Kaiketsu Zubat Episode 1
So we open with a Japanese cowboy who reminds me of El Mariachi flying an airplane, landing it and when he gets out of it, he blows a kiss to the camera while holding his guitar against his shoulder. Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy then.

Does have a pretty cool opening song though. You know in that 70s Showa era Japanese music sort of way...I miss the rockier songs of the 80 shows already. I don't dislike the theme here, but yeah this is when my love of Japanese music starts to decrease in amount of love. Except for music done by my actress waifu Meiko Kaji. She can do no wrong no matter what she's doing.

Of course a minute later I'm in love though with the music playing after the OP ends. Very pretty sounding and I'd quite like to hear a full version of it if it exists.

So our villain is called Hell Dragon? And to strike fear into his men, or at least show them that he's powerful and his vengeance is something to be feared, he makes two goons nearly run over a group of kids as well as slap them around? Showa villains are really weird and going off of this, quite the assholes. By the way is it just me, or do the goons look like French soldiers with their getup?

Also who the hell opens up their shirt when they are told that they're about to be shot in the chest? And for that matter why the hell didn't he run away when Lankirk started shooting at him? Did he want to die? Was he the designated human shield? Just, just what the hell?

And more music that I'm liking. Why is it that I'm loving the instrumental stuff but not the vocal songs?

So as they fired their bullets, Hayakawa's bullets brushed against Lankirk's which caused them to explode? I would say that seems highly unlogical but considering I'm watching a tokusatsu show, I really shouldn't say such a thing unless something really stupid pops up. Like not running away when you're being shot at.

I can not be the only one getting a Kill Bill feel here with the constant cutting back and forth of their face. Am I? Oh yeah and the music sounds like the Jaws theme but put through a synthesizer. Am I the only one who thinks that as well?

Look I know he was trying to be helpful and get the bus away from the children, but serious Asuka is quickly becoming one of the dumbest characters I've seen in toku. He doesn't run away when he's shot at, he opens up his shirt to give somebody a clearer shot at his heart, and then knowing full well that there is a bomb about to explode on a bus, insists on driving said bus until it blows up. Asuka you are STUPID!

They blew up a hospital?

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m...29w0o1_250.gif

Hell Dragon doesn't fuck around does he?

Holy mother of JEEEEEEEEEEEEEZUS! That's a friggen gruesome ass scene if I've ever seen one. And this is from the 70s. This puts some of the shit on shows like Law and Order to shame as far as gun shot scenes go.

It isn't his fault though. The goons planted the bomb before Hayakawa showed up, so it would have happened anyways. Hell if it wasn't for him, you, Asuka and those kids would all be dead by now. I know that you're grieving and since shit got real once Hayakawa showed up that your bound to lash out at him, but use some sense. Although she wasn't aware of them planting the bomb until Hayakawa mentioned it, so maybe her playing the blame game makes sense story wise?

A vocal song that I like. A very touching one at that for a scene that was well done and showed off just how sad Hayakawa is over the lost of Asuka. Maybe my statement about not liking this era of Japanese music should me fixed up. Actually nah, looking back at what I wrote, I summed up my feelings perfectly.

How does he know how to finish making both the Power Suit and Power Car? Also I'm curious as to how exactly Hayakawa came up with the name Zubat. Seriously I really want to know the reason for the name.

Hell Dragon's boss is uh...:lol

Who is that kid anyways? He was in the credits and he was with them when the bus exploded. Is he like Hayakawa's sidekick?

"That's how Hell Dragon does things." Favorite line I have heard in a TV show in quite a while.

The hell man? First a gruesome ass scene of somebody getting shot, and now a scene of a woman and child getting beaten viciously with bamboo? I know Japan has a different sense of censorship and ethics when it comes to TV and movies (fucking love them for it), but this is a little too much. Especially the kid getting beaten, I'm shocked they actually allowed that. And it isn't like him getting slapped or punched, he's getting whipped with fucking bamboo. If this took place in Singapore this would basically be caning. Just, jeeeeeeeeeeeezus.

Okay the Zubacar is fucking awesome.

Now whip 'em, whip 'em good!

So he has a time limit of five minutes? Seems like Showa toku shows really have a thing for time limits. Ah well, it does make for more suspense when they fight.

Did he just kill him? Yeah, yeah he did. I see Ishinomori wanted to amp the violence of the programs of children shows. Doesn't surprise me though after reading Skull Man.

Yup, they're the sidekicks.

