Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
3,803
Thanks for all your info Toku Prime, its much appreciated. I am indeed a lover of good, meaty storylines, preferably coupled with interesting characters where the heroes aren't always clear-cut and the villains have a bit of depth to them.

I'm a sucker for all things retro/vintage so dated effects don't put me off one bit, if anything they appeal to me even more than contemporary CGI! :laugh: I think I'd like to get stuck into a Kamen Rider - I've always heard good things of Faiz, BLACK, Kuuga and Agito.
Lol apologies if I gave you a bit of an essay to read :sweat: I do tend to ramble on about the things I like.

Black was a fun show. It's well known for the high-tension storyline in its' final arc, but it's not all gloomy as there's a lot of times where the actors clearly realise that they've been given some pretty cheesy lines to recite and respond by really chewing the scenery. :laugh:

Kuuga is one of the most beloved Rider series and a lot of people would argue it has one of the best stories. It's really a combination of Kamen Rider and a Japanese police procedural show (which are supposedly well known for being slow-burning, atmospheric character dramas) and it digs into the characters much more than a lot of other toku shows.

Agito is the series that set the template for the other Rider shows that came after it. It's often said to be the greatest toku work of Toshiki Inoue (the other contender being Choujin Sentai Jetman which tbh I prefer :sweat:). Those two shows are both up there as some of the best in their respective franchises, but the general feeling is that Faiz is where he started overcooking things a bit. Faiz is very ambitious, but it has some rather major pacing problems and people noticed that Inoue had started to repeat his favourite tropes, which became his bad habit in later Rider shows that he was involved with. I'd say go for Agito before Faiz, but it's up to you.

I'd also repeat my suggestion of the current show Kamen Rider Gaim. The shows from the early 2000s have a reputation as being the Rider shows with more involved storylines but Gaim really got back to that and I dare say it's surpassed at least a few of them. It introduces seemingly clear-cut good and bad guys, only to slowly reveal another side to those people that cause allegiances to shift and really mixes things up.
 
New Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
155
It's wonderful when...

...a new person gets into toku! Welcome!

As for recommendations...

Super Sentai:
I've seen a lot of Sentai. I mean a lot of them. I started out watching Gokaiger while it was still airing, then went back and watched a lot of the older shows.
Personally, I recommend:
Jetman: This season did a love story right, and it was very serious. Everything about this show is something that I love, and I will gladly go and watch it again. The tone and setting for the series was great, and the rivalry between the cast was amazing and well done. I'd say go watch this one, but don't make it your first.
Dairanger: I watched this show while Gokaiger was still airing, and I am so happy that I did. Dairanger is literally THE Sentai of the 90's (besides Jetman), and I rewatch the show a lot. Like someone stated earlier, it starts off a little goofy, but when the story starts it really starts. I love everything about Dairanger, and I would gladly watch it every year.
Changeman: For an 80's show, I honestly didn't expect to like it. Then I watched it, and I realized I was a fool. This show has an amazing story, great villians (especially Sheema. Watch and see why), and overall great characters. It's honestly up there with Dairanger, Jetman, and Timeranger.
Liveman: This show starts off with a bang, and the character relationships in this show are what really drew me to it. Everyone is connected, and as soon as the fourth villian gets introduced the show really starts to pick up.

For Kamen Rider:
Decade might be a good opener, but it also made me not want to watch a few of the previous shows. Personally, I recommend:
Kabuto: Super speed. Done. But seriously, even though people might not like the main character, I love him because he explicitly over the top and perfect that it makes the show just great. The story might not be the best, but it's so much high octane fun that you don't really care as much. Movie is awful though.
Ryuki: This was Gaim before Gaim was Gaim, and that is a good thing. The characters were great, the story was great, and it was very good drama. It (along with Gaim now) are my favorite Rider series out of all the Heisei.
Kuuga: Kuuga is also a very good drama. With only one Rider to focus on, the story becomes much more prevalent. The actions of a lot of the villains are what really give this show high stakes, and makes for a very enjoyable ride. The characters are also great, and it, like Agito, really show more of a police preference and how helpful they are.
Agito: Like Kuuga, this show is very drama heavy, and that is a good thing. The characters are good, the police are there, and the story is pretty well paced.
Gaim: Even though this show is still airing, it really goes back to the Kuuga-Kabuto days of Rider, where the humor takes the back of the story. The drama in this show is great, I love the characters, and the stakes are really high. With Urobutcher at the helm of this one, it basically becomes hi chance to show why he loved Ryuki so much, and why Gaim gets constantly compared to his other work Madoka Magica. Watch it, trust me. It's amazing
 
I don't have low self esteem.
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
7,739
If you're interested in buying Tokusatsu DVDs, Blu Rays and stuff like that, may I advise you that Japan imports are BATSHIT expensive. I'm talking like somewhere around £80 / $129.86 or somewhere around that point for a 2 disc set containing around 10 episodes.

