Henshin Men

You don’t have to listen on pay-per-view (“pay-per-listen”?) to hear what the Henshin Men are cookin’! Your tag-team hosts Travis and Nathan discuss two of the most electrifying episodes of Kamen Rider (1971) where Hayato battles Pirasaurus, a champion pro-wrestler-turned-kaijin by Shocker. The least secret of secret organizations disguises the King of Dinosaurs (if you got that reference, you are a nerd among nerds) as the obvious heel, Satan Mask, to attract an arena full of people and murder them with poison gas. Meanwhile, this week’s “Kamen Kenny” is Pirasaurus’s little brother, who keeps trying to save his brother from Shocker, making the audience not want KR2 to kill the kaijin-of-the-week. What? That’s gonna take one heck of an attitude adjustment! Have a nice day listening to the latest episode of Henshin Men—OH YEAH!

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to stream on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

A new phase begins on Kamen Rider (1971)…and the show almost crashes and burns. Nathan and Travis discuss the transitional two-part episode of the series that switches from Hongo to Hayato and from horror lite to “friendly neighborhood Kamen Rider” territory. Sadly, Nathan cringes at the Rider Girls (aka “Tobei’s Angels”), among other things, while Travis explains that the show does get better from here (which is good because they still have 80-plus episodes to go!). Our kaijin-of-the-week is Cactogron (or “Sabategron,” if Shout!FactoryTV and Tubi are to be believed), the prickly leader of the Mexican Shocker branch. In true Mega Man boss style, he has a cactus club and exploding cactus balls that are awkwardly placed on his body (but not where you think they are, you perv!). Welcome to the new Kamen Rider; same as the old Kamen Rider, but with decidedly more cheese.

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to stream on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

Go, Go, Kamen Rider!

Kamen Rider hits the big screen! Well, sorta. Your intrepid hosts Travis and Nathan spend an entire episode of Henshin Men discussing one episode of Kamen Rider (1971) because it’s a momentous one. At one point, it might’ve been the last episode of the series (and the franchise?), so Toei pulled out all the stops! Shocker resurrects all of their fallen kaijin and creates Tokageron (or Lizardlon…or “Bootleg Godzilla”…or “The Gorn’s Cousin”) as the group’s leader. But in order to fight this “Evil Eleven,” the suspiciously absent and now always costumed Takeshi Hongo must train to defeat them by punching mountains and dodging foam rocks thrown by Tachibana. Is it any wonder this was actually released theatrically as the first ever Kamen Rider movie? It’s one heck of a ride for Nathan and Travis, and this episode of Henshin Men will be that for you, heroes!

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to stream on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's definitely not a condor!

Just when Nathan and Travis thought Shocker’s kaijin couldn’t get more ridiculous than Bee Woman—Gebacondor comes in second place. Mostly because he looks more like a Lord of the Rings Orc than a condor. And he can somehow fly despite that costume not looking like it should be able to do so. Oh, and did we mention he’s awakened by the blood of virgins? Again, we would like to remind you that Shocker is evil. Then the next episode of Kamen Rider gives you your nightmare fuel for the day with Geckgeras, a disturbingly ugly kaijin who’s definitely not trying to get Kamen Rider to buy motorcycle insurance from Geico! Let’s just say Nathan hopes Ultraseven shows up and punches the unholy abomination in the face. However, that episode does spark a discussion between him and Travis where they compare that episode to the original 1954 Godzilla (no joke!). All this plus all the puns and silly jokes you’ve come to expect from The Henshin Men!

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to stream on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

If this week’s Henshin Men was an episode of Friends, Travis and Nathan would’ve titled it, “The One with Cobra Man.” This Kamen Rider two-parter isn’t for faint-of-heart dog lovers, though. Cobra Man kills a “Kamen Kenny’s” German shepherd named Dummy (off-screen…apparently). But even after KR goes full-tilt John Wick on him, the Shocker fiend is resurrected by a mad dominatrix scientist using—no joke—the blood of puppies. In case you didn’t think the (Yahtzee)-adjacent secret society that abducts people and performs eugenic experiments on them to create brainwashed super-soldiers to conquer the world wasn’t evil…. Hey, this is the sort of highbrow comedy and commentary you’ve come to expect every week on Henshin Men, so don’t look at us in that tone of voice!