The ending theme was fairly nice as well. So I guess the music in the show is actually really nice outside of the opening. Glad I was proven wrong and found stuff in the music that I liked.

So this is Zubat huh? Well it is pretty cool seeing more of Ishinomori's work, something that I've been determined to do. So as the first show I'm seeing of his outside of Kamen Rider and Sentai, this certainly was something.

The characters are kinda typical to be honest. The kid and Asuka's sister are pretty much your stock sidekick/damsels in distress. But then the characters get interesting to a degree. Hayakawa is actually pretty cool and I'm quite enjoying his cocky desperado like personality. However he's your basic hero seeking revenge, and I hope they delve into the vengeance side more. I thought for sure at the end when he realized Hell Dragon didn't do it that he'd break down a bit considering he just murdered a a good number of people and didn't even get his vengeance. So I hope they play around with this more. Asuka is a fucking dumb ass. That is all. Hell Dragon steals the show for me though. He is such a vile and despicable villain that I can't help but like him. He demands his soldiers beat kids and women to instill fear in his soldiers, he tries to blow up a bus full of kids, he blows up a hospital, and he beats a woman and child viciously with a stick of bamboo. He is one of the most evil villains I've ever seen in toku and I am enjoying him for that. Plus, that one line is just hilarious as all hell.

The story they set up sounds pretty interesting. I'm certainly curious to see how it all unfolds. I got a real western vibe from this, and while I usually dislike westerns, I kinda like it here. My main hope is that the whole revenge aspect gets played around with more as far as Hayakawa's character goes, but it would also be nice to see how it effects his sister.

The action was pretty nice, nothing but whipping and punching. Bitchin. The Zubat suit is really cool as well, I love the cowboyish theme it has. Probably the closest we'll get to a cowboy sentai for now (it does sorta look like a SS suit).

So overall I'm certainly curious enough to watch more, but dear lord was this a vile/uncomfortable sight for the eyes.

Speaking of GARO after listening to the HJU podcast I really wanna watch that new Dragon of the Blue Cry flick or whatever it is called but I've still only half finished the films because I really didn't enjoy the first two I saw and since GARO has a much firmer continuity than pretty much the entirety of other toku shows, is it a death wish skipping like three films and/or specials?

I'd say yes in skipping viewing them, but it probably wouldn't hurt to read up on their plots so you aren't totally clueless.

Yes it's a deathwish or yes it's okay to skip?

The Smile Gaiden, then the Beast of the White Knight special.

It's okay to skip watching them, but just to be safe at least read about the plots of them.

Alright sweet.

Dragon of the Blue Cry is a beautiful looking film, but that's about it. I wasn't a fan of the Kouga-era Garo slipping further and further into surreal fantasy, and that's the epitome of it.

Bright colours in my Garo? No thanks :lol

Kinda disappointed to hear that because Amemiya is basically one of the finest creators and visual storytellers of our generation but HJU made it sound like so much more than just his trademark wonderful imagery.

That is exactly why I was so pumped, because the other movies were downright terrible and hearing that it was this deep, beautiful fairytale that rewards multiple watches and functions as a wonderful ending for a series - if this really is the end - they just made it sound wonderful.

I don't know, I loved the movie. It's a fairly conventional Wizard of Oz style plot, but there are some neat unique spins and some of the new characters are really memorable. I loved the idea of a land made up of forgotten objects, too, but I've always had a weird and probably unhealthy amount of empathy towards inanimate objects.

And yes, the film is gorgeous.

You may as well just check it out then. I certainly didn't feel it was a fitting end, but at the very least its worth a look just for the sheer beauty of it all.

Btw Ovetime have got subs for the first episode of the new GARO show. I just saw that now when I went to grab the film.

Awesome, thanks!
Man I'm so behind this week (I blame new anime season)...I still haven't found the time to finish Black Blood! :lol

Man now I'm working again my schedule has gone down the pan. I'm glad I got the Zero miniseries out of the way before I started but it wasn't that worth it in the end anyway.

Ah okay thanks, is there an exact list of what to watch in order?

Garo
Garo Gaiden: Smile
Beast of the White Knight
Kiba Gaiden
Red Requiem
Garo Makai Senki
Garo Gaiden: The Tougen Flute (Tougen no Fue)
Demon Dragon of the Blue Cry (Soukoku no Maryu)
Zero: Black Blood
Garo: The Makai Flower (Makai no Hana)

Garo: The One Who Shines in the Darkness (Yami o Terasu Mono)

Some of those are more interchangeable (especially between Makai Senki and Makai no Hana) but that's roughly it. I separated TOWSITD off because its a seemingly separate storyline.