Fear not as there are cheaper options, you could import from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, even France and even the U.S (who've got ZyuRanger comming to DVD soon courtesy of Shout Factory). Some of them have optional Japanese dialogue and some don't and there is not guaranteed English subtitles (unless they're from America) but if that's a problem for you then that's up to you.

Stay away from bootlegs though. Do you really want to buy poorly printed DVDs that look like they've been recorded from broadcast TV? Even if they're cheap they're not worth the money.

My advice is be absolutely sure you like this show that you're buying. You don't want to spend £80 / $129.86 on a show that you're eventually going to find is crap. Try watching the fansubs and if you decide you like it go buy it!!

As for which shows I can reccomend.. I dunno but I can list some personal favorites of mine..

Kamen Rider BLACK
Kamen Rider BLACK RX
Winspector
ZyuRanger
Hurricanger
DekaRanger
Flashman
Liveman
Gridman
Kamen Rider Faiz
Kamen Rider Blade
Bioman (check out the English dub)

To name a few. These are just a few personal favorites of mine but you might have a different opinion to mine.

Meanwhile, enjoy Shinkenger!! :)
 
Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Messages
12
Cheers for all the info chaps! Looks like I'm set on Garo, Kuuga and Agito for now, I'm guessing fansubs are available on YouTube, as that's how I'm currently watching Shinkenger?

I'm in no great hurry to pay a huge amount of money for the physical DVD though, and I have indeed noticed how expensive your average Rider/Sentai is to buy on DVD, but the Shout Factory release of Zyuranger sounds interesting to say the least.

Oh and if anyone's interested, I've included the links to my news reports on the Space Sheriff NEXT GENERATION stuff below, hope you like them, and that I've got my facts right!

"Toei's Space Sheriff Revival Gains Momentum" - http://www.screenrelish.com/2014/09/07/toeis-space-sheriff-revival-gains-momentum/

"New Space Sheriff Revealed For Uchuu Keiji Sharivan NEXT GENERATION" - http://www.screenrelish.com/2014/09...revealed-uchu-keiji-sharivan-next-generation/

Thanks again for all the nice welcomes/info folks, I'll be sure to have a wonder round the rest of the site and see what else I can join in with (p.s, don't suppose anyone knows of a good UK-based seller that can offer some Megazords? I've suddenly got a reeeeeaaaaaal hankerin' for some Astro/Delta/Mega Voyager action!) :laugh:
 
K

KamenRiderBritannia

Guest
Thanks for the replies guys, good to meet you all. I am indeed a Brit Toku Prime! And Captain Shark, I forgot to mention I have actually seen ZO and J. I think I prefer ZO over J, and I can't quite put my finger on why but I really like the ZO film, if anything I'd have preferred it to be longer!

Thanks for all your info Toku Prime, its much appreciated. I am indeed a lover of good, meaty storylines, preferably coupled with interesting characters where the heroes aren't always clear-cut and the villains have a bit of depth to them.

I'm a sucker for all things retro/vintage so dated effects don't put me off one bit, if anything they appeal to me even more than contemporary CGI! :laugh: I think I'd like to get stuck into a Kamen Rider - I've always heard good things of Faiz, BLACK, Kuuga and Agito.

I've never actually paid much attention to the Ultra Series, but if there's a particularly decent entry out there just point me in the right direction. Ah yes, Garo is something else I've heard great things of. I'm game for anything that has a bit of goofy humour in it but I'd prefer something more mature and substantial.

Cheers again for all the info everyone! :)

woo hoo!!!! another fellow Brit!!!!!!! Where bouts you from?
 
NonStereoBlack
Joined
Aug 31, 2014
Messages
100
Whatever you do, watch Dairanger. Seriously. You dont need any other sentai after that.
 
Member of the Doomcock Army, w/o respect we reject
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
1,384
I have not seen Dairanger yet and I still enjoy Super Sentai.:thumbs:
 
Member of the Doomcock Army, w/o respect we reject
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
1,384
People said that about Sun Vulcan and currently it is my least favorite.:laugh:
 
NonStereoBlack
Joined
Aug 31, 2014
Messages
100
People said that about Sun Vulcan and currently it is my least favorite.:laugh:

Sun Vulcan is "too old school", I understand why that'd happen to you. Dairanger starts as cheesy as Zyu, bad villains in suits and stuff, but once you get in, it absorvs you. The storyline is almost entirely made of character arcs, everybody has something to be told about, Kibaranger is goofy then he gets serious, the villains got an internal story, etc. Nonmorphed fights are just awesome and even the mecha is fine.

Id bet my morpher youre gonna love it.
 
Top