November - December Tokusatsu of the Month - Kamen Rider

[Aoi Kurenai]

Mega catch up review post, go!


Episode 8 -
Had a lot of fun with this one, always interesting to see another first in the franchise and we got that in this episode in the form of that female monster. She wasn't the most impressive monster I've seen, even just compared to the monsters shown up to that point, but it's interesting nonetheless. It's definitely a shame that we don't have the female Shocker troops to back her up here, would have made for some interesting conflict. I'm sort of liking the idea here that perhaps the Shocker troops take after their assigned monster, would explain the voices on the guys in this episode.

I could have seen the Great Leader killing off Hachi Onna if only to end the episode, but then I realized there were still a good five minutes left and I enjoyed how they played out. There's a really nice pace to those last few minutes where everything gets resolved, more or less, and it leads to a nice fight. I really do miss the whole . . . melt into foam and them get sucked into the ground . . . thing they were given as death scenes in those episodes. What exactly was the production order for these?

Episode 9 -

Cobra Man is probably my favorite of the early monsters, I love everything about the design. I've always been a fan of those designs that make the arm some random weapon or oddity and having a snake head as the arm definitely fits into that category. I also like the voice (Iga, do you know who it is?) for him, he's got a really slick and sinister quality to feels a few steps above “HA HA HA I AM EVIL HA HA HA.”

Why exactly did tokusatsu shows of this era not record sound on set? It's always puzzled me because it doesn't always look all that good when you get the finished product, especially since the actors don't all have the greatest ability to match lip movements. Either way, I did enjoy the replacement for Hongo. It's amusing to see, essentially, brother VS brother throughout these two episodes.

Also, it's nice to see Tachibana be a bit more effective here when it comes to dealing with Shocker. At times when he gets captured I just sort of expect Susumu Kurobe to rush in and save his butt.

Episode 10 -
Man, more than anything, I'm dreading the fact that Ruriko's not going to be around for much longer. I haaaate it when shows just write off characters. Ah well, at least she gets an explanation and that's more than Yoshiko from Akumaizer 3 got.

I do wish they kept the back story on the monsters from the manga. Ishinomori had some really interesting characterizations for these guys at times and it's a shame that a lot of them kind of get chucked. More so for the monsters that are around longer than a single episode, giving them a story that's expanded just as much would be neat, probably even do more to show us how terrible Shocker is.

Anywho. I've always found it amusing that, with as quick as the Great Leader is to want to kill off minions, he would go to the trouble of reviving one that's already fallen at the hands of Kamen Rider.

Um, yeah, real nice first explosion.

Episode 11 -

So we finally get to the first full Fujioka-less episode! I think it's a really great episode because I didn't actually miss Hongo too much here. I feel like the series up to this point hasn't done as much as I would personally like as far as focus on the supporting cast goes, so this is a great episode in that respect. The introduction of Taki is great and I think it gives the viewer a good reason for Hongo not showing up throughout most of it.

I'm liking how these episodes sort of portray Kamen Rider as more of this iconic hero than a full character. It gives him a bit of mystery, sort of reminds me of Skullman in a sense. It feels like the story revolves around the other characters, but Kamen Rider is this unseen presence protecting them throughout it all.

And yeah, the monster this episode has a rather interesting death. I don't think it worked out all that well, so it plays as more humorous to me than anything else.

Episode 12 -
So what's the story with writing out Ruriko? Was it simply because Hongo would no longer be the star and the production team thought she had no point without him or did Morikawa conveniently decided to leave at the exact same time? (she was also hurt while filming Iron King, right?)

There are some really strange cuts here trying to work Hongo into the footage. It doesn't always work (if ever) but it's interesting to see what the production team had to do with their backs against the wall.

I love the Dangerlight ray thing. The flat skeleton melting reminds me of the creative bubble/foam deaths from earlier on.

And then we get to the line that perfectly captures Shocker's evil. It's not often you get so much out of a couple of words, but I think the exchange between the scientist and the monster in this episode was great. Pretty much my favorite lines in the series.

I love seeing other characters be proactive and you don't get much more proactive that killing a monster with your laser beam of brutal death.


Episode 13 -

This episode makes me wonder what state America and Europe are in. With the Great Leader's words at the start, and the fact that there is no other Kamen Rider, you figure they would have total control of those countries. I can sort of imagine Japan being the last totally free country in the world with the way Shocker seems to run things.

It's really cool seeing all of the monsters gathered up in the same room, they feel like such a true threat. I also like that the episode with the revival of Cobra Man sort of plays into the events of this one. Whereas they could only revive one monster in the past, the whole shebang of monsters come back to life to kick some ass here.