I'd flip Kiba and Red Requiem (they were released on dvd around the same time, but Red a Requiem had been in theaters before that), but other than that I'd agree.

Yeah, those were the two I wasn't 100% sure on.

Kaiketsu Zubat Episode 2
Oh, so the plane flying bit is part of the opening. Makes more sense now.

So why are people running away from him exactly? He's just riding a horse. Is it the guitar? The black clothing? Seriously why would they ran away from Hayakwa? It makes no sense.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I think I get it. Black Star, Blackheart, Hayakawa wears black clothing. Now I think I can see why they would be a little afraid of the guy. But that raises the question, do they just assume everybody who wears black and dresses like a cowboy is instantly a member of Blackheart?

Hey look, it's the Frenchies! And along with comes more women beating. Yay!

That scene proved one very important thing: Ken Hayakawa is a bad ass. Anybody who disagrees can take a whip to the nads. I'm only two episodes in and already I'm loving this guy.

Real men open their beer by cutting off the top of the bottle with a sword!

Oh come on that isn't even possible! Is it?

This girl is hilarious. I so have to use that "Who do you like/ask me" line at some point. Not to mention that her answer to his question is so funny considering that she demanded to be asked. Love you cutie.

This is some Hallowen like music. And I mean the movie, not the holiday.

How come Hayakawa didn't stop the old man from running off? Hayakawa probably could have out two and two together to figure out that the culprit is someone in Blackheart, who he easily wiped the floor with last time. I know the old man is trying to help, and it does make sense to have a younger more active person try to take care of a fire, but what all can this old man do against the culprit?

Holy shit. Man people are getting murdered in this show left and right.

So are all the villains of the week going to wear some sort of cloth over their left eye?

This guy has his ceiling rigged with swords that can drop at the push of a button? I want this guys architect and get myself a sword filled ceiling. That is so kick ass.

Wait, if you knew that he joined to try and sabotage the gang, then why exactly did you let him join? Are you suicidal or something? I don't know maybe he has a plan to counter Hayakawa, but even if he does what are the chances Hayakawa will fuck up Blackheart before Black Star can even put the plan in motion? Pretty freaking big if you ask me.

Hayakawa performed bullet removal surgery on the old man? When and how?

Wow that was one evily cliched line there.

Oh my God! This is some straight up James Bond like shit right here. You're really going to not only kill Michii, but fucking make Yoshiko and Hayakawa watch as you slice her in two with a buzz saw? Goddamn is that some sadistic evil shit.

How exactly did her free himself and leave without anybody noticing?

Yeah I fucking want the Zubacar. Like right now.

So did he choke the guy to death? We didn't see Hayakawa pulling on the whip so I'm not really sure why the samurai passed out/died.

Really? The same voice didn't give it away?

You know I just now noticed that they put up a warning saying to not try to do the stunts at home. I think that's the first time I've ever seen that in a tokusatsu show. Good job Zubat makers for putting that in, because some us kids are dumb enough to do back flips off of our couches that end up hurting us.

Well this was a pretty nice episode. It continue to build the western theme which I'm digging to be honest. I guess because it's something different then what I'm use to with Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Garo.

The story was pretty nice. It had a conflict that moved well, as the story had a beginning, middle, and an end. The only thing I think I can gripe about is that it's pretty simple and that there wasn't a whole lot added to the main story of the show. However in combination of the western theme, I'm thinking this may turn out to be like the old serials from back in the day. So if that is the case, then the story won't move along for a little bit and to be honest, I'm okay with that.

Unfortunately while I can tolerate a slow moving story, I cannot tolerate no character development. Especially when we have so few characters that are mainstays of the show. Hayakawa didn't get any development, Asuka didn't get any, the boy didn't get any, and neither did the big baddy. They all remained their usual old selves. So I have to give the show a strike for this, and something tells me I'm going to be seeing a lot out of it.

Action wise, it was pretty good. Both the civilian fighting and the fighting as Zubat was done very well. I'm actually more of a man of Hayakawa fighting without the Zubat suit on, as those fights seem just more fun. You know once the suit is on that he's going to wipe the floor with the villains. But when he fights outside of it, there's a chance he may not win and that leads to some nice suspense.

