Series REVIEW: Kamen Rider Dragon Knight

When people think of an American adaptation of Kamen Rider, their minds usually move towards the abortion that is Saban's Masked Rider. However it should be known that there is another (and vastly superior) attempt out there that goes by the name of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. Produced back in 2008 (six years after the original airing of its base series Kamen Rider Ryuki) by unknown company Adness Entertainment, Dragon Knight ran for a total of 40 episodes and even won a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Stunt Coordination". Sadly the show was cancelled before the final two episodes were aired, with them later appearing with the rest of the series on the 4Kids TV website. The episodes are long gone from there now, but thanks to the wonders of the internet the whole show is still easy to find if you're curious.

I used almost this exact pic in my Ryuki review. Completely unitentional I swear.

While searching for his missing father, Kit Taylor discovers an Advent Deck while at the same time coming into contact with a mysterious dragon. Using the deck to fight monsters that have suddenly started appearing over the city, Kit butts head with another Rider - Len (Kamen Rider Wing Knight). Len later explains that he and the Kamen Riders are from Ventara, a world behind the mirrors. After his world was captured and the remaining 10 Riders "vented" by the evil General Xaviax, Len has vowed to continue the fight before Earth receives the same fate.

The two join forces to fight Xaviax, but the alien general has his own plans. With the remaining 10 Rider Decks, he can find the mirror twins of the Ventara Riders on Earth - offering them their greatest desires if they agree to sell their planet out and work for him. Its Rider against Rider has an all-out battle begins again, deciding the fate of both Ventara and Earth.

Kit Taylor, the first good American Kamen Rider.

Of course, with a total of 12 (later 14) Riders appearing in the show, there simply isn't enough time for equal focus. Many of the Riders are watered down in badly developed villain roles, with a select few having real focus. The main stars of the show are of course Kit (Dragon Knight) and Len (Wing Knight), with Kamen Riders Strike, Siren, Sting having crucial roles in the show. Others such as Torque and Axe help the plot along, but the remainder are mostly superficial.

Kamen Rider Batman Wing Knight.

Kit and Len are very well rounded characters, who grow more and more into their roles as the story progresses. Xaviax himself is an incredibly good villain - both charismatic and a master manipulator. It's just as well his charisma is enough to carry the villain side of the show, because his right-hand man Kamen Rider Strike is a pretty dull servant despite racking up the highest number of "kills" in the show. There are also a number of important side characters - conspiracy theorist/journalist Maya Young, teenage hacker Trent Mosley and their friend Lacey. Despite not really adding a great deal the characters are well integrated into the plot, until eventually both Maya and Trent receive an upgrade of sorts to become characters with very good pay offs. Lacey on the other hand just goes home and not a single thing of value is lost.

Xaviax and his yes-man, Kamen Rider Strike

While comparing an adaptation to its source material is something I tend to avoid when it comes to reviews (in most cases I try to enjoy the shows on their own merits) Dragon Knight's relationship with Ryuki deserves to be explored. While the two share the same core themes (mirror monsters, multiple Riders) storywise the two are VERY different animals. Ryyuki features a much more complex, mystery-style story whereas Dragon Knight is at its core very much a classic good vs. evil story. While that is oversimplfying it a bit, hopefully it does give an impression of just how different these are.

The use of source footage also feels non-existent in Dragon Knight. While there are certainly Ryuki scenes used (often very noticeably because of the age difference), there is also an insane amount of newly filmed suit scenes and a real effort to use every resource the show had. In Ryuki Kamen Riders Femma, Ryuga and Camo are all relegated to appearances in movies and specials, however Dragon Knight features ALL 13 Riders within its story - Siren (Femme) and, to a lesser extent, Onyx (Ryuga) even being main characters. Another example is Kamen Rider Torque - he's a bit player in Dragon Knight, but undoubtedly a main character in Ryuki.

Kamen Rider Siren > Kamen Rider Femme

But despite the highly impressive lengths Dragon Knight has gone to have its own story and footage, it still suffers from a range of problems. Elements such as the contract beasts and the technical originals of the Advent Decks are poorly defined, with far too much of the exposition coming at the end of the show. This makes the tail end of the show extremely rushed, with episode 31 featuring no less than FOUR key moments that could have otherwise had episodes to themselves. The show also bizarrely switches focus in the last six episodes from Kit's story to that of Adam (the original Dragon Knight and Kit's mirror twin), with him reclaiming the Deck and Kit becoming the new 13th Rider - Onyx (another issue that's very poorly explained). While the story is still very enjoyable, changing the focus so close to the end does damage it a little bit.

Three clip episodes is also far too many for a 40 episode series, especially when the last episode turns out to be one of them - leaving the epilogue to a total of around five minutes at the end. When your big finale episode is a clip show, it's not hard to imagine why the show might have been cancelled before the end...

