Blade 28-30

Well, those last two were sure episodes that happened. Garren's Jack form was cool though - I really like the Jack forms, there's something about the slight changes + wings that works for me.

That Missing Ace prequel stuff that's started appearing at the end of each episode is pretty cool too. Although I felt bad for my first reaction being "hey look, it's Diend's creepy brother" :lol

I hope they get faster, I really want to watch Skyrider, Stronger and Akumaizer-3. The first episode of Akumaizer was absolutely fantastic. I wish Super-1 would get finished too. I don't really liked starting series unless they are finished.

You know what, I may have been disappointed with the last 8 episodes of Wizard, but they are no where near as bad as those last 20 episodes to Hibiki. However, don't let me stop you. I did not want to believe anyone else either. Then I ended up entering Character Assassination Town.

What exactly do they do to the characters?

Ryuki 10-12

Zolda is completely awesome, him paying for the little girls surgery and her father possibly being eaten by a monster is also a nice sorta twist. Ren lossing his memory gets us further through the plot and I felt like this was the equivalent of Gaim episode 11 anyone else? Well otherwise a good set of episodes.

Ryuki 13-14

They show the death of the professor, as well as Eri who I believe is Ren's sister. Well the little "twist" with Zolda dying is a plus but didn't last long and we got to see Shinji be affected by the fake death which was pretty nice.

Raia is pretty awesome and I can see him foreshadowing some future events of the show overall pretty food arc.

Finished Kamen Rider J, and have to say that was a really awesome movie. The story was very good, very unique set of powers, and the only Kamen Rider who can grow giant. Awesome Giant Battle in this too. Kouji was an interesting character. Also the thing I learned about the 90's Trio they are all really brutal fighters with head ripping, punching through bodies, impaling people, and ripping objects out of there body and continuing to fight. I love these 3.

I think J had the better story but ZO had the better action honestly. I definitely see how they evolved the storytelling from these 3 to Kuuga and the early Heisei series though.

Also I watched Kamen Rider World which was a nice little short film showcasing ZO and J kicking ass, defeating 5 monsters and Shadow Moon. Also one of my favorite giant fights I've seen too (Shadow Moon vs J).

Also Berry is an awesome sidekick who was very helpful. I wish we got more of the 90's trio but I'm glad they show up from time to time, and hope they can atleast get J's actor back for the Showa vs Heisei Rider movie, I mean he is coming back for the Kyoryuger vs Go-Busters movie so he'd be someone good.

I watched all three movies last year and found them to be anywhere from bad to down right terrible, with J being the worst.

Asumu reverts to being a total spineless wimp whose main job is to sit there and let Kiriya insult him. Akira drops out of Oni training because she remembers she has a vagina. Hibiki becomes almost completely clueless and Ibuki loses all his self-confidence. And, of course, every single character stands around and passively lets Kiriya get away with being a blatant douchebag.

I think Kamen Rider World is a must-see. At least if you ever want to be able to tell J and ZO apart visually.

After about a 6 month hiatus of watching any Kamen Rider, I picked up Wizard again. I was planning to finish Wizard before moving on to Gaim, but last night I was convinced to start Gaim anyway, so i just watched a couple of episodes of Wizard while Gaim was downloading.

The two episodes I watched were each their own, self contained stories, instead of two episode arcs. I liked that. I think they were fairly strong episodes by being the length that was appropriate for the story, rather than trying to pad out both stories to two episodes each.

So I finally met Beast. I'm liking him so far. But I'll probably take a break from Wizard again, at least until I catch up on Gaim.

Ah well we all like different things, I don't know which I liked more between ZO and J. I wish they were longer and Shin was shorter.

Gaim episode 2:

It was really good. I like how they didn't just make Kaito a jerk, they actually gave him some redeemable qualities. Pineapple Arms? Eh, it's alright. I like Orange Arms more. I kind of want to pick up a Sengoku Driver now, because I like the noises it makes. :lol

The DJ still kind of reminds me of the one from Jet Set Radio. :lol

So it's that time again of What Rider should I watch now, As some are restricted from me because my friends want to watch them together (W, Wizard, Ryuki, Fourze, and Den-O) and I've seen (OOO, Kiva, Decade, ZX, Blade, Kabuto, Faiz, Kuuga, X, Shin, ZO, and J) What should I watch next between Agito, Amazon, Hibiki, and Black? or should I go back and watch some of the movies I haven't seen (The OOO's ones, Kiva's, Decade's, and Kabuto's)

I would say watch OOO and Den-O Let's Go All Riders! The only thing you'll be missing out on is knowing who Kotarou (Movie exclusive Rider), Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, and Teddie are. I watched it long before I ever watched Den-O, and I still enjoyed it, so take that for what you will.

