[Sh Ranger]

My fourth time!

Favorite New Show of 2023: Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

While it gets repetitive seeing the same 5 sets reused over and over again, the story has been consistently intriguing and the King-Ohgers have a weird dynamic, each being a leader in their own right and having a lot of flaws that make them interesting.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023: Kidou Keiji Jiban

My new favorite Metal Hero show. A lot of likable and fun characters and plot twists that were genuinely surprising in a way that left me thinking about them even after the credits rolled. Much like Turboranger, feels like it was a fresh innovation for the franchise at the start of the Heisei Era.

Favorite Miniseries or Special of 2023: Tycoon x Shinobi

Ninjas are cool. With no new Shinobi content in 2022, it was awesome to see this "penultimate episode" in 2023 with other ninja Riders showing up.

Favorite Rewatch of 2023: Kamen Rider Saber

Good enough for me to have rewatched it a mere year after it finished airing. So far, the only Rider show in the Reiwa Era to leave me feeling satisfied with the overall story. Even had an ED theme, something that isn't even guaranteed in Sentai these days. Die's corresponding fanfictions were also enjoyable to read.

Favorite Movie of 2023: MMPR Once And Always

To quote Brody, it was epic! Loved seeing all those legendary characters once more and I was relieved that the tribute to Thuy was done tastefully without feeling like it was just a plot device.

Favorite Male Lead Character: Ichinose Houtarou

He's so full of energy that he can get me excited for the episode even during the cold open. I know some people complain about him for that, but honestly, I wouldn't have him any other way. He cares so much about his friends and Chemies and he shows it openly and passionately.

Favorite Female Lead Character: Hymeno Ran

A great example of heroic selfishness. She's not just superficial style, she has the authenticity to back it up as well. Surprisingly for a female character in a show produced by the controversial Ohmori (a "weak" Yellow Ranger even), she never feels like a loser and can kick a** in an elegant way.

Favorite Male Supporting Character: Hareruya Win

While he didn't have as much focus as he should've done (still waiting for MonsterBoost, Toei!), I enjoyed his chaotic wildcard presence and his arc about finding the motivation to fight earnestly for his desire, instead of quitting when things get tough.

Favorite Female Supporting Character: Sakurai Sara

The heart of Kamen Rider Geats, #1 fan of Neon and supportive big sister to Keiwa. I appreciate how Takebe wanted to make a point that she wasn't just some expendable comic relief waiting to die for shock value. Sara was her own person and her cheerfulness and empathy was easily one of the best parts of the show.

Favorite Villain: Racles Husty

If Kamejim and the Screaming Man of Shugoddam didn't exist, then Racles would be the most despicable man in the show. But what makes him so intriguing by comparison is the mysteriousness of his motivations. Is he truly corrupt and evil, or are his actions part of some grand scheme for the greater good? Maybe both?

Favorite Returning Past Character: Billy Cranston

He was pretty impressive this year, huh? Running his company Cranston Tech, looking for a way to bring back Zordon, serving as a mentor to Minh and advisor to the Cosmic Fury Rangers, helping Solon to actually create the Cosmic Fury Rangers in a few hours.... Cool to see him play such an important role.

Favorite Actor: Ikeda Masashi

Somehow, he managed to turn Jeremy from a weirdo talking about excrement in to a genuinely charismatic and sympathetic character in a single episode.

Favorite Actress: Hamabe Minami

I wasn't willing to put Hunter Deno 3 years in a row, but even if I was, it was always going to be Hamabe. I loved her work before Shin Kamen Rider and I think she did a great job portraying Ruriko as well.

Favorite Writer: Takano Minato

When I heard this guy was going to be writing King-Ohger, I was excited for his particular brand of madness that he would bring to the show. Sure enough, it's absurd in all the right ways.

Favorite Suit Design: Kamen Rider Gotchard SteamHopper

To quote Emily, he's so sparkly! The shining bright blue suit is supposed to represent Houtarou's strong upbeat personality and I think that's exactly what it does.

Favorite Weapon: Bujin Sword

It's not gimmicky like you'd expect from a Tokusatsu weapon, but it's a cool katana and does cool katana things. Even comes with its own sheath.

Favorite Vehicle: Kamen Rider Kyuun

He's a sphinx!

Favorite Mecha: Extreme King-Ohger

Caucasus Kabuto Castle looks too small and off-scale when attached to all the Shugods, so I think Extreme King-Ohger is the best-looking Gattai here.

Favorite Fight Scene:

Na-Go BeatBoost and Kyuun teaming up to bring the game to a draw in Geats Episode 30.

Favorite Dramatic Scene:

Gira and Jeremy reaching out to Deathnarak in King-Ohger Episode 26.

Favorite Comedic Scene:

Sara performing Neon's dance to distract Amakusa in Tycoon x Shinobi.

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment:

Kaguragi poisoning a fish to death in King-Ohger Episode 8. Makes me wonder about Tofu's laws on animal rights.

Favorite Song: World Is Mine

Favorite Piece of Merchandise: Bandai's DX Tarantula Knight

Such a fast and agile mecha with 8 limbs, 6 of which are articulated and Guardian-compatible!

Biggest Surprise of 2023: Faiz 20th anniversary movie announcement

My Eyes Are Opened.

Biggest Disappointment of 2023: Movie Battle Royale

Too much Revice, not enough Geats. Why was Ryuki even here? I've talked about this in more detail, but it's such a lame movie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023

I only saw two new shows this year, and while V3 had some of the craziest monsters in Rider, it?s Jiban?s ludicrously specific set of laws for any crime the villains might commit that wins it for me

Favorite Female Supporting Character

Sara Sakurai, probably the most selfless person in Geats (even Keiwa?s wish to revive the fallen of the DGP had some air of self-gratification behind it) and she has probably the most unique animal motif of any Toku hero.

Favourite Actor

Masahi Ikeda (Jeramie from King-Ohger) takes the crown, both for spending much of his early screen time off screen and his uncanny impersonation of Taisei Sakai (Gira) in the body swap episode.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

The Bujin (Keiwa?s katana), for its sheer simplicity.

Huh, we share a lot of the same opinions this year.