[Kiwami]

Super-1, Episode 24.

...

I hate it. I absolutely despise this episode. From the very beginning, Super-1 was a run-of-the-mill but also a very decent show that impressed me because of the great martial arts-themes and a surprisingly decent cast of characters. I also really liked Dogma as an adversary, they really worked for me.

So after they tied up the Dogma plot with 2 really strong episodes back to back... it feels like the show has gone to shit.

First, they introduce a completely new evil organization (which as far as I know, happens quite often in Showa Rider shows) that seemingly has no connection to Dogma, even though it's called "Jin Dogma" and has a very similar emblem. Like, they couldn't connect the two somehow? Have this Marshal Devil guy be Terror Macrow's son or something? I mean I get that they want to introduce new characters and that's cool, but by breaking up the formula so sudden it really feels like I stumbled into a completely different show and that's more alienating than refreshing to me.

And then the big, big offender: The Junior Rider Squad. I absolutely loathe this garbage in old Rider shows, I hate the annoying kids taking up screentime just to sell these stupid hats and whatnot. The supporting cast was fine so far and had enough kids in them, but I don't need the entire squad all the freakin' time.

They even replaced the fantastic ending with their stupid, garbage Junior Rider Squad theme song. I can't fucking believe it.

So yeah, this episode felt like "Junior Rider Squad vs. Jin Dogma featuring Kamen Rider Super-1 in a minor supporting role" and I'm afraid this is what the show will be now. If it stays that way for too long I'll drop this show like a hot potato and pretend it ended with episode 23.

Also, "Oki Kazuya is now so good at transforming it takes less time" is such a bullshit excuse for cutting down the Henshin sequence