Overall, this was a pretty nice episode. I'm really getting into the show, which is a real shocker since it's a western, as well as a Showa era program. The few Showa shows I've seen I haven't really been able to get into, but then again the Showa shows I've seen aren't Sentai or Kamen Rider, so I can't easily get into them since they all have different concepts for the most part. So it's really cool to have found a show from the Showa era that I'm really liking and getting into.

Thank you both very much. Now I can continue and make sure I have everything.

Kaiketsu Zubat Episode 3
Buddy the way to seduce a lady is by being sweet, cunning, caring, basically being Don Juan. Blowing smoke in her face is not going to capture her in your claw game of love.

I like Killer Joe. I think it's his fancy/aristocratic attitude which does it for me.

These bits never get old :lol I kinda find it ironic that the two shows I'm focusing on reviewing right now both have main protagonists who cocky sumsofbitches. Of course Hayakawa has nothing on Tendou in that department though :lol

Shizuka's plight actually makes a lot of sense compared to the last one. While it is common for gangs to try and muscle in an somebody's business, especially family run ones, it seemed a little bit odd. Though once again, not completely out of place especially with the wild west theme we have going on. But this woman's plight makes more sense story wise to me, as it means we get to possibly see some development/progression with Hayakawa since Asuka was killed in a similar fashion. Her brother poked his nose around too much and got himself killed. Now that she's doing the same thing, she's next on the extinction list. Hayakawa can easily relate to that, and hopefully this episode will provide some development for him.

Holy gold rush Batman! This guy is covered in gold. Gold teeth, gold rings, golden hair (okay not actual golden hair but golden colored hair), he's just all gold. Well except for his voice. It is certainly not a voice of gold, and I'm willing to be he doesn't have a heart of gold either considering he just caned a kid.

Man Hayakawa has his plate full this episode. He has to protect a girl, a family, and a golden statue. But if anybody can juggle that much crime fighting, I'm sure it's Hayakawa who can.

You got it from Hong Kong? How much you guys want to be it's fake?

When the hell did Osamu and Midori show up? And how the hell did Osamu get a job? He's a kid, kids aren't allowed to work.

Let me guess, Shizuka's a spy isn't she?

Holy shit did they beat up Ichiro good. The same goes for his papi but damn, Ichiro got it. Also Hayakawa look at what you pulled out and it's safe to say you know who the assailant was. If you can't figure that out, well then maybe detective work is not suited for you.

Why the hell are all of the generals wearing a mask over one side of their face? I don't freaking get it. Oh and one more thing, CALLED IT!

Uhhh Hayakawa that's a pretty stupid reason. You wanted to see if she could kill in cold blood. I repeat, you wanted to see if she could kill in cold blood. Well guess what, she nearly did. If you knew she was the spy you should have called her out on it immediately and imprisoned her ass. Not keep playing along with the charade until somebody gets hurt. It isn't like you were doing undercover work or anything, you were a bodyguard. So the minute you figured it out, you should have detained her, not let her walk around freely. You're suppose to be the smart guy, not the one who allowed somebody to hurt a kid!

I'm pretty sure that wouldn't instantly kill you. It would probably paralyze you but I don't think it would kill you. But hey, I guess somebody had to die in this episode and the producers didn't have the balls to make it be the kid. Plus this way they got to kill off a bad guy/anti-hero/I don't know what. So I suppose it all works out, even if it's medically incorrect.

Woah how the hell did he know where Killer Joe hanged out at?

Jump in anytime guys.

Well it wasn't him. I guess I was wrong. But surely anybody could why somebody would suspect him. Shizuka got killed by a knife that was thrown at her, Killer Joe is a master at using knives. It's easy enough to assume he'd be her killed. But alast he is not, and I am without one of my favorite characters from this show. Poor poor Joe.

That would be the most bitching car ever in tokusatsu my dear Gold Mask.

Let's see murder, assault, murder, assault, theft, and now bribery. Yeah this guy is going away for a loooooooooooooooong time. Well, that is unless Hayakawa kills him. Though it is pretty funny seeing him run about and offer Haykawa those random gold things.

That was...a very weird and slightly bud cut to the next location. They really couldn't have shown Golden Mask running away? Just cutting straight to Hayakawa coming in like a pirate after they go through the door is just bad editing in my opinion.

You know I've been forgetting to mention it, but the Zubat Attack is pretty lame. He's just sitting on him after falling. There's nothing great and final about that attack. Well it is if you're Yokozuna, but if you aren't then it's not that great. Definitely one of the lamest final attacks I've ever seen.

