Kamen Rider.

[Pizzamorg]

Anyone else checked the premier of Japan's latest riding hero?

I kinda grew out of Tokusatsu but it's still fun to poke my head in now and then to see what crazy stuff Japan are trying now on very modest budgets. Some of their work in this genre is simply inspiring.

I kinda got what I expected from the opening episode of the newest series, "Drive" and no, sadly, there are no cool jackets and intense sequences involving a man and his hammer.

The last series, Gaim, really did mix things up and for better or for worse, I have to applaud Gaim for that. It's a shame to see Drive relax into much more familiar, generic shoes.

Drive's opening episode did have some pretty killer set pieces though, which are certainly a lot better than what Gaim was doing and Drive is pretty cool looking in a sort of tacky, low budget kind of way.

Overall it was decent enough for me to want more but I don't see amazing things in the shows future. More a sort of rebound for Japan to get over what was a very special, unique, series.