Kamen Rider Fourze: Succeeding Where Kamen Rider Super-1 And Saban's Mashed Rider Failed

I remembered back when Kamen Rider Fourze was berated for this and that. Was it true that the series wasn't so well-liked (at first) but it got its following? Maybe not as next year's Kamen Rider Wizard failed to ride on the hype. It was the first space-themed Kamen Rider for the Heisei era but not for the entire franchise. In fact, the first space-themed Kamen Rider (or at least, on the surface was Kamen Rider Super-1). Sadly, it turned out that the actor Shunsuke Takasugi was swindling people during the time it was aired. Was Takasugi jealous of the success that Fourze had while his series caused a six-year hiatus before the appearance of Kamen Rider Black? Sota Fukushi is one lucky guy to have fulfilled what Super-1 failed to do. Hopefully, Fukushi doesn't fall into that path. More interestingly, Fourze is the first Kamen Rider to take place in a high school - something similar to Saban's Mashed Rider. Until now, the staff at Saban Entertainment continue to look down at Mashed Rider as an old shame.

I remembered watching Super-1 and man do I find it BORING. Maybe, it's because I watched more Heisei era Riders than Showa-era Riders. I saw Zyuranger first over Abaranger yet the I like the latter better than the former. Super-1 may be miles better than Mashed Rider but I can't deny that the villains were boring. The attempt to liven up the show by getting rid of the symbolic Head of State of Dogma Empire, Terror Macro, with the true Head of Government, Marshall Demon (I'd call him Prime Minister Demon for laughs), didn't do much either. I felt it was as boring as the second half of Kamen Rider Stronger when Delza Army didn't do much when they took over the Black Satan as the main antagonist. I just couldn't sit down with Super-1 without thinking how great Fourze truly is over that show. The show really didn't do much with the theme either. Kazuya may be an expert martial artist while Gentarou was just a teenager. However, Gentarou truly stood out in character development as he learns new stuff every now and then.

The other thing worth mentioning is just how terrible Mashed Rider really is. I even refuse to use its official title as Saban's Masked Rider because it may have ruined the name "Masked Rider". Some people still prefer to use the term "Masked Rider" though the Japanese name Kamen Rider has become more popular. Mashed Rider was so bad that that the late Shotaro Ishinomori (who sadly died a few years later after it showed) didn't want Haim Saban to use any more of his shows. The show tried to ride on the success of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers but only failed. The show would get battered up by Toei sometime later not just with Kamen Rider Decade during the Shinkenger Arc. Two years later, an official Kamen Rider entered high school and further made Mashed Rider look even worse. Gentaro managed to become a better Kamen Rider who goes to school over what Dex could ever be. Also, by copying Kamen Rider W's monsters turn into humans and back again concept - the school setting was further given development.

Pretty much, I'd say I'm tempted to rewatch the show all over again. I still feel Fourze remains to be one of the best. Besides, it helped kickstart Fukushi's career to the point he was no longer able to show up in Kamen Rider Zi-O due to his participation in the live movie version of Bleach.