I think this is the quickest write up for a Rider Battle I've ever done. Personal achievement unlocked, haha.

They're at it again as Dragon Knight & Ryuki compete for the edge this week. Will Ryuki add another point to it's scoreboard or will Dragon Knight swoop in for victory?




Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Episode 10 (Battle Club)



One man.....one dream.....a motorbike....

My interest is...somewhat peaked. Thrust's true identity is that of a competitive cyclist framed of cheating. Enter Mr Cowboy Xaviax with a invitation to a club to wage battles in. A *dramatic pause* Battle Club!

Moving on, we now find out that only one person can use the advent decks and since we're talking about parallel universes, there's one available rider in every universe. Which is pretty sweet idea to be honest. Another thing is that apart from Len, all the other riders had Xaviax involved with how they acquire their advent decks. Including Kit. Now since I come from a family of plot guessers I'm putting money on a theory that Xaviax has been doing some impersonating.

Apart from some really stupid lines of dialogue and one particular plot point (which we'll get to in a minute), I quite like this episode or at least the ideas it brings to the table. So overall we know that once you're defeated, you're vented meaning you're sent to the advent void forever. We know that Advent decks only work to a individual person or someone with the exact same DNA. And finally we know that Xaviax is very intelligent for a "Saturday morning cartoon" villain, which I'm putting down as one of the better villains in a Kamen Rider show (from the few I've seen anyway).



And finally the mysterious rider from last episode, Kamen Rider Strike, is none other than the notorious JTC. A journalist who can easily obtain highly classified information. He's been helping Maya with her rider investigation. Unfortunately they do a "one step forward, two steps back" move. The whole helping Maya thing is a good way to keep an eye on what Kit and Len are up to. The two steps back comes in when they do the reveal. They could've kept this secret for a big pay off. But 99% of every plot twist, they go and show it before it's about to be vaguely interesting.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, sloooooooooooooow down!


Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 11



Did you know the average rider has a memory span of about eleven episode?

Yes, we're going there. Due to the cluster assault last episode, Ren has lost a year's worth of his memories. Great! A chance to actually see a back-story to this guy. Or so I thought, apart from a brief scene with his love interest, Eri, and the man who gave him the advent deck, we don't know anything that hasn't already been established. Most likely they're saving it for a second part to this episode. Personally I think the whole 2 parter structure is seriously broken. It makes the plot structure seem more formulaic. That's not to say that we should know everything about Ren in this episode, that's stupid. What I'm saying is that maybe you could give a little bit of new information that'll entice us to watch the next one.



Meanwhile the journal that Shinji works at are following up on a lead to an entire train of people vanishing. Well of course another monster attack. And this is something I've been keeping an eye on for some time. Ryuki's fights are mostly rider VS monster with another rider waiting in the wings. Dragon Knight focuses on rider VS rider battles and makes the monsters take a back seat, if this back seat were on an extremely long bus or limo. That's not to say that's a bad thing, it's just a polar opposite. They're going in two different directions.

Well for now anyway since certain questions remain unanswered. Who created the decks? Why can only one rider excist? What happens when there is only one?


The Edge: Dragon Knight



The ideas that Dragon Knight puts forward make it very interesting to watch. Hell, with all this going on it's making it very easy to ignore Torque's existence. I'd like to see how they play into future episodes. Hopefully they'll use it wisely.

Well that's it for this week. Hmm...I wonder...who do you think will win next week? Ryuki? Or Dragon Knight? Give a comment and share your thoughts.

So until next week, enjoy the rest of your day!

After taking two weeks off my fun little project all I can say is "Henshin!".

Moving onto all thing Kamen Rider related Ryuki makes it's first decade (FACT: Sideshow spent half an hour to try and reword that into anything else....didn't work.) While Dragon Knight is slowly creeping up behind. But who will come out victorious this week? Let's find out!

FIGHT!!!

Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 10



...Wow...just...wow...

I'm writing this mere seconds after watching this episode and I gotta say, I'm stunned. This is by far the best episode I've seen. Granted I expected how the plot for this would go yet I still remained interested with every minute.

