Ah, something I’ve been saving for the rainy day. If you were born in the 80’s there’s no need to cull the fandom that was brought about by the popular sentai series: Ultraman, Bioman, Shaider, Masked Rider Black … the list of stuntmen in spandex, plastic and prosthetics probably taught us more about the colors of the rainbow, numbers, (“Red 1!”) and the animal kingdom (usually a bi-ped version of a gorilla, rhino, bat, etc) than our grade school teachers.
So after months of searching, I finally found the Masked Rider series I’ve been looking for on original DVD, Kamen Rider Blade which aired between 2004 and 2005. The series aired in GMA last year as well.
Ten thousand years ago, a massive battle known as the Battle Royal was fought by fifty-two Undead, each representing a species fighting for dominance over all others. The winner was the Human Undead, known as Category Two of Hearts, giving dominion of the Earth to humanity. In the present day, archaeologists discover the sealed Undead, and accidentally set them free. Thus, a new Battle Royal begins.
Having developed the Rider System, based on the Joker’s ability to copy sealed Undead, the organization BOARD equips two young men, who become Kamen Riders: Kazuma Kenzaki and Sakuya Tachibana fight together as Blade and Garren to protect humans from Undead and seal them. Also fighting Undead is the mysterious Chalice, a Kamen Rider whose purpose is unknown. In addition, a young man struggles to free himself from the control of the sealed Undead powering his own Undead-made Rider System, fighting as Kamen Rider Leangle.
The story is, interestingly enough, really funky and overflowing with drama on downtimes with references made towards card games and gambling (i.e. 52 Undead = 52 cards in a deck, 4 Riders to represent Spade, Clubs, Hearts and Diamonds).
So this is how I’m spending my indoors with signal number 3.