Joined
Dec 20, 2013
Messages
31
Now, I'll just start by saying I'm a HUGE Ryuki fan (as you can see by my name). Well on my way to collecting all the figuarts for that series (well, maybe Kabuto too because I love all of the suit designs) and it's the first Kamen Rider series I ever watched, so it has a special place in my heart. And I didn't think Kamen Rider Dragon Knight was 'bad', however, I kinda stopped watching after Drew got vented and never really felt compelled to rewatch the entire series, especially when I found out Ryuki existed.

So scrolling through Youtube and watching clips of it, I kinda realized why. I think possibly the worst offender was the advertising and the merchandise itself. I remember seeing a toy reviewer review a couple of the figures from the American toyline, becoming intrigued because I thought it seemed vaguely Power Rangers-esque and I was down for some more rangers. These toys looked absolutely awful I have to say. Definitely not on par with some of the Power Rangers figures, but Power Rangers had been around for at least a decade and a half at that point so maybe it was excusable. After all, they had more time to realize what sells and what doesn't. However, I can tell you with certainty I would have never discovered Dragon Knight (and by extension, Ryuki as well) if I never saw that video. First off, to my knowledge the only channel it appeared on was CW, which even back then I didn't watch in the first place. And even on that channel, I can't remember it being promoted that much.

I also think the show didn't really develop an audience. They way the show is written, it basically seemed like an alternative to Power Rangers. The problem is, the campiness, the colorful characters and the absolutely absurd plots that made Power Rangers memorable weren't present in this show, so you basically had a watered down PR. On top of that, the plot, while not particularly deep, did require a lot of explaining that kids mostly aren't into. The kid appeal is already lost. On the flip side, the show doesn't necessarily have the writing to pull in adults either. The only ones left are teenagers, but let's be honest, they're not checking for Saturday Morning Cartoons on CW. Maybe they would have liked the show over time, but even then there's not really too many characters that stand out in it, other than Drew for me, personally.

I think the show could basically be summed up as 'not quite enough like Power Rangers to attract children, but too much like Power Rangers, so it alienates adults'.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2012
Messages
97
Let's just say American censorship for children's shows isn't as open as Japan's. I guess the writer for DK could only do so much.

Hey at least you found Ryuki through it.
 
I am the law
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
6,941
As I recall it changed time slots too much making it hard to keep track of. Even with recording the show on DVR, you'd still get older episodes w/o warning instead of new episodes.

That and the network being fully behind the show are the biggest factors with Dragon Knight not catching on as much as it should have.
 
The Wind Of Justice
Joined
Nov 15, 2012
Messages
349
Not much Americans knows about kamen rider, I think is one of the reason.
 
A simple passerby...
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
2,445
You need to do it in a place that had already been exposed to the elements seen in Tokusatsu, or gradually move into it. You can't simply try and replicate what you see because there isn't previous knowledge of the development in how it came to be.

Overall, I think they forgot a lot of elements, but it was a nice watch, if you're trying to get 13 year old kids with ADHD to watch it.

(I have ADHD, so I didn't mind it lol, but I could see why it was bad for others)
 
New Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
1,135
It was on CW and most kids I know don't watch CW that much besides Yu-Gi-Oh. The toys for the show came in way too late and they didn't market the show very well neither.

Maybe they should have put it on Nick, CN or on ABC Kids. It would be cool if ABC Kids put Dragon Knight and RPM together like their own Super Hero Time.
 
New Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
1,135
Some people didn't like using the name "Kamen Rider" since people always end up saying "Common Rider" instead. I remember hearing that Toei wanted to use "Masked Rider" for Dragon Knight, but Steve Wang didn't want people to think that the show was related to Saban's Masked Rider.
 
Why is every good TV show Cancelled
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
2,268
Because, just when it was really starting to get good, it made a massive creative flaw plot-wise. The show practically ground to a halt, all the rules the show had spent so long setting up were magically reversed just with the sudden, surprise introduction of a previously non-existant character which seemed to be the result of the people who run Adness really not knowing how to budget a TV series properly. Not only did the audience start going downhill, but they only just barely got the deal with CW in the first place and an error like that tends to make creative partners unhappy...
 
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