You also forgot to mention that he is guilty of theft. Where is Hayakawa getting these business cards anyways?

Well episode three is done and I have to say that it didn't really impress me that much.

The story element was once again pretty much not there. Well let me rephrase that, it was there but not really all that great. I'll give the show credit for tying up both the golden angel and Shizuka stories together in a fairly nice way. However it's pretty predictable once Ichiro and his dad are attacked what's going on. And like the other two, nothing really is added to the main plot. I's a real shame because when this episode started I thought it would be great. Hayakawa having to deal with a case similar to his own. It would have been great and allowed development for him. Unfortunately we did not get that, and instead got a pretty lackluster episode.

The characters like the last two didn't really grow. Hayakawa is still Hayakawa. Nothing has changed about his character at all which is a shame once again because of the potential this episode had. I'm really shocked though at how stupid he acted this episode with the whole spy part. Seriously man, you're just retarded for not acting out on it sooner. Other then him, the other characters weren't really all that impressive.

Surprisingly while I've praised the action all throughout the last two episodes, I found it slightly boring here. The civilian fights were nice, but the fight as Zubat was just plain boring. And as I mentioned, the finishing attack is utterly lame. So on the upside we had great civilian fights as per usual, but got a pretty boring suit fight, which should be the most exciting fight of the episode. Unfortunately it isn't.

This episode really didn't do it for me, and I'm starting to really see the traditional Showa era type of stuff I don't like that much: episodes with a story set into it which isn't that important, a main character who hasn't had any development, and side characters which don't really mean anything that important. Though it is strange considering this is my favorite Showa toku show that isn't Kamen Rider or Sentai so far. But even though I consider it my favorite, it doesn't mean that I can't spot the flaws. Hopefully the show proves me wrong and improves on some of these things and makes the ride even more enjoyable then it is so far.

GARO Gaiden Smile: Well that was ummm silly, sad, funny, crazy, weird, and pretty good. My favorite moment was Kodama just going off on a tangent and just talking in english being crazy that was brilliant. I liked seeing the people who played Zaruba and Silva too. That definitely felt like a crazy dream lol.

Kaiketsu Zubat Episode 4
I don't believe I have ever seen a tractor like that before.

Ughh another guy with that half mask? You know they really dropped the ball on this one. He's called Demon-kan and dresses in traditional Japanese clothing. They could have given him some really creepy and demon like kabuki paint and actually make him look demonic. But no, instead we get another shitty leather/cloth half mask.

JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAZUSSSS! What is with this show and beating the shit out of women? And tying them up as well, what's up with that? Did fucking Koji Wakamatsu direct this show?

First we have samurais, then a cowboy, and now a mariachi dancer? What's next, a viking?

Is there anything Hyakawa can't do? :lol

That was Midori? If it was, how come Hayakawa didn't say her name when he found her strung up, or when he caught her? And if it is her, then where the hell is Osamu at? Did she leave him behind or something? If that's the case, thank God they didn't go to Disney Land.

Those swords are wooden right? Cause if they aren't, then Hayakawa should be dead by now. He got slashed across the back, stabbed, had the swords slammed down onto his body multiple times. He'd be sleeping in the rice patch if they were real. Though right before it cut to him being thrown in the prison, I did get a good look and they do appear to be wooden, though one looks to be metal.

There's Osamu. Though why didn't he originally come in with Midori?

You have a tractor/ATV. Why not just use that?

So how exactly did he get that car? Was it Demon-kan's and Hayakawa just stole it? If it isn't, then where did it come from? And at the same time, why not just steal Demon-kan's car? Heck we could have gotten some more kick ass action out of that scene if Hayakawa went on a fighting spree to get the car.

So we're just going to pretend the round shot out a bazoka is like a regular bullet? Because we all know in reality, Makoto would have been blown to itty little bits by that attack. Why am I even shocked anyways. It's a toku show for kids, it's not like reality is going to be used all that much in terms of attacks and what not.

Then again I really should give the show credit. They kill somebody off every episode, and it isn't a villain. Doing that in a kids' show takes a lot of balls. Now I know this is in Japan and they have different rulings on what can and can't be shown, but still showing the death of people episode after episode (along with women and children getting the snot beat out of them) is something to kinda congratulate them on.

Holy transitioning tale Batman!

Well to be fair, you did meet Midori whose name is Asuka. So you have in fact met somebody named Asuka. It just isn't the Asuka Hayakawa is speaking of.

