Intro:
As
mentioned in my previous review of SHFiguarts Kamen Rider Black figure, the
Kamen Rider Black is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best Kamen Rider
series, if not the best of all time.
Not
only was the storyline was very intriguing, it also marked one of the first
times where there was actually an evil Kamen Rider, in the form of Shadow Moon.
I
don’t know about all of you, who’re reading this right now, but even after all
these years where the Kamen Rider franchise have flourished to what it is
today, I still think that Kamen Rider Black and Shadow Moon look the best. Somehow,
I feel that they have that certain elegance and suave to them.
As
the story goes, Kotaro Minami and his stepbrother, Nobuhiko Akizuki were
abducted by the Gorgom, and infused both of them with a type of powerful jewel
called the King Stones, and were subsequently renamed as Century Kings Black
Sun and Shadow Moon respectively. While Kotaro managed to escape before the
transformation was completed, and would eventually prove to be a thorn in
Gorgom’s quest for world domination, Nobuhiko wasn’t so lucky. Gorgom managed
to fully complete the transformations, with Shadow Moon eventually became their
leader and ended up being a constant thorn in Black’s quest to defeat the evil
empire.
As
far as the Kamen Riders go, Kamen Rider Black, along with his brother – Shadow
Moon, has been two of the most sought-after figures in the line. They are very
difficult to find, and whenever they are available, the prices are just
overwhelming. Judging from the popularity of the TV series itself, it’s not
really that difficult to know why.
Before
I go on with the review, I’d like to thank my buddy – Big Daddy V – for lending
me his Shadow Moon figure, thus making this review possible. I have been
wanting to have a closer look at this figure for a while now, so here is the
review…
Action
Figure:
Shadow
Moon looks awesome! The moment that I took the figure out of the box, I was
immediately dumbstruck by the sheer details of the figure. While KM Black is
known for its simplicity and slickness, Shadow Moon is all about bad@$$-ness.
The
silver paint application is clean and slick and the various studs all over the
body seem to accentuate Shadow Moon toughness and sheer ruggedness.
Holding
up both Black and Shadow Moon together, you can’t help but noticed that Shadow
Moon is slightly heavier, which makes this figure more stable and easier to
stand him up, even with various fancy poses – that improvement factor alone, at
least in my opinion, better than the already stellar Kamen Rider Black figure.
 |
| Detailed Head Sculpt |
The
head sculpt itself is so darn good and very, very detailed. Again, just like Black,
his compound eyes and his King Stone are made from the same material, with them
being green instead of red.
 |
| King Stone |
His
antennae can be quite pointy, and might break off if you accidentally hit it
too hard.
 |
| Rider Kick! |
There
is also a pointy, yet rubbery protrusion behind the elbows, which I guess they
could be used as weapons.
 |
| Spikes and Portrusions |
On
the heels, there are pairs of pointy protrusions that kind of resemble
grasshopper’s legs. The protrusions do not serve any purpose except
aesthetic-wise.
Shadow Moon performing the Boston Crab...
Articulation-wise,
Shadow Moon has the exact points of articulations as Kamen Rider Black, so I won’t
want t repeat myself here – double-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, abs-crunch,
waist, hips, knees and ankles. However, most of these joints seem to be
improvements made from Kamen Rider Black’s.
Or how about Bray Wyatt's Sister Abigail?
The
head seems to be able to look up more. His abs-crunch crunches better here
compared to Black’s.
 |
| Good ol' JR: Rockbottom, Rockbottom, Rockbottom!!! |
Overall,
the articulation points are excellent, and coupled with his enhanced stability;
you can put him to variously more adventurous poses compared to Black.
 |
| Power Bomb... |
 |
| Followed by a one-legged cocky pin |
Accessories-wise,
unlike Kamen Rider Black, Shadow Moon comes with loads of accessories. Apart from
his extra hands, i.e. relaxed open-hands and sword gripping hands, he comes
with 3 swords.
 |
| Satan Sabre |
The
longest sword, which is the better looking one is called the Satan Sabre, which
is a weapon specially made for Century Kings.
 |
| Shadow Sabers |
The
other two swords, i.e. short and longer ones – are called the Shadow Sabers,
which was used by Shadow Moon after his Satan Sabre was taken by Black.
With
all these accessories, his articulations and sheer stability, you will have
loads of fun with him – guaranteed.
Overall:
Equally as good,
if not better than Kamen Rider Black; his overall essence in that the complete
opposite of his stepbrother. Where Black is all about slickness and simplicity;
Shadow Moon is all about brute power and chaotic beauty. I like Shadow Moon, to
the point that I think, much more than Black!
If I was to be
honest, if I was to choose Black over Shadow Moon, it would be due to sheer
nostalgia purposes. But in all honesty, if I were to choose between te two, I would
pick Shadow Moon. He just look simply wicked and bad@$$ enough, and quite
frankly, the most bad@$$-looking Kamen Rider of all!
Highly recommended.
Final
verdict: 10/10.
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