The new monster, at least the character, is such a d-bag. Definitely seems like the sort of guy you would have expected to simply go along with the idea of becoming stronger and taking over the world. He probably would have gone along with the idea without a fight had the monsters proposed the idea that he would have been the leader at the start.

With this being a season finale of sorts, it's great to see all these call backs to the first 12 episodes before it. The return of the monsters aside, you get Hongo training again back in the spot seen in the early episodes, nice stuff. The scene in the rock quarry is great at showcasing the fact that Hongo isn't alone. Even if they can't join him in battle, his friends are always supporting him in any way they can, throwing boulders are him being one of those ways.

The final fight scene was crazy and all over the place. It's not the most coordinated thing in the world, but there's an energy to it that makes it a ton of fun to watch. I liked seeing some of the monsters pair up and go right after him, it makes for good interaction. That last scene where they all blow up is classic cheese that just works for its era.

Random thoughts up to this point -

I've got to wonder what would have become of the series had Fujioka not had that accident. Ratings didn't start out too great, but they were certainly rising, slowly but surely. With a series that had rather low ratings, I'm surprised that they didn't just chuck it off the air since they were without their lead actor and that can only make things difficult.

And this is just me, but I've always thought that, rather than replacing the character of Hongo with Ichimonji, it would have been cool / interesting / neat / weird if the series took a sort of Doctor Who approach. Hongo's a cyborg, so every so often when it's required, he could be remolded and given a name change to look like someone else.

More than anything, I've always thought it really weird that the character of Taki didn't become the new Kamen Rider. In retrospect, yeah, there's this idea about the Riders having a really competent human ally on their side, but to me it just seems . . . strange. You hire this actor who has obvious martial arts background, isn't a half bad actor, and looks the role, heck, actually tried out for the role in the first place, and then he gets cast, but not as the title character. I guess my gripe is less with the idea of Taki, I like that, and more with fact that the series was hurting for a replacement lead actor and they get a very capable actor, but they cast him in a different role. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Though I imagine there's a story for this.

That stuff aside, I'm just really liking the show in general at this point. It's got this nice level of depth to it, but there are those times I wish it was a little more and I don't think I'll ever like how heavy handed the “I'm forever alone as a cyborg without his humanity,” monologues from Hongo were. That and really just not going into the monsters as much as I would like are my only gripes up this point, the series is just a heck of a lot of fun to watch and you're reminded that Shouwa era stuff can pull off stories with a level of depth to them.

I've also not noticed this before but . . . does the preview for episode 14 call it a new series? I know it's technically a new season, but they don't usually announce it as a new series. Man I love how epic the preview for that episode seems, it's throwing all this new stuff at you and I can imagine people watching it for the first time were ecstatic.

EDIT - Oh hey Iga answered my first question about calling it a new series. Yeah, what up with that? Did they intend for the rest of the episode to be a sequel series or was that just to describe the fact that just about everything was new?

[hide]he returns to the U.S. at the end, and that's where he apparently was until Kamen Rider Spirits. Hirayama's belief is they settled down and lived more or less normally, and my belief is they probably had a kid eventually. Maybe, I dunno, a daughter. Maybe.[/hide]

Oh lord it took me too long to get this, but I love it.

 

[Khaiden]

Episodes 11-13:

Yeah, GebaCondor does not strike me as a condor either, but I like his costume.
Taki's debut is great, I love how they mention his ride ''Only a racer like him''. And, he really kicked ass! It's a bit refreshing to see someone new kick ass, though Ichimonji is just a few episodes away.
The rest of the cast really shined, and I still think it's a shame Ruriko is gone, episode 13 is the last time we see her.
Igadevil, has she appeared in SPIRITS yet? You explicitly said in your review last timeonscreen, so idk...

Episode 12's Yamogeras was a lovely kaijin, so much fun! Dat scene with the slide.

And man, 2 things I didn't know/forgot from episode 13:
1. It really is General Monster! Such a great voice too!
2. The Denko Rider Kick! He invented it after being defeated by Tokageron!
It's his most powerful move in the Genealogy of Justice videogame, it's awesome because all of his moves are shared by Rider 2, but this one, this is the one that's unique to him. Nigo gets the Swirling Kick, which has similar origins.
And you know what? I wish we would have seen more of those.

Oh, and before I forget, GebaCondor's death is great. I love it when a bike bumps into the kaijin and it explodes mid-air.
If you found it a bit funny because of the effects, here's something else (skip to 2:50):

[HIDE][ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mexZiZxumFU&feature=related"]YouTube[/ame][/HIDE]

On that note, Dokuganda's original death in... oh, wait, we'll get to those episodes eventually.

 

[Ryuutaros]

You know, I really, really love Ichigo's early colour schemes. I reckon it looks better than the silver and green colours.

 

[Igadevil]

Time to get caught up!