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to watch on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

Nathan wasn’t prepared for this. With no warning from Travis about what was coming, he finally watched the conclusion to Kamen Rider’s two-part fight with Chameleon-Man over the (Yahtzee) treasure—and it might be the biggest “What the henshin?!” moment of the entire series! It could be described using a line from an old hymn: “Up from the grave he arose!” But then the madness continued in the next episode, which features the gaudiest of Shocker’s generals: Bee Woman, a kaijin with…questionable fashion sense. Seriously, who thinks of blue and purple first when they see a bee? And let’s not even bring up her, well…“spiral bra.” Also, Nathan the author says he should buy a cool mask so he can be the “Kamen Writer” (ba-dum tssh). All joking aside, Nathan and Travis have a surprisingly deep discussion about how Hongo’s secret identity relates to Japan’s shame-based culture and men’s aversion to admitting when they’ve been victimized. Welcome to Henshin Men, where absurdity and profundity hold hands and morph into the podcast equivalent of Kamen Rider W. (You’re welcome, Travis. Signed, Nathan).

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to watch on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi. Watch there to follow along with us!

Just when you thought Shocker couldn’t get more evil, it turns out the secret society bent on world domination has ties to another group that rhymes with Yahtzees! Who’d have thunk it?

Yes, Travis and Nathan continue their journey through classic Kamen Rider in an episode that risks getting banned on YouTube due to the necessary naming of a certain WWII political party in Germany. This time Shocker unleashes the diabolical Mantis-Man and Chameleon-Man—and drives Nathan crazy because episode six ends on a cliffhanger! Also, your intrepid hosts issue a retraction for saying Scorpion-Man and not Mantis-Man turned his victims into beaded necklaces that get sucked away like spaghetti noodles. All this and more in the latest edition of Henshin Men!

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Kamen Rider (1971) is available to watch on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi.

Newbie Nathan now ventures into uncharted Kamen Rider territory with super-fan Travis as his guide! The duo marvels at the grotesque murder methods of Scorpion Man and wonder what in the heck is a Sarracenian. Also, who let the “Kenny” onto the Kamen Rider set to do the fakest crying ever? All this and more in the latest episode of the harrowing Henshin Men podcast!

Kamen Rider (1971) can be streamed on Tubi and Shout!Factory TV. Watch there to follow along with us.

Time for the “Rider Kickoff”!

Travis Alexander (Kaiju Weekly) and Nathan Marchand (The Monster Island Film Vault) launch their new spinoff podcast discussing Japan’s transforming, kaiju-fighting superheroes. In this episode, your intrepid hosts introduce themselves and give their history with henshin heroes, starting with the likes of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad and Saban’s Masked Rider. They define what a “henshin hero” is and even argue that American-created characters like Marvel’s Thor, He-Man, and Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman all qualify. Then they lay out the podcast’s mission statement and wacky awards, which includes “What the Henshin?!” and “Kamen at Ya!” Also, puns. Lots of puns. You’ve been warned.

Welcome to Henshin Men, a tokusatsu superhero appreciation podcast!

Travis and Nathan begin their henshin hero journey with one of the most popular: Kamen Rider! Toei’s iconic motorcycle-riding grasshopper-inspired superhero burst onto the scene with a classic manga and TV series in 1971. Nathan the noob is educated by super-fan Travis as they discuss Kamen Rider’s origin story and first battles with the evil organization Shocker—against villains confusingly named “Spider Man” and “Bat Man.” Or is it more accurate to say, “Man-Spider” and “Man-Bat”? Except those are also American comic book characters…. Anyway, speed through the first few miles of this 96-episode (of the show, not the podcast) ride with us!

Kamen Rider (1971) is available to watch on Shout!Factory TV and Tubi.