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 2: First 2 Phase Transform

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.  

To help gain the advantage against the Worms, ZECT creates a special weapon called the Masked Rider System.  When the wearer of a Rider Belt fuses with the bio-mechanical entity Zecter, it creates a hyper-powered combat suit known as the Masked Rider.  Kagami, a junior mission coordinator for ZECT, hopes to be the first Kamen Rider. 

His hopes are dashed when the arrogant Tendou arrives, and the Kabuto Zecter flies to him and he transforms into Masked Rider Kabuto.  He quickly defeats the Worm before the ZECT Troopers arrive.  At first, Squad Leader Tadakoro thinks Kabuto is Kagami, but he quickly realizes that it's someone else.  He sends in the ZECT Troopers to capture Kabuto, but he vanishes into thin air.

The next day, Tendou is searching the newspapers for any information on his battle, but finds nothing.  He is impressed that ZECT has the power to censor the press.

At the same time, Kagami is being debriefed by Tadakoro and Misaki about what he knows about the man in the Rider Armor.  As far as Tadakoro is concerned, if Tendou is not a member of ZECT, then he should not be a rider.

After the debrief, Tadakoro informs the two that a new Rider has been found.  The two of them need to meet someone from HQ before they take the rider belt to the new Rider candidate.

Hiyori, on her way to work, takes a short break in a park to do some drawings.  As she concentrates, her drawings come to life, showing two fairies flying up to meet with each other.  As if she is speaking for the fairies, she says "Don't worry, I will always be there for you."  She looks down, and finds that the scene she drew has changed.  As Hiyori leaves the park, she sees a dark cloud on the horizon.

Heading toward their meeting with the guy from HQ, Kagami and Misaki are discussing Tendou. Kagami wonders if Tendou joins ZECT, will Tendou be under him.  Misaki has a more practical view of the situation; if Tendou doesn't join, the he must be eliminated.  Shocked at her suggestion, Kagami asks her if that would really happen.  She informs him that it is a possibility.  Their discussion is cut short when a man arrives on a heavily modified motorcycle.  Impressed, Kagami remarks that this fine machine is a waste on the riders.  "Aren't you late for your part time job?" asks Misaki as she mounts the bike and rides off.

At the La Salle Bistro, Hiyori who is a waitress there, is serving a group of rowdy, smoking foreigners.  When she extinguishes their cigarettes by pouring water in their ashtray, they become belligerent.  Tendou comes to her rescue, and throws them out.  He sits down and orders Mackerel Miso.  At first Hiyori refuses, but Yumiko, her boss, tells her to serve the guy that saved her.

Misaki arrives at the meeting place, but their new rider is no where in sight.  Calling him on her cell phone, she hears a faint ringing in the men's bathroom.  She follows the ring, and finds that the rider has been killed.

Back at La Salle, Tendou is raving (as much as his cool demeanor allows) about the Mackerel Miso, saying it's better than his.  Hiyori informs him that it was her first try at cooking, which impresses the young man even more.  He is about to introduce himself when Kagami bursts in, a little early for his shift.  Surprised to see Tendou, he is shocked when Tendou starts asking him about ZECT.  Not wanting Yumiko or Hiyori to know about his other job, he quickly escorts the man out side.

Tendou starts to pump Kagami about ZECT, but quickly discovers that Kagami has little knowledge about the organization.  Not to be dissuaded, Kagami begs for Tendou to join but he blows the young man off. Frustrated at his unconcerned attitude, Kagami lets him know that he is trying to help the arrogant jerk.  His earnest attitude proves to Tendou that if he doesn't join, ZECT will either hunt him down, or kill him if he fails to meet their directives.  "ZECT is that kind of organization." he muses as we walks off.

Kagami gets a phone call from Tadakoro, telling him that the rider candidate has been killed.  As he heads into work, he notices that a man is following Tendou.  What he doesn't notice is that the man walks very, very fast.

At the crime seen, Kagami recognizes that the murdered Rider Candidate is the man following Tendou.  Taking the Rider Belt and the new motorcycle, Kagami heads off to rescue Tendou.

Cornering Tendou in a underground service passage way, the "Rider Candidate" transforms into a worm.  "If you think I can't transform down here, your wrong." smirks Tendou.  "If I say come, then Kabuto will come."

Kagami arrives at the last place he saw Tendou when a group of Worms appear.  Convinced that this time, he will become Kabuto, he calls for the Kabuto Zecter, only to nearly get killed by it as it crashes into the street so it can get to Tendou.  

Kagami is about to get killed by the Worms when Tendou in Kabuto's Rider Form arrives to save him.  He dispatches one before two others mutate and accelerate or "Clock Up".  They double team Kabuto and throw him against a wall.  Kagami tries to educate Tendou on how to combat the Worm's "Clock Up", but Tendou shuts him down.  "I have quite the long history with this belt.  I just wanted to see how long I could fight in this form."  Tendou then activates a "Cast Off" and sheds the Rider Form for the Masked Form, destroying most of the worms in the process.  From there, he activates a "Clock Up" and accelerates to the same speed as the mutated Worms.