Den-O 24. I love this episode. I really enjoyed the scene at the police station when they were interrogating Ryoutarou and the Imagins take turns answering for him. It was a smart idea to let Uratros do the talking since he was the smart one of the outfit. And did Sieg just cup a feel on Hana? I thought I saw him grab her boob before she punched him out of the den liner. And Zeronos limited henshins makes him look like just a partial second rider. He probably wouldn't be as active as say Beast or Knight was, would he?

Presumably no, I won't go into too many spoilers, but Deneb tries to find a way around that.

Hibiki, Black, and Agito are my top three Rider shows of all time. I cannot readily pick which one I'd recommend first.

Really? I'm looking forward to getting around to it, since you (At least I think it's you) don't like Kiva and I enjoyed it a lot. Hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as you do, since I like the suit designs and the whole sound thing.

Ryuki 15-16

The new guy is pretty awsome and I like of how his cards go to his shoulder so that's pretty nice. Ren not being cold enough to kill him is a nice thing to add to his personality. Raia's suit is growing on me. Overall it's been like what 10 episodes since a ride died? So maybe one of the riders will die, but I will see.
Overall pretty good episodes. Also I know I'm sorta breaking up the Showa train here and I've tried watching them, and I just can't.

I have no idea where anyone would get that impression.

*pointedly ignores eternally burning Wataru effigy*

So I'm having trouble finding subbed videos of those Fourze episodes where the Go-Busters visit, he wears a Sherlock Holmes hat and Gokai Red comes out. I've only seen a few quick clips at the end of some Fourze eps and it looks pretty fun, but I'm not even sure what those segments are called or where's a good place to watch em subbed.

Those are short webisodes that were made to promote Superhero Taisen. I'm pretty sure you can find them subbed at TVN - look for "Superhero Taihen" (with an h).

I think I'll wait to watch Faiz when all of episodes come out on blu ray and get resubbed in HD.

Gonna second the Hibiki recommendation. I am really enjoying it.

Especially since my usual recs, such as Ryuki and Fourze, are off-limits for ya right now.

I think I will I really want to watch it. Also I know the Imagin from Decade and the first 8 episodes of Den-O I watched.

Ah awesome =) well that's good, I am still trying to figure it out but good to know.

DVD quality is really good of Faiz from Nihon. I think it's worth watching.

Gaim 5:

Man! They really aren't wasting any time introducing Riders! I just hope the show doesn't slow down after this. Only on Episode 5 and we've already got our Secondary. It was a really good episode though, a lot happened. One problem I've had so far is Kouta goes from "I don't want to use the belt" to "I'm going to use the belt!" then back to "I don't want to use it anymore..." then again back to "Yeah! I'm going to use it!" It's not that big a deal, but if they do it again, then Mr. urobochi and I are going to have a problem. I really like Ichigo Arms too. Bring on the Figuarts, Bandai!

Sweet! Let us know what you think of it! :D

EDIT: Gaim 6:

So...why do people like Oren Pierre? because, he's just a pretentious jerk.

Episode 34 of Hibiki (Note: I am writing this as I watch the episode so as I go on I may touch back on things I previously mentioned in the post)

For starters, I really didn't care for the new opening. Maybe it's because I've grown attached to the one we had for the last 33 episodes, or maybe it's just because that one fit the show so much better, I dunno, but I was not fond of the new intro at all.

That said, the episode itself wasn't all that bad. I actually really dug the relationship drama between Todoroki and Hinaka. The phone call she made to him when Ibuki was fighting with the douji and hime, especially with her reaction afterwards...that was really well acted and it kinda resonated with me. Nothing tear jerking, but it felt like a genuine piece of human emotion.

At least at this point in the series the violence doesn't seem to have been toned down too much, what with the makamou stabbing Hibiki in the shoulder, with blood at that.

The bit of conflict between the douji and hime was interesting as well, kinda unexpected given the way they'd all been so in synch prior to this. Clearly a result of the experimenting, I'm sure more will come of it.

Todoroki being so clumsy in the fight with the makamou did feel a bit off to me. I know he's never been the greatest fighter, and he's always been sorta awkward, but generally speaking he's managed to hold himself rather well when transformed, so him dropping the ongeki just didn't feel right. I mean I guess it can be attributed to carryover from the night out he had with Hinaka, and the stress of his current situation, but if this ends up a recurring issue then it'll bother me more.

And now we have him talking with Hibiki about the fight and it is brought up that what happened was unlike him, and Todoroki confirms my suspicion that it's because of what's going on with him and Hinaka.