Episode 14 “Raid of the Demon: Sabotegronâ€

It's Kamen Rider 2.0! It's tough to talk about this episode without first touching on some of the pre-history.

Fujioka's accident actually occurred just around the time the first episode was airing, so the Kamen Rider production team had until June to figure out what they were going to do. By the time late May/June actually rolled around, we got the 2 overdubbed episodes (where filming had been mostly completed and Fujioka was injured during his last few shots on episode 10) and then the 3 cobbled-together Fujioka-less ones, which would have been filmed earlier while the series was beginning to air and slowly gaining in the ratings.

Initial ideas included having an-all new Rider series with a new lead; continuing the ongoing story but having Hongô get recaptured by Shocker and surgically altered to look like another actor; or having Hongô just outright get killed off (which he was in the Ishinomori comic, sorta.)

Hirayama fought tooth and nail for the version that ultimately prevailed: continuing the ongoing story with a new lead, but still keeping Hongô around for the future.

I think it's the most honest to what was suggested all along; Shocker is a worldwide threat. Just because all the action's happening in Japan, doesn't mean the rest of the world isn't at risk. And unfortunately, there's nobody to defend the rest of the world. Sabotegron's blowing up dams in Mexico (well, Captain Ultra stock footage, which is why that's the greenest-looking lake you'll ever see) and there's nobody to stop him.

Also, I think any other option would have been unfair to Fujioka, who would have probably turned up the next day and filmed all his scenes in a wheelchair if they let him. I forget the specifics but when Hirayama went to visit him in the hospital, Fujioka was in the dumps over how he felt he'd let down the rest of the crew, but Hirayama said "we'll be waiting for you". Hirayama was vehemently against killing off the show's lead, believing that "heroes come like the wind, fight like a storm, and will always rise again like the sun."

So the story holds that Hongô decides to go on World Tour '71, and leaves Japan in the capable hands of Ichimonji Hayato, freelance cameraman and all-around wise guy, and supreme badass.

It's impossible for me to say who I actually like better, Rider 1 or Rider 2, though if I were going to be completely honest under the threat of annihilation of the cosmos and I had to pick one, Ichimonji would be the one I'd pick. That's not a decision one makes lightly, but it simply comes down to the fact that in my opinion, Ichimonji not only saved Kamen Rider, he made Kamen Rider.

While Fujioka had acted prior to Kamen Rider, particularly in movies, it's generally considered his big break as a star. Ichimonji's actor Sasaki Takeshi had acted in several television series even before being cast and was actually appearing in other shows whilst filming Rider, which necessitated a hectic shooting schedule (that lightened considerably later on in the series.) Kamen Rider was his first time in a lead role on a TV series though.

One of the most amazing things about Sasaki to me is how he forever affected Kamen Rider in two major ways almost by accident. When taking on the role, he had a stipulation that he would only lead the show until Fujioka was able to return. This will be important when we get to the 40's/50's and especially episode 52.

The other is that at the time he was cast, Sasaki did not actually hold a license for driving motorcycles. As a result, you don't see him driving in a full shot for some time. Instead there's a combination of stand-ins for long shots, close-ups where he's not actually moving, or close-ups where he's on a dummy bike being pulled by a truck (not uncommon for steady close-ups whilst an actor is driving.) Or he'll just pull up/get off of a parked bike quickly. Sasaki did eventually earn his license for the show, but this is important because it necessitated a different way to transform than how Hongô did it.

That's right, the Henshin Pose. The very first Henshin scene was apparently even an NG (No Good) cut, but things were rushed since at that point, the Rider team could only get Sasaki for so much time out of a given week. So there it is. It does evolve over the next couple of episodes- notice how Ichimonji says "Henshin!" before or after doing the post in these episodes, and there's the jacket-unzipping stuff. A couple episodes from now it'll finally be the version it's been ever since, and the one that inspired later Henshin scenes- he does the pose while saying "Henshin!", and boom.

The thing about zipping down the jacket to show the belt is pretty cool, though I never minded just having the belt appear either since there's evidence on the shows to back up either version (that the Riders always have their belts on under their clothes, or that they can 'summon' them at will. I believe it's entirely down to narrative convenience and that the Riders do not always have these big belts on under their shirt.)

Putting that aside though, I just love Ichimonji as a character. It was a very wise decision to not try and make another Hongô, but make a character who was completely different while still keeping a few essential characteristics- they're both strong, brave, clever, and genuinely good guys. Those are aspects I think every main Rider needs in one way or another. By the same token I think every main Rider needs to be different in some way, particularly from his immediate predecessor. We should be able to go from characters like Tendô to Ryôtarô or Jin to Amazon.

