Masked Rider (1995–1996)
7/10
Capitalizing On Success
9 September 2020
Dex, prince of the planet Edenoi, is part of a rebel group to free it from the evil rule of Count Dregon, his uncle who was banished for his misdeeds. The rebels are at the point of victory, however, King Lexian, the true ruler of Edenoi and Dex's grandfather, tells them that the evil Count plans to conquer Earth and enslave the planet's inhabitants to replenish his army. Dex is sent to Earth, and lands in the town of Leawood, where he is cared for by the Stewart family, who also know his secret as Masked Rider.

Yeah, this show is good, but I admit it did have its flaws. Created by Saban as another attempt to capitalize on the success they had Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the one before it, VR Troopers, which mashed various series from the Metal Hero series, would be in its second and final season shortly before it premiered). Taking stock footage and elements from Kamen Rider Black RX, all well as movies Kamen Rider ZO and Kamen Rider J, this series takes the same formula MMPR and VR Troopers has done: use Japanese stock footage alongside American footage to create a entirely different show. In fact, Masked Rider would first appear in the three part Season 3 premiere of the former, however, when Masked Rider became a show, Saban decided to retcon the events of the series and have the hero based in his own universe. Another thing it copies is its use of comic relief characters. We have Patsy and Herbie, who serves as the show's Bulk and Skull, and then there's Ferbus, whom some fans call the worst character, as he is only there to cause most of the hijinks ( be it getting a trio of Maggots into a food fight or catching two burglars hired by Nefaria to kidnap him).

The episodes sometimes deal with issues like Power Rangers does. One episode involves Albie being bullied into a challenge at the arcade, which Dex accepts, with another episode having the kids start a clean up program, which echoes back to the MMPR episode Teamwork. While the episodes are neat, and have some original concepts, they still feel too silly due to Ferbus' antics. Also, Dex does spew some one-liners during battle, and they can be either funny or groan inducing. This series only got 40 episodes before being axed due to being a commercial flop (and it didn't help that the toys did not sell like MMPR's did), but this is an interesting adaptation that, despite its flaws, is a neat curiosity.
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