Happy 35 years, Kamen Rider Black!

 

35 years ago on October 4, 1987, legendary Kamen Rider creator Shotaro Ishinomori introduced the world to one of his most popular creations in the long running franchise - Kamen Rider Black! Starring actor Tetsuo Kurata as Minami Kotaro, this legendary Tokusatsu series turns three and a half decades - and is still beloved by fans to this day!

A remake series, Kamen Rider Black Sun, is set to debut later this month!

Shin Kamen Rider Releases New Poster and Trailer

 

Looks like Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s next reimagination of a classic Japanese popular culture icon will see its theatrical release next year, as the director and Toei unleash the new poster and trailer to “Shin Kamen Rider” - with Sosuke Ikematsu starring as Hongo Takeshi/ Kamen Rider ans defending the world and humanity against Shocker!

Watch the new teaser below! Shin Kamen Rider follows in the footsteps of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman, and it will be released on March next year!

Kamen Rider Black Sun Design and Battle Hopper Revealed!

 

One of the most awaited revivals in Kamen Rider history finally gets his design revealed today, as Kamen Rider Black Sun's design and his ride Battle Hopper have been revealed in a special character design presentation by the folks at Toei and Ishinomori Productions!

As shared by Kyoudai Express on Twitter, here is the short reveal trailer for the design, the Henshin Belt, the S.H.Figuarts figure, as well as the actors playing Black Sun and Shadow Moon being interviewed!

It's real!! Kamen Rider BLACK SUN!! #仮面ライダーBLACKSUN pic.twitter.com/lyyPpV03Tr

— Kyoudai Express 🔥 Get the latest breaking news! (@ExpressKyoudai) November 21, 2021

BREAKING: Kamen Rider BLACK SUN cast revealed!! #仮面ライダーBLACKSUN #t_n2021 pic.twitter.com/G4RfjIHVRX

— Kyoudai Express 🔥 Get the latest breaking news! (@ExpressKyoudai) November 21, 2021

Kamen Rider BLACK SUN S.H.Figuarts first look #仮面ライダーBLACKSUN #t_n2021 pic.twitter.com/C4xoCVVVK0

— Kyoudai Express 🔥 Get the latest breaking news! (@ExpressKyoudai) November 21, 2021

BLACK SUN Henshin belt first look!! #仮面ライダーBLACKSUN pic.twitter.com/Em9ZnvEqu8

— Kyoudai Express 🔥 Get the latest breaking news! (@ExpressKyoudai) November 21, 2021

And of course, here's the first look at Black's redesigned ride Battle Hopper! 

 Kamen Rider Black Sun is a reboot of the popular 1987 Showa era Kamen Rider Black series, and is set to premiere some time in 2022!

Shin Kamen Rider details revealed, first trailers released

 The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion who directed Shin Gojira and wrote Shin Ultraman finally gets to do a film based on his childhood hero for the franchise’s 50th anniversary, as Hideaki Anno presents tot he world our very first look at “Shin Kamen Rider”!

Thanks to a special press conference that just took place in Japan today and the official Twitter page of the movie, we get new info and details on the upcoming film remake of the 1971 Tokusatsu super hero created by the late Shotaro Ishinomori!

As announced during the special press conference in Japan, the two leads were also revealed. Sosuke Ikematsu plays Hongo Takeshi/ Kamen Rider, while Minami Hamabe plays Ruriko Midorikawa.

Additionally, here are two new trailer promoting the upcoming film and the rebirth of the original Kamen Rider for the big screen!

Shin Kamen Rider Trailer 1
Shin Kamen Rider Trailer 2

Shin Kamen Rider is scheduled to be released on March 2023.

Kamen Rider Black Sun announced as 50 Years of Kamen Rider is celebrated today!

 

One of the most popular iterations of Kamen Rider who hails from the Showa era is getting the reboot treatment he deserves, as the official Kamen Rider Web website has announced "Kamen Rider Black Sun" - the reincarnation of Kamen Rider Black and a new series that will debut in 2022! This is to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Kamen Rider - which began with the original Kamen Rider in 1976 as played by the legendary Hiroshi Fujioka!

Here's the press release from Kamen Rider Web.

Kamen Rider (original work by Shotaro Ishinomori) was first broadcast on TV Asahi affiliates in 1971. For half a century, from the original Showa Era series through Kamen Rider Saber, the second series of the Reiwa Era, successive incarnations of the Masked Rider superhero have entertained viewers of all ages. 