Ichimonji also brings in one of my favorite aspects which is that Riders are somewhat anarchic individuals. I've always felt that in Rider shows particularly, the villains must represent some manner of control- be it conquering the world or simply controlling people through fear of being killed/eaten if you go outside. They are an overwhelming force that, left alone, should conceivably be able to do exactly what they want. The Kamen Riders are almost like throwing a spanner in the works. They mess things up and ultimately bring the whole thing toppling down. Not every series has gotten that across as strongly as others, but I think the idea is always there.

What helps make this clear is by having your hero be kind of an oddball character, a renegade who is proud of standing out. Ichimonji is definitely oddball, but I like that we're reminded he also has a serious authorative side as well. Particularly in the next episode, where we learn more about his origin.

As for the actual episode: ( :laugh: )

I think it was brave to not give us Ichimonji's origin immediately, but build him up as a mystery. Granted, if you saw the trailer last episode or read any newspaper at the time, you'd know he was playing Kamen Rider now, but just taken on its own, without any kind of foreknowledge of what's to come, I think the episode does a pretty good job of keeping him suspicious for some time (well, assuming you can't read the credits!) I like that the opening sequence dropped the narration this one time to help.

That's right, the new opening sequence, now with the theme song as done by Shimon under a different stage name. This is the iconic version here that'll stick around forever. I like the new visuals. The ending sequence is great too with stuntmen diving off of that bridge. Even though there's a lot more information and discussion of stunt guys in the modern shows, I think the old ones deserve a lot of credit too. They literally busted their asses so that Kamen Rider could endure.

I should say here, and you'll probably notice this if you watch the subs, but at this point Rider 2 wasn't Rider 2 yet. The numbering comes in later once the original returns, so for now Ichimonji is simply Kamen Rider.

And I love the new Rider costume. Once again, my favorite version is still to come, but it's actually a tougher pick than with Rider 1, probably because I have such strong memories of these episodes. Ishinomori took a great design and made it even better. And I will forever love how they added the stripe and confused the hell out of everyone by making Rider 2 have 1 and Rider 1 have 2.

There's also the new "Custom" Cyclone, though if you notice it changes between the newer, more lightweight model and the original version sometimes between scenes. You could probably say that it transforms or something but whatever, it never bugged me. Once again the big upgrade still to come is my favorite Rider bike, but I love the old Cyclone(s) a lot.

Along with the new Rider, there's some new cast members.

Taki is now a full-timer, as the preview noted last episode (giving him an introductory credit along with everybody else.) It's really here that he becomes a sort of double-act with Tachibana. Put those guys with Ichimonji and I could watch them all day.

Ruriko may be gone, by her friend Hiromi, who had been in episode 2 and has been a regular since 4 brings in the replacements (the Rider Girls) to join Tachibana's newly-opened Tachibana Racing Club, which is like the grandaddy of the Rider Club in Fourze.

I actually like the Rider Girls a lot... though there are some that are admittedly better actors than others... and the best trio of them is yet to come... and they all pale in comparison to Tama Junko in V3, but so do most things (not that I'm biased of anything.)

Yuri, the karate 'expert' is probably my favorite, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that after Tachibana, the Great Leader and Taki, she appears in the most episodes of any character in the show. The Rider Girls are notorious for a constantly-rotating membership, but Yuri is here to stay. I think of her as being sort of the defining female character of Ichimonji's era, the way Ruriko was for the big H.

Mari, who specializes in fencing with objects that would never hold up in a sword fight, is played by Yamamoto Linda, best known for a pretty prolific singing career that's still going strong. For years I thought she was dubbed but no, that's her real voice. I can't dislike Mari even though she is very theatrical. In a way that almost beggars belief. You gotta love how Sasaki looks ready to crack up in a lot of their scenes, though from what I've read she was a really sweet person on set.

Michi, who is the only one who actually drives motorcycles, and is not going to be around for very long, but I somehow suspect she was never anyone's favorite anyway.

And then there's the kid, Gorô, who is around for-freaking-ever! Into the 60's, man. Though fortunately I think he's pretty good, and he plays off of the others in a nice sort of way.

But of course it's Tachibana who is still the man. I love how disappointed he is that the only people to sign up for his racing club are people who have never driven motorcycles (or can't.) Well there's Michi, but she might as well be invisible. On watching a lot of his work again, I think Igami Masaru had a pretty good dry sense of humor about what he did, even if he also believed in writing with total conviction. Exploding cacti? This is heavy-duty stuff.

And I didn't even talk about the villains yet, but I bet you know how I feel about the monster. Next episode!

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

The return of Fujioka was something I've been curious about for a while (and his state in the hospital as well) for a long time. I think it's really commendable that the crew and even Sasaki would be so willing to give him back the starring role. Though if I had my way, I think Fujioka and Sasaki sharing the limelight for the rest of the series would have been a really neat approach.

