[TokuKnight89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I finished up Kikaida 01. The original Kikaida is my favorite 70s toku. 01 might be one of the worst. A poor attempt to follow up on what made the original so memorable for its era, Ichiro as a protagonist doesn't capture the tragic android angle at all (somehow Bijinda comes the closest to recapturing that original appeal in spite of her late debut). I think the thing that struck me most about the show is just HOW low the budget was though. This is a show that starts off recycling old suits and eventually slides downhill to the point that their monsters are just guys wearing wetsuits and motorcycle helmets. I feel bad bashing on KR Stronger for feeling cheap now! Honestly, I didn't hate the show though, it was an awful sequel but kind of a fascinating mess.

Admittedly, I never finished with either series, though your assessment and the recent re-release of the Kikaider Movie on YT is renewing my interest.

That said, I do remember reading about both entries years ago on an older toku site and one of the monster entries was about a robot that was created in 01 which could run on water, and the person who wrote the article made a semi-sarcastic quip about how the oil crisis of the '70s must have also affected the 01 Villain Faction as well. That makes me think that maybe the reason for the cheap budget behind the scenes is because the oil crisis might have impacted production, forcing them to effectively reduce and reuse out of sheer necessity. Just a thought.