This is something that has been a long time coming, something I've anticipated but also was slightly callous in wanting to approach.
When reviewing something like this I always have a fear of perhaps unintentionally holding a bias one way or the other. On one hand, when dealing with what is the start of a major and beloved franchise like Kamen Rider there's a degree of which one wants to handle it with kid gloves because it is so important. On the other, there's the desire to be stricter because it must be held to a high standard because of the legacy it began.
My best hope is to be fairly critical to a work in whatever way I enjoyed it, that's the point of a review after all. I can say the original Kamen Rider series is an interesting look at certain concepts that would be better executed and refined in later shows, this is the foundation. It's very much like Ultraman in that regard, but let's get into the show proper.
Story and Characters.
Hongo Takeshi.
Portrayed by Kunihiro Fujioka aka Hiroshi Fujioka.
I'm going to assume most people are familiar with the base story to Kamen Rider; Guy taken in by secret Nazi offshoot organization called Shocker gets modified into a cyborg but escapes before being brainwashed and then fights said organization while becoming something of an urban legend. But there are devils in the details.
Takeshi is a champion level motorcycle racer and is a remarkably brilliant scientist with an IQ of 600. The show makes good use of Takeshi's intelligence, often having him investigating Shocker's schemes through scientific methods. Figuring out a type of poison and then creating an antidote, examining mysterious seismic activity, that sorta thing. This is slowly pushed aside in later episodes.
Hongo throughout is shown to be a kind but tortured soul. The lonesomeness Hongo feels from being forcibly changed into something not quite human isn't portrayed with the same sort of dread as it is in the Manga, but there is a weight of sadness that Hongo carries. Fujioka's portrayal is one I don't think could be done by anyone else, he gives Hongo a vibe that comes off as oddly fatherly, which is fitting on a meta-level. He's kind and loving, protective and gentle but fierce when it comes to fighting Shocker.
I've heard people talk about how Superman or Batman made them feel safe and for me, I see that with Fujioka as Hongo. The type of person that just emits a non-threatening and protective presence- at least to those that aren't evil. You could not ask for a better standard to be set for all future Riders.
Hongo would end up being absent from the show for a long while, but would return for a couple of guest appearances in episode 40 and 41 and a cameo in 49, another guest appearance in 51 and 52 before becoming permanent once more in episode 53.
Tachibana Tobei
Portrayed by Akiji Kobayashi.
Good old' Tachibana. I've talked about him in my V3 review and here we are again.
Tachibana runs a motorcycle club and is Hongo's mentor and trainer- a role that even gets expanded to train Kamen Rider. Additionally, Tobei assists in other ways, sometimes doing groundwork and eventually organizing radio communication from his shop to combat Shocker and keep in contact with Kamen Rider. He's very much laid back but with an old-world stentorian aura. Almost always smoking a pipe and full of advice.
Ruriko Midorikawa
Portrayed by Chieko Morigawa/Chieko Maki.
She is the daughter of Professor Hiroshi Midorikawa, the man who modified Hongo and also helped him escape at the cost of his own life. She blames Hongo for the death of her father but soon realizes the terrifying organization truly responsible. Her dynamic with the other two is interesting but is sadly cut short because once episode 14 came around it's explained she left with Hongo to help him fight Shocker in Europe. Sadly Ruriko never returns to the series.
These initial 13 episodes are- and I can't stress this enough, rough from a production-quality standpoint. But they're also infinitely fascinating. You have questions of humanity, themes of horror, mistrust, revenge. There's an atmosphere built that is simply captivating. Even with my snarky comments about the dubious nature regarding production, the other qualities override things like sloppy fight scenes or hastily put together sets.
Now, you notice I said Hongo and Ruruiko left the series and you may know the reason why or be wondering what happened. For those that don't, Fujioka did his own stunts on the show and broke his femur bone. It was revealed in a recent interview that Fujioka was told he would likely not be able to return due to the severity of the injury. That, however, was not true as he pushed on, but rehabilitation would take time and someone was needed to fill that space as the show as airing.
Takeshi Sasaki took over with episode 14 as photographer Hayato Ichimonji, a man intended to be another Rider by Shocker until he was saved by Hongo before being brainwashed.
For a very long time, he remained the only Rider on the show. It's not hard to imagine that for a lot of kids, Hayato was their Kamen Rider, he was so for 39 episodes which is basically an entire season today.
Sasaki's stint on the show is enjoyable but none the less awkward, to say the least. I don't really think there was any way around it given the circumstances. They had a show airing and in the middle of production had to scramble to save it and the result of that is Hayato just showing up and informing Tachibana that Hongo left without as much as a goodbye.
