2020

What else can be said about this year?

I know that everyone everywhere is scraping together what little happened during the course of the year, so let me get the content bit out of the way before I talk about some shit.

January

Song Collection: Jukou B-Fighter
Song Collection: Choriki Sentai Ohranger

February

Song Collection: Jikuu Senshi Spielban
Kakuranger Ball!!! (UPDATE: I own two now...the newer one is super minty)

March

Song Collection: Uchuu Keiji Shaider
Song Collection: Kosoku Sentai Turboranger

April

The CD Collection--Mashin Sentai Kiramager Shudaika Limited Edition [Amazon Japan]
CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Seven

May 

It's Been a Year, 'Bro (Hasbro 1-year Anniversary)
The CD Collection--Gattai Tamashii ~Super Sentai Robot Song Perfect Collection~

June

Song Collection: Chojin Sentai Jetman
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop

July

CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Eight
The CD Collection--Cho Robot Seimeitai Transformer Theme Song Collection

August

The CD Collection--Ultraman 80 / Andromelos Music Collection [2020]
K2 - That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Mountain Climbing Movie

September

Ghost Warrior - That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Fish-Out-Of-Water Samurai Action Thing
REVISED--Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop

October

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman

November

Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder
Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya

December

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX
--You Are Here--

I enjoyed digging into unfamiliar waters with the Transformers theme song collection and being able to review two odd movies that featured Hiroshi Fujioka. The only real decent CD release of the year was the Ultraman 80/Andromelos Box Set. Song Collections are my bread and butter and I'm happy to have continued to build up the library.

Beyond that, deleting my instagram account because 'fuck you, Facebook', and a few tweets that people seemed to like...that's my entire year as CCLemon99. 

I can't say that I've even gotten too much swag in the past year. SHFiguarts Toei Spider-man definitely gets the nod as figure of the year based on the fact that the only other figure I got this year was that funky Metalder Hero Action Figure. Yeah...it's alright, but it didn't really inspire me to pick up up the Gridman figure from the same company. I'll still with the ULTRA ACT...

Kiramager had some weird Henshin Items. I covered that in both issues of my stupid magazine. Again, I didn't think there was too much cool stuff in 2020. I picked up a few items from the past...so more Henshin Items from the 90s, etc.

My plans for 2021?

Get back into full series reviews. I have a bunch of them on the site, but really haven't been able to do many more recently. They're a lot of fun, but also a TON of work. Even with series that I'm very familiar with (Jetman-GoGo Five) it took a rapid rewatch (whole series in three-four days) to refresh my memory and take screencaps. I've struggled with Timeranger since...well, I'm not the most familiar with that one. I kinda dread going beyond that with Gaoranger and...well...the other one they put out on DVD.

They'll be back. I've had a lot of false starts. I'm really tired of watching the first 3-5 episodes of Timeranger before some real-world thing pops up and I'm forced to bail.

I've been pulling tons of books out from storage. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've been posting some fun and unusual images as I skim through. Yeah...you thought I was just about toys, CDs, and DVDs. I have books too. Lord help me.

I have a banger of a post coming up very soon that spawned from something I noticed in one of my books. It's a decade-old Sentai prop that could and still can be had for a few dollars on ebay. Are you curious? It's available *right now* and you'll just have to wait to see what it is. Unless I buy them all up first. I now have many, but the guy just keeps getting more... I'll stop now. You're gonna dig the post.

I also have a VHS mystery (oh yeah, I have a bunch of those too) that I'd like to move on. I've had this tape for decades and it involves (IIRC) an American band playing in a bar with a TV showing an episode of Fiveman. Does this sound familiar to you at all? Once I get the tech situation fixed I'd love to post the whole thing to Youtube if my memories of it are as bizarre as reality. My obsession with the commercial breaks of Tokusatsu really keep my VHS collection safe. There are tons of CMs on Youtube, but there are much, much more that aren't archived.

Beyond all that, I'm looking forward to getting that Hakaider Bluray and the Goranger manga early in 2021. Getting more Rider on Youtube is also on the agenda! Check out this press release from Toei. It may not seem like much, and it probably won't cover what we already have from Shout, but after a lifetime of "Piss off" from Toei, it's delightful to hear that they're going to be dipping their toes in the water a little more with a couple episodes from each series. If we watch it, we'll get more.

Yep, I was Toei's third subscriber to their Youtube Channel

Other than that...I do have a fun chronology post in the pipeline since I have questions about the legitimacy of what exactly is an anniversary series.

2021 will be fun on CCLemon99.com. It's going to be the 10th anniversary after all.

---------------------

On a personal note, it should really come as no surprise that 2020 was an awful year for me. As much as I love writing about Song Collections, I kinda had to out of necessity. They're quick and easy. 

I've had a lot of problems IRL. I guess my "2020" really started right before Christmas in 2019 when I watched a man drop dead in front of me. Not two weeks later I went up to NYC and came back home with a *nasty* cold. Was it COVID? I don't think so...I didn't have the loss of smell or anything...but it also could've been. 

