You just really want me to watch Blade, don't you? :p

I'm glad someone else out there actually likes Drake and Daisuke. I braced myself when he first showed up with all the hate he got but I never saw it. And his episodes with a particular worm were great~

Yes, but I'm serious when I say that TVN's Blade subs have some of the worst video quality I've seen, with many 90's shows having better video.

13 Riders was an alternate reality TV special(which actually counts for Ryuki due to how things are set up)so it's different from the TV show events. Raia was killed by Ouja/Strike in the TV series.

So the guy dies twice then basically? I feel sorry for that guy. It also sounds like that show is real confusing.

For the record, I also rather liked Drake. I don't really see why people hate him.

Pretty much. Ryuki isn't really all that confusing persay. Towards the end it is a little bit, but not a complete mind fuck. As for the specials, take what you will of them since their AUs.

The basic gist of Ryuki: A bunch of douches(and two nice guys who are wild cards) are stuck in a time loop untill the asshole controlling the time loop gets the outcome he desires. That's the really over-simplified synopsis of the series :lol.

Oh wow.

Wow it sounds very different to Dragon Knight. Dragon Knight seems a lot more simple.

Even when TVN has a higher quality source, they still encode their videos so shittily that it ends up looking terrible regardless.

Raia was also really cool. I always forget him because of how brief his time in-show was, but he was another interesting character. He was a prophet, and his predictions were supposedly always right, but he still fought against predictions he didn't like. It was interesting, like he wasn't mindless or complacent with his prophecies.

Also, he wasn't actually meant to be Raia. His boyfriend was killed by a mirror monster before he could use the deck.

Ryuki isn't really confusing, but none of the movies are in-canon and are based on nothing in particular. Not the show or other movies.

It's basically the same suits and characters with a different plot each movie.

It's more complex, but that doesn't really mean it's "good."

Ryuki had a habit of doing too much.

EDIT: Eeech.

LOL if you view it that way.

Wow Raia sounds very different to Sting, and it sounds like a very different kind of story with prophets and time loops. Sting was a guy who let his family down (well he didn't really, but he felt he did and that was the most important thing), as he couldn't become a marine due to asthma. Xaviax uses Chris' desire to please his father to rope him into the War, but his asthma still basically cripples him in fights which is exactly why the Doctor didn't let him become a marine in the first place.

Honestly I'm not getting any more convinced by Ryuki, but it is just fun to find out just how different the shows are despite using the same footage. All this crazy stuff is going on in Ryuki while Dragon Knight seems to be much more down to Earth.

Raia was the only rider besides Ryuki who wanted to stop the fighting. He foresaw the Rider battle's conclusion, and didn't like it.

He ate shit at the hands of Ouja, though. Just when he got the ability to an upgrade, but never got the chance to use it. Knight used it instead.

Ryuki is mostly nothing special, aside from Zolda, who is more complex a character than is typically seen in any kind of show. He and his boy-toy butler Gorou (who's actor is also Bandou from Gaim playing a TOTALLY different character) are the best part to watch. Raia was very different and neat, and Ryuki himself was true hero, but overall Ryuki was melodramatic and ill-paced, and Ouja's one of the worst characters ever.

EDIT: Also, the "time loop" only happens once. And it's basically just so a single event is stopped. (and it's one of Ryuki's best moments as a character) the show itself is on a time limit, but the entire point of the show is nonsensical.

A lot of fans retcon the 13 Riders special and Episode Final movie into continuity by saying they were other versions of the loop. I don't know if there's any official confirmation of that one way or the other.

You have to think about this though. Nihon has only done Blade and Hibiki once, and that was when they were first airing on TV. As such, they are using TV rips and because they are from 2004 and 2005, the video quality is quite atrocious along with their codecs being extremely old (my TV doesn't even recognize the files they are so old). Oh, and if I recall, for Blade, episode 41 was from a different source, so the video quality looks like it was ripped off a VHS.

Ah Blade didn't look that bad to me. Most of them look pretty good honestly.

Also I've seen the worst video quality of all so Anything is better lol.

I don't know how people can hate Drake, he is one of the best characters of Kabuto.

DK 10. WHAT A TWIST.

Anyway, this is a weird episode, as Brad gets much heavier focus than the likes of pretty much everyone else but Len so it makes it seem like he's gonna become a major character. Lol nope. At least he's not Camo.

In terms of him as an actual Rider, his Final Vent looks pretty impressive visually, it's cool he gets to summon his Advent Beast to fight with him and it's a whole lot better than wrapping yourself in a cape and falling but after the awesomeness of Lansing's general power set, and Kit's amazing Final Vent he is a little underwhelming. At least he's not Camo.

Xaviax confirmed for best toku villain ever? I love how he uses manipulation, over muscle, it just feels refreshing and borderline original to have a villain who doesn't just send down monsters one at a time until they realise there is five episodes left so they actually have to start doing something. Not to mention that William O'Leary appears to be having the time of his LIFE portraying him. He's just the best kind of blend for a villain, fun and effective. Anything that slides out of his hands is pretty much not his fault, as he has to work with what he's got, due to the Decks being DNA locked.