But in Hongo's wake, we would see a lot of developments for the show including a slow crawl upwards in overall quality.
Episode 31 was our first instance of a major character moment with Hayato failing to defeat a monster and essentially crushing a child's view of Kamen Rider. This leads to Hayato having a low point and Tachibana snapping at him, telling him that he can't afford to sulk. For the first time, we see the horrible weight of being Kamen Rider get to Hayato.
There's also the fact that Hayato isn't a scientist like Hongo was, so the approach to dealing with anything biological meant that Hayato had to rely on others.
It's also worth noting that Hayato was the first to have a reoccurring villain called General Zol. A lot of big firsts happened under Hayato's run.
The irony is that even with those great episodes I could never shake Fujioka's departure. Again, nothing the production team could do about it and I do really like Hayato as a character, he's a bit gruffer than Hongo, rougher around the edges but has a good heart. But no matter how much I watched it was never not noticeably off just having Hayato show up out of nowhere and is a new Rider that's interacting with a character he frankly barely knows. There was a dynamic between Tachibana and Hongo that wasn't there with Hayato. There were attempts to develop a stronger relationship between the two, I just don't feel it ever quite got there. Good character interaction on a couple of occasions, sure, but not what was needed. I'm fairly certain that's because a lot of the scripts were probably intended for Hongo and any rewrites had to be super sudden and minimally changed.
In many ways, Hayato saved the show- if not the franchise and had episodes that would become major staples, which makes it all the sadder that he in a way got the short end of the stick compared to Hongo. Hell, the second big villain gets chased to South America by Hayato as Hongo takes back over for Japan- but that villain returns to Japan later on and is ultimately stopped by Hongo, not Hayato.
To Sasaki's credit, I do think he does the absolute best in the role given the circumstances, it's not an easy thing to be tasked with.
While Hayato didn't fit as smoothly with an established character like Tachibana, there is Taki, who he did work better
Kazuya Taki
Portrayed by Jirō Chiba aka Jiro Yabuki.
Taki is an FBI agent looking into Shocker who helps the Riders in any way he can; mostly in combat but also training and relaying intelligence.
Because Taki became a regular in episode 13 just before Hayato was introduced, their chemistry works really well off each other. In fact, if I give Taki anything it's that he seamlessly works well with both Hongo and Hayato, likely due to the blunt simplicity of their relationship, they have a mutual goal in fighting Shocker.
I will admit there is a strangeness to just the concept. Kamen Rider- especially Showa Riders- have a sort of aura of rebellious nature to them. Usually a lone fighter, they ride bikes, it brings to mind anything from Cowboys and Samurais to 50s Greasers, etc. I remember reading an article regarding pop culture's fascination with perceived bad boys or rebels and it isn't that we enjoy bad people, we enjoy good people that society deems bad because they don't fit in. The kinda person that doesn't get in fights for cruelty but for other's sake, the sort of person that will fight for or against those the law ignores. So thinking about it that way, yeah it's kinda weird having a spook assist the riders.
Although maybe that explains Ichigo working well with Ghost.
(I'm sorry Takeru, you're a very good boy and shouldn't be compared to an FBI agent.)
There are a lot of other supporting characters added along with Hayato to help fill the gap by Ruriko and I've not really touched upon them because they're...not really that important. Tachibana and Taki are the major supports, everyone else is just sort of there.
The character Yuri, portrayed by Wakako Oki, is notable for being the longest-running female support character- which is frankly hilariously given she was a friend of a character named Nohara who was a friend to Ruriko. A friend of a friend ends up staying longer than the one with story significance.
I hate to say it but Mari, played by Linda Yamamoto, is probably the most notable outside Ruriko or Yuri and for incredibly shallow reasons- that being she's half Japanese and sticks out- but is also a bombshell.
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| I dunno about you, but girls in over knee boots doing the Lugosi monster walk is my fetish. |
And they freaking knew it too because in every episode she has some of the best goddamn outfits. Just take a look at her for sweet 70s fashion 101. I really wish I could praise more than just her being eye-candy, but again most of the side characters, especially the female cast, are just there to be rescued and are interchanged a lot.
I don't like to directly copy something from a wiki but this summery puts it perfectly into perspective.
Some weren't even in 10 episodes.
It's really a shame all they amount to is damsels and eventually secretaries to the Shonen Riders Club- which is frankly the most importance they have. Not to mention in the case of the first quarter of the show, jokes about women's liberation which sure aged like milk in the hot sun.
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| You get to be second rate to a group of kids. |
What makes this sting more is that Ruriko was so promising, she had an actual character of sorts- or at least the start of one. She lost her father, her father worked for Shocker but also gave his life to give the world someone to fight against Shocker. You can do a lot with that set up with conflicting emotions and how she could be driven to help Hongo to carry on her father's last act of defiance, but the show never got a chance to take a dive in that pool and all we have is women like Choko...the character that likes chocolate.
Goro Ishikura
Portrayed by Yasuharu Miura.
Goro is an odd character, he's pretty much just a kid that hangs around the Tachibana race club and gets involved with Shocker schemes. An insert character for the kids, but little more. He's in a vast majority of episodes spanning all the way from 14 to 62 and one final appearance in 65.
Naoki & Mitsuru & The Shonen Rider Club.
Portrayed by Tomonori Yazaki & Hōichi Yamada, and various others.
Naoki and Mitsuru effectively replace Goro as the insert characters and are far more proactive by helping combat Shocker in their own way with many others across Japan who are members of the club. Each member has a carrier pigeon or communicator for alerts and a number assigned to know the general location of that particular member.
The Shonen Rider Club was something I always found a bit funny since it's basically a huge target for the villains. Little snark aside, I actually really like the idea of how the club is used, especially in this series. Super early on there's an episode with Shocker having child soldiers and it made me think "Yeah, this would be good to introduce the Rider Club to contrast/oppose" That didn't actually happen anytime soon, but the precedent was there and eventually the second organization after Shocker would revisit that idea after the club was formed.
Again having kids involved with ""combating"" monsters might seem a bit much, but look, if I can buy Robin, I can be okay with kids in a 1970s super hero show. Besides the kids aren't like actual combatants or anything, they just report on monster sightings, rumors, etc. Shocker often targets kids anyway, so might as well have the means to report on them. The show also does a good job repeatedly showing the cops are either useless because they don't believe the kids or because the cops are Shocker.
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| Personally, I like to think they're not simply dressed as cops, but that cops are part of it. |
Plus there's this aspect where most of the members join after being caught up in a Shocker plot or something. In one instance a kid's parents are actually killed and he joins the Rider Club after the incident (ep 78). The show never really gets into it, but I like the idea that the rider club serves grassroots functions and I imagine is almost therapeutic for a lot of the members to meet others like them while working for a positive goal. I think there is a lot one could do with this and I kinda would love to see a modern interpretation done with just a bit more seriousness. I honestly believe you could craft a good character arc for someone using this as a basis for dealing with loss and overcoming trauma while having a positive output for yourself and others, which is frankly something kids need.
Perhaps I am reading too much into something that is just meant as a fun sidekick group to the Riders (And perhaps encouraging kids to play as a club member rather than the Riders) But given Kamen Rider's themes of hope, I like the sentiment.
Voiced by Gorō Naya.
The Great Leader is the primary villain of Kamen Rider. He is very rarely seen, often only as a voice coming through the organization's emblem. What few true appearances he has is usually in crimson robes with a matching Capirote.
The leader is often ruthless but equally short-sighted and overly confident in his plans, one could argue he does as much damage as the Riders from his sheer idiocy.
Gorō Naya's voice is also absolutely perfect for the role, he has such a fantastic menace and if he sounds familiar, it's probably because you've watched Lupin the Third as he was the voice of Zenigata all the way up to 2010. He was also Ultraman Ace.
Colonel Zol
Portrayed by Jirō Miyaguchi.
Colonel Zol is the first reoccurring commander we have in the show and hell, the franchise as a whole.
He's certainly the most blatant of all the Shocker's generals in regards to their origin, even attempting to create a corps of child soldiers at one point.
But I honestly don't have much to say about Zol except that his final appearance is in the Christmas episode called Werewolf's Murder Party and you should absolutely watch it this year.
Doctor Shinigami (Death)
Portrayed by Hideyo Amamoto.
Death is where things start to get a bit more theatrical. Hideyo will probably be familiar to a lot of Tokusatsu fans, as he had a number of roles in various Toho and Tsuburaya productions throughout the 60s, such as Dr. Who in King Kong Escapes. That's right, Kamen Rider fought Doctor Who.
Hideyo's performance as Death is both done with theatricality and yet a slight subtleness. His voice is almost sickly sounding as if he is always on the verge of running out of oxygen.
Ambassador Hell
Portrayed by Kenji Ushio.
Hell is undoubtedly the villain of Kamen Rider outside of the Shocker's Great Leader. There's almost a perfect progression of villain development from Zol being just sort of a basic military guy, to Death being more exaggerated and finally, Hell having a full-on suit.
Kenji Ushio's performance as Hell is played with a peculiar roughness. He emphasizes his words with angered annunciation and a deliberate pace- putting much focus on his facial movement which are accentuated all the more by the uncomfortably tight-fitting mask. He makes an impression and it sticks. There's a reason he out of all the other leaders is brought back the most.
After Hell, Shocker is no more and it becomes Gel-Shocker. Ambassador Hell's replacement is General Black, portrayed by Matasaburō Niwa.
Black is a character who does have an interesting backstory involving him as once a ruthless warmonger (supposedly in Imperial Russia, never mind that would put him at well over 100 by 1972) before forming his own organization; Geldam.
Unfortunately, he overall feels a bit too much like Zol. After Hell, they should have followed up with a similar design philosophy of having a full suit. While Niwa gives an admirable performance with even a few small characteristic touches like an eye twitch, General Black never really seemed quite as good as Hell, he didn't have the same sort of force nor a gimmick. In contrast With Hell, however, the organization as a whole becomes a lot more interesting.
With Gel-Shocker their combatmen must take a drug every three hours or die- thus preventing any sort of interrogation or defection. They're also more organized than Shocker when it comes to fighting, but they rely heavily upon a squad leader and if they're taken out the rest are aimless. Their opening episode is also fantastic showing all the old Shocker Combatmen being hunted down.
There's a certain oddity in the Gel-Shocker Saga in that while I have issues with some of the changes- they're more superficial ones. Story-wise the show is the most consistently solid it's ever been. The episodes in the late 80s in particular just keep ramping up, building towards the finish. Which no, it's not perfect, there's three "Kamen Rider is dead" episodes in the span of 15 which is frankly goofy as hell (80, 91, 95) There's also an "X thing we got is a monster" repeated way too close together (Canned monster which is quite litteral 76, a painting 88, parakeet 89, mouse 90 and a cactus 96) There was even a pet crow that's a monster in ep 52. But that aside, everything else is so good. We're introduced to an underground Anti-Shocker group that is comprised of various victims of Shocker, Hayato returns in episode 93, Gel-shocker actually does something a bit clever and creates more Kamen Riders in the form of Shocker Riders. Which it wasn't as if Shocker themselves were wet noodles, hell there was a body count at least ever 5 episodes, but with Gel-Shocker there was a real sense of gravitas from the villains that the show never reached before this point.
And perhaps most importantly, episode 91 has quite possibly one of the most famous lines in the show.
Chances are you've seen this and with good reason, it's a fantastic line. It is a simple piece of dialog which I believe contains the truest distillation of Kamen Rider and a shocking amount of nuance. You can read it straight forward and it is well enough, but analyzing it closer- to me at least- reveals a lot more.
The theme of Justice is something that crops up a lot within the franchise but never really the meaning behind it or who's justice. After all, the very nature of a legal justice can be warped. Horrific atrocities have been carried out legally and that's why the line about human life is so important. But that's not all, let's examine the first part of that: peace. Peace in and of itself is a vague concept- you can have peace while people are subjugated, you can have "peace" while people suffer so long as there is no unrest or push back. It's a facade of peace. Again, life is what's important above all else, peace and justice are not set in stone clear cut ideals. Rider does not simply fight for peace and justice, he fights for people above all else.
Subtitles.
I found the subs to be fine, the only major thing that annoyed me is the early episodes almost always add the word "The" whenever Shocker is mentioned. There's nothing grammatically incorrect about it, it just sounds ridiculously unnatural.
Likewise, that are a couple times when a line sounds a tad odd.
It's referring to Hayato being out of practice, but one could mistake it for meaning he's an amateur. This could easily be rectified by changing "for" to "in.
Some liberties taken with the subs, for example in episode 45 the monster is ナメクジラ Namekujira literally Slug Gorilla. However, it's referred to in the subs as Slugzilla, which I will admit is pretty funny. What's weird is some inconsistency of translating monster names. Sometimes it's literal translations, rarely it's an adaption such as the prior example, and most commonly it's simply kept intact with a translation note explaining the combination of words.
Not a problem, just a weird oddity. Otherwise as far as I can tell they're fine.
Something I will give big praise to is historical notes, these are sometimes a bit of a crapshoot if subs should actually provide background information, or how much, but I appreciate them here.
I also need to mention that the subber behind this, XIG, despite their name, is just a single person. This is ridiculously impressive for a single person to undertake and for 98 episodes. Translating, Timing, QC. That had to be a nightmare. But I am eternally grateful for their hard work. Chances are this series still wouldn't be subbed if not for them.
Visuals.
Cinematography is at times a bit disjointed, ranging from surprisingly dynamic to heinously flat. Episode 84 has a primary example of both extremes. The opening has a dramatic close up of a man having a complete nervous breakdown, it's chaotic, there are zooms, the editing is good, it sets a tone. Nowadays that sort of shot would be filmmaking 101, but for what this is and in 1972 it's one of the best shots in the show, this episode is full of them.
But the exact same episode also features a half minute long wide shot of a motorcycle riding behind a car.
Feels like a damn eternity. It's like being high with none of the benefit.
And that sorta sums up the best and worst aspects. Most of the time I can just say the shots themselves are...competent? Certainly, nothing to write home about. But every now and then you'll get something special and those moments stick. Personally, my favorite is just about any time they lower the lighting- even better if it's one of a handful of times there's light-up eyes.
This is the good stuff. Even the slight blur, which probably was inevitable, elevates the atmosphere. It makes Rider look like a shot of a cryptid, which is fitting given the whole urban legend aspect. I mentioned in the V3 review how a lot of the low lighting shots have a pseudo horror/noir vibe and you can certainly see the beginnings of that here. Sometimes the shots will even have colored lights added, invoking a very psychedelic and Italian Giallo look to them.
I will admit fights are often stilted and not the greatest. Part of that is camera work and the refusal to retake shots, the other is choreography, it simply isn't that great, though it can lead to some amusing bits.
Rider is, if nothing else, often an interesting series to look at even at it's most basic. There's a peculiar grit throughout the series, even more so early on. A determination to try to make a scene as interesting as possible despite the limitations is truly admirable. Watching the series grow more ambitious is quite a treat and some of the later stunts are truly insane.
Also, I do have to mention the models, they um... You know, I don't even think this even worked for 1971.
One last note I will have about the visual aspect- and this isn't really applicable to the quality of the production itself, but the poor preservation. There is a lot of deterioration and every episode has tracking and static lines, various grimy discolorations here and there. There is a very nice proper BluRay restoration in Japan that came out back in 2015, but the subs have not been applied to that footage yet.
As for the suits, Hongo has three looks and Hayato has two.
The original Rider suit is largely a direct adaptation of the manga outfit if albeit more rounded in the mouth plate and more mechanical looking antenna.
This is overall a fantastic outfit that's simple and not in anyway overdesigned, with a good color balance. The mask is by far the most iconic piece with a "tear" design under each eye which owes it's inclusion thanks to an incident of Ishinomori's childhood with a bully. Ishinomori fought back but felt no satisfaction in causing harm. As such, his heroes would always fight as it was nessisary, but they would never relish in doing so.
Over the course of the 13 episodes it's featured, the eyes would sometimes change from a pinkish coloration to a more red, depending on which helmet was being used. By the time Hongo returned, the suit became dark green with deep red eyes similar to Hayato's, but lacking the silver mouth plate and stripe while retaining the white belt. Both outfits maintains the core of the original and in the case of Hayato just a touch more detail to stand out.
If there's one thing I really like about the original suits over the later ones, it's the material. They have a leather-like look to them which I think really works for the whole biker motif. I'm guessing the change over to traditional fabric may have resulted from possible tearing, but that's only speculation.
Also, a nice touch, if unintentional, was that the mouth plates would sometimes fall open resulting in some pretty freaky or goofy looks.
None the less, by episode 53 Hongo would once again gain a new suit which showed much more influence from Hayato's. The Green chest was a lighter shade, the mouth plate became silver, the helmet became a seafoam coloration and was also considerably larger compared to the original (Which would show the actor's hair in the back) there was the addition of silver stripes (two in Hongo's case) boots, and gloves. Finally, the belt itself became red like Hayato's. Hayato would follow suit not long after but with red boots and gloves.
Which by the way, there isn't actually an explanation for the changes. If you go looking around online you'll probably find something along the lines saying that Hongo underwent enhancements by Shocker before breaking free again- but that never happens or is even mentioned in the show nor the two movies. In episode 53 he has the new look and that's it- same with Hayato when he comes back in ep. 72 Frankly, there doesn't really need to be one, no more than the A, B and C type suits in Ultraman.
Outside the suits, the transformation sequence underwent many changes. The initial transformation was for Hongo to transform his bike into the Cyclone and open up his jacket for the wind to enter the Typhoon belt as his drove.
This was one of the more time-consuming transformations. While this was the primary means, there were other instances of the transformation activating, such as a blast from an explosive to falling.
When Hayato was introduced he had his own more simplified transformation, his belt featured a dust cover that would open up followed by him jumping into the air for the intake and a burst of energy.
In the Kamen Rider vs. Shocker movie, they would have a belt with colored lights which would later be incorporated into the series.
By the time the final outfits rolled around the transformation was much more simple. Hongo and Hayato would pose and the belts would automatically intake air.
Outside of the riders themselves, there are their bikes. Hongo's original Cyclone, Hayato's revision, and the New Cyclone.
