[DreamSword]

Now up through episode 35 of Skyrider, and I gotta ask, was this the first ever Anniversary season for Rider? It sure seems like it with how many crossover episodes it has.

And thinking of it in that regard, it does help to make Skyrider stand out a bit more to me, as every crossover episode so far has been alot of fun, ontop of many of the action scenes being done better and Hiroshi growing more into a hero over time.

And with that growth comes an upgraded form for Skyrider, as well as a new theme song. And I gotta say, they feel like a downgrade. Really loved the first OP, and while the new one isn't bad, using that jamming theme from the Galaxy King movie as the ED feels like such a missed opportunity. Having the songs in swapped places would've worked way better, I feel.

As for Skyrider's' new look, I dunno, I just feel like the Green and Brown worked alot better, especially given the whole flight suit motif and how Hiroshi would often wear a brown jumpsuit as a civilian. The bright green paired with bright red just doesn't work nearly as well. As well, Skyrider stops using Sailing Jump and Rider Break starting with the second half of the show, which is a damn shame because they were kinda his signature things, ya know?

One thing I for sure did not expect though is for this show to actually manage to hit me in the feel midway through, and especially not from an episode titled "The Fifty Ton Baby." No joke, I think this is gonna end up being my favorite episode? It takes what on paper sounds like an absolutely ridiculous premise from the title alone and manages to make it an actually rather touching tale about parenthood; And this is coming from someone who in no way has a soft spot for children.

So, yeah, I still wouldn't say that Skyrider is anything super great, but it did certainly pick up with this recent string of episodes.