Shin Kamen Rider Kakuwa Format Ban (2024)

A moving expression of restless spirit

Whether or not you loved or hated Shin Kamen Rider upon an initial viewing, this episodic version certainly won't change your mind; however, I can't deny that this works so much better when paced as a 5-episode mini-series than a film. Especially when this cut even comes with the added bonus of additional footage not seen in the film, complete with unique title sequences and eyecatches. With the brightly coloured costumes, black trench coats, high-speed motorbikes, and a fondness for mid-air combat, it certainly maintains a distinctive style, expanding upon Anno's inhuman worldview and never letting self-consciousness get in its way, as epic and absurd as it is sincere and emotionally engaging. Filtering elements of the original through a distinctly modern lens that grapples with violence and the worth of human beings, a moving expression of the title hero's restless spirit. While this episodic version of Shin Kamen Rider still ends up occasionally scattered, all my praise for the production remains, one that's chock-full of plenty of witty moments, fantastically insane action sequences and striking on-the-nose homages. A vicious and thoroughly dense love letter to the Tokusatsu icon. While Shin Ultraman still ultimately stands as the best of the Shin trilogy, I'm very much hoping Shin Kamen Rider isn't the last we've seen.

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