Now, in 2021, the Kamen Rider series marks its 50th anniversary. Commemorating this 50th Anniversary milestone, a remake of the highly popular Kamen Rider Black series has been announced. A new interpretation of a story steeped in the pathos of the hero’s harsh fate, Kamen Rider Black returns to the screen after a hiatus of more than 30 years, reincarnated as Kamen Rider Black Sun. 

Commissioned for the logo, calligrapher Souun Takeda has created a powerful image that embodies the heroic worldview of the new series. 

Named as director for this project is master filmmaker Kazuya Shiraishi, known for hit films including Kyoaku and The Blood of Wolves. Inspired by the Kamen Rider Black series released in 1987, Shiraishi will adopt an innovative perspective for his all-new interpretation of the legendary hero, Kamen Rider BLACK SUN.

Also, the official TOEI Tokusatsu YouTube channel has uploaded the first episode of Kamen Rider Black in full! Watch it for Nostalgia and see the original Kamen Rider Black/ Minami Kotaro as played by Tetsuo Kurata!

Kamen Rider Black Sun will debut some time in Spring 2022! Happy 50th Anniversary, Kamen Rider! HENSHIN!!!

Kamen Rider X Super Sentai Poster and 2nd Trailer!

Via updates from JEFusion, the first poster and second teaser trailer for Kamen Rider X Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen has been released! Exploding into Japanese theaters this April, the whole assemble of Kamen Riders and Super Sentai will gather together for the first time, in one explosive movie that will decide the fate of the universe! As seen in the new 42 second teaser trailer, things are going to get hyped up between Riders and Sentai!



Kamen Rider X Super Sentai 2nd Trailer

Here's the plot synopsis for the movie:

"For a long time, the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai have defended the peace on Earth. But something has happened to change all of that. 


Tsukasa Kadoya / Kamen Rider Decade gathers the past evil organizations fought by Kamen Riders and becomes the Great Leader of "Dai-Shocker" and has begun to attack all of the Super Sentai. 


Meanwhile, Captain Marvelous / GokaiRed takes control of "Dai-Zangyack", becoming its Great Emperor, has begun to attack all of the Kamen Riders. What is this "Big Machine Project" that the leaders of Dai-Shocker and Dai-Zangyack speak of?

To solve the mystery of the battle, the Denliner goes into the past. Fourze is.. The Go-busters are... Kamen Rider #1 is... The Gorangers are... ?! The greatest hero battle in history! Which is the strongest?"


For more info and details, visit the source post at JEFusion!

Kamen Rider X Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen sees release on April 21st in Japan!

Super Hero Taisen is officially "All Kamen Riders VS All Super Sentai"!

*Note: old picture of Decade/ Shinkenger roadshow back in 2009/ 2010

Since the news broke that a movie featuring 200 Super Sentai facing off against 40 Kamen Riders would be made, the tentative title for the movie was "Super Hero Taisen" (also rumored to be called Kamen Rider X Super Sentai Cross Generation). Now, via JEFusion and the Viva City Cinema site, it's now been confirmed the the official title for the movie is "All Kamen Riders Vs All Super Sentai"! All Rider vs Daishocker and Let's Go Kamen Rider director Kaneda Osamu returns to helm, and the movie features the return of Masahiro Inoue as Kamen Rider Decade, as well as Kamen Rider Den-O's Momotaros, Naomi, and Owner, not to mention Ryota Ozawa as Gokai Red! For more info on the story, visit the source posts at JEFusion and Viva City Cinema!

All Kamen Riders Vs All Super Sentai is slated for a May 2012 release!

200 Super Sentai and 40 Kamen Riders unite on 2012!

Next year, for the first time ever, 200 Super Sentai and 40 Kamen Riders unite one movie to bring the Japan "All-Star" team up movie of the new century! Tentatively titled "Super Hero Taisen" (Super Hero War), the movie, slated for a release sometime in 2012, will bring together forces

The Kamen Riders, beginning their legacy with 1971's Kamen Rider, has spawned 39 other shows after the initial series, with the current and 40th one being Kamen Rider Fourze, which is currently ongoing.

