Raida.. 101

chapter 1 : Rider Themes

ok, boys and girls... some how i need to share these toughs. it's about the likeness between the raida design and the animal it resembles..

basically the first 2 raida... we based on an insect theme which is a grass hopper.. but then it evolved in to many kind of insect and even other animal...

the question is WHY ? well from my opinion, i guess it has some thing to do with the MUSHI which is Each summer and fall, many Japanese children (mostly boys) spend hours catching and playing with insects and its has become a tradition... so the insect had a strong relation with the heart of people in japan... may be.... i became one of the major factor for them to use the idea of insect in kamen raider theme..... well, any way, lets just continue...

now let's take a closer look...

this is a grass hopper...
famous for the antennae and the eye....and comes with a green color.

and this is the hopper riders...

Kamen Rider 1, 2, Black, Black RX, Shadow Moon, Shin (especialy this guy..), ZO, J. Three basic colors (Green, Black and Silver), but different shades of green have been used, whic is the basic color of a grasshopper...

and then... this is a stag bettle...
comes in mostly red and a mandibles (wich often use as weapon for the riders)
and here are the boys...

Kamen Rider Kuga, Garren, and Gattack. Red and Blue have been used.

and there aslo a Rhinoceros Beetlesstrong and elegant ... with a big long horn...

these are the riders...
Kamen Rider Stronger, Blade, Kabuto and Dark Kabuto. Red and Blue have used

this one is a dragonfly
easly noticed..because it can fly (kwkwwkw)..ehm..hm
well you can see by the mouth cover design of the riders....

thes guys ar nonfly dragon riders.....


Kamen Rider V3 and Drake, both have the same mouth cover design...

and the there's a locustyou guys..probably say "what the F***ing diffrent with the grasshopper.."
well the locust have a shorther antennae and the got wings !
and the riders.....are.......
Skyrider, Another Agito, Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper. Kick Hopper and Punch Hopper are actually Oriental longheaded locusts (you can only find these in Japan).

and here are rest...........................................

Caucasus
(Especialy for this..it can only be found in Indonesia...so HIDUP INDONESIA !!)
Kamen Rider Caucasus and Kamen Rider Blade's King Form

Longhorn Bettles
Kamen Rider ZX and Gills

Other Insects
Kamen Rider X - Giant water bug
Kamen Rider Super 1 - Hornet
Kamen Rider Alternate/Alternative Zero - Cricket
Kamen Rider Chalice - Elegant Praying Mantis
Chalice's Wild Form - Ghost Mantis
Kamen Rider Leangle - Onigumo Spider
Kamen Rider TheBee - Wasp
Kamen Rider Sasword - Scorpion
ZECT Troopers - Ants
Kamen Rider Hercus - Hercules Beetle
Kamen Rider Ketaros - Centaurus beetle
Kamen Rider Decade - Graphosoma lineatum
Kamen Rider Diend - Zicrona caerulea

and then suddenly the creatives team run of idea on which insect they going to use.. so the change the theme...by ony maintaining the big round eye (except for hibiki)...

Amphibians
Kamen Rider Amazon - Spotted monitor lizard
Kamen Rider Verde - Chameleon

Dragons
Kamen Rider Agito (yes...agito is not an insect form..) - Chinese Dragon
Kamen Rider Ryuki - Red Dragon
Kamen Rider Ryuga - Black Dragon
Kamen Rider Den-O Gun Mode - Tatsu no Ko Taro/Japanese Dragon

Mammals
Kamen Rider Zolda - Bull
Kamen Rider Gai - Rhino
Kamen Rider Tiger - White Tiger
Kamen Rider Imperer - Antelope
Kamen Rider Touki- Polar Bear
Kamen Rider Nishiki - Tiger
Kamen Rider Den-O Ax Form - Bear

Birds
Kamen Rider Femme - Swan
Kamen Rider Habataki - Hawk
Kamen Rider Garren's Jack Form - Peacock
Kamen Rider Den-O Wing Form - Swan
Kamen Rider Vega Form - Hawk

