That’s a good question! In no particular order, I’d probably say:
Kamen Rider W: Usually the first season I recommend to people because it represents everything that Kamen Rider as both a series and a heroic figure represents -- something I’ve talked about before. Coupled with wonderful characters and a fantastic message about how relying on others is not only normal, but what makes us capable of great things, it’s a series that I’ll always hold near and dear to my heart.
Kamen Rider Build: This season just had so many incredibly hard-hitting dramatic moments (ARE YOU READY? if you know you know), an amazing main cast and an awesome interpretation of the classic Kamen Rider theme of belief in a better future.
Kamen Rider OOO: This show is positively dripping with symbolism and metaphor, and it discusses so many things about greed, desire and the forces that shape those things in a way that is endlessly thought-provoking. It’s also got the most wonderful main duo of any season I’ve yet seen. There’s plenty of great ones -- Shotaro and Philip, Sento and Banjo, Shinji and Ren -- but none of them hit quite the same as Eiji and Ankh.
Kamen Rider Fourze: I have a bit of a soft spot for this one because it was my first season, but this show is just pure, unadulterated joy and whimsy. It dares to ask, “What if being Kamen Rider was fucking awesome?” and it answers that question not just with energetic and bombastic action, but also a wonderful reflection on how we can become better people through our relationships with others.
Kamen Rider Ryuki: I am literally two episodes out from finishing this season but I can already tell that it’s one of my favourites. I’ve talked about this season at length already (just look back through my posts and you’ll find them), and I’ll be saving my more complete thoughts for the final episode wrap-up, but it’ll suffice to say that this show is absolutely phenomenal.
Kamen Rider Blade: Blade’s a weird one. Its production feels almost amateurish at times -- especially in its early episodes -- but much like in Silent Hill 2, the off-kilter performances and direction make the characters and the world they inhabit feel more real, and makes the drama that arises out of the conflicts between the characters and the situation they find themselves in all the more compelling, and leads into what is, in my opinion, one of the most expertly-crafted endings to a TV show I’ve ever seen.
