Shout! Factory Dialed up the Tokusatsu ♡ with 2 Complete Series this Month!

Kamen Rider Ryuki

First Season is available
to stream online on Shout! Factory TV (free)

Kamen Rider Ryuki may well be a unique entry out of all the story arcs produced. This television show is essentially Highlander the TV Series with a tokusatsu spin and I’m loving the concept. The fact nobody said, “There can be only one!” is why I am looking carefully ahead rather than bingeing. I’m a sucker for series constructed memes and if none exists, I’ll have to make them from screenshots.

Only one hero may exist to protect the world. When Shinji Kido finds an Advent Card (アドベントカード, Adobento Kādo) that can turn the owner to a Kamen Rider, another soldier, namely Ren Akiyama, will challenge him to a fight to the death. These duels are why I’m really wanting to follow this series to the end.

Because of the various rivalries involved, I feel more invested in this work than other Kamen Rider series. And when more of the real world is used, the world feels more authentic. Some series don’t use exterior sets as much and I miss that.

To see the Kamen Riders in a civil war isn’t unique. When I thought it might be like Iron Man: Armour Wars, that’s because there’s no mention regarding how the armour was made, and the discourse about who can be a warrior for a common cause is light. Instead, it’s about the fall of the Knights of the Round Table (King Arthur) and why Camelot can’t exist in this metaverse.

Ultimately, most fans know the seasons are not meant to unite as a whole. Any information regarding the organisation is available on the Internet. But as for whether we’ll get a Shin Kamen Rider to explain the full developmental background of this clan like in Shin Ultraman, that has yet to happen.

I’ll be anxiously waiting for that day Toei announces such a project. Not everyone is well versed in the Super Sentai lore, and some big screen treatment to bring in new fans and remind us what this franchise is about can be cool! After half a century of countless television programs, some way to reignite interest in Japan and abroad is needed.

Release Date: February 7, 2023

Tokusatsu Promo Trailer for Kamen Rider