(and I love reading behind the scenes info, so posts like the one above are a gold mine for me)

 

[Igadevil]

I'm going to attempt to hammer out a couple more before the 18th, which I've just dubbed "Z Day".

Episode 15: “Counterattack: Sabotegronâ€

Some things I didn't get around to last time:

-Ruriko was last seen in episode 13 and mentioned in episode 14 by Ichimonji briefly, but that's sadly it. Morikawa left with episode 13 and wasn't availible to return later even when Fujioka came back (despite leaving acting a few years later, she worked pretty steadily during the rest of Kamen Rider's airing.) I don't know if there were any plans to bring her back but I wouldn't put it past Hirayama, who still conceived of her post-episode 13 life:

1) She marries some guy named Karl over in Europe who is part of Le Resistance or something, and

2) She becomes a scientist! The latter might ignore the former, BTW, I don't think we'll ever see Karl in Spirits.

-It's cool how they have the old-style Shocker soldiers one more time at the beginning, before giving the new masked versions that kick-ass entrance. Though it does bring up something I've always wondered about: I assume they went to the masked versions because it's easier to have the good guys dress up as them and they are, basically, luchador masks. Sabotegron comes from Mexico, so he brings his local crew with him.

Except the masks stuck around and became part of the iconic Shocker henchmen look even after this... and the Mexican Shocker branch had the old beret & eyemask guys anyway. Did the Leader tell everybody in Japan to start wearing the masks so Sabotegron wouldn't get homesick? I don't know the story there but it somehow stuck!

-I've always really liked the Sabotegron costume, though I'll probably say that about every monster for the rest of this show. He's got big green oven mitts! Actually, once again, I think his head in particular is a really cool design. Strangely, while the show still makes use of the stuntman's eyes, in a lot of later photos, artwork and figures, he has jet-black eyes, which looks pretty cool too.

I think he has one of the neatest arsenals with the club, the needle gun hand thingie and the cacti bombs. I love his creepy laugh too. What kind of sound does a cactus make? We know now thanks to Kamen Rider. Aside from the secret characters, he was the guy I always used in the Rider PS1 game. Sabotegron also appears in Kamen Rider: Genealogy of Justice as one of the few monsters you don't actually fight; the Double Riders battle him in a cut scene.

There he was voiced by Sawa "Hasami-Jaguar + Like a Million Other Guys" Ritsuo, whereas here he is the one and only monster voice role of Suzuki Toshiaki. Suzuki did reprise the part for Kamen Rider vs. Shocker where he also did various background monster voices, though the specifics are lost to time. He has one other real notable credit, which is the voice of "Kaijin Oyoyo" in the NHK miniseries of the same name. And there, the poor guy was credited as simply "?" It's too bad he didn't do more stuff, because I like his voice acting here.

-After Fujioka's accident, the primary stuntman for Kamen Rider became Nakamura Bunya aka That Guy Who Will Become Marshal Armor Some Day. Particularly during these Rider 2 episodes, though as is still the case now, there's a lot of fill-in guys as well. Okada Masaru is one of the most famous, though he's best known for playing monsters (as far back as the original Kumo-Otoko.)

Sasaki Takeshi did actually don the Rider 2 suit in 14/15 and at least one other episode, though in order to accommodate his then-heavy schedule, suit acting was thereafter handled almost entirely by professional stuntmen.

-There's more Giant Robo stock footage, which is why that tank was there. I'm sure somebody must have wondered.

As for this episode:

This is one of the rare episodes wherein the Rider Jump is actually used as a finishing move, or at least as close as you're gonna get to one. They foreshadowed it at the beginning!

We see Ichimonji's surgery scene, which is also now glimpsed in the opening credits (and would become this tradition in Kamen Rider for years.) It's woven into the story pretty well in that it's a dream/flashback which cuts away at just the right moment, and we get hints of what happened after through the dialogue.

For years the story of how Hongô saved Ichimonji was left as a mystery, much like the story of how Rider 1 eventually upgrades mid-series (I have my own version of that for when we get there.) Some old 70's books have a version where Ichimonji is actually turned evil, but Hongô kicks him in the head (!) and that somehow undoes the brainwashing. I think that's based slightly on the comic idea that Ichimonji was a Shocker agent who eventually turns to good after a head injury.

Another version, which I think is closer to what they were thinking when they made the show, is that Hongô saved him at the same time he was saved- after the surgery, before the brainwashing part. Kamen Rider Spirits eventually did a retelling that's a whole story in itself, but it follows that idea (where Ichimonji was never evil.) That also explains why Ichimonji has the Tachibana Racing Club logo on his belt- it is damaged in the escape so Hongô actually did some fixing up before he left Japan.

Also note that Ichimonji calls him "Hongô-Rider" which I always thought was kinda neat.