I do have to question though, how come nobody has put together yet that Hayakawa is Zubat? He's always showing up right after the criminal is caught, and he vanishes right before Zubat appears. And in this episode, they literally see him driving down the road only to disappear in smoke and have Zubat appear. So seriously, how come nobody has put this together yet?

Well that was episode four. Not going to lie, it was a pretty cool episode. It had some really good action and a pretty nice story. Only thing it didn't have was any development for our three main characters, though Makoto was a pretty nice one. So yeah, kick ass episode.

GARO Beast of the White Night: This was an absolute fantastic movie. I loved every minute of it even though it took me about 3 days to watch it because of my schedule. Great to see Jabi return I really liked her. I loved learning more about Kouga's mother. Tsubasa I really like as a character and his white armor looked sweet. I love how Rei interacted with everyone in this movie, less antagonizing and more helpful. I loved Rin and her interactions too. Kouga was totally badass and I loved his form at the end, also his fight scene to get Jabi back was absolutely kick ass and awesome to see him fight his friends and Taiga too. Loved the backstory with Kouga's parents too. Legules was a definite creepy threat and this was definitely creepy too. I can't wait for the next movie.

Kaiketsu Zubat Episode 5
Well this is going to be a weird episode isn't it?

So this is a case of misunderstanding eh? Seems a bit odd to be perfectly honest. Like anyone who wants to buy flower and matches who doesn't know this magical password is instantly a bad guy and getting kidnapped. Little extreme don't you think?

Uh oh, the song of doom is playing! If you hear that then it is safe to bet you are about to get your ass kicked. Beware the song, beware the song!

Hayakawa has a point. He's dealing with a big criminal organization which is constantly causing people harm, as well as killing people. Plus considering Midori and Osamu keep getting kidnapped and hurt, it would probably be best if they just stayed at home. I know they care for Hayakawa and want to help him, but they are pretty much a hindrance.

What exactly is the evil plan of the week anyways? They're selling flowers and matches. I don't really see how that equals evil plan to harm the world.

:lolol

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now I see how this is an evil plan. Pretty damn despicable though how they have a little kid selling this junk though. But I do suppose nobody would suspect a little girl to be selling cocaine.

This Crimson Spider guy looks like a cross between a pimp and a hobo :lol

This is indeed one wacky episode.

Can't say I didn't see this coming. And Michiru don't stand on the swing while swinging. You'll hurt yourself doing that.

Man is Hayakawa fast at transforming. Though this begs the question, why didn't he just come as Zubat in the first place? Keep the diversion technique but instead of showing up as Hayakawa show up as Zubat. They wouldn't have been expecting it at all and because of their surprise you probably could have had the whole situation under control fairly quickly.

Hayakawa really isn't too good about not killing the henchmen is he? This makes what, the fifth person he's out right killed in a fight already? Dude just knock them unconscious and let the police handle them. You don't have to kill them.

Will at least they took care of the questioning portion of the episode quicker then usual.

Well the fifth episode is now finished. How was it? It was okay. Weird but okay.

Just finished watching the first episode of Blue SWAT. I....really freaking liked it. Hell if I would have been shown this as a kid, I would have been all over it. Love the suits, love the weapons (though they need some damn machine guns), love the OP, just overall enjoyed myself watching it.

Blue Swat sounds and looks awesome. It's probably one of the Metal Hero series I want subbed the most.

It's pretty damn cool from what I've seen so far. I'd say I want it subbed the most after the Juukou B-Fighter.

GARO Red Requiem: I absolutely love Rekka! She is a totally badass Makai Priest who is freaking hot. I loved her development throughout this movie. Interesting to see that Kouga was trained by her father too, also he was a great teacher in this movie so that was a different thing to see. The villains were definitely interesting and I loved the fight scenes in this too. Akaza and Shiguto were also very interesting. I love the Makai Priests as much as the Knights now too. The whole world of Garo is so fascinating. Can't wait for more.

finally finished Iron King last night. it was a truly great classic tokusatsu. the action, story, and interaction of the characters was amazing. loved the final bit on the beach. probably one of the best finales I have seen. was not expecting some of the stuff that happened in the episode. Goro and Gentaro made a truly fantastic pair.