Back in black

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is by no means a perfect series, but it is however a perfect example of how to do an adaptation PROPERLY. Despite the story beginning to trail off just when it should be getting to crunch time, it is an extremely well-thought out series that makes good use of its source material while by no means relying on it. Very few Power Rangers series display the level of difference to their Super Sentai counterparts that Dragon Knight does to Ryuki, and that is a highly commendable achievement even if it didn't have the quality to back it up.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Akiba Blue (Season Tsuu Ver.)

Tamashii Nations must be pretty bold when it comes to the Akibaranger S.H. Figuarts. Not only are the original Akiba Blue and Yellow figures the only Sentai girls to have received a mass release in the line, but almost a year later they're getting released again. They aren't quite the same figures though, as these are in fact Season Tsuu (or 2 depending on your opinions on Japanese puns). So you're not buying another Mitsuki Aoyagi, in fact you're getting the first S.H. Figuarts representation of Luna Iwashimizu!

Since it's Akibaranger merchandising the packaging is all sunshine and rainbows (well, the latter certainly) - a colourful explosion with Luna displaying one of her trademark idol-in-training poses on the front. The window features more Japanese writing, different from that included on Super Akiba Red's packaging. Unfortunately I still have no idea what it says - maybe I'll work it all out in time for the S2 Akiba Yellow review!

So here we are again - another year, another Akiba Blue. The overall sculpt hasn't changed in any way at all save for the few minor changes I'll go into in the next paragraph, but at least this one came assembled properly in the box. The translucent blue on the chest looks as good as ever, and the combo of blue, white and black really works for a striking colourscheme. And with the cut-off skirt means all that glorious leg articulation isn't in any way hindered.

Of course, Bandai aren't so heartless to make you buy the same figure twice so there are a few cosmetic differences between the season 1 and 2 Akiba Blues. The most obvious of these is the helmet, with the hair section now fashioned into a single ponytail. The bear print pants are now gone too, replaced with black suspenders running up the thigh area. Sexy.

And of course, to further differentiate Luna from her predecessor this Akiba Blue also comes with a new set of accessories. We have a total of 14 different hands, 2 mufflers and the MMZ-01 in both gun and doll modes. So that means she's beating the original in the hand department by two, and omitting one muffler in exchange for the wonderfully detailed MMZ doll is a very fair trade off. Of course, if you have the original Akiba Blue, her unique pieces will also work here for even more variety.

With the official Super Sentai heroes coming with their own Akibaranger goodies related to the stories they appeared in, Bandai have changed things up a little when it comes to the inordinate powers. To make sure fans are willing to shell out for the same two figures (with minor changes) once again - the three inordinate powers for the season have been split between the Akiba girls. For whatever reason (I like to think it's because she's the new character), Blue is the one that comes with two - in this case the Zyuranger Buckler and Hurricane Ball. There isn't a whole lot to say about the Buckler other than it's a giant belt that can clip onto any of the three Akibarangers via the holes in their belts, but the Hurricane Ball is a much more interesting piece.

Surprisingly, the Hurricane Ball comes on a real metal chain, which is long enough to reproduce some pretty good action shots. Better still, the Tamashii stand claw can wrap around the ball nicely to keep things stable.

Aside from the fact that this release comes with two inordinate powers, I wasn't expecting a lot from this iteration of Akiba Blue. After all, I already have the first release right? I don't know if it's because Luna eventually turned out to be the better character, but somehow I just found myself having so much more fun with this release. To sweeten the deal, the accessories are far more impressive even without the inclusion of the powers. So while I can't give the new improved Akiba Blue full marks because it IS the same figure, it deserves the same because it tried damn hard to make it hard to pass on it.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Tyranno Ranger

With the popularity of the S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ranger still as high as expected, a new month has rolled around and Bandai have graced us with a second Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger figure. This time it's none other than Tyranno Ranger - team leader and adopted Yamato tribe prince Geki. Of course, if you're a Western fan reading this and are unfamiliar with Super Sentai, you'll be recognising this figure as the original Red Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As such US Tamashii Nations distributor Bluefin have also released the figure in exclusive Power Rangers packaging, which does not include the bonus Akibaranger pieces that come with the Japanese release.

Following a similar theme to what we saw with Dragon Ranger, Tyranno Ranger's box has the ancient Zyuranger-feel, only replacing Dragon's green and gold with equally fetching red and silver colouring. The box does a good job of displaying Tyranno Ranger with all of his accessories (he does come with rather a lot), and the Akibaranger windows still stick out like a sore thumb. Once again Bandai are using a smaller top tray to keep the figure contents in place, which leads me to suggest that this is the style of inner-packaging we'll be seeing from now on.

While Tyranno Ranger may not have the gold chest shield and armbands that were so visually striking about Dragon Ranger, that doesn't make his sculpt any less impressive. Though the Zyuranger suits are arguably among the most simple Super Sentai designs, they are still one of the most visually striking and that detail has been perfectly recreated in figure form. The weird glove-cut present on Dragon is still here to make the joint accessible, but due to the more basic colourscheme its much less noticeable here.

