[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Guys, I hate to say it, but I was thoroughly underwhelmed by this premiere.

Maybe it's because I've been so tuned in to the pre-release rumors and whatnot, which means literally nothing was a surprise, but I don't really think that's all of it. I just can't help but compare it to the premiere of Gokaiger, which thoroughly blew me away. This, by comparison, felt small. The action felt weak. The budget seems crazy low for a huge anniversary show. The fears I had about the bulkiness of the mech-ranger suits were fully realized. And I get MAJOR Deathgalian/Gangler vibes from the villains (which is to say, they are generic af).

I truly, truly hate being a bummer about the start of any Sentai show. I just... ugh... I was so pumped for this, and what we got was weaker than either of Komura's previous premiere episodes for Zyuohger and Lupato. Obviously this is just episode one, and I'm not going to judge a 48 episode series based solely on its premiere. But nevertheless, I have a bad feeling about Zenkaiger that I just can't shake.