Forum - View topicHero of a Lost Era: Examining the Context of Kamen Rider Kuuga
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seoulman1985
 Posts: 111 |
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Thank you so much for writing about this!
As a bit of added context, Kamen Rider had a lull in the 90s, as Black RX finished in 1989 and there was no immediate call to produce another TV series. As such, the duum(later trium)virate of Toei and Ishimori Productions (and later Bandai) made a total of three Kamen Rider films for the decade. These were Shin, a gritty, dark, body-horror reimagining of the core concept for the series, ZO (Zet-O, not to be confused with Zi-Oh) a true reimagining of Kamen Rider penned by Sugimura Noboru before he would be hired by Capcom to rewrite Resident Evil 2 (LOTS of parallels between that movie and the game), and J, which literally had to go BIG by having the Rider enlarge for a grandiose spectacle of its final fight scene Meanwhile the 90s was itself a golden age for Super Sentai with Zyu, Dai, and Kakuranger (all of which got adapted into Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers) and various Metal Heroes like Juuko B-Fighter (adapted as Big Bad Beetleborgs). Ohranger (PR:Zeo) had the misfortune of being the near end of Sentai for having multiple rewrites and changes in response to the sarin gas attacks, but Carranger (Turbo) would turn things around and help Sentai carry on with Megaranger (In Space), Gingaman (Lost Galaxy), and GoGoFive (Lightspeed Rescue) to lead the 90s while Metal Heroes eventually slowed down. Then, tragedy struck in 1998 when Ishinomori Shotaro died of heart failure just short of his 60th birthday, forcing production to halt on any further Rider series. Then the timing felt right to start in Y2K for what we know and love as Kuuga. Below are links to watch the 90s Rider Trilogy on the Toei Tokusatsu Channel, for FREE, with closed captions! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL2XWMFUFvg (Shin, turn on CC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QEbwNLQvqc (ZO, turn on CC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBRplI_FXbQ (J, again, CC) |
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PMDR
Posts: 142 |
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Excellent overview. The show is a great look into what actual people might do when faced with horrific events, and indeed what actual people DO: they tend to try very hard to conduct their normal lives.
Two moments in the show hit the hardest for me. spoiler[One was a young boy who died in hospital surrounded by his family. The anguish and pain they felt was so close to what I felt when I lost one of my parents in a similar way. The writers and actors nailed it. I am sure I was bawling along with tbem. The second moment hit even harder: the final fight where our super-powerful hero and villain go from fighting each other like gods and end up as two men slugging it out in the snow. No fancy effects bonanza, no stunt scenarios, no "behold my true power!" boasting. I can't remember if they even used music during that scene. That the fate of the world rests upon this brutal fight in the snow is a masterpiece of subtle direction and letting the story take front and center instead of major finale action. ] It has become one of my favorite endings of all time because it doesn't go big. It goes small. And it leaves me a wreck every time I see it. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6230 Location: Houston, TX |
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Kuuga is still my favorite Rider of all time. On the surface, he just seems like some peaceful traveler, but once you cross him you get WRECKED. the final confrontation might be my favorite Rider fight ever.
Question for Rider fans: What do you think led to them turning down the violence this gen? The events mentioned in this article would seem like the likely cause, but it didn't start happening until like 3-4 after this. Last edited by v1cious on Thu Nov 24, 2022 7:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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zztop
Posts: 650 |
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Not to mention the acting and atmosphere became more over the top and anime like in later series (ex. Den-O, W, Zero One, etc.) If Kuuga is like a serious Jdrama with tokusatsu elements, the later ones are like watching live-action anime. |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5150 |
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I would like to throw out an idea that has been bubbling in the back of my mind concerning the prevalence of isekai in Japanese pop culture. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the popularity of the isekai genre is a direct result of the persistently lousy economy in Japan. Put another way, I believe that the isekai genre provides escapism for the Japanese public much in the same way that Hollywood produced so much escapist fare during the Great Depression.
But this is just my 2¢ and I freely admit that I may be wrong. |
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TheBeastAR
Posts: 27 |
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Always happy to see an article talking about one of my favourite shows!
This a pretty decent piece by ANN, touching on a lot of the real world events that came before Kuuga's debut and it is something I never would have considered re: why the tone of the show is full of fear and dark at times. Kuuga as I say a lot is a very special show and this article touches on a lot of important things about it, but it's not a really a take I would go with myself? The writing paints the series to be darker than it actually is I feel and has something of a dour tone to it. It's not entirely wrong as Kuuga is a darker show and is a great mirror to the time and even now given the stuff we're going through. But despite all of that, I'll argue anyday that Kuuga is also a very optimistic show and handles its optimism like its darker content: with a lot of maturity and polish. Kuuga works for me because of its humanity. The main character is connected to a wide circle of people who all have their own perspectives on the unfolding chaos. The show's realistic tone is amazing for actually showing local law enforcement making an effort to confront the monsters, and in general for how ordinary would react to this sort of stuff. That several police officers are the main characters and are the good guys may not sit well in this current environment, but Ichijo and his colleagues are an all important part of that wider circle of allies to Kuuga and the human factor. Godai is strong but he can't strong arm the monsters on his own and he needs their help as much as they need his. Controversial as this element is today, it's refreshing to see normal humans outside of the hero fight back. As much as I love Kamen Rider today, the early days of the reboot were quite happy to fashion themselves as J-Dramas first with some hero elements second, and overall atmosphere that has much wider appeal and a less gimmicky nature. Newer Riders are for kids yes, but the franchise has lost something that it would benefit from finding again. |
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