The only little oddity with the sculpt is how the diamond/teeth pattern extends onto the shoulders pieces. Since these need to be moved about to achieve certain poses, you could end up with an obviously contorted suit pattern. Luckily the shoulder pieces are really easy to move around, so after you've moved them to position the arms you can tweak them again to line the suit up properly.

Where do we start when it comes to accessories? Tyranno Ranger comes with pretty much everything a fan could want from a Zyuranger figure, and Power Rangers fans might even be hard pressed to remember one particular accessory. Included are a total of 10 hands (sadly no open palms, but there are ones to reproduce his role call pose), the Ryugekiken (or "power sword" for you PR fans), the Ranger Stick in both sword and blaster formation, the Thunder Slinger and then Ranger Stick/Thunder Slinger combo - the Ranger Slinger. While the Thunder Slinger was seen a few times in Zyuranger, from memory it only popped up in one memorable episode of MMPR and then was never seen again!

The detail on these weapons is fantastic, with even little details like the Tyrannosaurus emblem on the sword present. Once again Bandai not only prove that they can include everything a figure needs, but make them look damn good at the same time.

Of course, as this is the Japanese release of the figure it also comes with bonus Akibaranger parts seen in the second season of the show (where he and his brother made an appearance). Like Dragon Ranger, Tyranno Ranger comes packed with the American flag belt and neck pieces to turn him into the hilarious stereotypical "Powerful Ranger", from a delusion where Super Sentai is an adaptation of an American-made show. While it isn't pictured, the holster from the standard belt can be unclipped and added to this one.

Team him up with Powerful Green Ranger for a good dose of 'Murica!

You probably predicted this was going to be the verdict anyway, but Tyranno Ranger is another real winner for both Figuarts and Super Sentai/Power Rangers toys as a whole. Though the basic Zyuranger lacks that extra "umph" (for want of a better word) that Dragon Ranger has, Tyranno Ranger makes up for it by not only including a ridiculously impressive amount of detailed accessories but by also making sure every the figure itself looks the best it possibly can. With two fantastic figures in a row (among the best of my ever growing Figuarts collection) this makes me really excited for the rest of the Zyurangers. Ptera Ranger is coming in October, and the rest will soon follow. For the strictly Power Rangers fans, there's also the White Ranger coming in September and even a Western exclusive female-body Yellow Ranger.

Between Akibaranger's celebration of all things Sentai and the 20th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise, it's a damn good time to be a fan.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who 3.75" Scale Cyberman (Season 7 Ver.)

I'm still not quite over Character Options' decision to change the new series Doctor Who figure scale from 5" to 3.75", but I'm getting there slowly. From a business point of view it makes perfect sense, but certain areas of my collection are now going to feel strange - particularly my Cyberman display. After amassing a collection of 5" Cybermen through the ages, the latest incarnation from Nightmare in Silver is a bit short standing next to its predecessors. But that aside, is it a good figure?

 

There's nothing particularly unique about the Cyberman's packaging, as its a uniform card for each figure in the wave. The front features a picture of the TARDIS and the time vortex, while the back features images of the latest Who figures on the shelves. The Cyberman also comes with a single accessory - the stand included with every other figure with the exception of the Dalek.

Out of the package we have a bog-standard Cyberman, completely devoid of any weapons. There are two variants among this wave - one with an arm-mounted blaster and another with the blue chest piece lit to show the Cyberman is active, but both are considerably rare and limited edition. Despite it's short size, I'm extremely impressed with the level of sculpt detail on this guy - so much that I would consider it one of the most detailed Doctor Who figures so far. It may only be one colour, but every bit of metal panelling detail is sculpted in and the figure has been given a black wash to make it all stand out. Nightmare in Silver never really stopped to let us have a good look at this new model of Cyberman, so to see the sculpted spinal cord in all its glory is a first.

But despite all it's sculpted glory, the Cyberman falls into the same level of mediocrity as every other Who figure when it comes to articulation. There are a few ball joints on the figure - in the shoulders, thighs and possibly head (I say this because it can achieve a little up/down motion as well as left/right), with the rest being taken up by standard hinges. There's even a little articulation in the ankles! However despite this impressive array of joints, the Cyberman's armoured build means it can't really make the most of it all. Cybermen aren't exactly the most articulate of creatures, but a little more variety in posing would have been nice.

There's no denying that out of the three 3.75" scale Doctor Who figures I've bought that the Cyberman is hands down the best one, but even then it isn't quite a perfect figure...and for once I'm not harping on about the size. The blue-chest variant should have arguably been the standard release as that represents an "active" Cyberman, and the limited articulation is especially noticeable when there are no accessories to fall back on. Still, this is definitely a figure worth getting for the sculpt alone, and if ANY season 7 figure deserves a 5" version in the near future it's this one.