1:

-I really like the way they have established the monsters credentials. Breaking down the wall and then turning helpless lab technicians into dust is the best way to show shit is serious.

-Okay, so apparently, the monster came here to steal the Rider Belt?

-Yuji is making funny faces in this flashback while poring over albums full of fond memories with his girlfriend Chie. The acting seems kinda forced here.

-Ah yes, collision on an empty road. How come you didn't notice that rambling truck, Yuji? Plotforce, I guess.

-Ah, so he has been in a coma for two years? Pity. Oh and deceased parents are the best after all.

-He's alive! HE'S ALIVE!

-Table manners?

-Now this is a good dramatic moment. Walking around like a stranger in a familiar land after waking up from a coma. Yuji's actor is slightly better here.Reinforcing it with that cruel comment about him being better off dead.

-These three guys don't seem to have a life. And seriously, this photography event seems morally questionable.

-Now this is what I am talking about! Scary murder monster! Also shit at hiding bodies. Seriously? That's just it? No wait, I take it back, the case of the disappearing corpse has just began!

-Poor Yuji. And that guy seems a little too rough on Chie.

-You get to be a dust zombie! And you get to be a dust zombie! Everyone gets to be a dust zombie! And seriously, why can't you just explain why you want that bag instead of acting like jerk? Just tell her that you think she has your bag!

-I am feeling a lot of sympathy for Yuji. Him asking why he deserves to be put through this is well delivered by the actor. Huh, he is a monster as well?

-Silly girl, you can't get to be a Kamen Rider! Girls can't be Kamen Riders at all!(Sarcasm)

-I like the belt and the suit's overall design. Very futuristic looking and slightly reminds me of Robocop.

-Centaurs beat automobiles every time. Also, nifty sword!

-I was hoping that this episode would end with a Rider kick. I mean the actual flying one instead of this one.

Ah Zubat ! It's kind of cool, but indeed it suffers from the redundant stuff, it's better to watch on episode at a time.
That said, Zubat's charm is in all the little things. Sometimes it got a weird old farwest vibe transposed in rural Japan of the 70's, go figure. The titular character is very charismatic, for once the hero use a whip which is rather unusual. Best part for me is the ridiculous meeting between the henchman of the week and Zubat, too bad the henchman is only the second best in Japan at whatever :D

I'm curious about how you'll like 555 Leo Novum, it's quite the... thing.

I'd need to be a far stronger person than I am to not cry when I first watched W's ending. It was made even better since it was my first rider and I wasn't familiar with some of their common plot points. There's a reason it's my favorite season.

Yeah, it's a great show. It's the first tokusatsu i've seen where the superhero action is my least favorite part - it's always far more engaging when it's just Hiroshi Miyauchi being awesome in a cowboy outfit.