[MaskedRiderAsakura]

Well, I just finished Kamen Rider Black and I feel that the last ten or so episodes of this series were some of the greatest Rider I've seen yet, and specifically the last 5.

I knew Kotaro Minami wasn't going to be dead, after all there was still a couple of episodes in the series plus Black RX exists so that already ruined any surprises for me. But I think it was handled wonderfully. Seeing Black die, seeing all hope for the city die with him, then having him return again to give the people hope all struck a chord with me.

The ending was especially impactful. I think for the first time in a series that I've watched, there's really no happy ending. Kotaro fails to save Nobuhiko from Shadow Moon, Kyoko and Natsumi moved to San Francisco, and this isn't even including the ones he lost before the series even began. Kotaro is all alone, but has sworn to protect the world from evil as Kamen Rider Black.

If I had to rank it amongst the series I've already watched it'd be:

Ryuki
Blade
W
Black
Kabuto
Faiz
Decade

Black was enjoyable start to finish, but in the beginning, I wasn't feeling that need to marathon through the series like I did with previous Rider series. But then from about 40-51 I started watching it nonstop. Kotaro is a great lead who I honestly think is impossible to hate (seriously, tell me you don't love him when he does that smile) and Shadow Moon had this creepy presence as an antagonist that I found really great. I also dug Birugenia and his rivalry with Black. Unfortunately, the Golgom priests didn't do much for me.

I think what I'm going to do now is alternate between 3-4 different Rider series, with Kuuga getting top priority, followed by Hibiki when I start to get Kuuga'd out. Then maybe OOO or Wizard.