Oh, I've seen worse. I used to own DVD-Rs of fansubs from DBZ that were of the video quality from back in 2000 when it was best to watch the files with the smallest screen possible so you could actually see what was going on. That is how I initially watched the Majin Buu saga.

Wizard 42

I saw that twist coming from a mile away!!!!!

This episode reminded me of how great Wizard was. The action was really really good and it was nice to not see Haruto spam Infinity. But its still that Gate of the week two parter shit that I hated about the show.

I think Wizard has the best consistent action out of any rider series.

Hibiki 17/18
Been a while since I posted her, but yeah. I still love the series. That unique style, the soundtrack, the atmosphere... It's all so magical and fitting. Also, so far, I like all of the characters in some way. Todoroki had an awesome debut in the episodes before, so I'm really looking forward to what he will have in store next episode.
Hibiki is still as cool as ever and Ibuki was really cute these episodes, he's such a likeable character. Also, I really like Asumu. He's so laid-back and fun, yet such a normal teenager- he sure has some great scenes, even when the riders are not with him.

DK 11. Man I forgot how awesome Sting was.

This is a really odd show, because it can do one thing really well...and then the same thing really bad. Take the introductions of Torque, Strike and Thrust, all three had terrible introductions, they just came out of fucking nowhere.

In Strike and Thrust's case they all appeared in the same episode, along with Camo, it was ridiculous - especially when you consider Camo died before achieving anything and so far Thrust has done fuck all in his run in the show either. I mean sure Strike has been effective so far, but couldn't he have gotten a better introduction than just stepping into frame casually?

Yet the introductions for Dragon Knight, Camo, Incisor... and ESPECIALLY Sting were all done really really well. I just don't get how that happens, maybe they just don't care for half of these characters. I mean it seems the show loves Sting, and it loves Len, but it doesn't do favours for really anyone else, especially Kit who may well be the worst protagonist ever.

Actionwise, it was a mixed bag of stuff. Thrust is probably, currently, the most boring Rider in the game. And although I do like the twist on Torque's power set I really wish Lansing would...do more or y'know, do anything. Like the only thing he achieved...was making things harder for Xaviax and I kinda assumed that after his plans fell to bits, it'd force him into a plan of action, but he's still skulking about in the shadows. Plus why would Kit just immediately fight alongside a Rider he had no idea even existed? Oh yeah because it's Kit...

Honestly, all I really remember about Thrust is "BRAD BARRETT" :lol

He never loses!!!

DK 12. Len mercilessly murders Richie, but shows both Brett and Chris mercy, why? Arguably Richie was the least of a threat out of all three of them.

God this episode was all over the place, this show could probably benefit from taking a breather and slowing down. I never thought I'd say that about toku, ever. I guess I'll just talk about the stuff I could follow...

Okay, I lied, I don't like Chris. His introduction was awesome but it turns out he's just kinda well...dumb. Why would Chris buy a story from a random Suit who comes from nowhere, telling him that the Earth has been invaded by aliens from another dimension who are stealing the citizens of Earth? I mean I know WE know that is going on, and I also know Chris is desperate to please his father, but that still doesn't explain why Chris just immediately agrees that this is the truth.

I mean this guy is so naive Kit actually got a chance to be the voice of reason this episode, KIT, the guy who was working with Torque just a couple of episodes a go. The guy who defies logic practically every episode with some of the worst decision making known to man. I defended the characters in the past, but rewatching this show...has not been kind. Right now the Rider's are largely split down the middle between stupid and boring.

Like a lot of stuff in this show, Dragon Knight does one thing just as brilliantly as it does terribly. That bike chase? Epic. The big irony? This shows original unmorphed action sequences are actually a lot more interesting than their original morphed fights. I mean how'd you do that? How'd you make two guys in leather jackets doing flips more exciting than two guys in power armour using super powers? I guess I would complain about the harsh cuts, and poorly disguised, jumps between Japanese and original footage but at least the Japanese Rider footage is actually interesting.

The worst thing about the action so far though are the Final Vents. These are supposed to be the Special Finishers, the coolest thing to pull off in every fighting game, and in Torque and Dragon Knight's case they really live up to the hype. But all the others SUCK. Like literally all Sting does is fly into them, in an atrocious bit of CG. But honestly, the worst thing of all, is how poorly defined the Final Vents are.

Like for some Riders, Final Vents are the way to get vented - sorta like how in wrestling you can't pin until your finisher has been landed (over simplifying I'm aware) - but there is no explanation at all as to how Lansing survived taking Len's Final Vent head on and walking away, much like how Len has taken his second Final Vent head on and is still standing. The entire Advent system seems fucking broken and it's really frustrating to watch.

