[XW1n5t0nX]

Black Episode 1
Why it took me so long to get to this show I have no idea. Especially considering until I sat down and watched Den-O last year, this was the first Kamen Rider show I wanted to see. But regardless I'm finally watching it and I am a happy panda because of it.

The opening theme is pretty nice. It has that Showa feel to it but still manages to have a bit of a Heisei feel to it. But very early 90's Heisei. So I guess it's like a combo of Showa era Kamen Rider and early Heisei era Super Sentai. The video is alright, kinda boring since it's just him riding the bike. Also I don't really like how they say black in the song. It sounds too soft and kinda whispery/scratchy and (for me at least) doesn't translate well in the ears. But outside of that it's a pretty good theme. Not the worst, not the best, not my favorite, but not my least favorite.

Hey look it's Clotho. Except he's older, his eyes are blood filled, and he looks like an angry old man. And he seems to have gotten the ability to control lightning. Oh and he has some friends who look like him. Neato?

Wait, this Akizuki guy sold Kotaro and Nobuhiko to these alien/Jedi like creatures? Why? Man it seems like all the riders I've seen lately really have some bad days. Kotaro though may be up there though. After all he saw both his father and brother die. That's pretty messed up. I'm sure somewhere The Joker is relishing this somehow.

So was that all just a flashback?

Man they must have really pimped out Kotaro's body if he can take all of that punishment. It's like them gave him PCP and Steroids. He fell from the sky through a roof, got electrocuted, slammed through a wall and against a wall. Is he Superman or something?

Laziest henshin ever. He just staggered around and then became Black. Now I know later on he does use the belt to transform. Still though, kinda sucks that the first henshin is this lazy and boring.

So judging by the fact that the bike was already there and he knew it's name, I'm guessing he's been Black for a while now? Could be wrong though and it's just that good old coincidence and immediate knowledge everybody seems to have in Sentai and Kamen Rider. Bike is pretty cool looking. I like the bikes which have the more motocross look to them since I was huge into that as a kid and I still like those bikes today. Though that whirring sound it makes is pretty annoying.

That is a very good question Kotaro. Why was Papa Akizuki there? But more importantly, why did he sell his children to aliens!

Camp Diablo? Jeez that doesn't sound suspicious at all. Though who knows, maybe it's the Japan chapter of Camp Crystal Lake.

I guess this is Mama Akizuki and Kyoko is the sister. And jeez Kotaro, it's called self control. Or do you not have a good handle on your powers yet? If so then you get a free pass. But if that isn't the case then control yourself dammit!

Well at least he's being honest about it and not lying. Gotta appreciate that in a backstabbing child selling father. Calm down? Kotaro wasn't acting hyper or not calm though. So uh...pointless? You joined an alien cult so you could fund an archeological dig? That sounds way too extreme. I'm sure there were better ways to get the money that did not involve joining a cult.

Oh my God Golgom's monsters are demonic versions of the Godzilla kaiju! Well if they mated with bugs. They look ungodly cool though. Probably some of my favorite monster designs I've seen in Kamen Rider and tokusatsu as a whole.

Eh...the henshin sequence is alright. Though I always forget that with these Showa era riders that they either don't put the belt on, or there isn't much to the belt initiating the transformation as a whole. To be honest though I do like the henshin for what it is. I really shouldn't expect too much considering the era the show came out in and that technology didn't allow for the cooler henshins we see today. Though I can't help but wish there was just a little something extra to it. I know they couldn't have done much but there was still some creative and great special effects in the 1980s, and I'm sure they could have come up with something. But regardless for it's time period, it's a nice henshin.

The fight scene was pretty cool. It showed off some good offense from Kotaro and some good defense from him. And by defense I mean him getting knocked around a bit. Though that isn't a bad thing, it's good that the fights have some back and forth to them so the rider doesn't just god mod his way through every episode. So yeah pretty cool fight.

Wait isn't the his wife? So why did she call him Dr. Akizuki? Is that just a Japan thing I haven't picked up on yet? Or is she not his wife and more of a maid/nanny or a family friend?

This is a really nice ending theme. It's soft but has a rocky edge to it that is very 80s like (duh considering it's from the 80s). I love 80s music to death so I can really get into the song. The video is alright too, though like the opening video it is kinda boring. But I can forgive it here since it is the ending video, and thus is just there to sorta take care of credits not shown in the OP. So very nice ending theme, meh video.

So Kamen Rider Black's first episode was really nice. I mean in terms of over all first episodes it isn't the best. Better then Blade's definitely, but not better then Faiz. But to be fair I shouldn't really compare it too much to the Heisei shows, since the eras are vastly different in how the episodes go and what not.

The acting was good, bit dramatic though. The worst part though was when Kotaro was crying. He wasn't shedding any tears and his crying came off (sound wise) as pretty bland and emotionless. But that was the only problem with the acting I personally noticed.

The story in the episode was nice and it is great to have a first episode again that actually sets up the story well and gives you all that is needed. The story didn't feel slow or boring and as I said gave you all you needed. It introduced the main hero, the conflict, important side characters, and the first appearance of the rider. It succeeds very well as a story for a first episode and is one of the best in that aspect.

The fight scenes were pretty good, with the second one standing out more since it was a bit longer. I won't go into too much detail though since I already said all my thoughts on it.

The special effects where used were good as well for the time. I really loved the effect work done in the second fight when Kotaro was on the bike and just running everybody over. It's clear that it was some blue/green screen stuff but it was a very sweet effect.

Oh and not to mention the sexiness of the Black suit. So simple but so damn great looking. Easil yone of my favorite designs ever.

Overall I liked this episode of Black. It had a great story in it, the music used was very good, the action scenes were nice, and outside of one hiccup the acting was good as well. As a first episode in all of the Kamen Riders I've seen, it definitely isn't the best one, but it isn't the worst one. As a first episode of the Showa era, it's awesome. Though considering it's the first one I've seen from the Showa era I don't have much to compare it to.

All in all excellent episode. I planned on watching Black in full before this and now I am without a shadow of a doubt finishing the show.