Undercover Rider

In honor of the 35th Anniversary of Kamen Rider V3, the recap of the entire 52-episode series continues with episode #10.

Spoiler Warning, for those poor, poor souls who have yet to see V3.

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Kamen Rider V3 episode #10 "The Secret of the Double Typhoon"

In a major twist, V3 really did get blown up at the end of the previous episode! Well okay, he miraculously escaped somehow, but they don't dwell on the specifics, instead giving Destron a false sense of victory until the man main makes his surprise appearance about midway in. In fact, he makes two surprises appearances, but more on that in a bit.

Tachibana & some Shônen Riders get the bulk of the action for the first half of the episode. As I've said in previous reviews, those 'lil kids aren't that bad, and they're actually pretty cool in this one. Apart from the impromptu crying bout (which never woulda happened back when Tachibana had more girls running around with him, he laments), they manage well, getting to sneak around and pull out some neat tricks.

The kids come armed with lockpick/screwdrivers in their shoes, what appear to be garrotes (!), and those Shônen Rider Pendants/Medals/Communicators double as offensive weapons apparently. And they've got a sweet ride with that van there.

And I like the fact that Tachibana acknowledges how it would have been dumb of them to just go into a creepy house owned by a horribly disfigured guy who laughs like a maniac and gives them food and drink laced with sleeping powder. Because they do just that, but then reveal that they were onto him the whole time and give him a beat-down! Of course the horribly disfigured guy is Lens-Ari. It's certainly an original disguise, no doubt about that. I also like his lengthy transformation scene, it would have been funny if, when it finished, everyone had already run out on him.

And check out the Destron Leader's command to Lens-Ari early on: "They are enemies of Destron too. Send them to Hell!" Cold as ice, Shuryô.

There's some more great Destron interior design going on (especially the yellow spray-painted scorpions in the jail cells) but the Combatants are definitely having an off week. Destron's finest are brought down by marbles, and that one guy "guarding" the cell where Tachibana & the kids end up? Shouldn't have mocked them like that, dude!

I like how Tachibana already has an escape plan going through his head barely a minute after the good guys are captured. I'd say he's in his absolute prime in V3, on account of the fact that there's no Taki around to help out anymore (and Sakuma turns out to be about as useful as flashlight without batteries.)

And there's the cutback on Rider Girls, the only one of which tends to be kidnapped by the point Oyassan has to start busting out somewhere. So he's really Kazami's mentor/ally/teacher/sidekick/coach/confidant/partner-in-crime all rolled into one.

Kazami's unexpected reappearance during the breakout scene comes as a genuine surprise, even after seeing this one before several times over. The old "disguise self as a henchman" scheme works yet again, and you wonder why the villains decided to go from the old facepaint-only henchmen of the very early Kamen Rider episodes to the eyemasks (which Hongô pulled off once) and then to the full-head-covering wrestling masks, which it seemed everybody was able to get away with at least once. But then, I guess that's just part of the Magic of Kamen Rider™!

Also note that Kazami can apparently read the strange script that Shocker/Gelshocker/Destron (and some of the others) use on all their stuff: computer terminals, chemical vials, light switches, you name it. It's one of those great reoccurring touches they put in to tie the villain groups together and I'll be damned if I don't write the definitive English-to-Rider Villain/Rider Villain-to-English Dictionary some day. And maybe the Japanese edition too!

Oh, and I love the camaraderie between Lens-Ari & Kamisori-Hitode, with them banging their hands together like that in a Destron high-five. I'm always big on the villain teamwork thang.

So after some crawling through ventilation shafts, Tachibana & the boys arrive just into time to witness the Salem Witch Trials: Destron Edition, wherein those creepy black-robed hooded guys prepare to set burn Junko & Shigeru at the... cross? Hey man, Japan, different standards, okay?

On that note, I should point out that the rather Klansmen-looking hoods worn by the robed guys are referencing the hoods worn by medieval executionors and inquisitors, and like the manji/fylfot/swastika, it's just one of those things which crops up a lot and means different things all over the world, but unfortunately carries a negative association in some parts. So I can only really say that no, there isn't any political subtext going on; in this context, it just looks sinister and evil, which is what Destron is all about.

So what's the Destron Hell Corps been up to? Highway robbery, of course! Although it leads to their downfall by way of Kazami, who had earlier snuck off with some antidote for Destron's mind-controlling narcs and the contents of those big metal briefcases they nicked at the beginning of the episode.

For you see, our hero stages the most elaborate rescue yet, making a surprise appearance yet again as one of the evil bikers and then revealing he cured them all of their evil influence, allowing them to act as getaway bikes for the rest of the good guys. Owned! Well, at least they got neat Destron logos on their shirts to take home as a memento.

Oh, and note that when Kazami transforms, Junko is not only still within earshot, but the bike she's on is seen driving past him as he's doing the Henshin. Starting to see what I mean here?

A truly epic fight follows, with V3 first dealing with Lens-Ari & then Kamisori-Hitode. I like how there's a good warm-up fight with some of the Combatants too. Check out that random explosion when V3's driving right towards them on the Hurricane, and Lens-Ari picks up and crushes a prop in utter frustration. That's is what Kamen Rider's all about, people.

So wondering about the title of the episode? It comes into play near the end, when V3 pulls out yet another of the 26 Secrets: Red Lamp Power. The... well, Red Lamp on his belt lights up, as does the "V" positioned between the two Typhoons. And our hero absorbs the energy beams from Lens-Ari's eyes, and sends it right back at him, except double the power.

This results in a killer scene where V3 walks undaunted through an explosion, a precursor to similar scenes with Roborider, Kuuga Titan Form & the like. He does the aforementioned Red Lamp Power move, and this causes Lens-Ari to be blinded by his own attack, and easily finished off by the V3 Kirimomi Kick. And the best part? V3's total laid-back reaction as Lens-Ari claws at his eyes and screams out in rage! Brutal.

And then Kamisori-Hitode comes outta nowhere! Round 2, and the starfishy guy gets to show off some cool powers (like flammable white foam from that thingy on his stomach, and instant-regenerative powers for his bladed arm.) Even those aren't enough to stop the big green one though, and another Destron Kaijin soon falls to the feet of V3.

So it all ends happily enough, with some friendly flamingos in place of those freaky peacocks from last time. And really, if that isn't a metaphor for life, what is? Wait...

"Toh!"

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Rider Screencaps!










Next Time: Hand over my heart, if you put aside all the episodes with Riderman, a Major Destron Officer going bye-bye or the Double Riders showing up, the upcoming two-parter is one of my favorite V3 stories of all. Maybe even favorite Kamen Rider stories of all. Which is pretty good considering the end of it drives me absolutely crazy, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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