Well it's not completely absurd to think that IMO. If Kanzaki has the ability to rewind time, who is to say he hasn't done it more than the times we see in the series and 13 Riders and Episode Final are other failed time lines that we get to see? Now if Kobayashi was to state that isn't the case I'd be fine with it, but I'll keep my fan interpretation till then :).

I have no problem with it either. My only issue is that making the movies earlier time lines makes it more annoying that Femme isn't in the series.

Finally, someone else enjoys Femme! Really, if your show claims to have 13 rider battle each other, have all the riders, the Alternatives weren't official.

Super-1 Episode 18: An Evil Prophet Dragon this time that actually damages Super-1 Electro Hands. Very good episode and cool to see Harumi actually fight some of the Dogma minions. Kazuya is so sly and clever at times and it's so awesome. Also great fighting and a stronger Electro blast too. I love how Kazuya trains to help him defeat the monster. He made his hands stronger after repair and had to get the hang of their new power.

Speaking of Final Vents, there's one thing I never quite understood about DK/Ryuki......where the hell do these Final Vents come from? For some reason, it really bothers me with Ryuki more than any other Toku show.

It's like Shinji/Kit has their first battle as Ryuki and are still figuring out what the cards do, what weapons they create and how to activate them. Then out of nowhere they perfectly execute and organize a Final attack with their contract beasts that remains consistent throughout the series? Was it Ren's idea to have Darkwing attached to his back, jump all the way up in the air and have his cape turn into a drill? Or was it Darkwing's? Did Shinji/Kit just put in a random Final Vent card and decided at that moment is when they'd jump into the air, do a front flip and pray that Dragreder assists in a Rider Kick?

One thing Faiz did that made sense was have a manual with every gear to explain why the user knows how to do all this crap with something he's never used before.

At least in Dragon Knight's case, pretty much the entire Advent System is broken as fuck. There are no explanations for what I said above, nor are there explanations for WHY they are cards in the first place or explanations for why some people have like thirty cards and others have like two.

What little has actually been explained is confusing, contradicted and nonsensical, like the whole sealing the contract, DNA locking business.

DK 13.

A pretty slow episode, but it did give us a lot of focus on Kit, and I will openly admit that he's started growing a lot from that naive manchild he was at the start of the series. His scenes with Lansing were...dare I say it...almost badass?

I guess the trajectory of Lansing's character arc is fitting for what we know of his character, but it's a shame that a villain that initially held so much promise, didn't actually achieve more within his time with us. But then I can't really think of a single Rider so far, with really any notable achievements yet, except maybe Len but this show seems to have a massive hard on for Len the whole time anyway.

Kanzaki must have thought "Ok, shit really goes to hell with Femme and Ryuga around. Imma not give them decks next time around." :lol.

Yeah, in Ryuki there was an explanation, in Dragon Knight though, it's like with non-MMPR ranger keys used in SMF, no explanation, same with Jake being green & not black, which was a funny scene but point being, the lack of explaining is annoying, but like Power Rangers, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is a kids show :L.

Ryuki is a kids show too?

DK 14.

You know, episodes like this would be more enjoyable, IF SO MUCH WASN'T ALL HAPPENING AT ONCE. This show has turned into a complete and utter mess. It starts with Strike hunting down Torque, only to along the way Vent Brad seemingly at random, despite the fact Brad had done fuck all yet, only to then suddenly flip flop back over to where it started during a painfully tacked on scene at the end.

Torque may not be a major character in the grand scheme of things, but he was so far one of only three Rider's to vent someone, an effective villain at least at the beginning and has been around for like what, ten episodes? He outlived several Rider's. It just seems so insulting his death was tacked onto the end of the same episode some Z grade character died as well.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, half heartedly connected to everything else, is the growth of Kit into a hero and the budding friendship between him, Len and Chris. This once again proves utterly frustrating as a protagonists character growth should be centre stage, Kit's actions this episode deserved their own episode just like Lansing's death did.

I WANT to appreciate this stuff, Brad's death was awesome, Strike is cool and I'm liking that Kit has finally grown into a protagonist I can enjoy following but it's hard to appreciate when it's all happening at once as the episode jumps all over the place like a kid with ADHD with a gut full of cherryade.

Locke, I was talking about the English version, when it was on TV in the US, it aired on the CW4Kids *that was before Vortexx* :lol.

I think episodes 29 and 30 of Kabuto are legitimately the worst episodes of anything I've ever watched. Just wow.

And episode 31. "Hiyori is a worm, what an unexpected twist!" said no one ever. Wonder if she's gonna get killed like every other worm or if she's gonna get a free pass for some BS reason.

I hate those episodes show much...

Was that the Dark Knife/Iron Chef arc?

And this is where the show kind of derails. The actress who plays Hiyori got really sick around this time, so you're going to see this storyline get seriously interrupted very shortly.

Yep *shudder*

You mean this show is about to get WORSE?

Wow, I'm not going to come out having any fond memories of this show other than Drake at this rate.