I will admit to not being a Kamen Rider fan for the longest time. Bare minimum, I've been a fan since 2014 when I first watched Kamen Rider W on YouTube. However, W was not the first time I've heard of Kamen Rider. That was actually through OOO, which I saw first. W is just the first one I've watched all the way through, and I personally preferred W over OOO. But of course, there was one particular series that EVERY Kamen Rider fan simply would not shut up about, and for good reason:
When I had first heard about Kamen Rider Gaim, I was... interested, to say the least. The main motif is fruit? The hero looks like a samurai? Part of the story revolves around dancing? What were they smoking to come up with stuff like this?
Again, this was during a time in which I was brand new to the franchise and thus, wasn't aware of other series that were somehow stranger in some aspects, as well as not fully grasping the core fundamentals of Kamen Rider due to my lack of experience. But having now watched 15 of the 20 instalments in the Heisei era all the way through (dropped Zi-O and still need to watch Agito, Ryuki, Blade and Hibiki's first half), 36 episodes of Black and at least half of the original adventures of Takeshi Hongo and Hayato Ichimonji, I think this has actually helped me appreciate Gaim even more upon reflection. I can easily see why many fans declare one of the best series since Black, as well as one of the best of the soon ending Heisei era.
Anyways, this series was mainly written by Gen Urobuchi, who got his foot in the door with Puella Madoka Majica (haven't watched) and a couple of entries in the Type-Moon Anime (haven't watched either). But if his writing in those series is anything like what we see in Gaim, then I think I'll be emotionally scarred for life while still enjoying the content overall. Then again, I'm not really an Anime guy, so who knows if I'll ever check those shows out.
Regardless, the story is set in Zawame City, a town primarily run by the multi-platform conglomerate Yggdrasill. This town has a bizarre connection to a pocket dimension full of monsters known as the Helheim forest, wherein said monsters, the Invess, feast on an alien fruit to grow in strength, though the fruit has an unfortunate side effect of turning normal people who consume it into monsters. Yggdrasill use what they have studied of the Helheim forest to create a series of counter-measures to prevent the forest from slowly, but surely, consuming the world; chiefly, a series of belts that harness the powers of Lockseeds to give their wielder power and armour to fight back. Enter out protagonist, Kouta Kazuraba, who at first uses the belt for his own ends but soon starts using it to protect the people of Zawame from the Invess, but also starts to discover not everything is black and white with Yggdrasill either.
However, more people get their hands on Sengoku Drivers, and each on has their own end goals in mind; there's Kaito Kumon, Kouta's main rival, who believes in the survival of the fittest so that the weak would no longer suffer, Kouta's best friend Mitsuzane "Micchy" Kureshima, who starts to become more cold and calculative with his actions leading him to slowly go insane with his megalomania (becoming the most hated Kamen Rider character since Masato Kusaka), and Micchy's older brother Takatora(bata), head of Yggdrasill, who seeks to purge the world of Invess no matter the cost. And that's just to name three out of the literal dozens of Riders in this show. And in the mist of all of the conflict between the Riders is the Golden Fruit, the main power in the Helheim forest that allows it's user to either reshape the world in their image, or completely destroy it.
Admittedly, like other Rider series, the story does take a while to get going. But the best Rider shows, in my opinion, use the slow start for character development and setting up the mystery behind the antagonists. W did this with the Sonozaki family and their connection to the Gaia Library. OOO did this with Dr Maki and his eventual turn from secondary character to main antagonist. Even Ex-Aid did something similar with Dan Masumune being a surprise villain, namely how he was originally just a minor character before it was revealed that he was as maniacal as SHIN DAN KUROTO SHIN, just in a different way.
However, one of the critiques that I have for this show is that it doesn't always knows how to use it's cast effectively, and I blame that on there being SO many additional Riders in this show. On top of the main four of Kouta/Gaim, Kaito/Baron, Micchy/Ryugen and Takatora/Zangetsu, there is also Ryoji Hase/Kurokage and Hideyasu Jonouchi/Gridon, a pair who start off as run of the mill throwaway antagonists who are just out for popularity. Granted, Hase does have some relevance to the main storyline for episode 14, which in and of itself is a dark episode, but he otherwise has little character to him beyond a jackass who just wants power. That's not even getting into the likes of Zack/Knuckle, whose character arc is so minor I pretty much missed it on my first viewing and we don't really get to know him until his own spin-off set after the series had ended. The only secondary Rider I found myself caring for was Oren Pierre Alfonzo/Bravo, but a lot of that was from how flamboyantly over the top he was. Everything he does is done with exuberant passion and a willingness to embrace both his pride and his shame, which is something I can look up to, especially when he takes in Jonouchi as an apprentice both as a Rider and as a young patissiere... yes, really.
He kind of reminds me of what could happen if Mettaton fused with Gordon Ramsay and decided to become a Kamen Rider. It's just the right kind of batshit crazy imagery I love in Tokusatsu.
That said, I still found myself really getting engaged with the main four themselves. I loved watching Kouta slowly discovering for himself what he has to fight for, as well as how it would reinforce his actions in the rest of the series. Micchy's turn from underdog hero to sociopathic manipulator was a fascinating change of pace for a secondary Rider, especially when he does it all for a woman who he knows will never return his affections. Takatora's actions may seem inherently villainous at first, but there is a twisted logic behind it all, which makes him a far more interesting antagonistic force for Kouta to overcome. He reminds me of Thanos in a way; in that he is sacrificing lives as a means of preserving the rest for the sake of survival. Kaito's motivations may not be fully explored, but he more than makes up for it by actually showing respect for those who fight for their worldview, no matter how much they may conflict with his. The key idea that ties all four of them together is that, whether you agree with them or not, you understand exactly where they are coming from and how that affects their character, which makes their underlying conflict all the more fascinating.
