I have a pretty long history with sentai shows in one form or another. My first memory of a life-action sentai show was when I was 5. The series was about a group pilots that time travelled to the past when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Each of them piloted a dinosaur robot, and they can form to become a bigger robot. There were Evil Aliens, a blonde Alien Princess, explosions, people getting hurt, and on one memorable occasion a main character dying in a horrible fashion to save the day. I laughed and cried bucket loads. If people in the Western world’s introduction to sci-fi was Star Wars and Star Trek, my introduction to sci-fi was about a group of people who fought Giant Dinosaur Robots from Outer Space. People got hurt, died and the bad guys weren’t so bad at the end. At 5 it was fucking glorious.

Throughout the years I have managed to watch a crap load of Ultraman, Kamen Rider and other sentai shows, and will always give a new sentai show my attention and time. So whenvelithya passed me the first 18 episodes of Kamen Rider Kabuto on Saturday I had to watch it.

Presently, I have finished watching the 18 episodes... well, kind of. Through the years I have formed a certain habit when watching Japanese sentai shows can be summed up in two words “fast forward”. It was how I managed to finish watching the other Kamen Rider shows, I think the last one I watched was Kamen Rider Agito.

Tendou is brilliant, a dork but a brilliant dork whose main goal in life is not to have the world revolve around him so much as to be the Master of Cooking. What I would give to see him on Iron Chief. I’m so glad his hair got better as the series progressed. Kagami bounces back and forth between OK to stupid. But alas he is likable enough. Though I’m pretty sure he’s going to get an awesome suit of some sort later on in the series.

I like Daisuke because I have a major soft spot for womanising males who really aren't womanising at all. And his relationship with Gon makes me into goo.

I think I have watched so much of the other Kamen Rider series and other Asian television (sentai shows, dramas, comedies, idol groups making their own FANSERVICE television series and so forth) that the inherent slash within the series doesn’t make much of an impression. I mean they are not hugging each other all the time or pretend kissing, or even having inappropriate touching of one another while sitting next to each other. Thus, the ghei so far has been rather disappointing and lacking.

Knowing my Kamen Rider shows (and other sentai shows) there will be much h/c later on, and at some point Tendou is going to get his ass handed to him for real. That or his evil twin or his Worm clone will appear; be all evil, have a change of heart, gets tortured horribly and then dies heroically while saving the day. Or something. Also like other Kamen Rider series I bet you that there will be 2 factions within the Worm; one good, one bad, most likely the good provided the humans with the Kamen Rider technology. I’m waiting for the plot line when the ‘bad’ worm decides to become ‘good’ and be a human. However, because the Japanese like their pathos and melodrama, more than likely the ‘good’ worm will die in a manner that is horribly tragic. Oh, I bet that the bad-turned-good-worm is also a love interest. It is always the case.

In conclusion; pretty actors, yay! But nothing new in the Kamen Rider series.

Big Bang Fic: Come Play With Me by lexzilla.

Summary: Film geek Jared Padalecki is almost living the dream. He’s gone from excitable horror-convention-going fanboy to hot new cult film director in just five years. Now he has the budget, the studio and the stars. All he still needs to do is convince long forgotten B-movie actor Jensen Ackles that he wants to play the leading man in more than just his new movie and then it really will be 'happily ever after'. Of course, in life, just like in the movies, true love never runs smoothly...

My Comments: OMFG! I LOVE this fic to bits! If I can ONLY ever read ONE fic in my whole entire life I will read this! Twink Hunt! Blood Spattered Samurai! I am in LOVE! Don't leave me! It has CULT FILMS! OUTSIDER POV! DORK JARED! INTELLIGENT JARED! And just OMFG! I LOVE this so very much! There NEED to be MORE!

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Fourth Wall by raina_at.

Summary: When famous murder mystery fiction writer Jared Padalecki is suspected of having murdered his former girlfriend, he turns to his ex-boyfriend and criminal defence lawyer Jensen Ackles for help. Matters soon get complicated both personally and professionally when both the case and their relationship as lawyer-client turn out far more difficult and volatile than either of them expected,and the lines between fiction and reality, past and present begin to blur.

My Comments: In my mind raina_at can do NO wrong. She does a pretty damn awesomw job here, and I want to read MORE about writer Jared and lawyer Jensen.