April fools! While my retirement will be happening later on, I thought I would do something different, seeing as this Easter is April Fools day. Since this will likely be my last year, I think I will do this one-shot of a terrible tokusatsu adaptation, which is also a series finale that celebrates a milestone with a crossover of heroes! I am talking about the finale of Masked Rider!
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| Courtesy: Saban/Toei/Ishinomori Productions |
Yes folks, while the source material of Kamen Rider Black RX may have been a follow-up to one of my favorite classic KR series, if not my favorite, Kamen Rider Black; this show is just a mess. To those up in arms about the New Saban era of Power Rangers, I recommend they watch the entirety of this failed '90s toku adaptation before ever issuing a complaint about one again. Admittedly, the concept had potential when the character appeared in a supporting role of the opening episodes of the third season of MMPR; but turning the series into a goofy sitcom was definitely a big mistake . The finale was definitely the worst episode I could find, so let's open up "The Invasion of Leawood!"
Please keep in mind that unlike other PR sister series (Beetle Borgs, VR Troopers, and Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, among others), this series has not been released on DVD or legal streaming since its initial run. Like with my look at the Mario anime, when you're working with more than 20-year-old VHS rips, you're not getting HDR-quality picture.
The series opens with a theme song that recalls old sci-fi films, to the point where I wish that Joel, Mike, Servo, Crow and most recently Jonah were riffing at the bottom of the screen. Not only did the series effectively disregard the "Friend in Need" three-part opening of MMPR season 3; it was laughably bad on its own merit. Even by standards of cheesy '90s toku adaptations, it's pretty corny. Also, our lead, Dex has a companion named Ferbus, who I often called Fergus or Furby; depending on my mood.
Our proper opening is on Count Dregon (which could never decide on how to pronounce his name like "dray-gen" or "dray-gone") invading the titular Leawood, our setting. Even to this day, this opening amuses me for all the wrong reasons. I know all these cheesy toku adaptations then and now at least try to match their source material, but that's notably absent here. Still, it always amused me how much Japan looked an awful lot like Southern California in those days.
The show was infamous for the liberties it took with Black RX, and apparently all the tension from the original finale in that KR series is almost non-existent. Even when I was younger, I couldn't believe what I was watching; and I still don't. To think people give the Legendary Battle so much heat.
Cycloptor comes over the TV of Dex's adoptive family, the Stuarts; and apparetly Dregon is hailng Dex from his "spider-base." Really? That thing always looked like a Klingon Bird-of-Prey with a chicken for a head to me, and it still does. Anyway, Dregon unleashes a monster known as "Bruticon," and demands Masked Rider surrender to him within the hour or he'll level the city. Pardon me if I reference something that isn't absolute garbage: "Oh, and people will die, starting tonight. I'm a man of my word."
Dex's family asks him what he will do in some absolutely-terrible '90s acting, and Ferbus starts gibbering in a manner that would embarrass Jar-Jar Binks.
So, while Dex's family decides to evacuate the city; Dex ultimately decides to meet with Dregon, but to fight back rather than surrender. So, apparently Dex prescribes to the Galaxy Quest school of conflict resolution, only that work is intentionally funny. I know that Black RX may not have been the most serious Rider, but the source material for this episode at least understood what the stakes were and how to make an admittedly ludicrous concept work. Personally, I put more stock in Krankor.
Dex contacts his grandfather's essence for advice on what to do, a la Jor-el in the Superman mythos; and his grandfather, named King Lexion; tells him of a legion of ancient "Masked Rider Warriors." While these riders definitely carried more weight in the original source, the way they're applied here makes leaving in the core Dairangers and the handful of pre-Zyuranger outfits in Super Mega Force trivial by comparison (side note: my headcanon is that they're ancient rangers that predated the MMPR team. All I need is the mindset of a 10-year-old hopped up on Cocoa Crispies, and the rest writes itself.).
Moreover, this crossover was screwed up by cutting two of the riders from the source and giving their names to the wrong ones (I'm writing this recap with a re-edit from YouTube user Salatube19, more on that in a moment).
The initial "Avengers Assemble" sequence of sorts is one of several that fans have re-edited here using footage from the Japanese episode, with DIY editing and ADR being done to correct the misnamed riders. More on that in a moment, since this episode is rife with alien invasion cliches ranging from a school being used as a makeshift shelter and a coincidental broadcast on the news.
