Kamen Rider Amazon is the fourth Kamen Rider Series in the Showa era and the shortest series so far, with 24 episodes. Aside from the fact that the series “revolutionized” the franchise by its gore and the Rider itself considering that Amazon’s design is not based on an insect like the other Riders before him.
Because of a plane crash, a young Japanese baby called Daisuke Yamamoto was stuck in the Amazon Rainforest and was adopted by an Incan Tribe. Years later, he grew into a wild man and one day, the Ten-Faced Demon, Gorgos attacked the Tribe and slaughtered everyone because he is looking for the mystical armlet that would grant the user great power.
Therefore, Elder Bago decides to do an operation that will transform Daisuke into a creature using the mystical Gigi Armlet and Incan Science and orders Daisuke to go to Japan and look for the Dr. Kousaka who will help him understand the power of the armlet. Apparently, he knows Daisuke’s parents. Elder Bago asked him to take good care of the Armlet before he breathe his last.
Daisuke sneaks inside a ship that is going to Japan. O_O Wait a minute, how did he know that the ship is going to Japan? Anyways, when he arrives to Japan, he goes looking for a scientist who can help him, and there he met Masahiko Okamura who is the first person he befriended. Because Daisuke cannot speak and only growls what he says, he gave him the name, Amazon since he knew that he came from the Amazon thanks to the scientist in which both of them are related.
The Beastman that is pursuing him, the Spider Beastman, has found Amazon and Masahiko witnessed Amazon’s transformation into a creature. Because of this, Masahiko gave him the name, Kamen Rider Amazon and Amazon Rider. At the end of the first episode, Amazon never knew the secret within his armlet because Spider Beastman killed Dr. Kousaka before Amazon learned something about his armlet.
As the series progressed, we learned the reason why the Ten-Faced Demon wants Amazon’s Gigi Armlet. The said armlet holds great power that once it combined with Gorgos’ Gaga Armlet (Which looked like the Gigi Armlet except its “nose” is inverse from the Gigi Armlet) it would grant the user of both Armlets great power and with it, the Ten-Faced Demon will use it to conquer the world.
Aside from that, he befriended Tobei Tachibana, who he first met in a motorcycle race and forced Amazon, I mean teach him how to ride a motorcycle. Later on, he gives Amazon his personal bike, the Jungler and so far, one of Tachibana’s most vibrant work.
He later made friends with Mogura Jujin (Trans. Mole Beastman), one of Geddon’s Beastmen who first aligned with Geddon whose mission is to kill Amazon and get his armlet. However, because of his failures in killing Amazon, he was placed outside the ground and forced to die in a heat stroke but because Amazon saved him, he later aided Amazon in his various adventures and was affectionately called, Mogura by Amazon and company.
As the series progressed, Amazon slowly adapts into society and is slowly being civilized thanks to Masahiko and Ritsuko’s help who gave him his clothes. Later, with the help of Masahiko, he learns who to speak and read Japanese.
After the defeat of the Ten-Faced Demon, Gorgos and the fall of Geddon, a new organization appeared called Garanda Empire, led by the Great Emperor Zero who is focused on conquering the world unlike its predecessor. Will Amazon defeat him? That is what I want you to find out.
On to the review, I got interested with this show thanks to the YouTube clips that I found online, to be exact, those clips with Amazon killing the Beastman of the week. That is when I learned more about the series and learned the HiNoTori Fansubs in subbing the entire thing; I got the chance to watch the series. Since this series is best known in the franchise for its gore, I will start with it.
The series aired back in 1974-1975 so I didn’t expect that the effects are top-notched but during the time that a thing called CGI doesn’t exist in mainstream, the effects team need to be creative in terms of the blood spurting coming from the enemies Amazon will… err, mutilate. Due to their creativity, the effects worked and it really created a huge impression that Amazon is a wild man coming from the depths of the Amazon Rainforest and martial arts is not in his field. Because of its gore, moral guardians have problems with this show considering that Kamen Rider is a superhero show and kids admire superheroes.
About Amazon, in the earlier episodes, Amazon usually growls, giving people a hard time in understanding him. There is one episode that Amazon got lost in the city, like what most people would describe it; an urban jungle. With him being lost in this “jungle” he hard time in understanding his fellow humans that in some point, he almost hated the humans he must protect. One thing that I loved about Amazon is that he is a child who was suddenly forced to learn the ways of the world in a hard way considering that he never got the chance to learn how to speak and the only way for others to understand him is by a hand sign that means, “Friendship.” That is the charm of the series.
A fun factor about the series is that as Amazon slowly becomes “civilize,” his fighting style evolves. First, his fighting style involves him jumping the enemy, biting the hell out from his opponent and involves fewer fists, more grunts and slashing. But as the series progressed, his fighting style evolves. Not only he does his usual tactic to jump, bite and attack, he finally involves more use of his fist and uses more his own style of attacking his opponent. Along with it, he started calling his slash finisher as Dai Setsudan (Trans. Big Slice) and later his kick, Amazon Kick.