So while Shinji remains in jail, Kamen Rider Zolda (the lawyer from last week) tries to keep him there and questions Ren why they should help at all. This much I pretty much figured out from last week. But then something happened. You see for the last two or so episodes a little girl has been floating around in the background and now she's up front and centre stage. Testifying to release Shinji and thanking Zolda for paying for her mother's surgery.

Zolda is one of those "it's all about me" kind of characters. Fighting for eternal life. But as the episode progresses you find out the man behind the mask. He's bitter for a completely valid reason and it starts to make more and more sense why he chooses to act out. It's a Kamen Rider equivalent to A Christmas Carol or How The Grinch Stole Christmas. (Just remove the Christmas element.)

And I'm saying it now. Zolda is better then Torque. Much better! Torque is just so one dimensional, the only thing that would make me like him as a character is if he joined up with the bad guy out of fear which is why he acts so smug.



This episode is a "DO NOT MISS" episode, should you choose to ever pick up this series.


Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Episode 9 (Kamen Rider Thrust)



WHAT WAS THAT?! No seriously! What the hell was that? A battle royale of riders? Which now brings the rider count to six. Seven if you include the mysterious purple one but since there's no actual introduction I'm not counting it.

What makes the episode interesting is seeing the fighting styles of the riders. Camo is the sneaky trickster while Thrust just rushes in with brute force. Notice how I said interesting rather than great or awesome. Take a step back from the fighting and you notice that the writers are trying rush this to get everything back to norm, i.e. Kit and Len's friendship.

An attempt to get support characters to care when Maya gets kidnapped, which I'm chucking up to bad actor choices. Camo getting shot in the back by Torque in an attempt of an ironic defeat. Question, the guy is carrying a massive f-off gun. Why would you turn your back on such a person? And finally the pay off for the "Torque is the good guy but secretly a bad guy" angle isn't satisfactory in the slightest. Its nice to see other actors try to pull this off with a straight face however I can't help but feel that since Torque's arrival, episodes have been going through a "first draft syndrome". I'm hoping Torque kicks the bucket soon because I can't keep putting up with such crap.



I don't remember being this angry with writing since I saw all the episodes to Kampfer.

Don't think the actors escape my wrath. Aunt Grace and Lancey are without doubt the most unconvincing characters thus far. I'm sorry but when someone close to you goes missing you don't stare off into the distant and speak like you're in a daze. "I. Do. Not. Like this.", a character says. I should point out that the acting quality doesn't factor into giving The Edge since I can't properly compare the acting in Ryuki. However I've been acting for over nine years now so I can't help but point this out.


The Edge: Ryuki



Proper pacing and character development. That's all I ask for and Ryuki delivers. I'm really enjoyed this episode and I feel the build up paid off.

Dragon Knight better step up the game least they be vented next week on Rider Battle!

To take us out, I recently came across an 8-bit composer on YouTube named Megaane100 who you should all check out. (Personally my favourites are 555 and Wizard's)

Catch ya next week!

I like many others watched Super Hero Wars/Taisen. A Kamen Rider/Super Sentai crossover film? Ok I'm down. While I wasn't bored, I wasn't impressed either. My thoughts are pretty much in line with Sal's when he reviewed it his Superhero Time segment.

Following box office law, "if it makes a lot of money, make another", a sequel is currently in the making. I'm certain the reaction we all have is..."meh". While following up on my social networks I came across an article that speculated that one of Marvel's characters might make an appearance the net movies. On the net movie site a footer reads, "(C) Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.". Any tokusatsu fan will tell you that the only Marvel character that had a show over in Japan was Spider-Man. A man who got his powers by an alien as well as a giant robot...no really.

Although its a possibility, we don't know if it's confirmed yet. However it does spark a few things and it makes me wonder what other properties they would keep their eyes on if they end up making another one. Unfortunately I haven't watched that much tokusastu shows (or at least ones that are suitable for kids, Akibaranger and Garo) so all I can think of is Gransazer or rather the Chouseishin Series which also include Justirisers and Sazer-X.