Also, Fergus keeps bumbling like a more annoying version of Snarf from Thundercats (glad the 2011 version made it so he only said his name like a Pokémon) as Bruticon makes landfall on Dregon's deadline.
Dex says help is on the way, but also says he "can't explain beyond that." Arceus, to think people give the New Saban era PR crap for not explaining things.
The meteor holding Bruticon crashes down, and the editing in this sequence is just woeful; even in this grainy VHS rip. This part of Southern California definitely has an unusual amount of Japanese civilians and fleeing cars driving on the other side of the road!
Cycloptor summons a team of "Commandoids" to fight Masked Rider, and the whole thing just seems like a low-grade pitch for a live-action Mega Man movie. Still not looking forward to the reboot cartoon or revisiting anymore NT Warrior, but Mega Man 11 looks cool.
Before the "Masked Rider Warriors" join Dex on earth, they train on a "distant planet" that's clearly a rock quarry. I know those kind of areas make it easier to set off explosives, but it still shows how the editing is so shoddy.
Bruticon overtakes Leawood, and as time goes on, it's clear that this finale comes off less like "Countdown to Destruction" and more like the infamous Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills. That wasn't just a Team Four Star joke: that show was real, and it was insane.
Bruticon meets Dex at the hills, and Dex gives the invocation to transform into Masked Rider: "Ectophase Activate!"
Although this show is pretty terrible, I will say the music is pretty good. Many of the cues would later be used for Saban's dub of "Digimon Adventure," as I pointed out in my look at the first episode of that anime.
Despite a valiant effort, Masked Rider is no match for Bruticon; as shown in some very awkward fight choreography and editing. I think the design of the suit changed more than once with each take they cut together.
Through a flurry of pyrotechnics that would be the envy of both Michael Bay and Bruce Kalish, the Masked Rider Warriors arrive just in time over the side of the hill; which is clearly the same quarry as before. I think Mike Nelson said it best: "Space has warped, and time is now bendable!"
The Masked Rider Warriors are able to fight off Cycloptor before rescuing Dex to plan their next move. Between all these attacks, I half-expected to see Ripley's Power Loader trying to fight off ED-209.
The warriors take Dex to a safe place, and in this episode's initial airing, two of the riders from the source material were cut, resulting in their names being screwed up. There is also a brief glimpse at Dex's counterpart in Black RX. This edit uses footage from the UK DVD release (as stated before, there hasn't been an official release in the US on DVD or digital platforms) as well as adding back in the cut riders Sky Rider and Super-1 from the corresponding episode of Black RX. The edit in question here is done by YouTube user SpeaksTooSoon, you can see it here.
Also, in addition to how confusing the editing and camera work are in this battle, the general Dex faces keeps changing names between "Cycloptor" and "Doubleface." See, Saban toku adaptations had inconsistent continuity for crossovers BEFORE Super Mega Force! In fact, watching this and the Legendary Battle at the same time, I realize the only real difference is that series had cameos from recognizable heroes and attractive young actors; and this one does not. Even as someone who was in the minority that liked that series, I'm actually glad they're doing less for the 25th anniversary. Sometimes, less is more.
Masked Rider summons his motorbike, Chopper; and even though things are kind of tight right now, once they pick up again; I might look into the Figuarts of the Black RX and his motorcycle. Between the corny '90s CGI and the jive-talking voiceover, I'm already imagining what sort of DIY Robot Chicken skit with the Figuarts of Tyranno Ranger and Kiba Ranger, among others.
Dex's suit changes form again, and yet more Japanese civilians flee from Bruticon's rampage! Shame this series is such a mess: if they handled it better, I submit that KR could have been a lot more successful; but it's just a reminder of what could have been.
After a simultaneous "warrior punch" from all the riders, Bruticon turns into a meteor (it happens) and starts attacking them back! I don't know why, but I feel like playing Katamari Damacy again.
Dex transforms into his "Super Gold" form, which ends up being much more effective against Bruticon! You know, the way they used mecha footage from Dairanger and Kakuranger in MMPR 2 and 3 may not have always been the best; but I could at least tell what was going on most of the time. I can't really say the same here, I feel like I'm in the middle of a bad fever dream.
As Dex is somehow knocked out of his Masked Rider form, he uses his power to open up the earth; and, I'm not kidding: douses himself in water as if he were in a weird commercial.