I love the costumes in this series, as each of them have a distinct quirk that help them stand out from any other Rider suit in the franchise. Namely, the main seven Riders (Gaim, Baron, Ryugen, Zangetsu/Shin, Kurokage, Gridon and Bravo) are each based on a different warrior uniform. Gaim and Zangetsu on Feudal era samurai, Baron on a European knight, Ryugen on a Chinese warrior (while also having a dragon motif), Kurokage on an armoured ninja, Gridon on a Roman centurion, and Bravo on a gladiator (my personal favourite). Despite some shared elements between them, each of these fit the characters personalities to a T and gives each one a unique identity. It helps that the fruit-themed Lockseed armour is not overbearing with it's motif and helps to keep the costumes, even extreme ones like Bravo Durian Arms, streamlined and easy on the eyes.
The fights, even when Osamu Kaneda does a few episodes, are excellently choreographed, which is to be expected when Seiji Takaiwa is underneath all of that armour and presenting Gaim with so much personality. This man has been the suit actor for almost every lead Rider in this Heisei run and he brings these otherwise blank slates to life with such simple gestures and postures. And more importantly, the fights in the series work with how they build off of each other through the narrative context of why they are even happening, which thus always keep the audience invested in the outcome. This is especially true for when the Riders fight each other. While this is obviously taking inspiration from Ryuki, I can already tell that it is handled FAR better with how each of the characters motivations are easy to understand and in no way tear apart the narrative, which adds to the indecision of who to root for when they fight. I really do wish that series that handle Rider conflicts would take note from Gaim, as it actually makes it work here.
The music is some of the best in the franchise, with the basic background score helping the flow of the narrative feel more smooth and natural while also conveying the shows main thematic motif of conflict and dividing paths. This is arguably most prevalent in what is easily the best final form insert song I've heard in Kamen Rider; Ranbu Escalation.
Sung by Gaku Sano and Yutaka Kobayashi (the actors for Kouta and Kaito, respectively), this song captures the emotional struggle between the two perfectly. Kouta is trying to show his resolve to change the fate of the world while still holding on to his beliefs and humanity, while Kaito's ideals of survival of the fittest is what drives him to rid anyone of weakness, even if it must cost him what makes him truly human. Two perfectly understandable motivations and ideals that give these characters more depth and identity. Thus, when presented in Ranbu Escalation, it becomes less of a final form song for Gaim Kiwami Arms, and more of a perfect encapsulation of the shows main conflict. This is the kind of emotional complexity that I miss in more current final form songs (bar Ghost with no insert themes, or Zi-O's music simply sucking), which simply default to "My resolve is strong and I will kick your ass". Those songs are fine, but they never really seem to capture the emotional depth that is needed to carry the scene where they are introduced. Ranbu Escalation, I feel, is the last truly perfect final form song.
But of course, being a Gen Urobuchi series, it has to start off relatively light hearted before going into some legitimately dark places. Keep in mind, the first ten episodes are mainly about a bunch of dance groups competing for different stages and Lockseeds to get the highest points. When the mid-teens hit, however, it goes dark and FAST. Episode 14 is focused around Hase becoming an Invess and Kouta is conflicted about stopping him without killing him, as it is still Hase inside of that mindless monster. But this isn't something that's resolved by the end of the episode; the Energy Riders come in and KILL Hase right in front of Kouta. Suddenly, it hits you; this is not going to be a standard "victim of the week" style series; this is going to be a tragic, emotionally scarring journey for the protagonist as he tries to pick himself up from all of this.
Hell, here's another example. The first Invess that Kouta kills as Gaim? It's later revealed that it was Kouta's friend, Yuuya, after he ate a Helheim fruit upon entering the forest with a Sengoku Driver. And when Kouta finds this out, he is completely torn apart at this revelation. He's in tears, he doesn't know what to do know; he's realising that the powers he has used to protect people has took away the life of one of his best friends. This, in turn, gives way for his growth to be a rallying point for those who can't fight for themselves, as well as striving to redeem himself for the mistakes he has made as an endeavour to never to make those mistakes again. This is what made Kouta one of my favourite Rider protagonists, with how his growth and maturation throughout the show comes naturally and is never an excuse to sell a gimmick.
Kamen Rider Gaim is easily in my Top 5 Kamen Rider series of all time. While I can understand why some people may not have bought into it initially, the show won myself and others over very quickly with it's surprising maturity and emotional complexity, complimented by excellent musical scoring and wonderfully choreographed fight scenes. But it still remembers that at heart, it's a show that anyone and everyone can watch without ever feeling like it's talking down to it's audience or trying to scare the shit out of them. Much like W, it's essentially a deconstruction and further reconstruction of what makes the franchise enjoyable. And no amount of shoddy spin-off material or awful series that don't understand it's legacy can take it away.
Overall rating: 9/10 (Excellent).
I would like to thank everyone for taking part in the voting poll and choosing this as the next thing to review. If you like what you've read, please consider following me on Twitter and leaving a comment. I also appreciate it if this review gets a retweet, spreading the word really helps.
When next we meet, I will be counting down my Top 5 favourite films of all time. No hints, this time.
So until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
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