[CookSux]

Episode 01

-I haven't seen Kamen Rider Ryuki since it aired nearly a decade ago, so I'll probably be watching this show with rose-tinted glasses. Thankfully, I'm watching the show via a DVD-ripped encode this time around. With that being said, I'd like to mention that unlike my take on American television (like Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue), I have a natural affinity to forgive the medium for having cheap production value and poor acting. To me, it adds charm to the genre. Besides, Japanese acting had always been overly melodramatic and stiff... so I'm used to it. The CG work, however, has definitely aged and detracts a lot of my enjoyment this time around. Either way, this episode made me realize just how much I miss how Kamen Rider used to be. Since the show has a low production budget, it forces everyone to get creative on how they can tell a story. Though this constrains story concepts rather limited, the constraints give us a level of refinement that is lacking in the current Kamen Rider series.

-The Kamen Rider franchise typically has some really great theme songs. Alive a Life, by Rika Matsumoto, is a catchy song with a stylish opening cinematic. The song was a welcome change of pace from the boring Kamen Rider Kuuga and Kamen Rider Agito theme songs. The types of scenes shown in the opening cinematic were not only eye-rollingly fabulous, it was practically copied for Kamen Rider Faiz and Kamen Rider Blade.

-The main protagonist, Shinji Kido, reminds me of Godai Yusuke (Kamen Rider Kuuga). Though he always finds himself into trouble, he remains positive with an upbeat personality. Instead of transforming into Kamen Rider Ryuki proper, Shinji becomes Ryuki's Blank Form. I wonder if you can form a contract with any Mirror Monster, or if you can only do it with certain types. The monsters that they end up fighting don't hold the same design aesthetic as the Riders' Contract Beasts. I have to say, Shinji's sword breaking scene still cracks me up after all these years.

-Kamen Rider Ryuki's first episode does an excellent job at not only introducing us to the series' universe... it also gives the audience a nice perspective on the ensemble cast. Though the episode has slow pacing, I still remained captive as a viewer. I'm glad that I'm taking this opportunity to rewatch one of the better Kamen Rider shows.

Episode 02
-Though Shinji personally experienced the perils of the Mirror World, he adopts a sense of ignorance and denial. When Reiko (the female journalist) decides to investigate the missing persons case at the mall, she gives him a fantastic speech on the significance on each person's life. In less than half an episode, Shinji goes from a generic dude to a motivated defender of human life. This is a very cheap way to force some development into a character. Shinji didn't have to go through very much trial by fire to become this valiant warrior. I just couldn't understand why Reiko had to print the list of missing persons to prove a point. What a waste of paper.

-There are many things that I dislike about older Kamen Rider shows. Nothing makes me cringe more than the writer's use of plot contrivance. This series is able to skirt around this problem by giving a Card Deck holder the ability to sense when and where a Mirror Monster crosses over to the real world. In this episode, Shinji is at the mall to investigate the missing persons case. Once he sees the results of an abduction we see him appear outside of where Kamen Rider Knight is in the middle of engaging the monster of the week. How the heck did he know where to find them? The ringing sound itself is the series' biggest crutch and handicap. Though the writers can conveniently throw characters together anytime they want, they tend to ignore that the ringing sound should prevent people from getting abducted very much at all. Perhaps the first victim as used as bait to zero in on the predator?

-It only took two episodes to do it, but Kamen Rider Ryuki is finally here. He also has one of the coolest introductions of the Heisei-era Kamen Riders. After Shinji forms a contract with DragRedder, Ryuki shows up to kick some spider ass. As an audience we're led to believe that Kamen Rider Knight is a formidable fighter, except he's ultimately saved by Kamen Rider Ryuki. This is the birth of a hero and the viewers are now rooting for him.

Episode 03
-I want to say that Kamen Rider Ryuki is the first series, in the franchise, to implement the role-play merchandise integration into the show. As an elitist kid, I couldn't stand that this show had characters use Pokémon cards to power up. It was a change of pace and the fights felt less organic. Every time a card gets pulled out of the Deck, the world freezes momentarily to showcase the card art. This is something that has sadly become integral with the franchise. I'd also like to throw in that the fight choreography isn't very entertaining.

-Now that Shinji has become Kamen Rider Ryuki, the story takes another interesting twist. The show takes the Highlander spin by stating that There Can Only Be One Kamen Rider. This is a fantastic way to get riders to fight each other and not feel forced. Since this show, Kamen Rider Decade is probably the first series to rectify this problem.

This whole time I thought that Ryuki's Strike Vent was DragRedder's actual head; apparently it isn't.

Episode 04
-There's a scene Yui (Ren's girl) lovingly stares into the set of pictures of her and her brother. While this is going on, Shinji is creeping outside her window and spying on her. Only in Japan would this scene not raise any flags.

-The monsters of the week are said to move incredibly fast. Considering that none of the girls were ever harmed, I'm not convinced. There was too much lag to instill any sense of true danger.

-Overall, this was a very enjoyable episode. As of now, the show has been consistent and isn't rife with holes. The quality remains the same, and the story manages to hold my attention. My only complaint, is the redundant newspaper angle. Reiko's sense of justice is grating and serves no point. Just how long does it take for a journalist to write an article anyway? Doesn't she have other things to write about? The newspaper staff is small as it is with her and Shinji running around all over the place.

Episode 05
-I don't understand why Reiko wears an eyepatch throughout this episode. She reveals that she has pink eye at the end of the episode, but what is this a reference to? What was the point? Is this a Japanese thing?

-Up until now, Kamen Rider Knight was the only rider to cross Ryuki's path. Since their relationship is heading towards a good direction, Kamen Rider Scissors is introduced to shake things up. The writers do a fantastic job of keeping things from getting boring by throwing wrenches at perfect opportunities. This is also a way to remind everyone that there is still a battle among the riders.

-At the end of the episode, Ren uncovers a human body inside the wall. When I was a kid, I remember watching a Korean episode of a show that was similar to Unsolved Mysteries. In this episode, a traveller stopped by at an inn somewhere in the countryside. At night, he just couldn't sleep of the heavy aura in the room. The next day he arrives with investigators and they basically bust a wall open and find a child's dead body. I'm sure the actual episode wasn't exactly like that, but the memory still haunts me. I'm honestly surprised that these things can be found in a Kamen Rider show, but then I remember that franchise used to be aimed for older kids. We forget just how much the franchise has evolved over the years.