series review
Kamen Rider
Kabuto
Review By: Matthew Anderson
TV Station: Japan
Company: TV Asahi/Ishimori/Toei co-production
Running Time: 49 25 min episodes
Rated: PG-13: Violence
EPISODE 1: A Strong Man
Episode Synopsis
Seven years ago, a meteor crashed in the Shibuya district of
Tokyo. It brought with it an alien species called "Worms".
These creatures have the ability to mimic any person they come in contact
with. To combat this alien menace, a mysterious organization called ZECT
was created.
While they are well armed, they are not very effective. Attempting to destroy a Worm after it kills and mimics a warehouse security guard, a squad of ZECT Troopers is massacred by a group of evolved Worms. After their victory, the worms scater.
Arita Kagami, a junior mission coordinator for ZECT, is heading home after the battle when he is mugged. While chasing down the thief, he is helped by narcissistic rich kid Souji Tendou. Little do the two of them realize that this chance encounter is the start of a very strange relationship.
To help gain the advantage against the
superior strength of the
Worms, ZECT creates a special weapon called the Masked Rider System. When the
wearer of a Rider Belt fuses with a bio-mechanical entity called a Zecter, it creates a
hyper-powered combat suit known as the Masked Rider. Kagami
hopes to be the first one to become Kamen Rider. However Tendou has
his own Rider Belt, and he has been in training for years, waiting for his
chance to don the armor.
While out and about, Tendou encounters the moody and shy Hiyori Kusakabe, who is more comfortable talking to inanimate objects than people. Yet, Tendou senses something in the girl, and attempts to talk to her. While they chat, Kagami pulls up and offers to give Hiyori a ride to work. While Kagami fails to notice who is on the bike, Tendou observes that Hiyori works at a French Bistro restaurant called "La Salle".
At
the same time, two detectives are on orders to follow the mimicked security guard from the
warehouse. Suddenly, the guard appears in the back seat of their car, and
kills one of the officers. The other attempts to escape, but the Worm
sneaks up behind him, and crushes his skull. After mimicking the cop, the
Worm notices that Hiyori, who was riding by, see the whole thing. Giving pursuit, the Worm chases Hiyori into an abandoned
office building.
The worm's appearance causes the two Rider Belts to activate. Tendou races to the warehouse, while Kagami and the ZECT Troopers engage the enemy. When Kagami notices Hiyori is in the line of fire, and that his fellow troopers are getting killed, he rushes into the command vehicle to get the rider belt. At first his co worker Misaki, tries to stop him from putting it on, their superior Tadakoro gives Kagami authorization, with out ZECT approval.
Kagami's hopes of becoming
the first Kamen Rider are dashed when Tendou arrives, and the Kabuto Zector
flies to him. Tendou, who has been waiting his whole life for this moment
transforms into Masked Rider Kabuto. He quickly defeats the Worm and
enables Hiyori to escape before the ZECT Troopers arrive. At first,
Tadakoro thinks that Kagami is Masked Rider Kabuto, but he quickly realizes that
it's someone else in the Rider Form armor. The two men stare at each other
as the episode ends.
THE FACTS
CHARACTERS
MAIN
Arita Kagami:
A headstrong and impulsive young man, he is fairly new to the ZECT
team. His brash nature is a little unsettling for his two comrades,
Misaki and Tadakoro, but they grudgingly respect his sense of justice.
He has a friendship with the moody Hiyori, but to what extent their
relationship is has yet to be revealed.
Souji Tendou:
Perhaps the most arrogant man in Japan, Tendou seems to have no other
purpose in life other than to take care of his sister, quote his
grandmother, and become Kamen Rider. He has little patients for
suffering fools, and Kagami's impulsive nature fills him with
amusement. Tendou also cooks like an angel, much to the delight of his
little sister.
Hiyori
Kusakabe: A moody, shy, withdrawn girl, she is totally ill at ease with the
world around her. She is very curt with men, and isn't afraid to point
out the obvious. The only time she perks up is when she is talking to
machines. She and Kagami know each other, presumably from the bistro
where she works, but they are not exactly chatty.