So I kind of watched the Kiba Gaiden story of GARO, do I have to watch it? Because honestly it bored me and I don't really care about the character. I don't have enough of a reason to feel interested in watching it. I mean will I be fine if I go to the next thing I need to watch? I mean I skimmed through it, and it doesn't interest me.

finished my ultraseven dvds finally yesterday after so long and watched the banned episode today. gotta say I frikkin loved ultraseven. it was a show for people of all ages to enjoy. it had its light hearted and serious moments, while also having some pretty mature themes in it, not to mention that not all of it was black and white. plus one or two of the space creature attacks they brought on themselves.

I also felt disappointed, its main interest at the time of the release was to introduce a few elements that later appeared revelant in season 2 (rests of an old demon linked to Kiba corruption if I remember correctly). But out of context it's too redondant if watched just after the first season.

Rewatching Tomica Hero Rescue Force, and just rewatching episode 2 I'm reminded why I like this show so much.

All the characters are really likable and the emphasis on rescue instead of fighting bad guys is refreshing. Of course they do have to fight the robots creating the extreme disasters on their way but they are a rescue team first and foremost.

Their suits are also probably my favorite Toku suits, yes even beating Sentai and Kamen Rider(well except for Wizard Flame Style and Chalice Ace form). And it's theme song is one that's so good that no matter how much I've seen the same stock footage I still end up getting pumped up :rock:

Garo Makai Senki Episode 1: Since I reached where I wanted to in Black I can finally start this. It's great to get back to Garo! Boobs, Action, and Makai Knights! The horror was very cool looking and interesting but it was great to see Kouga and Garuba come back and kick ass. Very intrigued with him being the Knight of the Senate and the guy at the end putting that seal of destruction on Kouga, I am intrigued to see where this goes.

Garo Makai Senki Episode 2: I really love how the Senate building looks, it's huge and magnificent. Leo looks like a fun character, I can't wait to see more of him. It's great that Kaoru is going to be making her own picture book just like her father, and I liked that she was trying to go away instead of walking into the light. Kouga is once again awesome, that fight was great especially with barely any CGI in it. I worry for Kouga with this seal on his chest but it makes for a great ongoing story so far.

Ultra Seven Episode 1: Well this was pretty good even with how old it is. I enjoyed the threat of the Coul aliens, and the Defense Force are pretty interesting reminding me of Shield. Dan is a fun character so far. The action definitely felt really dated with those dog fight scenes. Though Windham looked fun and I liked Ultra Seven. I might start watching more of this later but I have it downloaded just to have for the time being.

Ah I see almost a month since I last watch Garo: Makai Senki. Good to know lol.

GARO: Makai Senki Episode 3: Loved seeing Leo and Kouga work together. All the motorcycle action kind of put Kamen Rider to shame a bit, lol. The real intriguing part was with Rei having the same seal of destruction as Kouga. Can't wait for more.

GARO: Makai Senki Episode 4: This was a fun episode, with Kouga playing poker. I have to say that it was great to the actor who played Kusaka/Kaixa from Faiz guest star but it would've been more fun if he was in an episode with Rei since they were both in Faiz together. Though he plays a great villain more than a manipulative anti-hero. Great action though.

I've gotten a bit bored of watching Rider and Sentai on rotation so I've decided to check out the original Kikaider series. I've been meaning to for a while because the whole "its a superhuman/robot pretending to be a human rather than vice versa" appeals to me.

The first two episodes were a lot of fun, but the show is really showing its age. I guess this is the oldest Toei show I've watched, but Amazon only came out two years later and that was a lot more impressive for its time. The plot is really interesting and I like DARK, but Kikaider doesn't have much in the special power departments so the repetitive jumps and karate chops can get a little boring at times. Jiro REALLY knows how to make an entrance with that guitar though :lol

The one thing that really amuses me is that both episodes have ended with Mitsuko and Masaru calling out to Jiro and him biking away looking determined, yet by the next episode he's back hiding out with them :lol

Garo Makai Senki Episode 5: Interesting episode I definitely see the monster or horror from the dark hole coming back. I am really enjoying Leo and Kouga together they are awesome. I like that he tried to help with the Seal of Destruction. I hope it gets to being more about the main characters than the side characters who just focus on the episode they are in.

Garo Makai Senki Episode 6: Really good episode, okay I'm biased lol It was great to see Rei get a focus episode I've missed him. I feel bad for this couple being preyed upon by the horror. Zero kicked ass though, it was just awesome imagery here.

Garo Makai Senki Episode 7: Hell yeah! I see this is the episode that the series really picks up at. That evil Makai Priest vs Kouga fight was one of the best I've seen since Kouga vs Rei from the first season. Very impressive, I am enjoying learning more about Makai Priests a lot and can see why they have a level of hatred to Makai Knights. I am intrigued with who Leo saw when Kaoru held the brush. This is definitely getting more and more intriguing.

