Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider ZO

As we draw ever closer to having the full roster of main Kamen Riders in the S.H. Figuarts line, Bandai Tamashii Nations seems to have padded releases out with reissues and bike two-packs in order to keep their golden goose running for a little bit longer. That said, they still managed to see out 2014 with a new Rider release, which means we're only two (Kamen Rider J and Kamen Rider Kiva) away from having the whole lineup of veteran Riders. Rather surprisingly Kamen Rider ZO somehow managed to come out as a retail release despite starring in a single 48-minute movie. Sure he's still a main Rider, but Kamen Rider Shin wasn't so lucky in that regard was he? Poor Shin. 

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider ZO

Kamen Rider may have taken a somewhat lengthy television hiatus between 1989 and 2000, but that doesn't mean the franchise was completely forgotten in those 11 years. Following the V-cinema release of Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, a cinematic film by the name of Kamen Rider ZO was released in 1993. Despite only having a 48-minute run time, this film is not only notable for being the first joint-production between Toei and Bandai but was also directed by Keita Amemiya - the man behind the Garo franchise and Mechanical Violator Hakaider. Not only that, but the film also received an official English dub in the form of a (critically panned) Sega CD game - released in the US as The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO.