2026 is the 55th birthday of the Kamen Rider franchise overall. It's already known that I'm NOT particularly interested in the Showa-era Kamen Rider series. It can be helpful to watch some old shows (like watching older Super Sentai seasons, which is now advisable if you haven't), but there are times when newer shows can be better (based on execution). Kamen Rider Zeztz is on the 55th year of The First Kamen Rider, with Kamen Rider Revice being the 50th year. So yeah, I confess I was already feeling indifferent about Kamen Rider causing me to barely give "updates" or even reactions of updates here, in favor of other passions or watching some older media I haven't watched.
Zeztz's premise has Baku Yorozu as the main Kamen Rider recruited by the Confidential Organized Defensive Establishment, or CODE. CODE's supposedly fighting the phenomenon called Nightmares -- monsters born out of nightmares. The Nightmares affect both dreams and the real world. The Nightmares threaten dreams, and eventually, reality itself can be distorted in the process. The formula seems simple at first: stopping Nightmares. It seems standard, and we've had multiple Kamen Riders caught in the conflict (the standard formula that somehow keeps Kamen Rider alive). The drama build-up is hard to talk about without ANY SPOILERS getting into it.
It would be difficult to talk about the show without spoilers!
I would try to keep the spoiling so much. However, I believe it becomes important to talk about the true enemy of the show is the abstract concept of CORRUPTION. Yes, CORRUPTION. In fact, the corruption within the show tries to override Rider vs. Villain, forcing people to face corruption from within. The crime drama element of corruption from within becomes Spoiler Territory!
The organization CODE was originally built to contain nightmares. However, each person can be consumed by ambition and internal conflict. The plot withi CODE is all about internal corruption -- not CODE as a massive evil organization. Think about how Logos in Kamen Rider Saber got corrupted over time. However, corruption as a villain is an ABSTRACT CONCEPT that the hero Baku can truly combat. Baku sees peoeple within the organization become corrupted. However, even corruption in itself often clashes with the desire to be simply human. Some villains in the show (so many spoilers) are merely puppets of the true villain -- CORRUPTION!
The Nightmares do pose a threat but what if the fights gets compounded from WITHIN? Seeing all the corruption drama in Zeztz truly was an interconnection. The Nightmares and corruption within CODE can becme a series of revelations too hard to discuss without spoilers. A grieving mother? A friend from the past? All that becomes too difficult to talk about without spoiling anything.
The maturity concept in the drama
What truly brought me into the series after feeling "down" with
Kamen Rider Gotchard and
Kamen Rider Gavv is the "maturity". Sure, the concept of a dream-like
Kamen Rider can feel too juvenile. However, exploring the very complex relations is what
Kamen Rider, during the Heisei to Reiwa era tried to build on. In fact, Dryed Mangoez gives this insight in
his final episode review:
The season started out with a brisk pace. Little did I know at the time that was because they were basically going to do a reset as the midseason climax. Lol But because the story moved so fast at the start, it did build a strong foundation grounded in what were and are very strong and endearing characters. Whether it’s our sleepy hero or a mysterious Lady, each character was a distinct piece of the puzzle.
That puzzle definitely came apart a couple of times during the season. Or not came apart, but the pieces came loose I guess. I still do feel like the story’s reliance on the memory wipes and resets and undo-buttoning was a bit of a narrative crutch which contributed to feeling like slowing down or even stagnation at some points. Like it started to become repetitive. Even though admittedly, the show still did use dream and mind, like, elements (I don’t even know what to call them lol) in creative ways to justify such “Sike!” moments.
I think that might be one of the best things the season did. Those creative implementations of like, concepts and themes. Like, taking real world psychological and physiological concepts and using them as storytelling mechanics. Like how the Mind’s Door was the gateway to deep subconscious space. Or how these negative thoughts in the mind and trauma and insecurities can affect the rest of the mind and body. Or how the travels into the Dream World and sleep depravation or even lack of good sleep can take a toll on your body. Or how a mind works while in a coma perhaps. Then there’s idea of dreams as in goals and ideals. Things you can see in your mind and want to become a reality. The series definitely took that idea and ran with it.
All that maturity is hard to ignore. I don't even want to see it as a "kiddie show," even when it is. All the psychological drama with the action makes it a MUST-WATCH after I felt "down" with Gotchard and Gavv. So yeah, I missed the Kamen Rider My-th updates. Hehe!
Comments
Post a Comment