I finished up Kikaida 01. The original Kikaida is my favorite 70s toku. 01 might be one of the worst. A poor attempt to follow up on what made the original so memorable for its era, Ichiro as a protagonist doesn't capture the tragic android angle at all (somehow Bijinda comes the closest to recapturing that original appeal in spite of her late debut). I think the thing that struck me most about the show is just HOW low the budget was though. This is a show that starts off recycling old suits and eventually slides downhill to the point that their monsters are just guys wearing wetsuits and motorcycle helmets. I feel bad bashing on KR Stronger for feeling cheap now! Honestly, I didn't hate the show though, it was an awful sequel but kind of a fascinating mess.

I watched Space Sheriff Shaider episode 4, the one that this gem is taken from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8RZvfsTLUg

And actually...that was probably one of the more "normal" parts of the episode. Is all metal heroes this weird? I don't think it's an 80s thing because I don't remember what I've seen of Kamen Rider Black or Liveman being nearly as wild. All I know is, I need more :lol

I haven't watched much of the Space Sheriff shows because they are just completely not my bag, but they definitely have a reputation for being really weird. Shaider, in particular, is basically one long acid trip.

It did give us the best Christmas episode in tokusatsu history, though:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1xUdQtpWY4

Funny, that doesn’t look like Exceedraft’s Christmas episodes.

But yeah, there are definitely some strange episodes to be had in Metal Heroes, especially among the more grounded seeming ones. The aforementioned Exceedraft started out dealing with a Shocker-esque terrorist group, before moving onto an alien played by an indie director, before finishing the show with the heroes caught in a battle between God and Satan. All without losing a beat.

And yes, this is my recommendation for watching Exceedraft. If you’re going to say the idea of God vs Satan doesn’t sit right with you, I’ll point out that Zyuranger had the same hook for its endgame, and isn’t even that much more abstract.

Watching Live-action Sailor Moon 2003. The show is very cheap even by the standards of the current and its time (apparently, Toei's entire budget went to Faiz and Abarengers), you can't look at fights without a facepalm, and I already saw several of the monsters in Sentai. But at the same time, a very good staging, character development, a perfectly matched cast, a plot that simultaneously follows the manga / anime, but at the same time does not hesitate to do its own things, some of which are even better. In a word, it was not in vain that they attracted the author of the original to the development of the show. Also, from the bonuses, the future Ibuki in the role of Taksedo Mask.
Summing up the results: I do not regret that I started watching, I will definitely watch it and even review it. I recommend it to all fans of the franchise who haven't seen it yet, as well as toku fans who aren't afraid of downright ridiculous fight scenes.

I haven't even watched Solbrain yet, but after I do, I'd love to finish the Rescue Heroes Trilogy with Exceedraft, if only I could find it subbed (same goes for Janperson, Kabutack, etc). How did you watch it?

Tokuzilla has the entire Rescue Heroes Trilogy with English subtitles. And Kabutack is hard to find. I have been dreaming for a long time that some enthusiasts would take up the translation of the old humorous toku, but so far I have not been able to find anything. Maybe someday fans of magical girls will take up Poitrine, and then their hands will reach the rest of the shows.

It?s been completely subbed by the same guy and released on the cat site. He also has a Mega with episodes 1-25 and 43-44 (which were done as a Christmas Special by Metallic Fansubs, imitating his style)

Awesome, thanks! I'll add it to the list.

The Toei Tokusatsu YT Channel has recently added the Kikaider Film in celebration of the series 50th Anniversary! Enjoy.... until December 28th at least!

http://ukiyaseed.weebly.com/ukiyasee...h-english-subs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8et8OOlYCwI