SUPPORTING:
Suichi
Tadakoro: Leader of a squad of ZECT Troopers, he is a company man through
and through. He is very protective of his men and hates it when they
get hurt, yet he never looses his composure. He and Misaki work well
together, as they are both very calm and collected, unlike the impulsive
Kagami. He has some pull with the ZECT head office when he informs
Kagami that he will talk with Headquarters about Kagami wearing the Rider
Belt.
Misaki
Yuzuki: Much like her superior, Misaki is a by-the-book, hard line company
woman. She has little patience for Kagami and his headstrong
nature. She is calm under fire, and never questions the decisions of
ZECT.
Juyuka
Tendou: Tendou's sister, she is a bubbly high school student who just loves
her brothers cooking. Tendou is totally devoted to her, and she is the
only one whom he drops his serious attitude with.
KNOWLEDGE BANK:
- We know that the Worms arrived in a meteor that crashed in Shibuya 7 years ago.
- Worms have two forms, a Chrysalis form, and a mutated (Molted) form. While the basic form has formidable strength and agility, the mutated form is stronger, faster, and even more destructive.
- All worms have the ability to mimic any human they come in contact with. Unfortunately for the subject, this usually means they will wind up dead.
- Worms emit an energy pulse that disrupts cell phone reception.
- Worms can accelerate to super fast speeds.
- Kamen Rider Kabuto's Zecter is a Japanese Rhino Beetle. To activate the armor, the Zecter comes out of a dimensional rift and flies to its chosen user, Souji Tendou.
- The Rider Belt system uses a combination of voice commands and manual controls to activate it's transform. The Masked Form armor comes with a laser pistol that can also be used as a small battle axe.
- Souji Tendou means "The man who rules all walks Heaven's path."
- First pearl of Tendou's Grandma's wisdom: "Walking Heaven's path is the man who will rule everything." We can only assume she means that Tendou is going to rule the world.
BODY COUNT:
- ZECT Troopers: 21 confirmed killed, 6 confirmed wounded, 6 presumed wounded/killed.
- 1 security guard
- 2 police detectives
- 1 Worm
THE 2 VIEW
In the year
2000, Kamen Rider returned to the TV screens in Japan. Using state of the
art special effects, and a emphasis on story instead of monster bashing, Kamen
Rider Kuuga set the stage for a comeback of "Doctor Who" level.
Kamen Rider Kabuto is the 6th in the new series, and boy does it rock!
The first episode starts things off right with a kick ass battle between the ZECT Troopers and the Worms. It's nasty, brutal, and very well choreographed. The ZECT Troopers try hard, but they are seriously outmatched. For the rest of the episode, we are introduced to the rest of the cast, including those who will provide excellent fodder...err hostages for the worms to use against the heroes.
Of course, it would not be a true first episode with out us seeing the first transformation. While it's only the "Masked Rider" Form, its still cool. I really like his gun. It's got three laser beams (ala Predator), and it can transform into a battle hatchet for close combat.
Along with
the Kamen Rider design, the monster and suit designs are pretty
awesome. The ZECT Troopers design remind me of Kamen
Rider Black, and the machine guns, while looking like mini-BBQ grills, pack a
lot of firepower. The Worm designs are both scary and beautiful at the
same time, especially after they mutate.
The writers are a little more forthcoming with the story elements than in some of the previous series. One thing I didn't like about Kuuga or Agito was that the basic plot was very confusing, and it took forever to explain the back story of the monsters. Not to say that Kabuto doesn't take its sweet time, but at least they set up the basic premise early so you don't have to guess where the monsters came from.
Not to say that the writing is high and tight. Where the Zecters came from, how Tendou got his Rider Belt, and exactly how ZECT discovered the existence of the worms has yet to be touched on. Sadly, it may be 30 or so more episodes before we find out. I guess it's a good way to keep you coming back for more.
The acting
is decent. Hiro Mizushima is perfect as the arrogant Tendou. He
plays the character as very aloof, and you truly believe that
everyone is beneath him. For the strong willed, yet totally clueless Kagami,
Yuuki Sato fits the bill quite well. He is sensitive enough to make the girls swoon,
yet he is able to inject the fire his character needs to survive.
The rest of the cast does a fine job, each playing their parts quite well.
All in all, I'm please with Kamen Rider Kabuto. I like the action, the visuals, and the story line. I can't wait to see what happens next!
NEXT: EPISODE 2-FIRST 2 STEP TRANSFORM!