As soon as I got better I went on a trip to see some family...which would be the last time I saw one of my relatives...and a trip I'll definitely cherish. I went on another trip in late February/early March to Las Vegas and was kinda caught off guard by some of the ramblings from the local news about "What IF we have to shut down the strip??". The stank of weed and drunken British chavs moaning things like "they want fifty quid for what??" would be the last time I really saw any kind of the touristy hell that I kinda took for granted. I don't miss crowds...what am I saying? I had fun in Vegas, though.

I was working in Pennsylvania the day that State shut down and had my last restaurant meal to date at IKEA on the way home. The neighboring State that I live in shut down not long after. Time has been kinda fuzzy ever since. My life is work, home, and secluded hikes. Minus the traveling that I'm accustomed to...this is kinda what I've been doing this whole time. My wife has adapted to her whole thing as well.

I know it all sucks, but when you stop with the selfish bullshit and adapt...life isn't so bad. I don't want to wear a mask either, but I understand that it's the price I have to pay to live in this time. It's investing into a future that will happen sooner if everyone stops being fucking children. You can think this thing is a hoax and that it is *only* killing people who were old anyway (alarming sentiment...but OK), but the hospital admissions don't lie.

It's up to you to carve out a little bit of normalcy without bringing everyone else down with you. In spite of the other things that happened to me that I'm not even mentioning here, I've managed. You can do it too. 

So let's make an effort for making 2021 a better place to be.

tl;dr I had every problem *except* COVID this year...but I also may have had COVID...

Anyway...that's all for this year. 

Fuck you, 2020!

-CC

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX

Welcome to yet another Song Collection post. I feel the need to complete the circuit when it comes to both Kamen Rider Black and 1988 in general. This time I'll be giving a listen to the classssssic Kamen Rider Black RX Song Collection! This one has always been a favorite of mine for a few reasons, so I'm happy to listen to it once again for this review. Is it as good as I remember, though?

For this review I'll be listening to the song collection via the Kamen Rider Black RX Song & BGM Collection from 2015. I previously talked about this here.

--------------

01. Kamen Rider Black RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

What is there to say about this theme song? 

I can't say that this is my all-time favorite Kamen Rider theme song, but it truly is up there among the best. Takayuki Miyauchi's bold voice cuts through the entire song like butter. The song itself is almost the polar opposite of the Kamen Rider Black opening theme song. With that one you had a novice singer with this weird herky-jerky beat going on. Sure it had some smooth undertones, but the RX theme is 100% smooth.

It's kinda unconventional, but I think it's a wonderful theme song.

02. Unmei no senshi / Takayuki Miyauchi

Here we have the first of many action songs on this song collection. It isn't my favorite, but holy hell this is a great theme song. This one would chime in when RX got the upper hand. The cool guitar part would kick in when he's bludgeoning his enemy with the Revolcane...and then the song would end just as the explosion would. 

While he did an awesome job on the slick theme song, THIS is Miyauchi's bread and butter. Force and soul together. If you take Miyauchi away from this song, it's almost generic. The guitar part near the close is awesome, but otherwise this song is pretty generic. Miyauchi makes this one...

03. Senjo no Rider RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

I've always been a little perplexed by this one. It sounds likes it was the first thing they recorded for this series. It name drops RX's equipment and attacks like any good Tokusatsu song...but it has one glaring omission. 

Black.

Yeah, this song refers to RX as "Kamen Rider RX" during the entirety of the song. As far as I've been able to work out, this is really the only time he's ever referred to as such. I mean...everyone in Crisis called him "RX", but nobody ever said "Kamen Rider RX".

The song itself reminds me of a song from the Winspector Song Collection called Yume no hitotsu o nakamatachi. Weirdly that was one of the handful of non-Miyauchi songs there.

04. Kuroi Yuusha / Tetsuo Kurata

Oh no. They gave him a song again.

This is the lone song on the Black RX song collection from Kotaro's actor Tetsuo Kurata. His two songs from the Kamen Rider Black song collection were...dismal. And one of them was the series theme song! 

His singing is still bafflingly awful, but at least the rest of the song is great. The music is good and the background singers save his ass at some of the more critical moments. I appreciate it for the novelty...this probably would've been kinda boring as another Takayuki Miyauchi song. Maybe this should've been an Ichiro Mizuki song. THAT would've made it special.

05. Subete wa kimi o aisuru tameni / Takayuki Miyauchi

Ehhhh this song is a little too strange for it's own good. The synth is a little too artificial and the backing vocals are...haunting. Miyauchi sells the song, though. It's a ballad, but it feels more like an endurance round. It's just under four and half minutes, but if you told me it was seven I would absolutely believe you.

Yeah, I don't rock this one often...but I also don't always skip it over.

06. Hikari no senshi / Takayuki Miyauchi

This is another banger of an action song. RX gets the upper hand...and they fire up this song. It too ends when the explosion ends. 

Much like Unmei no Senshi, this isn't my favorite action song on this song collection...but it's still amazing! I could go on and on about how perfect everything is, but considering this song collection is pretty much legend-tier, there is a good chance you already know how great it is.