Garo Makai Senki Episode 8: Yay another Rei episode. I really enjoyed Juuzou in this he was very different for a horror and lead to a different battle with Rei. The action was intense and seeing the physical Zero suit is extremely awesome instead of the CG one. Definitely intrigued to see where this goes.

Janperson Episode 1: This was one of the best first episodes of a Toku show I've seen. The danger felt real with trying to get the vaccine to the hospital, as well as the guy who ran away from the Guild too. Then Robot Assassins show up and cause havoc and the mighty purple robot of Awesomeness comes in and kicks 10 kinds of ass on them. Then delivers the vaccine in time. Janperson is such a badass, I love how he fights and his car that turns into an awesome jet too! I need more! The guild looks like a very interesting villain group. Janperson is like a cooler version of RoboCop who can actually move! This is definitely worth a watch.

GARO Makai Senki Episode 9: Well I got see Takatora die again lol it was nice seeing him in this even for the quick moment he was in. Definitely different than Takatora lol. Still felt like kind of a filler episode but the action was good, the next episode looks like we'll get more with Leo and Kaoru which looks interesting.

GARO Makai Senki Episode 10: Wow the Spirit Beast was one of the most beautiful, amazing, and spectacular things I have seen. It's like a dragon merged with an angel and those are two of my favorite things ever. Leo is so amazing and kicked ass. Man the characters are awesome in this series. I really loved seeing Leo and Kaoru on an adventure together it was a lot of fun to see all the creatures they did. I also loved Kouga's reaction at the end to the picture Kaoru drew him.

GARO Makai Senki Episode 11: Kouga can get even more awesome. =) I just enjoy how he spends his time with Kaoru. The Tower where he receives his title and his purification was awesome. The fight with the monster also totally awesome. Also seeing Kouga without his helmet on with his armor is totally cool too.

GARO Makai Senki Episode 12: I really loved this episode a lot. Seeing the girl with the horror connected to her be connected to Rei makes it really personal and it was great to see how emotional he got when dealing with the situation. This shows me why Rei is my favorite again. Also I loved how he said he was protecting her Future smiles. Great to see there is a bit of Kuuga in Zero. Coincidentally my Zero and Kuuga figuarts are next to each other so that makes it even better.

GARO Makai Senki Episode 13: Wow! So this is what a fight in Harry Potter should have looked like. Jabi vs the Evil Makai Priest was a total badass fight, and Jabi is so kick ass, I love her now more then ever. The new opening is awesome too! I didn't like the original opening and skipped it, now I'm not going to be doing that. I'm not sure about Leo anymore but that might just be a red herring but we'll see what happens. I really like that this show isn't afraid to let the other characters besides Kouga have focus episodes.

Just finished Kikaider, and for a show that's beginning to show it's age it's still a very enjoyable watch. It does have a bit of a downturn in the middle but it comes back for some fantastic episodes once the lead up to Hakaider's debut starts. Hakaider/Saburo is just badass, and definitely one of my favourite toku characters I've come across. Shame he went out like a bitch, but at least I know he makes a comeback in Kikaider 01.

The show reminded me quite a lot of Kamen Rider Black, since they both share the theme of searching for a family member and both had their "big" villain only show up for the last handful of episodes. However while Black has MUCH better monster design on its side (seriously, halfway through Kikaider they look less like animals and more like blobs), Kikaider handled its continuity significantly better. The cast were proactive in trying to find Dr Kohmyoji, while Kotaro kinda just moped around saying "where's Noboyuki" and blamed everything on Golgom. Kohmyoji's amnesia did get a little ridiculous (especially when he got his memory back only to lose it again 5 minutes later), but I was happy that it was a main part of the story even with all the unrelated DARK attacks.

So yeah, great show overall and I look forward to checking out Kikaider 01! :D

So i decided to get a bit out of my comfortzone and started watching kaiketsu Zubat. Man this show is badass and I´m really liking it so far. Granted I´m only two episodes in but what its doing is really good. Ken Hayakawa is a great protagonist and extremely charming. You really feel the grief he is feeling for the loss of his best friend and the anger that is still lingering inside him.

Its very different to see a toku show were the enemies are just people and not some crazy monsters. That gives the show a very different feeling compared to Kamen Rider or Super Sentai.