The Super Sentai brand, which started the original Super Sentai series Himitsu Sentai Goranger in 1975, has supplied fans with various forms of team and super robot adventures, which have amassed over 200 Sentai troops that include next year's Tokumei Sentai Gobuster.

Both products are the work and legacy of the late great Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, whose influence inspired many generations to look up to these heroes, and brought popularity to the sentai and kamen rider names. Confirmed to appear and reprise their roles are Masahiro Inoue as Kamen Rider Decade, Ryota Ozawa as Gokai Red,  and the team of Rina Akiyama/ Naomi, Kenjiro Ishimaru/ Station Manager, and Momotaros from Kamen Rider Den-O! For more info, visit the source post at Anime News Network!

The Super Sentai/ Kamen Rider team up, to be directed by Osamu Kaneda and released by Toei, will be shown during Japan's Golden Week holidays next year!

The Show That Does Not Stand At The Top Of Dubbing - A Look At Kamen Rider Kabuto (Cartoon Network version)...

Well whaddya know... The Crusader's Realm is officially announced! If you're reading this blog for the first time, welcome to the site! Several posts have been made since the start of July, but feel free to navigate down and take a look at them again. All of these are just a taste of what's to come as we go along, so I hope you enjoy reading everything here, and now we get back to show!

After a long night of partying and surprise, I woke up to this Fourth of July morning eager for some Saturday morning toons to catch at Cartoon Network. I certainly did just that, but I also remembered that today marked the official CN debut of Masked Rider Kabuto, and being a big fan of the series, I made it a point to see the show despite my misgivings on "the dubbing treatment" of similar shows on the network itself. Before anything else, here's a little primer for the unfamiliar.



Masked Rider Kabuto - Also known as "Kamen Rider Kabuto" in Japan, is just one of the many installments of the popular Kamen Rider franchise, which has spawned several characters and riders that continue to entertain kids and folks around the world thanks to it's spectacular use of stunts, suit actors, and special effects. Originally premiering back in 2006 and representing the franchise's 35th anniversary, KRK tells the story of Tendou Souji, a man who usually quotes his grandmother and appears to be quite skilled and confident, especially when it comes to cooking delicious cuisines of all kinds. He has trained vigorously for seven years, awaiting the day when his destiny call out and gives him his life mission - to become Kamen Rider Kabuto. Using a belt buckle and a mysterious device known as a Zecter, Tendou is able to transform into the crimson clad, blue-eyed hero, to combat a mysterious alien race known only to humanity as "Worms". As Kabuto, he empowered by the Masked Rider System, a device that gives the user the ability to bend space/ time via the "Clock Up System", which is perfect in dealing with the alien menace that has the ability to mimic people and move at fast speeds.



Back in its Heyday, KRK was a hit and clicked right away with its viewers. It was considered by many fans to be a "return to basics" in Kamen Rider standards, foregoing the use of gimmicks like cards and musical instruments and instead reusing simple transformation devices - in this case, "Zecters". As the series progressed, we would be introduced to several other Riders, each with their own style and motif that serves to aid or impede Kabuto's mission in destroying the Worms once and for all. Running for a total of 49 episodes, the show's popularity was only smeared by the rushed ending and many unresolved issues that were left hanging because of time constraints. Still, the series was able to deliver, and even spawned a theatrical movie called "God Speed Love". Popular J-actors also lent their amazing talents to the show and became even more successful as a result - such as the man who plays Tendou himself, Hiro Mizushima. It also had a cool opening - NEXT LEVEL as performed by YU-KI. Check it below and see for yourselves how awesome it looks.




Going back to the show itself, I just caught the first episode of the "dubbed version"... and it was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.O.o The same guys who usually dub shows on Animax and Asian Live Action features are back... only this time their performance here sounds more like a flat script reading session that's full of dead air. Seeing this just tightens my dedication to stick to the original Japanese itself (which was absolutely GREAT btw). Much of the jokes were lost in translation, and everyone sounded like a hokey circus act with no direction whatsoever. I also got irritated during the transformation sequence... the actor shouts "Transform" while the Zecter retains "HENSHIN"?! (Japanese for doi, Transform!). Man... this was one messed up dubbed. I'm sure it's truly aimed for kids who could care less for story and just want more action, but personally, I feel it's a waste. A show that was as good as Kabuto deserves some respectful treatment, but I guess some people just don't understand the novelty of an item... especially when it comes to retaining it's original presentation.

Score - 3/10