Kabuto dispatches one Worm, and gives chase to the oter by stealing the new ZECT motorcycle.  Their fight moves on to a super highway, causing all kinds of damage.  Kabuto moves the fight to an abandoned factory below the highway.  The Worm follows Kabuto and drops two cars from the highway on top of him.  Unscathed by the attack, Kabuto rises up and uses a "Rider Kick" to destroy the worm.

At ZECT HQ, two men are discussing the Kabuto problem.  Echoing Tadakoro's sentiment, they decide that they must find Kabuto and eliminate him.

THE FACTS

CHARACTERS

MAIN

SUPPORTING:

KNOWLEDGE BANK:

 

 

 

 

 

  1. When a Worm or Kamen Rider accelerates, it is called a "Clock Up".
  2. There is no specific length of time for a "Clock Up".
  3. When a "Clock Up" ends, the computer on the Rider Belt says "Clock Over".  There is no specific way to stop a "Clock Over", but it does seem to end when Kabuto defeats an enemy, or they go out of range.
  4. For Kabuto to activate a "Clock Up", he slaps a button on his belt, and gives the "Clock Up" voice command.
  5. There is a second form to the "Masked Rider System", the Masked Form.  Similar to a worm molting, the Rider does a "Cast Off" which sheds the outer "Rider Form".  When the Rider Belt says "Change Beetle", the transform is complete.
  6. A "Cast Off" can be used as an offensive weapon, as the intensity of the casting off process can be quite explosive.
  7. Unlike the "Rider Form", Kabuto's "Masked Form" can perform a "Rider Kick".  To activate, Kabuto pushes the three buttons on the top of the Rider Belt, pulls the main lever, and give the voice command for "Rider Kick.  When Rider Belt repeats the command, Kabuto does an energy charged spin kick that can destroy a Worm almost instantly.
  8. Kabuto's Masked Form uses a small dagger instead of a battle axe/gun.
  9. Tadakoro's phone number is "09060419685"
  10. The Kabuto Zecter can burrow its way through solid concrete.
  11. Misaki knows how to ride a motorcycle.

BODY COUNT:

THE 2 VIEW

The second episode of Kamen Rider Kabuto is another action packed episode of Worm crunching goodness.  Sure there is some additional characterization, but the truth is, what you really want to see is the "Masked Form" of Kabuto.  For every Kamen Rider series, it is the defining moment, when the character is finally ready to accept his destiny and kick some major ass.

Unlike the first episode, there isn't a big fight at the beginning.  Majority of this episode is dedicated to expanding on the characters lives, especially Hiyori.  We learn that Tendou has lots of money, but no job.  His sister is very hyperactive, and loves his food.  Misaki has a part time job at La Salle Bistro, the same place that Hiyori works, explaining how the two know each other.

Ah yes, Hiryori, the worlds most introverted girl.  She is rude, condescending, and very passive aggressive.  For example, instead of asking the rude customers to put out their cigarettes, she pours water into their ashtray.  When they ask her why she did that, instead of explaining that there was a little boy who was getting sick of the smoke, she says "Never mind!" and walks off.  She would have gotten her cute little butt kicked if Tendou hadn't appeared.  

Actually, Tendou exasperates the situation by throwing water in the face of one of them and bitches them out.  Fortunately, he has some mad fighting skills to back up his actions, throwing out the three rather large foreigners and not getting a scratch on him.  While the owner Yumiko is grateful for his intervention, the little boy's mother isn't, looking at Tendou with serious distain on her face.  How Japanese.

Another very Japanese thing is how foreigners or "gaijin" are portrayed.  Sort of reverse stereotyping, many shows in Japan portray foreigners as brash, rude, combative thugs, ready to beat someone up for the littlest offense.  As always, the hero of the show swoops in, and sends these foreign devils running back to their home country.  Just goes to show you, the US doesn't have the monopoly on generalizing.

We see that ZECT is a pretty ruthless organization.  They have no qualms about eliminating anyone who gets in their way, or forcing people to do what they want.  It amazes me that they allow an idealist like Kagami to join, considering everyone else is ready to kill in the name of ZECT.  Perhaps that is why they keep him in the dark so much.  If he really knew what was going on, they would probably have to kill him.

The battle at the end of the episode is very cool, especially when Kabuto does a "Clock Up" and fights a molted Worm on top of a truck carrying cars.  As the two fight, all the cars around them move in slow motion.  Through a combo of CG, greens screen, and photographic tricks, the SFX guys takes Kabuto to a whole new level of cool.

The acting is pretty good.  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.

Yui Satonaka is either the worst actress in the world, or the greatest that ever lived.  Her portrayal of Hiyori is so annoying, so flat, and so depressing, I too had the urge to beat the crap out of her.  As the character is emotionally vacant herself, its really hard to tell what kind of actress she is.  I will keep a close eye on her.

Kamen Rider Kabuto is one heck of a great series.  It's has tons of action, an interesting plot, and lots of mystery to keep things going.  With each episode, I am quickly getting more and more hooked, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Return to Top

Return to Top

Back to the Television Page