Garo

Not being a fan of sentai shows, I was unsure whether this would live up to its reputation as a tokusatsu show for adults (being developed by some of the Kamen Rider team), but the tag-line is true and it is, indeed, a Hyper Midnight Action Drama! The premise is a straightforward mangaesque excuse for action: Saejima Kouga (Konishi Hiroki) is a Makai Knight, who is sworn to protect humanity from supernatural creatures called Horrors, who possess and devour humans.

During a battle, an aspiring artist named Kaoru (Hijii Mika) is spattered by the blood of a horror, and by the law of the Makai Knights she must be killed immediately... but Kouga can't bring himself to kill her, and instead lets her live on the pretext that she will act as bait for Horrors and make his hunting easier.

From this simple beginning the plot develops nicely (if rather predictably) though the introduction of new Horrors, new powers, bigger battles, and most importantly a second and very different Makai Knight, Zero (Fujita Ray), who seems to bear a grudge towards Kouga...

The characters are well-played and nicely handled, and the fighting featuring the phenomenal Mark Musashi) is wickedly fun - a ballistic blend of martial arts, suitmation and CG which somehow always manages to look cool! The dialogue is snappy and amusing, and the story is seen through to a satisfying conclusion.

There is a little in the way of blood, horror and mild nudity, but overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable show which can be enjoyed by anyone with a taste for action.

I've not checked out the two-part special which followed yet, but I'm looking forward to it! Incidentally, fans of this show should also check out the excellent "Sh15uya" and the amazingly daft (but utterly wonderful) "Cutie Honey the Live", both of which feature Mark Musashi, cool fights and crazy costumes.