The long-awaited Shin Kamen Rider film is out, completing Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno’s trilogy of rebooted and updated tokusatsu films which started with Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman. I went to see the film, which was a delightful romp for all fans of the genre.
Note: this is a spoiler-free review, but it uses clips from the Shin Kamen Rider trailer.
Kamen Rider, the First “Henshin” Show
The word tokusatsu is a shortening of 特殊撮影 tokushu satsuei, meaning “special effects photography.” It defines the wide genre of monster and superhero films and TV shows that started with 1954’s international smash hit Godzilla. When “monster boom” moved from cinema to lower-budget productions on television, we got Ultra Q, Ultraman and Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot in the 1960s, and Toei’s Super Sentai series started in the 1970s, which would come to the west as Power Rangers. The shows were corny and formulaic but were tons of fun, and I watched everything I could find at the age of five.
What kind of tokusatsu fan are you? Read this blog post!
Then came Kamen Rider, the story of a motorcycle-riding superhero based on a grasshopper, which first appeared in 1971 and has had 33 series over the past 50 years. The show focused on motorcycle stunts with explosions in gravel pits, as the Masked Riders battle against the evil SHOCKER organization, who want to enslave humanity. Kamen Rider was the first series to introduce transforming into the genre, causing millions of boys and girls to pose in front of their televisions and shout “Henshin!” for decades afterward.
I Watched the Shin Kamen Rider Film. How Did I Like It?
The film was fantastic, perfect for fans of tokusatsu fighting shows. The story follows the original series closely and is loaded with great fighting moments, filmed in the same style as the 1971 original, with one exception…
Violence! Part of the drama of the story comes from the hero’s difficulties in processing his incredible new powers, which let him smash his opponents as if they were dolls. It takes him time to overcome his guilt over killing his enemies, who are normal, brainwashed humans. The blood caused the film to get an R-12 rating in Japan.
I went to see the Hideaki Anno Exhibition in Osaka. Read my report here!
Shin Kamen Rider follows Takeshi Hongo, who is kidnapped into an evil cult known as SHOCKER and transformed into a mutant cyborg based on a grasshopper. But the scientist who made his augmented body secretly wants to destroy the SHOCKER organization and made alterations to Takeshi’s design. Together with the scientist’s daughter Ruriko and a second Kamen Rider who regains his free will, Takeshi will dedicate himself to taking down the flamboyant SHOCKER villains.
As with the two previous films, Shin Kamen Rider is indirectly implied to be set in the same universe as Shin Ultraman and Shin Godzilla, mainly thanks to certain actors fulfilling the same roles in all three films.
As expected with any film by Hideaki Anno, there are hundreds of meticulously set-up shots that are a joy to see, if you’re a fan of his style. While the previous two films were created alongside fellow tokusatsu director Shinji Higuchi, Shin Kamen Rider is 100% Anno-sensei, showing what a big influence the original series was on him as a boy.
Thanks for reading this post about the new Shin Kamen Rider film! What kind of tokusatsu fan are you? Tell us below, and Peter will reply! Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Discord, or TikTok!
One company we love is PxPxP, pronounced “PPP,” and their newest male relaxation toy is called HHH, or Triple H. It has an amazing internal design with hundreds of hida (bumps or protrusions) inside, which will send you to heaven in short order. The Triple H ero toy is in stock here!