Meanwhile, Hayato's Cyclone seemed to answer the shortcomings of the original. It's slimmed down, the triple exhaust on each side were made flat and overall it was just better at being a dirt bike.
Notably, one of the oddities, when Hayato was introduced, was that they would flip flop back and forth between the original bike Hongo used and the revision that Hayato became associated with. It wasn't just a per-episode basis either, they would have action sequences where it would change from one scene to the next.
I'm not entirely sure why, as there wasn't a reason for Hayato simply not to have his own bike from the get-go. Regardless, the original was slowly phased out of use entirely.
Finally, we get the New Cyclone built by Tobei for Hongo. If there was a short coming of the previous iteration it was the front end was very plain looking, this rectifies that with a sharp aerodynamic front end. The sextuple exhaust is gone in favor of a singular jet turbine and a large pipe on either side. Various gadgets such as a parachute and retractable cutters are incorporated, giving the bike increased stability and distance in the air as well as some offensive capabilities. On the more realistic side, the bike is shown to be capable of much more daring stunts than previous versions.
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| Notice Hayato still using his original Cyclone here before upgrading. |
Now, let's talk about the villains. First I just wanna get the MOTW out of the way. The suits get technically better over time, but if I'm being honest the costumes for the first few monsters like Batman, Spiderman (seriously), Sarracenian, Mantis Man, Cobra Man, etc. those are far more iconic and memorable than outfits much later in the show with some exceptions to the leaders. Sometimes simplicity is the best and I'm not just saying that cause one of those guys is an artist I commissioned.
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| He draws a damn good Samus. |
I'll admit, not all of them are winners. I could never get past Saboteguron looking less like a cactus and more like a pothead.
But generally speaking, the early suits have a charm and creep factor which the later ones often lack. Only two suits stick out to me later on, which are Catfishgiller for its elaborate light-up eyes and Garagaranda.
The Shocker grunts, on the other hand, are what I find most interesting to see progress. The original combatmen were just guys in spandex uniforms with berets, big belts and face paint (which would later switch to a brown-red domino mask) They came in two varieties Black and Red&Black. There were even Combatwomen with one-piece uniforms.
When episode 14 rolled around the Combatmen would undergo their first major change, gaining Lucha style masks but maintaining the Black or Red/Black color. Combatwomen were completely phased out and there was the addition of special monster logos on the masks. Just about every episode would feature Combatmen with unique symbols relating to the current monster. Others would have the standard shocker logo.
Finally, in the Kamen Rider vs. Shocker movie, we would see the more well known "bone" uniform. The uniforms would become standard in episode 53.
Also as one last note, episode 68 has a unique Blue Shocker uniform for trainers. I guess it was a sign of things to come.
Speaking of...
Gel-shocker's outfit never meshed with me, it seemed like such a downgrade visually speaking. I like that the mouth and nose are covered, which gives a much more intimidating appearance, but that Yellow and Bluish purple just takes all that away, it is such an overly garish color scheme. Now the Destron soldiers in V3? That's an upgrade. I'm guessing I wasn't the only one that thought this because Shocker has been brought back numerous times but Gel-Shocker is barely even referenced.
Music.
Okay, so this is a weird bit. I have to explain how I normally go about this section. Normally when it comes to music I'll pull up the soundtrack and go through each track for a listen and put down thoughts on them and their usage within the show. This one's a bit complicated because I honestly think a number of tracks might be exclusive to the album. I know some like Kamen Rider Christmas are, as it's not used in the single holiday episode. But some select tracks like Rider no Komoriuta, Kaijin no Uta I cannot recall at all being used within the show proper.
I know I could be entirely wrong on that. I forgot Kamen Rider no Kasoeuta for a while but still couldn't tell you when it was used.
But maybe that in itself says a lot about those tracks or at least the usage of them.
Hell, I know for a fact some tracks are used around a max of three times and in a lot of instances the instrumental versions are utilized more. Kamen Rider very well may have one of the most underutilized selections of songs from any Toku I have covered- and yet also some of the most overused. I'm also not going to go over every single track because I can't think of anything to say about them, especially the ones that are hardly used, though I will mention a couple here and there.
Let's Go!! Rider Kick
Hiroshi Fujioka, Kouichi Fuji and Mail Harmony.
This is the first opening for the show and there are two versions of this, one sung by Fujioka and the other by Masato Shimon (credited as Kouichi Fuji). Apparently Shimon wasn't too happy about Fujioka's being selected as he had no idea there was even a different version and was flabbergasted when the first episode aired. Shimon's version would be used in episode 14 all the way to 88.
Personally, I do like Shimon's better, he is a singer after all.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Shotaro Ishinomori wrote the lyrics, he wrote for almost all the major main themes up to ZX.
