[GoldenXtreme]

COME HERE SO I CAN EXPLAIN WHY BLACK RX IS MY FAVORITE SHOWA ERA KAMEN RIDER SHOW. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS SHOW THE WAY A MORE REASONABLE PERSON WOULD TALK ABOUT KUUGA.

So, I finished rewatching Black RX and honestly going into it I was convinced I wouldn't like it as much the second time and that all the stars had aligned the first time I saw it, deluding me into thinking it was great. But no! This show is a delight and one of the most unusual entries in the KR series, even if imperfect.

I think a lot of people struggle with this show because it is a sequel to Black, but personally I think Black is a lot sillier and rough around the edges than most people give it credit for, while RX has more serious moments and polish that most people seem to think. Anyways, let's dive in!

The Good

• I think most people can agree that the show looks great. The choreography is clean and there are lots of good stunts. I'm always really impressed at how good the Revolcane effect looks even now. The suit design is also peak stuff, many of the monsters have unusual designs that move far from the typical beastman stuff you see in most Showa Riders. I also love how each of the 4 commanders have monsters with a distinct aesthetic! The Black RX suit is actually a favorite of mine, the epitome of the classic grasshopper man design. I really like how the thick neck plating and large eyes give it an inhuman vibe.
• I think incorporating Sentai and Metal Hero characteristics is actually very nice, making the show feel surprisingly modern with is extended cast of non-transforming allies and large ensemble of villains. Classical Kamen Riders are lonely heroes of course, but this often results in Showa Kamen Rider shows being astonishingly bland to watch because our protagonists don't have many recurring cast members to bounce off of. Even the shows with recurring characters like Tachibana don't quite give me enough to really dig into the character interactions. Due to this, I actually consider KR shows to hold up very poorly among pre-90s tokusatsu, so I really like Black RX breaking away from that without abandoning the core of the series.
• Kotaro is a much more cheerful person in RX. I wont deny that the heartrending highs of Black are fantastic (even if they take up a pretty small amount of the show), but I think there is a lot to appreciate about how RX follows up on that. Broken after the events of Black, he rediscovers human warmth with the Sahara family and is able to regain a sense of normalcy in his life. Yet at the same time, you can frequently see that just beneath the surface he has a deep fear of loss and is terrorized by how he constantly gets those around him involved. Ultimately he comes to accept letting the people around him fight by his side, even they might get hurt, because they have something they want to protect too. Even if you aren't a superpowered grasshopper man, we can still use what little strength we have to fight for what we believe in.
• This show has modern style form changes and guess what? They're great! I love how all three forms stay relevant and have their own strengths and weaknesses. From the powerful armored Robo Rider who lacks speed and dexterity to the balanced base form to the weak yet tricky Bio Rider form. They always get incorporated really well into the fights and story.
• I think the setting is generally good. The Kaima Realm feels like a real place with its own politics and cultures, even though it is only seen occasionally. I also like how there's regularly people from the Kaima Realm who are seen fighting against Crisis' corrupt regime. The antagonists have a fascinating dynamic too. At times allies and at times just undermining each other, they're always fun to watch. To be honest, you even start to feel bad for them after a certain point because Kotaro is constantly owning them.

The Bad

• The ending is cool, but also doesn't mesh too well with the rest of the show or make much sense. A bunch of Riders show up, Dasmadder is suddenly revealed to be Emperor Crisis and we blow up the Kaima Realm?! It's hard not to think about how many sympathetic people from the Kaima Realm seen throughout the show when this happens...
• I think the show at times struggles to find the right balance of silly vs serious, especially early on.

The Other

• Kotaro is famous for overreacting to Gorgom, but I actually think RX has more funny moments of "Kotaro immediately assumes a mundane thing is the work of an evil organization".
• Shadow Moon's reappearance is probably one of the most contentious aspects of this show. I think there is good and bad to how it is handled. Ultimately he has to bitterly die again, although it is a slightly more hopeful ending this time. I do like the ambiguity of whether Shadow Moon regained some of his humanity or not before the end. Yet at the same time it can definitely come across as disrespectful to his original end.

So yeah, honestly? I'm not going to say this show will work for everyone, but I think there is a lot to love here and I'd encourage anyone who avoided it after seeing Black to at least give it a try with an open mind.