Kamen Rider 555 (2003)

555 is good, don't trust a gray like that other reviewer on here for it.

The show is absolutely the best of the early rider shows that aren't Kuuga, and it slaps so hard only peons could hate it. The best Inoue work outside of Hibiki's second half. And maybe Changerion. Or Jetman. He really wrote more good than bad.

Anyways, Takumi is genuinely the best protagonist and its great how Kiba is an alternate protagonist as well. People who hate Kaido, Mari, Keitaro? Weak. All better characters than most Kamen Rider shows, which usually suck, lets be honest.

Also, Kusaka did nothing wrong.

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This show takes forever to pick up, it took three attempts to watch this show and I finally was able to grip it enough. It's painfully slow and the characters feel so one dimensional. However when it does pick up it gets good, the fights and costumes are really well done. I can't really speak for the effects as this is an older Rider series, its pretty trash but still fun. It eventually gets slow again before it zipping itself off a bridge with its MASSIVELY ANTICLIMACTIC ending. Nothing gets resolved. One of the worst endings to a riders series. However if you do stick around you will find some enjoyment. I don't blame the actors for this, they did what they could but the story itself suffered greatly. Good everything else but the lack of plot and slow points hinders this series greatly. Man... Kusaka was the worst too.

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I'm not a great review writer so don't expect much.

The only review I'll make on this site probably, A very
Messy show that manages to be alright because of the cast of characters. Other than that it really has no
Redeeming qualities besides music and aesthetics
(I.e suits and henshin items)


It basically has no story up until the last 10 episodes
And let me tell you how atrocious the last 10 episodes were... Stuff just happens out of nowhere and a main
Character just turns evil after one bad thing happens,
This could have been good if it had build up but nah. Oh and it has the WORST cast of villains in any toku
Show I've ever seen, every episode they just show up to
A. get their asses kicked
B. Steal a henshin belt
And that's pretty much it...

This season would have a much lower score if
The characters weren't so entertaining.
Watch this season if you enjoy character drama and don't care about an overarching narrative... But if that's the case you should probably watch a super Sentai season instead.

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This show is largely misconcieved

In Faiz, there are random plot points at the end of a lot of episodes, or "plot convienience" for people surviving, but people don't realize how Inoue intentionally wrote it this way. Inoue doesn't care about details that the characters don't care about, and he doesn't care how characters get the powers, he cares more about the interactions between characters, and how he writes his characters. I gave Kabuto the same star rating even though Faiz's story is general weaker, but the characters are just as strong if not even stronger.

With that cleared up, the characters are masterfully crafted. The main character, Takumi, is easily a top 3 protag in Kamen Rider. He's specifically made so that Inoue can break down his character over the course of the series and convey messages behind using him as an example. Yuuji is such a beautifully done character, and my favorite in the whole Kamen Rider series because of how much he feels and evolves/devolves over the course of the show. He's the most *human* character in a lot of ways, it seems like he could've been anyone in the real world, which many shows fail to do.

I'm not going to say much about Kusaka because it's all spoilers, but his character is less about him, and improving further on how characters interact with each other, and bring more evolution and understanding. Also, compared to the novel, he isn't absolutely trash in this show.

The final belt is... there... ig. I think it's interesting though about the power dynamics of it.

The villains are actually pretty well done. I like when villains are almost like a mirror of the main cast in some way. Even they are often confused most of the time.

With that all being conveyed, the messages in this show are some of the most powerful I've seen in fictional media, and how it handles them. There is a lot of melodrama, and certainly a lot of low hope points,, but it's all the worthwhile. This show is a blast to watch, especially when you're going through something, or can relate to the characters. Highly recommend.

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