[MarsHottentot]

Watching Madan Senki Ryukendo (unfortunately, the first episode seems to be unattainable) and really liking it. So, knowing some here really don't, I'm pitching a defense thread so maybe I can reach those who possibly would!

Ryukendo is clearly a neo-Heisei style Kamen Rider riff - I'd say it's more of a satire than a straight rip-off. Yes, it's low budget and wantonly goofy - but the humor isn't as "hey kids!" silly (like, say, ToQger) as it is patently absurd. I mean, it's armored henshin heroes protecting a small "city" filled with weirdos from an old bug wizard ("Poisonous Insect Professor Dr. Worm"!!) who chews scenery like it's 1971. He's gathering the townsfolk's "Minus Energy" (bummer feels) for a cool "dark" villain named "Lunar Eclipse Mask Jack Moon". Their cannon fodder ("Familiars" - haha! Occult AND satirical) seem to be a bit more self-aware than most Toku targets, which leads to some great comic moments.

The satire is pretty spot on, answering some questions about hero battles you might not have even considered: During one fight, the flaming jetsam sent skyward from Ryukendo and an "evolved" Familiar's blazing swords - a common enough occurrence in these kind of shows - rain down on Akebono City, destroying numerous homes to absolutely no consequence (some citizens are shown passing smoldering rubble discussing what to have for dinner! "Fried Meat! YAY!"). The town look at their demon infestation as something unique, rather than something all that terrible. To Akebono's populace, demons are a long time issue; people have just grown to deal with it, like heavy traffic or some shit! Like I said, this show is absurd - but in a cool way.

It's not really intense. It's not too dramatic, as far as I've seen, though it's got enough to keep you hooked. But it is weird and funny and the whole key wheel gimmick / driver belt stand-in is pretty sweet. So the basic concept is a mix between magic and technology, so Kenji has a magical, talking tech sword that he jams special power keys into (kept in a spinning wheel holster on the side of his belt), imbuing himself and the sword with additional abilities, armor upgrades and a transforming "spirit animal" mech / motor-trike (Brave Leon!). He gets new keys with each demon he defeats (most of the time), which are then decoded by special police org SHOT (Shoot Hell Obduracy Troopers - wha?) for use against Jack Moon's Jamanga forces.

The secondary rider - oops, I mean "Madan Warrior", is the older, cooler guy (both cliches rolled into one, well played MSR!) who has a talking magic tech gun. Unlike the usual way of things, he typically needs to be bailed out, even if he is obviously cooler.

There are MWs with different fight techniques, but I haven't got that far yet.

Production-wise, it's very mid-00's; shot on DV with a lot of low-budget CGI - comparable in many ways to Kamen Rider Ryuuki (also released in '06 - EDIT: '02!), though the costuming isn't nearly as good (not terrible, mind you) and the color tone palate isn't as dark.

C'mon! How can you not love a show whose outro is the main characters playing free-shot football / soccer against the cannon fodder, who all nervously protect their junk?

OH! And the OT track is like a hair metal band at war with a psychedelic noise guitarist. Awesome (lyrics are terrible).

This show is... GOOD.