[Kamen Rider Lucha]

I originally posted this over in the KYORYUGER EPISODE 48 thread, but I feel like it's more appropriate here.

Well done, Kyoryuger. As a series who's mission was to take Sentai back to its roots after a couple of years of deviation, it couldn't have been more successful. Even though it was rarely groundbreaking, it cherry-picked successful elements from the past and lovingly created a self-aware sentai pastiche populated by likeable characters. There may have been a lot of elements that skewed too kiddie, and there may have been a lack of complexity among the bad guys -- but Kyoryuger's colorful, bombastic charm was instantly disarming. And it did something that few other Sentai series can claim: it managed to never be boring.

I'd say the show's greatest strength was its cast. These guys cohered almost immediately, and their obvious, off-screen affection for each other contributed to a group dynamic that really sang. I don't know that I've seen a sentai cast with this much true chemistry, that has gelled quite so well.

Saying the show's cast is its greatest strength may be slighting its action sequences, which were excellent as well. With so many brightly colored rangers running around, each with a very distinct fighting style, this show never lacked badassery. Even when the weekly plots dragged or annoyed, you could always count on some thrilling action. Say what you will about Koichi Sakamoto, his shows are always visually engaging.

No, this show wasn't flawless. I agree with the criticism above that the conflicts between Ian & Aigaron and Utcchy & Dogold could have been mined for more material over the course of the show. I agree that sometimes it leaned a little juvenile. I agree that the villains didn't show much range. I don't think they had a very compelling motivation (or really any motivation) for wanting to destroy Earth. I think that the last 10 episodes struggled with obvious budget limitations. And, of course, there's Ovirapoo. But even still, Kyoryuger is a success. On a pure enjoyment level, it outperforms every series since the show transitioned to HD. I may ultimately prefer Gokaiger and its cast of devil-may-care sentai rebels, but I think Kyoryuger offers a more coherent and consistent experience.