What are your criteria for a good henshin sequence?
I like them short and not too flashy. A clear image where you can actually see the suit building up like in Ohranger or Gogo V. As for the movement less is more during the transformation. Let the VFX speak and save the posing for the roll call.
Because the henshin is used during the whole season, I think an extra effort is worth it. I don´t like these lazy glaring lights which conceal whats going on.
While I´m a fan of retro VFX, it´s also cool to integrate the henshin in the actual footage, like in the newer Kamen Rider series.
For me, a good henshin sequence needs to be the moment the audience has been waiting for, when the hero suits up and you know the action is about to get good (or get more intense as if often the case when a hero starts in their civilian clothes or another costume before changing).
You gave some good examples there but I will add one of my favorite, the Henshin sequence from Kamen Rider Kabuto,
I love the way the suit builds around him from little chunks of metal. It’s a really dynamic way to change without being too flashy or over the top. Another good example for me is the Henshin sequence from Kamen Rider 555.
I just adore the way the energy patterns that form the colored lines of their suits manifest around their bodies before the flash of light that leaves them encased in the Gear of their Rider form. It always gets me pumped.
As for the Super Sentai Henshins, I like a nice, dramatic one there as well. A good example for me from more recent years is the transformation of the team from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.
It’s a dynamic and cool sequence which also incorporates their standing as the 35th Sentai by have three Xs and then a V pass over them leaving various parts of the costumes behind. I dig it!
Outside of Toei’s output, one of my favorite henshin sequences is from Garo. I just love the idea of the hero using his sword to cut a hole in reality and unleash his armor from wherever it is stored. It’s a quick, dramatic change that speaks to the supernatural nature of the hero and his otherworldly powers and foes.