He then activates his "Super Blue" form, and he starts thrashing Bruticon from the inside! Well, if this was the last episode; then it's the craziest as well as the worst to end the series on.
Bruticon is destroyed, and the resulting shockwave also results in the defeat of Dregon and his forces!
The episode, and the show close on Dex forming a team of Masked Rider Warriors of his own, to continue the king's legacy. Allow this overused meme to reply how this turned out.
So, this finale was not only laughably bad, I'm not surprised that Shotaro Ishinomori disliked this series so much he forbade any future adaptations; which lasted after his death and didn't see any more western KR adaptations until 2009. The result, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, was a vast improvement and a more faithful take on the premise. If you want a good template to handle a western KR dub, watch that instead. It's different from Ryuki, but a better show than this.
Well, I know things may have been pretty crazy today; but I hope you all enjoyed this 20-something rambling about an old tokusatsu adaptation. I will be changing up my plans a bit until my computer problems are resolved, so don't go anywhere just yet. Until then, be a hero for anyone; any way you can. See you, space cowboy.
The show was infamous for the liberties it took with Black RX, and apparently all the tension from the original finale in that KR series is almost non-existent. Even when I was younger, I couldn't believe what I was watching; and I still don't. To think people give the Legendary Battle so much heat.
Cycloptor comes over the TV of Dex's adoptive family, the Stuarts; and apparetly Dregon is hailng Dex from his "spider-base." Really? That thing always looked like a Klingon Bird-of-Prey with a chicken for a head to me, and it still does. Anyway, Dregon unleashes a monster known as "Bruticon," and demands Masked Rider surrender to him within the hour or he'll level the city. Pardon me if I reference something that isn't absolute garbage: "Oh, and people will die, starting tonight. I'm a man of my word."
Dex's family asks him what he will do in some absolutely-terrible '90s acting, and Ferbus starts gibbering in a manner that would embarrass Jar-Jar Binks.
So, while Dex's family decides to evacuate the city; Dex ultimately decides to meet with Dregon, but to fight back rather than surrender. So, apparently Dex prescribes to the Galaxy Quest school of conflict resolution, only that work is intentionally funny. I know that Black RX may not have been the most serious Rider, but the source material for this episode at least understood what the stakes were and how to make an admittedly ludicrous concept work. Personally, I put more stock in Krankor.
Dex contacts his grandfather's essence for advice on what to do, a la Jor-el in the Superman mythos; and his grandfather, named King Lexion; tells him of a legion of ancient "Masked Rider Warriors." While these riders definitely carried more weight in the original source, the way they're applied here makes leaving in the core Dairangers and the handful of pre-Zyuranger outfits in Super Mega Force trivial by comparison (side note: my headcanon is that they're ancient rangers that predated the MMPR team. All I need is the mindset of a 10-year-old hopped up on Cocoa Crispies, and the rest writes itself.).
Moreover, this crossover was screwed up by cutting two of the riders from the source and giving their names to the wrong ones (I'm writing this recap with a re-edit from YouTube user Salatube19, more on that in a moment).
The initial "Avengers Assemble" sequence of sorts is one of several that fans have re-edited here using footage from the Japanese episode, with DIY editing and ADR being done to correct the misnamed riders. More on that in a moment, since this episode is rife with alien invasion cliches ranging from a school being used as a makeshift shelter and a coincidental broadcast on the news.
Also, Fergus keeps bumbling like a more annoying version of Snarf from Thundercats (glad the 2011 version made it so he only said his name like a Pokémon) as Bruticon makes landfall on Dregon's deadline.
Dex says help is on the way, but also says he "can't explain beyond that." Arceus, to think people give the New Saban era PR crap for not explaining things.
The meteor holding Bruticon crashes down, and the editing in this sequence is just woeful; even in this grainy VHS rip. This part of Southern California definitely has an unusual amount of Japanese civilians and fleeing cars driving on the other side of the road!
Cycloptor summons a team of "Commandoids" to fight Masked Rider, and the whole thing just seems like a low-grade pitch for a live-action Mega Man movie. Still not looking forward to the reboot cartoon or revisiting anymore NT Warrior, but Mega Man 11 looks cool.
Before the "Masked Rider Warriors" join Dex on earth, they train on a "distant planet" that's clearly a rock quarry. I know those kind of areas make it easier to set off explosives, but it still shows how the editing is so shoddy.
