2020-2021: Kamen Rider Saber

[Dr Kain]

Says who?

Nikolai Tesla, for starts.

 

[Toku Prime]

Somehow my brain has only just properly processed that the theme songs are being performed by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, and now I'm excited to hear them but also concerned because that means they're going to have to live up to "Anything Goes" (from OOO), which is one of my favorite Rider opening themes.

 

[Black Fang]

I for one never liked "Anything Goes" or any of OOO's ska punk, especially as it didn't go with the fight scenes at all.

I miss the days of "No Fear! No Pain!".

 

[Toku Prime]

​

Three more members of Saber's cast have been revealed. From left to right...

Hiroyuki Harayama plays the previous Kamen Rider Saber (real name as yet unrevealed). 15 years ago he fought against Kamen Rider Calibur and in the process rescued a boy called Touma Kamiyama, who will eventually becomes our main character and the new Saber.

Yuki Ikushima plays Ryo Ogami a.k.a. Kamen Rider Buster. He used to be the strongest swordsman and Calibur was his best friend. Now he concentrates on raising his son, Sora, and attempts to find out why his old friend betrayed Sword of Logos. He still wields the massive sword 'Dogouken Gekidou.'

TOBI from Les Romanesques (a performance duo that are usually based in Paris and appeared on France's Got Talent) plays the show's storyteller, a mysterious being known as 'Tassel.'

A look at Buster's suit, complete with even bigger sword!​

 

[Black Fang]

"Tassel"

Yeah, that bodes really well for this show. Imagine if a show like Agito had a character like that. -__-

 

[Captain Shark]

^Given how most 00s Kamen Rider had little to no fun and very slow pacing outside of Kiva's second half I can imagine it might have been less of a slog.

 

[Dr Kain]

Little to no fun? Are you high right now? I can't think of any Kamen Rider series outside of that abysmal Amazons Season 2 that took itself too seriously.

 

[Captain Shark]

While I'll admit covid might have given me memory problems (or suicidal depression, heard that blocks out memories too), Kuuga through Kabuto did try to take themselves too seriously. W and Gaim also sort of did but not to the same extent and Ex-Aid was too curve-bally to place it in that category.

 

[Black Fang]

Little to no fun? Are you high right now? I can't think of any Kamen Rider series outside of that abysmal Amazons Season 2 that took itself too seriously.

Amazons Season 2 was great. I don't know why people keep trashing it.

Maybe I'm just so disillusioned with the regular show that anything Amazons-related is a gem by comparison, but I had a lot of fun with both seasons, and the movie.

 

[Dr Kain]

Amazons Season 2 was great. I don't know why people keep trashing it.

Amazons Season 2 was dreadful. It was downright boring and threw in some creepy ass necrophelia plot that was completely unneccessary. The new rider dude was not even half as good as the previous ones. Jin felt completely out of character. None of the new characters were actually likable and it took like 8 episodes for the ones that were from the first season to come back. The main dude from Season 1 (can't remember his name anymore) also felt out of character and his backstory between seasons didn't make sense. And then there was no final battle. We never got to actually see the payoff for sitting through that unrelentless slop. Being dark and edgy doesn't make it good. All it did was make it pretentious.

The movie was also painful to sit through, though it was at least better than Season 2.

While I'll admit covid might have given me memory problems (or suicidal depression, heard that blocks out memories too), Kuuga through Kabuto did try to take themselves too seriously. W and Gaim also sort of did but not to the same extent and Ex-Aid was too curve-bally to place it in that category.

So Shinji always tripping in Ryuki and getting yelled at by his hysterically over-the-top boss was serious? What about the cooking episodes to Blade? Or watching Amane always go off on her uncle all of the time? His milk obsession and the sound effects from it? W had the cops that were always falling down. Gaim started out goofy. Hell, the show revolved around break dancing, that's not even remotely serious and the movie dealt with soccer.

Taking itself seriously does not mean not having fun. Yes, the shows had serious tones, which is also why they are superior to what has been happening. No show has yet to surpass Blade as being the best Kamen Rider series.