As for the song itself, it's fine. I have stated many times that 70s Showa toku music isn't usually my favorite. That isn't to say there aren't tracks I really dig- like Zubat and Robot Keiji. But most aren't the kind of upbeat swing or funk I like from my 70s music. Think Yuji Ohno, that's the sorta music out of Japan in the 70s I dig.
Rider Action
Masato Shimon.
This was one of the first insert songs all about Rider's abilities and would later become the second ending theme from 72-88 and then the opening from 89-98. I gotta imagine that messed with a lot of people back in 1972, turning in thinking they're catching the ending.
Probably the most outstanding bit of this track is actually the opening, it has very sharp horns which I associate specifically with 70s Rider, most notably Amazon which also uses the same sound in its opening.
The other thing I will note about this is that the lyrics progressively get more insane to the point of "Rider Lung" being used as an action/ability. Which, sure, underwater and being about to retain oxygen for extended periods is actiony, but such an odd thing to sing about. Other choice ones are "Rider Plane" and "Rider Screw".
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| Sorry ladies. |
Akuma no Shocker
Sunny Singers.
Rarely used, possibly as little as twice as an instrumental that I can recall.
Tatakae! Cyclone
Masato Shimon.
I recall this being used in ep. 68 when the new Cyclone is introduced and I could not tell you if I heard it beyond that episode.
Lonely Kamen Rider.
Masato Shimon.
This is honestly my absolute favorite song on the soundtrack. It's an upbeat melody with somber lyrics about Rider's loneliness in the fighting. I'm also just a complete sucker for Jazz flutes. For me, as far as wind instruments go, a good flute is second only to a sweet Sax. The Guitar also has a distinctive western twang.
I can't ignore the violins either, which sound great. This specific sound and combination could not have come from any other time than the 70s and I love it.
This is sadly one of the fairly underutilized tracks- go figure. But it does become the third closing credits theme in episode 89, which I do think is very fitting. If you check out any of the tracks, this is the one I recommend the most.
Kamen Rider no Uta
This is the first closing theme and also the longest used with a whopping 71 episodes.
This is a song I almost really enjoy, the lyrics have some choice lines about Kamen Rider bringing a storm with him and there's an emphasis on who the man behind the mask is, which I really dig. It's just a little to slow-paced for my liking.
Final Thoughts.
While it may seem like I had a lot of complaints, I really was never in any way... "upset" shall we say, just critical. As I stated earlier, a lot of this felt like the production team figuring out what the show was going to be, what will the tone be, what to do now that the star is injured, how can to reuse monster suits because the budget is tight and so on.
A lot of this starts to get ironed out properly by episode 53 when Hongo returns permanently and by the time episode 72 rolls around in which Hayato returns, the series felt like it finally hit its full stride. The writing and overall production quality was up, some insert songs became somewhat reoccurring and there are less noticeable accidents (This was a one-take series) it feels more like a complete show.
My experience with the original series can be summarized as a fascinating and intriguing start if albeit clearly struggling before finally coming out on top. It's very much a series that remains a work in progress throughout, developing a formula that would see it's true potential in V3.
At the end of this, I'm left wondering how to recommend the original series and... it's hard to quantify that outside of just genuine curiosity. There's lots of good here, you will come away from this loving Hongo if you don't already and perhaps wanting more Hayato.
But- this is 98 episodes and that's a lot to ask especially when there's tons of fluff material that doesn't develop anything or feature intriguing thematics. By comparison, you can watch both V3 and X in fewer episodes than this. Hell, throw Amazon in there and you'll only reach 112 episodes. And remember, everything great in this series was done again and often better in V3. Those handfuls of episodes with Hayato struggling and training are repeated in V3 to much better effect. There are a lot more episodes with the same type of tone in which the hero must struggle to become better, become more for the world. Not to mention just general fat trimming- no supporting cast that constantly changes, one consistent organization, not even costume shifts. While it also has it's own new stuff to bring such an a Rider-esque antagonist with Riderman. I have a full review of it here if you're curious, it's one of my favorite series and reviews.
The thing is if you're curious where a lot of those aspects came from- then yes I can suggest TOS for seeing how Rider got started on television and developed slowly over time. Just to be clear this is a good show, but I think for most people V3 is ultimately the better option for a complete watch.
Now, I'm not really fond of simply watching select episodes, I think that can cheapen the experience. But I also understand that 98 episodes are a goddamn lot. If you really wanted to, I would suggest watching select episodes. This is just my personal section of episodes I really enjoyed and think are important, this is by no means definitive because again, 98 episodes a lot to try and curate from.