I can only speak for Gransazer though. Think of it as a Power Ranger/Super Sentai show with the elements of Avatar. Y'know, four elemental tribe. Water, earth, wind & fire (FRIDAY NIGHT! SAY THAT YOU REMEMBER- ....moving on) each with three warriors who represent a zodiac sign...they fight aliens. Pretty sure the director could just shove them in there without even thinking to be honest.

Anyway, I was wondering if theres any other franchieses they'd be desperate enough to include in a future movie.

....because there's always Garo....

Ugh! My head hurts. Not due to the personal issues I was banging on about last week but rather due to a certain game I recently bought off Steam. Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. SO MANY REPETITIVE SOUND EFFECTS! That are burning inside my skull....good game though, anyway-

RIDER BATTLE! RIDER BATTLE! Whacha gonna do? Whacha gonna do? Whacha gonna do when they've vented you? Or rather your interests in either show.

*DING* *DING* *DING*

FIGHT!!!

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Episode 8 (Kamen Rider Camo)


In an earlier Rider Battle I said that the "previously on Kamen Rider" sequence at the beginning of every episode lasts way longer than it needs to be. This episode is no exception clocking in at two minutes. Now I've been skipping these because they're too long to put up with but today, I watched it for this episode. Why? To see Matt Mullins's fight scene from the last episode again. Which brings up a point I've been meaning to make. Mr Mullins, earlier on I called your character "Mr Douchebag", I'm taking back that statement and apologising for it.

Meanwhile in a ghetto dojo (no, I'm not kidding), two guys are sparring which ends up with one of them winning by cheating. When who should appear but Mr Evil Lawyer himself. Now I've been watching a few Kamen Riders. W, Black, 555, Kiva and regrettably Decade to name a few. Mr Lawyer (his name is Xaviax if you were wondering) actually makes for an impressive villain by Kamen Rider standards. The intellectual type but not going too far into the "Saturday morning cartoon" villain.



Now I've been meaning to ask. When riders use their decks to transform do they have to put it up on a reflective surface or just pose to get the effect? Because the rules have been changing ever so slightly to the point that I just want to throw up my hands and give up even trying to understand.

What I'm also giving up on understanding is this "betrayal" plot. It just feels so forced. Torque all of a sudden flipping out and blaming Kit. He shouldn't have a reason to lose his cover of "no really, I'm your friend" but it looks like it's going to wrap up next episode so let's just get this over with.



Oh! New Kamen Riders! Camo, the cheater from the start of the episode and Thrust who hasn't been unmasked yet, good call Dragon Knight. What I'm liking about Camo is that he seems to be a more fleshed out character than the previous riders and if you've been reading these posts then you'll know where I'm coming from. There's some actual thought put into this one and it shows. I'm also liking that for once we have a rider that's not caucasian which shouldn't be a big thing in this day and age but I'm just glad there's SOME diversity.


Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 9


It's a who done it with Shinji as the prime suspect which personally I find rather idiotic for the police to arrest him based on NOTHING but I'm in a rather giving mood so I'll let this slide. As Shinji is in holding other characters use the time to grab more screen time.

While Dragon Knight has Xaviax as a villain, Ryuki doesn't and I've been meaning to bring this up. Does that mean that it's better or worse off? No. Without a main villain around the writers make up for in fleshing out the other riders in great detail. What about the other riders who go after Shinji and Ren? Well they don't really come off as antagonists. How do I put this? Its like a soap opera. There's characters and the dynamics they have with one another and that's how the conflicts occur rather than send wave after wave of evil riders like Dragon Knight. They're their own characters with various personalities and goals. Like I've said before, I've watched other Kamen Riders but never have I seen one that goes for "the greatest threat is each other" angle.

When we talk about Kamen Rider we think that, for the most part, Kamen Riders are "the good guys" or in some cases "the bad guys". Ryuki goes for a more in-depth approach to that. Give me enough time with the series and I'll try to explain that a little better if you're still unsure about my theory and if I'm wrong...