Say goodbye to Shiro, this is the last time we'll see him. I think he decided to hang up his apron and look for work elsewhere after this one. Mari defies all logic by dueling guys with a stick (she's a REALLY good fencer, or lucky as hell) and Yuri at least tries to stand up to the monster rather than simply fainting.

Taki meanwhile gets a lot to do at the end. Shocker's base with the distinctive griffin building is the Izumi Shaboten Park, where there are actual cacti greenhouses (seen later in the episode.) This location also turned up in an episode of the original Ultraman, and Ultraman Ace. The bridge Taki fights the Shocker guys on will many years later turn up in the finale of Kaiketsu Zubat, and an episode of Kamen Rider Blade (23 I think, where Ozawa's actress from Agito appears.)

The whole last act of this episode is amazing. Taki disguises as a combatant but gets discovered, then it turns out one of the guys escorting him to the jails is Kamen Rider (not just Ichimonji, but Kamen Rider somehow hid under that mask!) They then blow up the hell out of the place with cacti bombs, and Sabotegron gets blown up in the fight, which in turn blows up everything.

All things considered, Rider 2 had a pretty great introductory story.

Episode 16: “Pirasaurus: Wrestler of the Devilâ€

Puroresu, man, bless it. This is kind of a charming story that culminates in an awesome moment next episode. I have absolutely no idea if this is even remotely close to real wrestling, but the fact that there is a character named Satan Mask makes it all worth it regardless.

Episodes 16 & 17 were 18 & 19 in scenario/production order, with the original 16 & 17 winding up as episodes 24 & 25. However despite the switcheroo, I think this was always meant to be Rider 2's second story, since there's some continuation of themes from the last two. Tachibana and Taki definitely trust Ichimonji, but there's also this sense that they're still not used to his wackiness. Tachibana also tries to take the Rider Girls out and teach them to drive, though they're all hesistant- even Michi! Speaking of which, Michi looks a lot better with this hairstyle.

You'll also notice we do see Ichimonji actually driving a motorcycle in a full shot. I'm not sure of when exactly Sasaki got his license, though I kinda wonder if he was at least already training for it at this point- he looks SO happy when he pulls up.

Watch for stuntman Nakamura as the guy in the longsleeve blue shirt on the bus at the beginning. I'm pretty sure Okada Masaru is in the crowd during the wrestling match near the end (red shirt) and the dude with him is Iizuka Minoru, who also suit-acts for Pirasaurus.

There's some more Shocker canon fodder elite members this time in the form of trainer and bodyguard Hurricane Joe, and Maya, the one who didn't shack up with Otoya (at least I hope not, or Wataru has some explaining to do.) She's played by Mari Annu, a half-Indian actress who seems to appear in at least one episode of all the early big Tokusatsu shows (Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Mighty Jack, Rider, Arashi, etc.) She's best known for appearing in Branded to Kill (1967) in a role that not only saved her from a pretty dark point in her life, but also had her take off a lot of her clothes. Hurray! Last I checked she's still in the entertainment business even now.

I've always really liked the Pirasaurus costume, though I'll probably say that about every monster for the rest of this show. I'll admit, it's weird. He's like wearing a bow tie on both his chest and his back. But it's weird in that memorable sort of way, and once again, he's got a great face. There had to be a reason they picked him to be in the PS1 game, skipping ahead to Garagaranda next (which means everybody from here until episode 79? We had to wait years to see them in a three-dimensional video game!)

I do believe this is Rider's first monster based on something fictional or extinct. Is/Was Pirasaurus a real creature? Note that I have no problem with how Shocker obtained one, that makes perfect sense. I just want to know if it's based on anything real and where it exists so I know never to go there.

Lastly, Shocker has the world's most advanced computer, and I love the sound effect when Michi bumps into Taki.

 

[Switchblade]

Taki meanwhile gets a lot to do at the end. Shocker's base with the distinctive griffin building is the Izumi Shaboten Park, where there are actual cacti greenhouses (seen later in the episode.) This location also turned up in an episode of the original Ultraman, and Ultraman Ace.

It pops up in episode 43 of Black, too, as the headquarters of Gorgom's subterranean zoo. It was cool to see it again (prior?) in the original series - I'd always wondered if that was a set or not, based on the really unique architecture.

 

[Igadevil]

Catching up continues.

Episode 17: “Deathmatch in the Ring: Destroy! Pirasaurusâ€

It's not mentioned in the opening credits, but Pirasaurus was voiced by an actor named Yatsu Isao. He has a few other original series monster credits, but his two most famous Tokusatsu roles are over in Ultraman: Spell-Seijin in the now-banned Ultra Seven episode 12, and Hipporito-Seijin in Ultraman A episodes 25~26.I have a particular affection for the latter since his was the first Tokusatsu toy I ever owned. Yatsu was also previously Gebacondor back in episode 11.

