First up, if you've been following the whisperings of Kamen Rider Ryuki being adapted for American TV, well, Henshin Justice Unlimited has something you should see. I'll give some more in-depth comments another time, but I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the trailer. I have no idea how this will turn out in the end, but it at least looks like they're going in the right direction.
Wait! Don't run off just yet though, because it's time for the review you've been waiting for. That's right, it's...
Kamen Rider Episode #39 “The Great Murderer’s Party of Wolf-Man”
I have often described this as the "Best Christmas-themed Episode Of Anything Ever" and while I'll admit a few other Tokusatsu Christmas episodes come pretty close in sheer wackiness, a few things set this one apart from, well, any other Christmas-themed episode of anything. Ever. So let's roll!
A couple of guys in ridiculously huge party hats are on their way home from some good old-fashioned Christmas drinkin', and are smashed beyond belief. When one goes off to, er, relieve himself, his buddy soon realizes that's probably a good idea before they hop on the train home and follows suit. He ends up tripping on the body of his intoxicated friend, who suddenly grows fangs and turns into a werewolf monster. And no, it's not a delusion caused by alcohol. It's a real werewolf monster, and it's @#$%in' biting the guy's neck! You know, typical evening stuff in Tokyo.
At any rate, that's one innocent victim down thanks to Ookami-Otoko. Colonel Zol & some Shocker henchmen show up shortly after, and despite initially attacking them, Wolfie soon gives in when Zol pulls out a sonic dog whistle. Since wolves are canine and all tha- oh, you know what I mean. Before leaving, the good Colonel notices a kid's shoe and doll nearby. Uh-oh, you know where this is leading: some little girl witnessed the whole thing.
Wait! It gets even better. Said little girl (Kumi) is from an orphanage where our heroes also happen to be chillin' because, hey, that's what good guys do. They're helping to decorate the Christmas tree, which leads to one of the best conversations in Kamen Rider ever.
Ichimonji: Hey kiddo, what do you want for Christmas?
Kid: To meet Kamen Rider! Even more than Santa Claus!
Other Kid: Yeah! Kamen Rider!
Ichimonji: Um...
Taki: No problem! We'll make sure Kamen Rider will be here. Right, Ichimonji?
Ichimonji: ...Uh...sure...
Anyways, This being an Ichimonji episode, things are about to go totally crazy pretty soon. To make a long story short, Kumi tells Ichimonji about what she saw, and while understandably skeptical, he doesn't doubt her story. Zol determines who the shoe belongs to, and when Ichimonji & Taki go to investigate the place where the murder happened, he's already there, posing as a cop, telling them to get lost and simultaneously confirming that somebody did indeed see something they shouldn't have. So you know what that means. Someone must DIE!
Ookami-Otoko and some Shocker goons show up to kidnap the girl, but get a fast one pulled on them by the good guys, which leads to a big fight. Rider 2 nearly manages to defeat the blue wolf, but he vanishes, seemingly escaping.
Later, Kumi reveals that, as she heard in the beginning of the episode, the Ookami-Otoko we've seen thus far is merely "an experimental version" created by the "Wolf Virus" as part of Shocker's "Operation Wolf". With no leads beyond that, Taki's FBI buddies help move the plot along by sending a radio transmission that a Shocker bigwig has just arrived in Japan via helicopter, and he has something to do with this "Operation Wolf". So looks like it's time to bust some more heads!
Ichimonji & Taki dispense with subtlety and just launch an all-out attack on Shocker. Our main man has a cool duel with the Nazi-esque Shocker Officer in the helicopter that ends with him throwing the villain's brief case to Taki, knocking out both of the bad guys and leaping to safety right before the chopper explodes!
Inside the briefcase, the guys find a strange costume and an invitation card signed by Zol himself.
Yes, Shocker is having a party and our heroes just invited themselves. Using the invitation card as a means to get past security, Taki sneaks in wearing the creepy costume, and soon finds himself surrounded by others wearing the same garb. Zol is the master of ceremonies, and announces that this party is held in honor of the imminent success of "Operation Wolf". While the rest of the world may be celebrating Christmas, this will be the last Christmas for them ever, cuz Shocker is going to be calling the shots soon.
Zol tells everyone to remove their costumes, and it all becomes clear: these are Zol's fellow ex-Nazis, who went into hiding after the war and became some of the founding Shocker members. Now they're all here under one roof. Of course, Taki doesn't remove his costume, which is the idea- Zol believes it's Ichimonji under the hood, and is pretty unhappy to discover the truth. Taki fights his way out and meets up with Ichimonji, who tells him he's set the place to explode. Because that's how you solve problems with Ichimonji- why bother trying to find an antidote to the Wolf Virus when you can just blow it all the hell up? And that's exactly what they do, trapping all of Zol's Nazi buddies in the ensuing blast.
Zol himself escapes unscathed, and is now majorly ticked. He reveals to Ichimonji that he too is a Kaizô-Ningen: the original Ookami-Otoko, who spreads the virus by his bite, and that he alone can still fulfill the plan. Zol transforms, and a spectacular fight follows. Keep in mind that, while it's practically expected nowadays that major Rider bad guys will have some kind of monster alter-ego, back in 1971 nobody had a clue Zol was anything other than a nasty Shocker ringleader, so there's some extra coolness to the fact that he turns out to be the real monster of the week (the earlier experimental Ookami-Otoko, created by this one's bite, apparently went up in the explosion along with all them other guys.)
Despite having rocket-firing hands and some tricky moves, Ookami-Otoko succumbs to a Rider Punch. Colonel Zol is defeated, "Operation Wolf" is in the can, and a happy ending with all the expected holiday cheer soon follows. Kamen Rider shows up for the Christmas party at the end...
...and hands out, among other things, Kamen Rider toys. Merchandising, Baaaa-by!
So there you go, only in the original Kamen Rider will you find a Christmas-themed episode involving werewolf mutants killing innocent drunkards late at night, Nazis being crushed to death by dirt, and a major villain being defeated after being punched in the face. See why I say this series is my favorite now?
And on that note folks, it's almost time for Christmas Day on my end, so I leave you with warm wishes for a Merry Christmas, A Happy New Year, and the all-new Kaijin Of The Month.
See you in 2007!
Wow! Cool! I wonder why is not Zol and in his place Dr. Shinigami who appears in Kamen Rider The First (thanks to certain help i was able to watch it!).
ReplyDeleteAnd, as is said in my country... FELIZ NAVIDAD!
Kamen Rider Ghost
Merry X'Mas to you too! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteAlright, now that Wolf Mutant is defeated, too all a good night.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one thing I love about old Riders show is the Sacred Insanely Long Episode Titles. Hahahah.
ReplyDeleteHave a good Boxing day, guys!
That was awesome :) I remember in an episode of Black where the kaijin was kicking some major butt, it was clearly a one-sided battle. However, Black used a Kingstone Flash and a Kick to defeat him instantly.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Riders mock weak kaijin by inflating their egos till they (literally) explode :)