Bruticon overtakes Leawood, and as time goes on, it's clear that this finale comes off less like "Countdown to Destruction" and more like the infamous Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills. That wasn't just a Team Four Star joke: that show was real, and it was insane.
Bruticon meets Dex at the hills, and Dex gives the invocation to transform into Masked Rider: "Ectophase Activate!"
Although this show is pretty terrible, I will say the music is pretty good. Many of the cues would later be used for Saban's dub of "Digimon Adventure," as I pointed out in my look at the first episode of that anime.
Despite a valiant effort, Masked Rider is no match for Bruticon; as shown in some very awkward fight choreography and editing. I think the design of the suit changed more than once with each take they cut together.
Through a flurry of pyrotechnics that would be the envy of both Michael Bay and Bruce Kalish, the Masked Rider Warriors arrive just in time over the side of the hill; which is clearly the same quarry as before. I think Mike Nelson said it best: "Space has warped, and time is now bendable!"
The Masked Rider Warriors are able to fight off Cycloptor before rescuing Dex to plan their next move. Between all these attacks, I half-expected to see Ripley's Power Loader trying to fight off ED-209.
The warriors take Dex to a safe place, and in this episode's initial airing, two of the riders from the source material were cut, resulting in their names being screwed up. There is also a brief glimpse at Dex's counterpart in Black RX. This edit uses footage from the UK DVD release (as stated before, there hasn't been an official release in the US on DVD or digital platforms) as well as adding back in the cut riders Sky Rider and Super-1 from the corresponding episode of Black RX. The edit in question here is done by YouTube user SpeaksTooSoon, you can see it here.
Also, in addition to how confusing the editing and camera work are in this battle, the general Dex faces keeps changing names between "Cycloptor" and "Doubleface." See, Saban toku adaptations had inconsistent continuity for crossovers BEFORE Super Mega Force! In fact, watching this and the Legendary Battle at the same time, I realize the only real difference is that series had cameos from recognizable heroes and attractive young actors; and this one does not. Even as someone who was in the minority that liked that series, I'm actually glad they're doing less for the 25th anniversary. Sometimes, less is more.
Masked Rider summons his motorbike, Chopper; and even though things are kind of tight right now, once they pick up again; I might look into the Figuarts of the Black RX and his motorcycle. Between the corny '90s CGI and the jive-talking voiceover, I'm already imagining what sort of DIY Robot Chicken skit with the Figuarts of Tyranno Ranger and Kiba Ranger, among others.
Dex's suit changes form again, and yet more Japanese civilians flee from Bruticon's rampage! Shame this series is such a mess: if they handled it better, I submit that KR could have been a lot more successful; but it's just a reminder of what could have been.
After a simultaneous "warrior punch" from all the riders, Bruticon turns into a meteor (it happens) and starts attacking them back! I don't know why, but I feel like playing Katamari Damacy again.
Dex transforms into his "Super Gold" form, which ends up being much more effective against Bruticon! You know, the way they used mecha footage from Dairanger and Kakuranger in MMPR 2 and 3 may not have always been the best; but I could at least tell what was going on most of the time. I can't really say the same here, I feel like I'm in the middle of a bad fever dream.
As Dex is somehow knocked out of his Masked Rider form, he uses his power to open up the earth; and, I'm not kidding: douses himself in water as if he were in a weird commercial.
He then activates his "Super Blue" form, and he starts thrashing Bruticon from the inside! Well, if this was the last episode; then it's the craziest as well as the worst to end the series on.
Bruticon is destroyed, and the resulting shockwave also results in the defeat of Dregon and his forces!
The episode, and the show close on Dex forming a team of Masked Rider Warriors of his own, to continue the king's legacy. Allow this overused meme to reply how this turned out.
So, this finale was not only laughably bad, I'm not surprised that Shotaro Ishinomori disliked this series so much he forbade any future adaptations; which lasted after his death and didn't see any more western KR adaptations until 2009. The result, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, was a vast improvement and a more faithful take on the premise. If you want a good template to handle a western KR dub, watch that instead. It's different from Ryuki, but a better show than this.
Well, I know things may have been pretty crazy today; but I hope you all enjoyed this 20-something rambling about an old tokusatsu adaptation. I will be changing up my plans a bit until my computer problems are resolved, so don't go anywhere just yet. Until then, be a hero for anyone; any way you can. See you, space cowboy.
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