I know it's a really minor detail but I like the fact that Taki cooks. I once made up this whole extended back story in my head about how despite normally being this butt-kicking tough guy that has faced some of the most evil characters in Kamen Rider, his wife still wears the pants at home and he's got to do his share (actually, I think that about most of the married couples in Kamen Rider.)

The whole scene in the club is great. There's some nice banter among the good guys while they miss out on one of the most public massacres Shocker has pulled off yet. Awesome dialogue too. "What can I get you?" "Your life."

Although we never see what exactly happens to Hurricane Joe, Shocker has a new trainer much later in the series and Taki shows up for the fight at the end, so I always concluded that when Ichimonji told him to 'take care of things', he wasn't kidding around. "Hurricane Joe" is actually a reference to something from Cyborg 009, I believe.

Maya on the other hand gets an onscreen death thanks to poison gas (and the Rider Girls!) Notice how all these Shocker elite guys and experts don't last very long? I think the Leader and possibly the staff did as well, since episode 26 (Igami's next one after this) introduces the first true 'major villain' character who's more than just one-off canon fodder.

Rider 2's entrance at the end is an awesome moment, sort of his rendition of what Rider 1 did back in episode 7 (though that's up for debate since Rider 2 gets a lot of cool entrances.) I sorta like how there is no defined statement on whether Kamen Rider is public knowledge or not. Everybody cheers him on anyway!

This episode and a few others have the unusual angle that even if the monster is destroyed, the person that was turned into said monster will still survive. Now obviously the reason this is done is narrative convenience; it would have been too much of a downer if the show's hero killed a little kid's big brother. But I like the idea that the more inherently evil someone is, the more "connected" they are to what they become.

But for an actual innocent like in this case, it's more like where the monster really is a different person that happens to inhabit the same body. Or you could just argue that if W could throw people off of buildings, make them explode, and they'd still be fine afterwards, the original series can certainly get away with the same. Episode 84 offers a more scientific explanation of sorts for how this works, but we'll get to that when we get to that.

And Pirasaurus has attacks called "Ultra Kick" and "Ultra Punch".


Episode 18: “The Fossil Man: Hitodangerâ€

Even for this show, this is one of my absolute favorite episodes.

A lot of it comes down to the title character. This is the first of Igadevil's Four Heavenly Kings Of Original Series Monsters, the best-of-the-best-of-the-best-of-the-best-of-the-best. I love these guys and they are probably my favorite Rider monsters ever. Why only four? Because everybody else is Number 5.

First of all there's the name, which works on two levels. In Japanese it's ヒトデンジャー. "Hitode" (ヒトデ) is "starfish". But "Hito" on its own also means "person". So not only is it a play on a Japanese word, but it's a play on the translation of a Japanese word.

Then there's the design. He looks like he's wearing sunglasses. It's a deceptively simple costume otherwise, but there's something about it that really stuck with me. When he's got his arms stretched out, he looks like a starfish. He has star-shaped feet. Everybody goes on about Hitode-Hitler, but for my money this is the best starfish monster in Kamen Rider, and that's not a statement one makes lightly given how badass V3's version(s) are.

His weakness is also unique. You wonder why there's a starfish out in the middle of the woods. The dialogue even points out they live in the sea. Well, it's because his weakness is in fact water! When he's dried out, he's tougher than a dump truck, but if he's soaking wet, taking a header off a waterfall will do him in. This works though because until his weakness is revealed, he's literally the toughest sonnuvabitch on the show, impervious to everything including the Rider Kick. He sounds like a gong when you hit him.

And his power is to turn into a giant styrofoam starfish and crush the hell out of people. I believe they reused the prop years later for Hitode-Hitler, by the way.

I apologize for nothing. I love this guy. Ikemizu Michihiro (Sasori-Otoko) returns to do the voice. I read today that he voiced Ultra Seven in most of his Ultraman Ace appearances, oddly enough.

Beyond that though, this episode is just a blast. Our heroes go camping in the woods, and all hell breaks loose. I like the side characters and the kid is played by Takano Hiroyuki, who was half of Barom-1 and many years later turned up in Ultraman Tiga as the Prophet of Kiliel (for the triva fans, he's also in the very strange Ultra Q movie, and the Perolinga-Seijin kid in Ultra Seven episode 45.) I always did love how when falling off cliffs, people would turn into these lifeless dummies that suffer incredibly painful-looking injuries, but they're fine when they reach the bottom.

Shocker's got some awesome artwork of their potential secret base. Children's magazines of the time used to be loaded with stuff like this, there's cross-sections for the first few Rider villains' nondescript secret HQs. Shocker is still the best-fleshed-out enemy group in Kamen Rider if you take into account all the supplemental material, and by 1973 we practically knew what they had for lunch.

