Review: Volume five of this series is just as, if not more, action-packed than those prior to it. It has some of the most creative and goofy plots so far, and since the actors really hit their strides with these characters over the last few volumes, it’s two and a half hours of non-stop Henshin excitement.

As Tokusatsu shows aged, year by year the effects got better and the characters more outrageous and full of insane powers and a bevy of vehicles, bases and such. All to the chagrin of villains that had steadily become megalomaniacal to a level that was completely off the scale. While this is, to me, the beauty of the genre, Kikaida’s simplicity is it’s golden egg. It is a Henshin show at it’s purest, with a superhero that only has his friends and a mildly generous assortment of devastating super moves to rely on.

In fact, most of Kikaida revolves around friendship and relying on others. There are countless jams that Jiro could never hope to get out of without the help of the mechanically inclined Mitsuko, or her father (who unfortunately spends most of the series stumbling around aimlessly trying to figure out who he is due to amnesia). Even the seemingly incompetent Hattori Hanpei uses his sleuth and sporadic ninja moves to help out the whole group.

I spent some time wondering what really makes this show work after watching around 20 or so episodes, and then I started to watch the interview with Ban Daisuke, who plays Kikaida. That’s when it hit me. Listening to him talk about Kikaida is inspiring, if not only for the fact that he was, and still is, obviously very devoted to that character. He almost gets teary-eyed talking about a fan that had recently passed away (this part of the interview occurs in volume four), and if you don’t write him off as a Japanese Adam West, he’s really a very interesting man (not to say Adam West isn’t, it’s just that…you know…he thinks he’s Batman). Volume 5 continues this interview as part of the special features.

Everything still runs on the same formulaic track for the most part throughout this volume, but maybe that’s just another thing I like about it. That’s what keeps it’s Saturday morning freshly opened box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch smell intact. It’s the kind of show where you know the hero will make it through, but they still try and convince you otherwise. If that doesn’t appeal to you, than Kikaida (or any other Tokusatsu show for that matter) may not be your bag. If this sounds like a blast to you, though, don’t let anything stop you from buying all of the DVDs.

-Episode Review Breakdown-
**May contain spoilers**

Episode 21-“Purple Rat: Brutal Fangs of Poison”
This is an awesome episode. Professor Gil orders his latest Dark Destructoid to break into a communicable disease lab so DARK can create their very own plague. Hattori Hanpei starts an investigation immediately, and upon deducing that a giant rat was behind the break-in, he constructs a giant rattrap (in which he traps himself in after confronting Purple Rat). So now it’s all up to Jiro. Unfortunately, Purple Rat gases Mitsuko, and Jiro sacrifices his fuel cell to warm her from her chills. This makes Jiro unable to transform into Kikaida, and as weak as a baby at 1/10 his normal strength. Of course, this episode features yet another brush with Dr. Komyoji, whom Jiro and the gang have been trying to rescue since he got amnesia at the beginning of the series. Great action, and another funny and creative Dark Destructoid monster make this episode a winner.

Episode 22-“White Saw Shark: Twelve-Hour Nightmare”
This seriously has to be DARK’s most nefarious plot yet. It’s a 12-hour plan that involves completely taking over an apartment complex and cutting them off 100% from the outside world. White Saw Shark sets up a laser in preparation for a Jet transporting fuel. Once it flies over the complex, DARK plans to shoot it down, wiping out the thousands of people living there in one fiery blast. One of the kids held captive escapes and let’s Jiro and co. in on this dastardly deed. White Saw Shark gets all up in Kikaida’s grill when he tries to stop him. I think sometimes they must have gone out of their way to make the Dark Destructoid of the day look as little like the animal it’s representing as possible. Saw Shark looks more like a sad and confused drill bit with a circular saw in his dome. The effects are so “do what we can with the money we have” you’ve gotta love them.

Episode 23-“Yellow Antlion Brothers: Alphabet Attack”
Surely this episode can at least be eligible for a General Tao in the coolest title category. The titular Antlion brothers are triplets of terror, and they remind me of all the devilish antlions that have plagued me in one too many video games. From Actraiser to Ghouls and Ghosts, these are the same buggers that hide at the bottom of a sand trap waiting for prey to slide into their pincers. Well, this time around, Gill has given strict orders to stop the wedding of an acclaimed robotics scientist. The catch is, his fiancé’s father has a heart condition and plans to watch their hilltop wedding from his bedroom. If the ceremony is delayed or canceled, he may suffer a heart attack! Jiro won’t have this, as he and Hanpei disguise themselves as bride and groom and proceed to kick Antlion Brother butt all across the hillside (why seeing this wouldn’t give the man a coronary as well is beyond me).

Episode 24-“Pink Armadillo: Sinister Temptress”
This episode features one of the few female Dark Destructoids, which entails being a huge piñata with boobs, but is a female nonetheless. She traverses town enticing men in her sultry human form, and then takes them to DARK base to reprogram them as slaves. Even Hattori Hanpei falls prey to his hormones, and joins the rest of the reprogrammed men as they bum-rush Kikaida with bombs strapped to their backs. An especially noteworthy episode, as I believe it’s the only time a Destructoid has ever committed suicide in opposition to being blown up by Jiro. She blames it on her female pride, but I really think she couldn’t stand another day without someone explaining to her why an armadillo would have a tentacle.