Other Animals
Kamen Rider Knight - Bat
Kamen Rider Scissors - Crab
Kamen Rider Raia - Manta Ray
Kamen Rider Ohja - King Cobra
Kamen Rider Den-O Rod Form - Sea Turtle
Kamen Rider Zeronos Altair and Zeo form - Bull
Kamen Rider Gaoh - Crocodile
Kamen Rider Abyss - Shark

Mythical Creatures
Kamen Rider Odin - Phoenix
Kamen Rider Glaive, Larc, Lance - Cerberus
Kamen Rider Kirameki - Shachihoko

well.... that's it for now... i would like to show and the pictures.. but i think its fun for you guys.. to for it your self and imagine the likeness to the riders... thanks for now... se ya...

cheers......
azrael

Additional by Kyo :

Kamen Rider Faiz - Shark
Kamen Rider Hibiki, Todoroki, Azuki - Oni (Japan Demon)

Manga of the Week - D. Gray Man

Series Summary:
The plot revolves around Allen Walker, an exorcist, in the midst of the an imaginary 19th century Europe. Allen is a member of the Black Order, which contains exorcists, connected with the Vatican. The mission of the Black Order is to stop The Millennium Earl, an evil demon-like entity intending to cleanse the world by destroying all the human in it in the manner of Noah's great flood.

D. Gray Man by Katsura Hoshino 
D Gray Man, no one knows why the author named it this way but it�s an intriguing title set in a post war era.  The deaths of so many has led to numerous grieving people.  These bereaved souls unwittingly fuel another secret war, the war between the organization known as the Black Order, and the akuma, mystical weapons powerd by the souls of the dead and led by the Millennium Earl.

The series focus on the exorcist Allen Walker, one of the rare individuals born destined to fight the akuma using Innocence, the only weapon the akuma fear.  Allen is exceptional even among those compatible with Innocence in that he was born with Innocence already residing in his cursed left arm.

We find Allen is an orphan who works for a circus along with his clown mentor, Mana Walker. However the death of his mentor, and the despair that it left him with, caused Allen to summon the Millennium Earl, who recalled Mana�s soul in the form of an akuma.  Mana's soul then cursed Allen before his soul passed on a second time, to see all the pain and suffering of the souls bound to akuma.

Allen is then picked up by the worst influence available in the world, Cross Marian, a general of the Blaack Order. A general he may be, but he has run away from the Order to accomplish a secret mission, at the same time he manages to rack up enormous debts which Allen has to pay off.  Eventually Allen is sent away by the genreal and makes his way to the Order�s headquarters.  There he joins up with Rinali, who is pretty much the main female exorcist and the sisterly figure of the Order. Inside the Order, he meets her brother, the eccentric supervisor, Komui Lee, who immediately starts to experiment on Allen as the form of his innocence is rare and the supervisor wants a peek inside.

The story revolves around the exorcists of the Order, depicting their battle against the Millennium Earl and his legions of Akuma and human allies alike.  Both groups vie or the legendary Heart Innocence that is said to be the key to victory in their battle. In this time period, as the number of akuma grows as the number of people grieving increasess, the exorcists are heavily outnumbered, desperate to find the key to their victory.

Throughout the storyline, Allen and the other exorcists slowly uncover the secrets of the Millennium Earl and his most dangerous minions, the Noah family. They must fight their enemies while having to fend off conflict amongst themselves as well as their own organizations sometimes questionable motives.  Still, there is humor within the series, as the characters all have their fun sides.

Overall this is a great series with a strong plotline, as well as good artwork. Proof of this being the almost fanatic following as proven when the artist put the manga on hiatus, where scores of fans ranted about it. Thus don�t miss this chance to catch this series now, especially when the series has gone back to regular serialization.

Rating:

Storyline: 9/10
Artwork: 7+1 (at the request of fans)/10
Overall: 8+0.5 (at the request of fans)/10