Day two- Kamen Rider
Like Super Sentai, every year there
are two Kamen Rider seasons, one that ends and one that begins. Unlike Super
Sentai, the show with the longer run time over the year is the old show, while
the new show only gets the last few weeks of the year. As such, I am going to
flip the order of what I am writing about, first talking about the current
series and then about the one that ended a few months ago. Let’s first look at
Kamen Rider Drive.
Kamen Rider Drive is the story of a
police officer fighting against a group of evolving monsters who have the
ability to drastically slow down time with the help of living toy cars and a
talking belt. While only ten episodes in, I have to say I’ve been loving Kamen
Rider Drive. The Rider in question, Shinnosuke Tomari, is really great. In a
way he reminds me of all the good qualities of Spider-man. While fighting he is
snarky and talkative, and outside of battle he wears his emotions on his sleeve.
But the thing I like most is that he is a cop. One of the big themes that Drive
hits upon is what it means to be a Kamen Rider. Those around Shinnosuke call
him a Kamen Rider, they are the ones who have given him the title, not himself.
His first instinct in any given situation is to save and protect as many people
as he can. They are creating this interesting line between Shinnosuke’s two
jobs, as a hero for justice and a keeper of the peace. And it’s interesting how
these two lines don’t always match up. A Kamen Rider defeats the monsters and
saves the world. An officer protects people, regardless of their alignment. This
distinction has already made for an interesting interaction with Shinnosuke and
Chaser, the internal corrections officer of the monsters. I really want to see
what more they can do with this. While Drive is not perfect by any stretch, it
keeps having these moments where they are trying to be funny through comedic editing
but it just doesn’t work, I have a good feeling for this show, and I think it
will turn out to be one of the better Kamen Rider seasons.
Speaking of better Kamen Rider seasons,
Kamen Rider Gaim ended. Gaim is about an intergalactic/inter-dimensional forest
that travels form world to world, infecting and destroying that world. But
before it does, it produces a single fruit that gives the eater of the fruit immeasurable
powers. The show is essentially a war for the fruit. It starts with teenagers
breakdancing. The main theme of Gaim was that of change. The three main people
who were going after the Golden Fruit, Kouta, Kaito, and Mitty, each represent
a different reaction or interpretation of change. Kouta, who is effectively the
main character, is someone who seeks to change himself. He feels he is stuck
and wants to grow. That is why his transformation into Kamen Rider Gaim was so
important to him. He wasn’t just becoming a hero, he was growing as a person. Kaito
was someone who didn’t want to change himself, but the world around him. He has
seen how imperfect the world is and wants to fix it, reshape it in his own
image. Mitty it someone who resists change at every step, and because of that
he is the one who suffers the most. He loses nearly everyone he cared about and
became a villain. It is why the finale was so important. We get to see how each
person’s reaction to change effects them. Kouta is rewarded for his acceptance of
change, and saves the earth. Kaito losses the battle, but ends up proving his
point, that a world should be ruled by the strong but benevolent. He achieved
the change he wanted, by inspiring Kouta. Mitty just plain loses, showing that
one can’t reject change, but has to accept it and live with that change. To go against
the flows of time and change leaves you broken. It is why Mitty’s final act, to
become the hero of his city and take up Kouta’s mantel is so important. It is
his first steps to redemption. That’s why Gaim’s finale is my Kamen Rider
moment of 2014.
At the end of the day, Gaim was a
very good season of Kamen Rider. Its story was great, and the characters were
really fun. My only complaint is that I don’t think Kaito was a good secondary
rider, but that is an incredibly minor complaint. Until next time, keep on
watching.
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