Asumu's stories typically mirror what's going on with the oni in some way, so with Todoroki's drama with Hinaka so to do we get relationship woes with Asumu and Mocchi. And that I am rather thankful for. I'm all for the platonic boy-girl relationship, but at the same time this is a relationship I could realistically see growing and I am glad that they have taken this opportunity to kinda address it a bit more (as I know it's come up in past episodes). This is also something I know most of us, and certainly a lot of the target demographic, can relate to. I just wish the other love interest for Mocchi didn't have to be fucking Kiriya -_-

Having Hibiki kinda house sit for Asumu was nice as well. I always enjoy seeing their relationship develop and this pushes that a bit further, making Hibiki into even more of a father figure for Asumu.

Forgot to mention earlier, this episode brings up a bit more characterization with Akira. Not sure I'd necessarily call them doubts, though it definitely had that feel to it, but her bringing up a feeling of stagnation with how long she has been essentially glued to Hibiki's side but still hasn't really progressed beyond that. I can't recall if it is said how long they've been together, but Todoroki was under Zanki for I believe a year or two and he's already become a full-fledged oni, admittedly his master chose to retire, which pushed him up a bit quicker, but Todoroki was still transforming prior to that. She does have a bit of a point I suppose.

Kiriya running off to watch the oni again. Definitely a bit off-putting. I get that they want us to feel his interest, that longing he seems to have or whatever, but the way he just follows and follows and stares from behind cover, it's kinda stalker-ish and I don't like it.

Armed Hibiki continues to be a pretty badass upgrade form.

And...what the fuck, where is my Shonen Yo closing credits? For the love of, please tell me that this is not the norm now, I absolutely loved having that at the end of each episode.

Thanks for the info! I was able to find the eps streaming. I didn't really have slot of time to fully check out TVN, though the gist of it seemed like a Torrent site, correct?

Alright I watched the OOO/Den-O/All Riders Movie, and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me how much I love OOO and Kamen Rider in general. Eiji was absolutely fantastic, Loved seeing more of No 1 and 2, I love those guys from what I've seen in the manga, and some episodes before hand. New Den-O is very awesome, and I love Teddy. Momotaros is awesome like normal and him with Ankh is priceless. Great to see some of my favorites again like Faiz, Kuuga, Kiva, X, ZX, ZO, J and Decade and more. Loved W's part too. Loved the finish with all the secondary riders too great to see some more of my favorites of Chalice, Gatack, Kick Hopper, Garren, Birth and more. Great to see the old heroes too of Kikaider, Kikaider 01, Inazuman, and Zubat they are fun and I hope we get to see the other 3 revived like Inazuman. I loved seeing the upgraded King Dark I wish we could have got a Kamen Rider J vs King Dark fight, that would have been epic.

I think I am going to continue with watching more of the Movies, for the time being with the rest of the OOO's, Kabuto's, Kiva's, Decade's and more I'll be fine. Though Amazon, Hibiki, Black, and Agito were pretty sweet in this movie too.

Yeah, the change to the opening and closing really bugged me, too. I cannot stand the second opening song, even though it's sung by the same guy that did Shonen Yo. Kagayaki is just so great and it was really stupid to replace it with something else, especially when combined with the second opening's incredibly generic visuals. And yes, the ending theme is gone (although it comes back on the last episode); I'd forgotten about that.

You can really tell that Toei had absolutely no respect for the show's original incarnation.

Episode 7 of W. Philip's got some moves.

I just watched these Ryuki episodes for the first time too!

Jesus Christ, this show is badass.

What I love most is how complex the morality of the series is. Every character except Shinji occupies this morally gray space where no one is purely good or purely bad. And even as one character takes a step further into the darkness, he also grows and realizes that he's not above making human/familial connections.

And yet, even though tragedy constantly befalls everyone and they're all fueled by a sense of crushing duty, the characters don't become maudlin or get bogged down with despair. I think Shinji's single-minded positiveness lightens the rest of the characters by association -- without him, or a character like him, the show would become overwrought.

This is my 4th Rider series (after OOOs, Fourze, and Kiva), and I'm stunned by how sophisticated it is.

Eri is Ren's girlfriend, not his sister.

Just finished watching Episode 5 of Gaim and I am enjoying it alot! I'm surprised that so many riders have already appeared that I'm starting lose track of who is who. haha. Makes me tempted to start getting into the toys now. >.<

God where do I start? I've watched Gaim up to date (11), all of Kiva, Fourze, Den-O, OOO, Wizard though episode 4, decade through 2, W 2, Kabuto 2, and Ichigo (AKA 1971) through 3. I'm watching them all side by side and I just started to get into Kamen Rider about 2 months ago X.X My life is gone right now lol.