Moving on to the episode, Ryuki is getting crafty with how other riders find out the identity of another rider. Whether it be the classic notice of an injury only a rider would know or hearing the sound of a nearby mirror monster. The highlight being when Ren finds out that the new rider in town is also the same person who can get Shinji out of jail. OH DEARS!



Oh and 5 points if you can figure out what happens next without watching or looking it up before next week's Rider Battle.


The Edge: Ryuki


While I'm head over advent deck for Kamen Rider Camo being the best thing to come out of Dragon Knight this week, it just wasn't enough to excuse Torque flipping out. Also despite Xaviax being one of the greater villains I've seen in a Kamen Rider series (with Ryubee Sonozaki from Kamen Rider W being my personal favorite), I'm choosing to side with Ryuki with it's flowchart of riders. I will say that it was a difficult choice this time to give the edge as each episode was equally as good as each other. But me being me, I have to give it to ONE of these riders so congrats Ryuki!


Now tomorrow is free chocolate day- err I mean Easter Sunday and stereotypically writers like myself should say something to make sure you enjoy it.......

.....I got nothing. So how about instead I just say, enjoy the rest of your week and I'll see you next time on Rider Battle!

(...Yeah...I think that'll work.)

Folks, you find me in a slightly weird mood today. A few weeks ago a dear friend and mentor of mine passed away and since then I've been coming to terms with some personal things. But since I'd rather not bore you with my problems any more, let's move on!

It's neck and neck as Ryuki and Dragon Knight battle it out for another week! Can Dragon Knight maintain it's edge streak? Or will it be vented by Ryuki?

Let's find out!

*DING* *DING* *DING*

FIGHT!!!

Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 8


Had me worried there. I thought this episode was just going to play out like your standard J-Drama. But we get a nice Rider scene near the end, making me feel all warm inside...moving on.

Shinji follows up on a lawyer for a "life study" on an article. The lawyer, Mr Misunderstood Businessman, himself is pretty much the "all I want is wealth and power" stereotype and tells Shinji about the benefits of following your desires. There's not really much going on in this episode apart from that. I could talk about how Shinji and Ren are now room mates but the only thing that I can say is: "What happened to the partnership, guys?"

It seems to have fallen apart although one suspects that it's because Shinji spilt the beans and indirectly endangered someone but no. Ren states that he doesn't want Shinji to have more knowledge of the riders than he does because he wants to win. Win what? I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean that Ryuki is taking it's time setting up the big pieces.


Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Episode 7 (Friend Or Foe)


Ok, so I still can't get over how easily convinced Kit is when it comes to trust. So after the breakup between him and Len, Maya tells him about his comatose father While Len is off taking his frustration on a pair of monsters. Non-rider I might add.

Seriously, its an impressive fight scene but I'm not going to complain about stock VS created again so I'll just tip my hat to the director and Matt Mullins, Len.

While we're on the subject of stock footage, Dragon Knight shows us certain creative ways of using it. Changing it to suit the needs of the matter at hand and it might be cheesy but after Kit uses a strike vent and follows with "This'll be great for my next BBQ" but I'm still impressed.

I can't help but feel that the scenes in this episode are structured wrong and the same goes for the previous episode. I think that if Torque came up and told Kit about his father and said "Lens responsible, just ask him" then I'd totally be up for it. Because you're giving a real reason for Kit to doubt him. Think about it. He'll ask Len and he'll say "What are you on about?" which sounds better than Kit seeing a pissy fight between Len and Torque.

Despite that- HOW AWESOME IS THIS!


The Edge: Ryuki


Setup, setup and more setup. Ryuki knows how to build towards something. I've said in the past that Dragon Knight is moving too quickly this early in the game which isn't as interesting to watch. It's like a juggler who pulls out these amazing trick at the beginning only then to slowly but surely slow down and show the most basic of tricks thinking this is what the audience wants. So this week's edge goes to Ryuki, enjoy it while it lasts because if I see another non-rider episode next week it's going back to Dragon Knight.

And with that, another Rider Battle has come and gone. Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you all next week.