Since he is the first Rider whose design is not based on an insect, I would comment on that. Because of his radical design, earlier in the series only a couple of beings trusted him, the first one who trusted him was Masahiko, later Tobei and later, those people who saved him. Ritsuko was the last from the core cast who trusted him because according to her, it is Amazon’s fault that Geddon came in Japan because of his armlet. After Amazon saved her, she trusted Amazon. And in theory, that is the point that the Amazon’s World Arc in Kamen Rider Decade that they worked on with and added modern flavor on it.
In addition, I love the fact that you can keep on guessing which creature Amazon was based. Based on my research, he was based on a chameleon but his fangs gave him an impression that his head more looks like of that of a piranha or a fanged lizard… anyways, Amazon is the first Rider that looks like he never wore a mask. Because of his origins, you can say he transformed into a different creature and it was clearly emphasized in Amazon’s World Arc in Kamen Rider Decade.
Masahiko was one of the believable characters in the series. Aside from the fact that he has this charm that he is a really a kid, add the fact that he easily trusted Amazon, he is smart and if knows he can do something to help Amazon, he will do it.
On to the two halves of the series, first, I will talk about the first half that involved Geddon. To be honest, I never find Geddon quite a threat in world peace considering that they just want Amazon’s Gigi Armlet and once they get it, this is when their plan for conquering the world will come into fulfillment.
Their leader, The Ten-Faced Demon, Gorgos was probably one of the creepiest Rider boss designs I have seen in the Showa Era. Its large head, other nine talking faces swear about killing Amazon once the camera pans on them and the fact that he is an intimidating figurehead gave me an impression that Amazon will have a hard time in defeating him… and he did.
In the build up on their final battle, when Amazon got the chance to be near with Gorgos, he tries his best to attack him but because he flies, it took Amazon some time to defeat one of its faces.
As for the episodes in the first half, it is retro gore fest in some episodes and most of the time; it involves Amazon’s growth from an uncivilized wild man coming from the Amazon into a civilized man known in his birth records as Daisuke Yamamoto while retaining his inner wildness. The first half is the series in its prime because it involves the growth of our hero before he started to face the bigger threat, the Garanda Empire.
On the second half of the show, after Gorgos’ arm was cut off and before Amazon got the chance to get the Gaga Armlet (Rah! Rah! Ra-ah-ah! Roma… oops, bad timing to place Lady Gaga reference!) that was found in the mutilated arm, Black Followers from a different organization came to take it. Garanda Empire has just made its presence.
Unlike its predecessor, they are into conquering the world and Amazon is just one of the things they need to take care off for them to be successful in conquering the world. This is what I say a bigger threat. Most of the episodes in the second half felt like a standard tokusatsu episode back in the 70’s with the monster of the week and the problem of the week in tow. My problem with these episodes is that the trademark gore of the previous half is slowly diminishing… but some episodes in this half in which we saw good ol’ Amy removing the head of the monster. Makes me suddenly wish that Amazon will appear on a Mortal Kombat game!
The best thing about the Garanda Empire is the fact that they are bent in destroying the world that they don’t care if Amazon has the Gigi Armlet. They just proceed with their plan. One of my favorite Garanda plots involves the Sea Anemone Beastman in which we saw it suck the blood of its victims and gives his own blood in his victims to turn them into his slaves. Another favorite plot of mine involves the Zero Device, a device that is needed to create a devastating earthquake that will destroy Tokyo once activated.
As for their boss, Great Emperor Zero, he is indeed a real threat. Aside from his intimidating presence, he doesn’t accept failure and he himself eliminates those who failed him by using his spear that emits sparks that once you got hit, you will instantly die.
The best part of Zero is that Amazon never had a chance to transform into his Rider form! If he tries to transform, Zero will just use his spear and he will revert to normal… unless a certain armlet is here to give him more power.
One of the biggest surprises in this half is the death of Mogura Jujin. Sure was just an aide and probably a prototype of Kamen Rider Den-O’s Taros, he is one of those lovable support characters considering that he is the only kaijin during that time that aligned itself with the good guys… until Whale Mutant appeared in Kamen Rider BLACK. One of the things that I loved about Mogura is he is sometimes a comic relief character and sometimes he cowers in fear when some of the enemy Beastmen appeared. Even with that, there are some episodes in which we saw Mogura’s heroic side, to be exact is his last few moments and the episode he protected the girl he liked… who turned out to be one of the bad guys. Ouch. Because of these qualities, seeing him died gave me an impact that he is one of the most human characters in the series despite its appearance.
As a guy who barely watched a Showa Era Kamen Rider show, (First was BLACK then this.) and based on my research that there are crossover episodes in which the previous Riders will make an appearance but to my disappointment, it never happened which became the one of the turning points in the franchise. This is the first series that doesn’t involve the Senior Riders to appear which will later happen in some series in the franchise especially in the Heisei Era… till Decade came along.
Overall, Kamen Rider Amazon is a fun series to watch. It was something out of the box from a standard Kamen Rider show. Aside from the fact that you do not need to be based on an insect to be called a Kamen Rider (Looks at Agito), it also changed the face of the franchise in terms of story and in terms of special effects. In the time with no CGI, they have to be creative to give us the impression that Amazon is a wild man from the Amazon… and it worked. From the Kamen Rider Series that I watched, this is one of my personal faves because of its ingenuity and its style.
All together, Amazon, tomodachi. *Ukiya does the Amazonian Friendship Sign.*