[Switchblade]

Episode 1 de gozarimasu de-- yeah, not doing that again

I started rewatching Den-O a couple years ago but never finished. I'm glad to have an excuse to go through it again. That said, this is actually the fourth or fifth time I've seen the first episode (I sneaked a few previews back when I was first watching the Heisei shows in order back in '09). I think it still holds up as one of the best pilots in Rider's whole history. You get a strong sense of the main characters, a clear sense of the show's tone, and my favorite first henshin/fight ever (I will never stop loving the accidental swipe of the pass over the belt).

I'll also say this now: Takeru Satoh is, hands down, the best actor we've ever gotten as a main Rider.He plays six characters on this show and they all feel unique and fully realized; he's the Tatiana Maslany of Kamen Rider.