Just finished episode 35 of Hibiki.

Honestly, I really liked this arc. Maybe I'm just a bit of a sucker for love/romance related arcs like this, but I just really enjoyed this storyline. There were some incredibly human moments, as I mentioned in the episode prior with Hinaka's phone call to Todoroki being a fantastic example of this. I felt this episode did a great job of humanizing the characters and showing more of their relationships.

Still not fond of the new opening and them cutting Shonen Yo from the ending, but I'll get over it I guess.

I didn't care for Ibuki's very brief bit of relationship drama. It mirrored Asumu's too much, which I felt was handled rather maturely despite being a case of misunderstanding it felt real, and was just kinda there to stop the oni from finishing the fight too early.

Speaking of finishing, I LOVED Armed Hibiki's taiko finisher, that was just awesome. I have always enjoyed watching taiko drummers, and seeing the actual drumming along with him actual using it on the makamou was pretty awesome.

Edit:

Watching episode 36 now.

Off to a..creepy start. Seriously Kiriya, wtf?

I, in a way, actually like this whole "let's have a contest" thing he has going on with everyone. Not trying to make him seem like the epitome of depth or anything, but it does at least give something to his character. We still don't know all that much about him, but he definitely seems to be trying to cover up or compensate for something (I recall his mother mentioning something about his stomach and rocking or whatever, as well as him being a sore loser), and this is his way of dealing with it, showing how much better he is than everyone else at even the most meaningless of things. It's not much, but it's something.

Oni armor eh? Design is kinda cool..though I can't say I care for the eyes on it.

Nice to see a bit more interaction between Akira and Asumu, been a while since they really had much time together like this from what I can remember. Showing more of her struggling between balancing her school life and her apprenticeship, working towards her future, and Asumu continuing to be at that crossroads of uncertainty..that he started the series in.

And here comes Kiriya to be a dick again.

Poor Sabaki just can't catch a break..

Zanki-san hiding something, hmmm.

Getting a nice little bit of incite into what the oni think of their position, what it means to them (as Asumu phrased it). Hibiki put it well enough, "To be an oni..means having to be an oni". Simple enough to be quite a complicated answer, but I think I get what he is saying. It's a bit like, "with great power comes great responsibility". At least in a way.

Notsugo, looked a bit like a scorpion, I can totally dig it hahaha.

And a bit of backstory for Zanki, love it.

His former mentor seems pretty cool.

And Zanki can no longer transform into an oni? Bummer :[

Again touching on what it means to be an oni, seeing the different interpretations they all have. Getting a bit of a look inside of them.

Zanki does make a good point as to why Akira may be best rethinking her decision to become an oni.

Did..Zanki just destroy that ancient armor?

Shuki regains her oni form, which I assume we'll soon find out why she was stripped of it (I think they said she was forced to give it up, mayhaps this ties into what Akira was talking about in regards to using anger/hate) next episode.

Also, Shuki is an in-show female rider....so why were people acting like Mage in Wizard was such a big deal? People acted like it never happened before.

You and I are on the same episode. :lol

(He's no Ryuutaros though.)

Ahh so after taking a break from Ryuki I decided to check one of the Showa shows and the one I choose was Kamen Rider Black.

Well Black was okay, when I saw this I was like oh ya they used to put all this stuff on a human face and that was the monster not just a rubber costume.

The first henshin didn't make much sense since he went through a wall but hey what are you going to do. The ghost figures to me just didn't seem to big to me. The spider costumes though did look neat I'm not gonna lie. Since I'm in the train to not lie I'm gonna be honest and just say that Blacks suit doesn't impress me all to much.

The characters are okay I guess for the time this was made. Black himself being like a king is okay? I don't know it just seems like a but too much. The girls look to be fairly annoying. The dad thing doesn't really surprise me too much and the fact he died didn't add to much in my opinion.

Overall this looks like to be a diaranger season in terms of story and villian designs and I really liked diaranger so that's a plus, but tech spam in ep reason I watched black was because of the figuarts. Hehe.

Blade 32-35. King form has shown up, and now that I've seen the suit up close I have much more of an appreciation for it. That detailing is gorgeous.

Things seem to be heating up now too with Hajime's true form showing up (man Joker REALLY needs a Figuart) so I'm looking forward to the final stretch. I've had quite an odd relationship with Blade so far - I think its had one of most compelling stories of the Rider shows I've watched but it doesn't really wow me visually. The grungy designs are a bit hit and miss for me and I find the action a bit lacking. So far its been one I'm mostly in for the characters, setting and mythos.