07. Gekishin RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

This one is good, but nothing to write home about. 

I wanna say that this is another early song. Miyauchi doesn't call him "Kamen Rider Black RX"...but he also doesn't quite call him "Kamen Rider RX" again. Give it a listen and you'll hear what I mean.

It may verge on generic, but it has some nice guitar work and really has some great singing.

08. Battle oh! RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

Another great fight song, but not quite up there with Unmei no Senshi or Hikari no Senshi. It does have some really great percussion and bass work, but is a little wacky for me. It's a shame because this is the only one that REALLY has series composer Eiji Kawamura's fingerprints all over it. 

It's also really short. Not even three minutes!

09. Towa no tameni kimi no tameni / Ichiro Mizuki

This...THIS is the best song on the song collection. I may be very biased in this assessment, but hear me out.

I'll talk more about it in my assessment of this song collection, but this song is something of spark to me. Kamen Rider Black RX is one of my earliest Tokusatsu experiences. Plenty of people just consume television...but this song is what awakened me. I was introduced to the world of Tokusatsu songs and music from this song. It's likely my first experience with Ichiro Mizuki, or at least the first that I remember. Episode forty is when I first flipped the switch and I think I fully woke up to this song...and the music of the series in general. It's just such a great jam.

So yeah...totally unbiased.

If you're unfamiliar with this song, I really recommend checking it out. Eiji Kawamura did an amazing job on the music. I mean...no duh. He has this amazing talent of capturing the sound of fire in his compositions. Emotion! That's the word. Whatever happened to emotion in Tokusatsu music??

Even if I remove my bias from this one, it's a great action song from a singer who was at the peak of his powers.

10. Darekaga kimi o aishiteru / Takayuki Miyauchi

The series ending song. I love it. It may not be as memorable as Kamen Rider Black's Long Long Ago 20th Century, but it's the one I prefer. Yep. I said it. I like this more than Long Long Ago 20th Century. 

It's a great song on it's own, but it also spawned some great BGM variants. The instrumental version with the horn is one of the best instrumental Tokusatsu themes out there. It has a great beat, what can I say?

I even like the video that went along with it. Sure, the ending video to Black was way more iconic, but the static pose and slow motion walk down a damp runway from RX was so baffling that it was almost funny. No Acrobatter in sight...it's just RX walking toward you like Jason Voorhees for no reason after spending a wacky day of hijinks with the Sahara family.

Great song, though. What a great year for theme songs...

Bonus 1: 11 Rider Dai sanka / Ichiro Mizuki

So this isn't *officially* part of the Black RX song collection, but there is literally nowhere else to talk about this song. It wasn't even included in this three-disc set! It did end up on the Complete Song Collection from the 90s, so it has seen some love at least.

I kinda love this song. It's a bit on the bland side, but it's one of those recap epics covering the history of all eleven Kamen Riders to date. Yeah, suck it Kamen Rider Black. You don't exist. Haha

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece...I really have to be in the mood to listen to all eight minutes (!) of it, but it is a decent amount of fun when he acts out a lot of the calls and sound effects.

Bonus 2: Kamen Rider 99 no uta / Ichiro Mizuki

This is another one that isn't part of the Black RX song collection, but is included in certain sets due to it's proximity to the series. It was released as a single with Maho tsukai Sally 99 no uta. 

This is basically the multiplication table in Kamen Rider-flavored song form. It's...bizarre...and funky! If you want to read a little bit more about this single and the 11 Rider single, check out this post.

Perhaps the title to this is the true origin of the 99 in CCLemon99...perhaps.

--------------

OVERALL: I have very few unflattering words to say about this song collection, I really don't feel at all weird about saying that this is one of the best Tokusatsu song collections out there. Largely in part due to the amazing combination of Takayuki Miyauchi and Eiji Kawamura. The clutch assist by Ichiro Mizuki really cemented it into legendary status. 

It really should come as no surprise that this was the very first Tokusatsu song collection I purchased. I had some singles earlier, but this is where my obsession really kicked off. All the stuff you see in my CD Collection was spawned by my young hands getting ahold of this. Hearing the crisp CD quality full size version of Towa no tame ni kimi no tame ni for the first time... It's all a big part of the CCLemon99 story.

If this CD does one thing really well beyond my story, it's immortalize the amazing Takayuki Miyauchi. I know he's in poor health these days, but we have to remember that his name in the credits is as good as any quality guarantee. I ragged on his Bioman songs a bit (which wasn't even his fault really), but when you look at every other Tokusatsu song collection he appears on, it's easy to see the pattern. Flashman, Winspector, Solbrain, Exceedraft, Kakuranger, Gingaman, GoGo Five...all made so much better thanks to contributions from Takayuki Miyauchi.

Rock on you handsome devil!

--------------

Thanks for stopping by once again for my thoughts on this song collection. Like I said in my Jiraiya review, I'm sorry I don't have something of more substance this time. I have something awesome planned for early 2021, though!

Bye for now!

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya
Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder
Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop REVISED