I love the exterior of the base, where they just said "screw the secrecy stuff, let's put some Shocker totem poles outside." Almost all of this episode was filmed in Mizunashigawa in Kanagawa, Japan. That distinctive round building still exists there, though Shocker's landscapers have since moved on. The model that blows up is one of the first times property damage has not been from Giant Robo or Captain Ultra!

The good guys get to do some serious damage this week as well, pulling off one of the most spectacular jailbreaks ever that culminates in a big explosion. It's kind of a defining episode for Sasaki too. With the last two stories, I could almost maybe see them being done with Fujioka, but this feels like it was written exclusively for Ichimonji. By this point, the was truly his.

That is actually Yamamoto Linda's singing near the beginning, BTW.


Episode 19: “Monster Kanibubbler appears in Hokkaidoâ€

Here's where things start to get a little complicated in terms of scenario/production order and actual airing order. I'll list scenario/production order on the left and airing on the right, starting from 14. Bolded are episodes we've actually watched up to this point.

14 - 14 (Sabotegron Part 1)
15 - 15 (Sabotegron Part 2)
16 - 24 (Kinokomorgue Part 1)
17 - 25 (Kinokomorgue Part 2)
18 - 16 (Pirasaurus Part 1)
19 - 17 (Pirasaurus Part 2)
20 - 20 (Dokugander Part 1)
21 - 21 (Dokugander Part 2)
22 - 18 (Hitodanger)
23 - 19 (Kanibubbler)
24 - 23 (Musasabeedle)
25 - 22 (Amazonia)

You got all that? Here's why it's important.

- Episodes 18 & 20 (in airing order) are largely shot in the same area. 21 of course has that famous trip over to Osaka, but I'm assuming the 18 & 20 stuff was shot around the same time, and the scripts were just ordered that way to keep things simple.

-Episodes 19 & 23 (in airing order) are both set in Hokkaido, and as we can see were originally made back-to-back.

-Despite all this wackiness, in the actual episode 19, Taki mentions that "all's clear as of August 7th"- the date the episode aired! That's some amazing scheduling.

The Hokkaido locations are great. The original series in particular is a real travelogue of Japan, running from its northern regions down to Kyushu and much of what's in between. I also appreciate that instead of just pointing the camera at a pile of snow like most productions would, we see a side of Hokkaido that's every bit as rich but less well-known: the seaside. And the farmland in that one infamous seqeunce.

The diver that Kanibubbler kills is played by Ono Ken-Yukai member Sejima Tatsuyoshi, suit actor for Kamen Rider as well as several monsters. I'm not sure but I strongly believe he might've been in the Kanibubbler costume at one point too since he apparently did a lot of the stunts that involved water (i.e. fighting in or under water scenes.) So yeah, I think it's another one of those "I killed myself" moments.

I've always really liked the Kanibubbler costume, though I'll probably say that about every monster for the rest of this show. The first time I watched this episode I was surprised at how colorful he is on the actual show, since in a lot of the (taken later) publicity photos he's almost solid pink-red and black. Great design though and one of the original series' two crab monsters (the other coming much later and being a fiddler crab, whereas Kanibubbler is a good regular crab.)

True to his name he has the death bubbles, which Shocker also duplicated for this episode's squirt guns 'o doom. Shocker has a lot of great gear this week, from exploding radios to another groovy underwater base. This is the other original series voice role for Kaji Tetsuya (previously Sarracenian.) He turns up in one of the movies, but after that you won't be hearing him until a few series from now.

And I believe that's the official debut of the Rider Punch as a finishing move, here hitting Kanibubbler so hard he explodes before his own death cry!

One of the best parts of this episode for me is the end, which actually comments on something I mentioned a few posts ago. That being that Riders are ostensibly lonely heroes. Ichimonji admits- at least internally- that he's never truly alone while he's got his friends.

Also I think Taki raided Hongô's closet.

 

[Scissors]

As much as I love the Ichimonji solo-episodes, I have to admit that episode 53 is where it gets awesome for me.
I love how the writers basically said. "Oh by the way. Hongo is the main character again and Ichimonji is gone"
At that point, all the visuals of the show changed dramatically. The most obvious is Rider 1's new suit, but also Shocker gets a "make-over", and the kaijin-designs just get better and better from here.
The fights also starts to feel more fast-paced, and the overall choreography seems improved.

Some might not like the sudden change of everything.
I for one love the fact that the makers of the show decided that it was time to adjust everything in it and basically ended up giving it a rebirth.
It was like seeing a completion of a difficult artwork.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

Man I am so totally behind. Going to do some epic marathoning once December rolls around. (got hit with a sudden deadline, so that's not been too pleasant) The most recent episode I've seen is 27.