First 10. 11-13 don't actually have Hiroshi Fujioka in them and it's very obvious the use of stock footage to try and finagle it. So you can kinda skip those if you want. But the first 10 are fantastic at setting a tone and touching up ideas that later episodes don't.
14-15. These are Hayato's introduction episodes.
24 and 25 are a two-parter that involves Hayato having to deal with a mysterious fungus infecting people, it's one of the examples of Hayato being a bit out of his element and having to rely on others and use different methods than Hongo to obtain a cure.
26 and 27 meanwhile are introductions to Zol, one focused on him framing Taki for assaulting law enforcement while the other is creating child soldiers.
31 is certainly one of the most standout episodes, it has a slightly creepy vibe involving a kid finding his brother is eating ants late a night after being altered by Shocker. It's also the first instance of Hayato failing to defeat a monster, while Goro is physically and psychologically traumatized.
38's plot centers around a man, Professor Seki, who escapes Shocker after two years of being forced to work for them. This is a pretty somber episode which delves into just how monstrous Shocker truly is. Focusing on just one person allows sympathy to more easily be obtained from the audience and they do a good job making the poor guy look like he's been through hell.
39 A nice change of pace from the prior episode in this one is just batshit insane. Nothing says Christmas episode quite like Nazi cultists, a werewolf and an attempt to silence an orphan for witnessing a double murder. Seriously though, this is a fun episode and the ending with Hayato giving toys out is heartwarming. Although I do have to wonder if Kamen Rider is merchandised in the show or if Hayato made a bunch of vinyls of himself. This is also the last episode with Zol.
40 and 41 this is a two-parter where Hongo returns and having both riders is a blast. There's also a touch of sadness in that Hongo never meets Tachibana the entire two episodes, which is even acknowledged by Hongo as being deliberate as he knows it would be too hard to say bye, but he has a job that's more important. Doctor Death makes his debut as well.
43 I'm honestly just throwing this in because the ending is kind of adorable. featuring Hayato being a nice person.
50 This is a really good Hayato focused episode. It's one of those "Hero loses his sight and must fight blind" plots and it's done well.
51-53 51 and 52 are both double rider episodes and 52 would be Hayato's final appearance until episode 73. 53 meanwhile would be Hongo's permanent reintroduction as well as the introduction to Ambassador Hell and the new suit.
58 This episode deals with a scientist's assistant being held ransom by Shocker to extort documents. Meanwhile, Hongo is badly injured from a combination of acid and falling off a freaking bridge but has little choice but to keep fighting.
67 and 68. 67 is the first clear glimpse at the great leader. 68 is the first appearance of the new Cyclone and the final episode to feature Doctor Death.
72-73 Hayato returns for two episodes, these are both vacation ones so enjoy plenty of fights in tourist spots.
78 This episode features a pretty messed up plot where an entire village is wiped out save for one boy, but it also functions as a prelude to the next episode with some hints that Hell isn't in as much power as it appears as the Great Leader has other plans.
79 This is the last episode to feature Hell and Shocker. Hell seemingly betrays the Great Leader and there are some really surreal moments of him being saved by Hongo and interacting with the rest of the cast.
80 General Black and Gel Shocker make their appearances and it's a hell of a start. Gel Shocker is shown to be far more dangerous and Hongo even struggles against the first monster with an explosive result. This and the following episode would be the start of Hongo being supposedly dead. They repeat this plot again two more times.
84 This is a really great episode which delves into the horror of a person being made into a cyborg. Almost every other instance has had people in complete servitude to Shocker/Gel-Shocker after an operation, but this one has a man trying to fight back against that. Aside from what feels like a bit too much padding in some areas, the majority of this episode is fantastic and probably one of the best looking with a shockingly happy ending considering the subject matter.
It's worth pointing out Ishinomori directed this episode and did a damn good job by in large.
91-94
This is a three-parter which is gearing up for the final episodes. Gel-Shocker unleashes their Shocker Rider just as a resistance group is close to revealing the Great Leader's true identity and location. The Shocker Rider ends up impersonating Hongo deliberately sabotaging the operations until Hayato arrives and is the only one smart enough to realize the accent colors are the same as goddamn Gel-Shocker combatmen. These episodes keep building up the danger and just when one Shocker Rider was a handful another appears followed by 4 more. The Double Riders undergo training, pushed on by Tachibana to unleash the true potential of their Typhoons.
97&98 the final two episodes of the show. Gel-Shocker begins looking at the possibility that Hongo may have a weakness just before transforming and a means to exploit it. Meanwhile, they revive many prior monsters that the two Riders must deal with along with General Black before ultimately coming face to face with the great leader.
You're still here? Have some out of context gifs then.
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