[DISCUSSION] Kamen Rider Brain

[SamuraiEchidna]

The April Fools joke has turned into a smart special.

Welcome to the discussion thread for KAMEN RIDER DRIVE SAGA: Kamen Rider Brain. (All two episodes)
Synopsis: Brain awakens and finds himself kidnapped by an evil organization named Mu, whose primary aim is global conquest. Chosen for his high IQ, his body was rebuilt and he was about to be brainwashed when the process is interrupted. Now he might fight back as Kamen Rider Brain!

This thread was made with Toku Prime's permission. And remember, this is a SPOILER ZONE! If you are trying to avoid spoilers, this is not the place for you.​

 

[Hangyakuno]

I thought he will get treatment just like Heart but with more joke and funny story. Instead, entire episode is just a parody to Showa Rider. Not just subtle reference, but clearly parody even Brain himself notice it. I guess this story happened in Brain's dream or some imaginary world like often happened in HBV or for Televikun bonus story.

I can't understand for what reason they make this spin-off.

 

[PowerPhantom245]

It's kind of interesting and funny that at the end of Kamen Rider Heart V-Cinema, Brain mentioned about seeing you again in "Kamen Rider Brain" as fourth wall breaking, then less than 6 months later in April 1, 2017, there was an "April Fool" tweet (ironically the last tweet posted by official Kamen Rider Drive account, which was closed at end of the month) mentioned about Brain spin-off in 2035 (a year where Shinnosuke's son, Eiji (20 years old) came from (Surprise Future movie)), and then we finally got one for real, just in time for end of the Heisei Era, which was SURPRISE (no pun intended). It's kind of bizarre that last "New Rider" of the Heisei Era (sort of) is Villain General/Anti-Villain Rider. lol

I think the reason why Toei made this spin-off is probably due to recent Zangetsu Stage show and to commemorate 5th anniversary (2014) of the show (I think). While there aren't much in terms of story since it's only 7 minutes long, I like the design of Kamen Rider Brain, which looked pretty nice at night. It was clearly intended for fan service and parody... which only works for character like Brain. lol

Looking forward to see the second half.

 

[Toku Prime]

I can't understand for what reason they make this spin-off.

Eh, it's for the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club. It's the very definition of fanservice.

Also worth thinking about:- Most Riders (at least in recent years) gain their final form somewhere between episodes 35-39, which means Zi-O might not get to do double-episode tributes to all the remaining seasons before they have to introduce his final form (This is purely speculation on my part, but I do wonder if that's why they brought back DiEnd - so he can acquire their watches off-screen before losing them to the heroes in the next few episodes?).

Drive is a likely candidate for one that would get passed over. For starters, it's not one that the head producer previously worked on, and the show has shown a massive preference towards those seasons.

Also, they almost certainly couldn't get any of Drive's three main Riders back:
Shinnosuke's (Drive) actor is busy promoting the Detective Pikachu movie, for which he is providing the Japanese dub voice for the main human character (Tim?) AND making an on-screen cameo.
The actor who played Go (Mach) is also currently promoting his latest movie, which I think just premiered about a week or so ago.
Finally, the guy who played Chase left his agency at the beginning of March, and I don't believe there has yet been any word as to whether he is signing with another one or just leaving the industry altogether.

So with all that in mind (ha!), this feels like a way to include the show if they can't do a big tribute on Sunday mornings.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

Wow! What a surprise! (...Drive.) Here I was, about to mention all the groups subbing this, when Over-Time decides to try their hand at the first episode! I want to wait and see if they'll sub the other one, but so far RiderTime and GenmCorp have all ready subbed both episodes. What's a fan to do?

Either way, the first episode is short, but hilarious! Brain breaks the fourth wall many times and points out the obvious cliches that any Rider fan can see a mile away. And renaming the professor to Crystal Pepper is just the icing on the cake! I laughed the whole way through.

I was a little disappointed to see that Brain's Rider suit is just a retooled Drive suit, and not something similar to his Roimude form. But I suppose they might be using this for a tie-in with Zi-O, if they do a Drive arc. I know it's just a special done for laughs, and even Brain points out they are just recycling old Kamen Rider assets. But even for a funny little one-off, would have been nice if they gave the outfit at least one unique detail, like maybe an original helmet at least.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

Well, sorry to revive an old thread, but I couldn't wait any longer. I caved in and saw the 2nd episode of Brain thanks to Genm Corp.

And I was deeply satisfied. I loved all the silliness at every corner. Even when I was afraid it was going to drop the silliness and get serious, it managed to be silly and fun all over again. And while some might not like it, revealing that it was all just a dream felt like the perfect way to end all this wonderful madness.

But then they gave us one last curveball. An ending with foreshadowing. Will Drive never end? Will it become the less annoying version Den-O? I guess we'll see eventually. For now, nice drive.

 

[PowerPhantom245]

It’s been 5 months since second part was posted and this week (or tomorrow) marks the 5th anniversary of the show (October 5, 2014), so I decided to post my thoughts on second half.

Nice to see Chris Peppler (Krim Steinbelt/voice of Mr. Belt) as Crystal Peppler, who is responsible for reviving Brain… because he was the weakest. lol

Didn’t expect to see commercial bumper (image of Kamen Rider Brain) at 2 minutes mark, which I find it weird.

Interestingly, the first half was 8 minutes while second was 14 minutes; combining together, it’s roughly 22 minutes, which is nearly same length as normal episode, so the timing of commercial bumper (first half and first 2 minutes of second half), is halfway. It makes me wonder if Toei originally planned it to release as 1 episode and decided to split in 2 at last minutes.

Nice to see Brain henshin sequence. Since his belt is based on Banno Driver, no Shift Car, which is no surprise. I really like his design, which resembles his Roimude form quite well.

I like his abilities of using poison, handkerchief, and headbutt, which is pretty unique for Rider.

As for Legendary Rider villains, it’s an interesting selection.
I was surprised Duke (Gaim) was part of the team, despite what happened to actor Tsunenori Aoki last year, who was arrested for forced indecent assault (which was eventually dropped).
I was expecting Marika or Sigurd to represent Gaim, but I didn’t expect to bring back Duke.
I guess as long as they are not using actor and voice, the suit only appearance is acceptable.
Granted, it’s likely that Aoki is probably blacklisted from reprising his role as Sengoku again though.

Is it me or does Mu triangular symbol reminds me of Toei logo? lol

Nice to see not only Heart and Medic, but Go as well, which was really big surprise, who was working on NEO CORE-DRIVIARS project (possible hint for future spin-off perhaps?).

Overall, this was an interesting special that bridges end of Heisei Era and Beginning of Reiwa Era.
Hard to believe April Fool’s joke that was made 2 years ago (2017) turned reality.
It’s interesting that this special came out as part of Drive Saga, rather than Rider Time (Ryuki).

I hope there will be some form of follow-ups, since Toei seems to push Drive a lot this year, with Brain spin-off, Go and Brain appearance in Zi-O movie, and Chase appearance in Zi-O toward end.

 

[Captain Shark]

It is proof the franchise can still be redeemed after the disaster to the medium called Kamen Rider Build.