My modem died last week. Which made me sad. After watching today's content, I was very eager to share it. Now my family has upgraded to a beautiful slick wireless modem. Now since I've become a man of the modern age, again, I'm pumped for another round of Rider Battle!

But before we get into the thick of it, this week will be a 1 VS 2. Since Ryuki has an extra 10 episodes I need to fit in this lovely project. Will this be a one sided fight? PFFT! You haven't read Comparison to the West, have you?

And with that-

*DING* *DING* *DING*

FIGHT!!!

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Episode 6 (Kamen Rider Torque)


WHAT!? Original footage was made! Yeah for a few seconds. What does this tell us? It means there's a quality range between stock footage and created footage. Spoiler, Dragon Knight has higher quality. Ryuki aired in 2003 while Dragon Knight aired in 2009. What this means is that in the six years of media tech, cameras have improved. (Then again this is basic knowledge so it should be obvious.) As such, my thoughts turn to "why not just make all the footage?" and I'm absolutely certain that an entire Rider VS Rider scene was created, not stock. Could be wrong but after doing a digital media course, I'm going to put money on it.

Everything in the episode is great. Hell even Maya's investigative side story is good, for once. However, I'm going to quote Len about Kit "are you that easily convinced?" Torque springs his "I'm not the bad guy, no really" plan and Kit spends a good few minutes being convinced before thinking that Len is the evil henchman. C'mon! You can do better then that! A slow tone build up is what you need if you're planning on using that!



Meanwhile, Maya finds Kit's missing father. In a hospital. In a coma. Along with several other mirror victims. Question, "Why are there missing persons posters around when they're all in a hospital of all places?". Maybe we're getting somewhere. Maybe that evil lawyer has a few ties the writers don't want to show. Or maybe this is a plot hole that will never be addressed.

Regardless, I'm game!


Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 6


This is why I hate being in a family of plot guessers. I suspected a certain detective is the face behind Kamen Rider Scissors. Unsurprisingly, I was right but points for the set up though.

After seeing this episode I'm asking myself what was used for Dragon Knight and what created for it. You see Scissors's vented scene is different. His contract monster starts cuddling devouring him when in Dragon Knight, Insicor just disintegrates right on the spot. It's not a BIG deal but it's certainly worth noting. Now that Scissors has come and gone let's compare and as a special challenge, I'll do it in two short bursts (is what my ex would say about me, haha):

Incisor was a rich dick who lost his wealth.

Scissors was crook who had to kill his partner, who got greedy.

...I'd say they're both as bad as each other but who am I kidding? Scissors sounds more up my alley then Incisor.


Kamen Rider Ryuki - Episode 7


Shinji, your "idiot" rank has been validated. Rejoice!

After waking up from a nightmare about accidentally starting a fire in the office, Shinji grabs an extinguisher and puts out a pretend one. The office banter that follows is something that I'm really happy with. The "why you!"s and the cuddling up of computers covered in extinguisher fluid. Almost anime like.

Something about this episode worth noting is that it plays like a Fiaz episode (I am aware Ryuki is before it but- SHH!). Meaning that the suit actors take a break while the other actors grab more of the limelight for a vast majority of the episode. As a result we're looking at more character development and more setup rather "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!".

(And if you're wondering the rider scene doesn't start till 21 minutes into the 23 minute episode.)

Finally, we're introduced to a new rider. A misunderstood businessman by the look of things. Unfortunately I can't comment on any more since they've only given me 2 minutes to get his character and that really isn't enough for me to make a judgement just yet.

The Edge: Dragon Knight


You've proven to me that a kid's show can have intelligent writing. Yes, there are a few bumps. Kit's trust issues for one. But I'm willing to overlook that for the sake of this secret hospital wing of mirror victims and for once Maya's purpose is validated. You've also proven that you can make new footage. Maybe there's a fight scene here that Ryuki never had. Here's hoping!

So that's it for this week. I'm happy that this is finally up. Either that or just that I'm back as my usual happy-go-lucky self. Anyway, next week is the usual 1 VS 1 fight and I'll see you there for the next RIDER BATTLE!!!