From all the Showa Era Kamen Rider Series, it still bothers some fans on the choice between Amazon. They can use ZX which is kinda like Decade of its time, except he is a ninja and no dimension walls.
Or, they can use the original Double Riders to give a good transition between old gen and new gen. Plus, it would be fun if we saw the original actors back… or if they can’t do it, have those guys for THE FIRST reprise their respective roles and use the personalities established by the original ones.
Or have V3 appear since he is also a fan fave, plus, he has a lot of fans in Hawaii! If they can't have Miyauchi back they can use his THE NE... nevermind.
But why Amazon? Here are my theories. It’s the only Showa Era series that is fully fan subbed. Second, it is the first series that changed the face of Kamen Rider forever with its Rider having a radical design and gore being introduce to the franchise, third, it is the shortest series and Decade would end up being one eventually, and lastly, Amazon is just too awesome not to place in this series!
So let’s get this review rolling! Tsukasa and co. entered a new world. In this world, Tsukasa cosplays as a baseball player. In this world, everyone greets Nazi style. Since Tsukasa and co. didn’t greet them back Nazi style, they are accused as being enemies of Dai Shocker, the organization that the group is opposing. And so, three monsters appeared, to apprehend them but someone appeared, a foreigner that wears red and gray clothes and screams, “A-MA-ZOON!” Yep, we are in Amazon’s World, now under Dai Shocker’s hands.
Unlike most worlds that were attacked by Dai Shocker, in this world, Dai Shocker has taken full control. By full control, no one questions them and the towns people knew they are the good guys. Yep, you guess it, the people cheered for the three creepy monsters than to our bug-eyed heroes. This is one great world, a very great world!
Since this is a world conquered by Dai Shocker, we learned that they are actually training goons! In this world, Dai Shocker has a school to train goons to aid the bad guys. One of those students is Masahiko Okamura, one of the best students of Dai Shocker School Due to his grades, he was asked by Apollo Geist and the Ten-Faced Demon, Llumu Qhimil to get Amazon’s Gigi Armlet, Amazon’s source of power, in short, his transformation device. For him to get his Armlet, the only way is to deceive Amazon. Will Masahiko be successful in stealing his Armlet? Will Amazon easily trust this boy? That is for you to find out.
On to the review, this is probably one of the strongest arcs in the entire series. Strong, plot wise, why? Because unlike the previous worlds with this similar theme of “this is the world were the bad guys live” as pointed out by Igadevil, this is the prefect evil world. The civilians don’t know that they are supporting the bad guys and are cheering for those who are supposed to be the villains! The concept was well executed in this arc that is why, it is worth the rewatch.
On to AU Amazon, unlike Kotaro from the previous arc, a different actor portrayed this Amazon. My problem with this Amazon is that, while calling his attacks, his voice kinda sound relaxed, and does not sound the angry jungle boy kid that most fans knew.
To those who don’t know the original series quite well, here’s some info about the show. The show can be divided into two parts, the first part is Amazon’s fight against Geddon, and the second half is his fight against Garanda Empire. In the first half, we see a much feral Amazon, this Amazon doesn’t know that his real name is Daisuke Miyamoto. Only the narrator, the audience and those close to Amazon’s parents know his real name. As the series progressed, with the help of Masahiko, he becomes more civilized, both fighting style wise and personality wise. Aside that he started wearing clothes, he slowly learns how to read, speak and in the process, write Japanese with the help of Masahiko. This is the Amazon that was presented here, a very civilized one found in the second half of the series.
I have no problems with AU civilized Amazon since most of his traits were directly lifted from the original series, the fact that he easily trusts anyone, heck, from all the Riders that Decade met, only Amazon never attacked him (Unless you consider AU Shouichi being Agito different from when he was Exceed Gills, make it two.)! Second, he still loves kids as seen with the scene with Masahiko and lastly, he travels the world, which he did at the end of the series, but unlike the original series in which he travels the world to discover more of himself, he travels the world in this AU World to find a place for him to belong. In my opinion, AU Amazon here is a mix between civilized Amazon’s personality and feral Amazon’s quest in looking for the place were he belongs.
On to Masahiko, AU Masahiko here is not likable, period. Unlike the original Masahiko in which was Amazon’s first friend in Japan, that helps Amazon if he can help him. By help, by distracting the enemy, or attack the enemy, ala Scrappy Doo with his “let me at ‘em” thing except that he already attacked the monster before he will be stopped by anyone of the supporting cast, or in the earlier episodes, become Amazon’s translator to those who had a hard time understanding him. He was only likable at the end of the arc.
For the Ten-Faced Demon here, Llumu Qhimil, I love he redesigned look! The problem with the original Ten-Faced Demon, Gorgos, is the fact that he suck at close range combat, making Amazon able to scratch at least two of his faces when they first battled. If my memory serves me correctly, his skills are: floating, spitting fire from his giant face in the middle, create monsters, drink blood and my personal favorite, each face will say “Kill Amazon.”
In this arc, I love how they redesigned him to make him look more ancient and Incan. The good mix of gold and earth colors make him looked like an authentic villain that was spawned during the ancient times. Aside from that, he had a power boost. Now he has the ability to return the attack done by the enemy Rider using his return faces! My problem with it is that, those faces never felt like faces but more of mask. Aw, I suddenly missed the fat face, the old face and the extremely old face saying this line, “*insert monster name*, kill Amazon!”
Aside from that, the redesigns of the Armlets looked good. The Gigi Armlet looked like it had more nifty details added to it, while the Gaga Armelt was completely redesigned. Aside with the gold and earth colors, they ignored the original series use of both Armlets on Amazon. In the original series, Amazon is not wearing both Armlets on both arms, instead, the Gaga Armlet is attached at the opposite end of the Gigi Armlet (Hence the “mouth thing” in the design in the Armlet). When I first saw it, all I can say is, it is so ridiculous! As I see Amazon fight while seeing the Gaga Armlet “dangling” as he slashes Emperor Zero, I can’t help to thing this thought, “Will it fall?” Luckily, it never fell down, but seeing how ridiculous it looked like, I guess they decided to fix this issue and make it look like that Amazon is wearing both Armlets.
As for the battles, Amazon’s signature impaling is still present but since this is the era with CGI, they decided to keep those fights in a certain distance. In short, in one scene in which he bites the Bakeneko, its on a distance just for us to see the blood spurting out from the creature. This is the only disappointment in this arc aside from Amazon’s lack of energy in his screams. Seriously, this arc is only two episodes! Why can’t they give older fans the gore Amazon is know for! By gore, the close-up one with blood spurting out from his enemies and limbs being removed from the enemy. Seriously, I want to see monster limbs fly out, or in the battle between Llumu Qhimil, see his head fly out from his body with blood spurting out from it! Kinda like how he killed Shin Emperor Zero at the finale of the original series!
Overall, like I said, it is one of the best arcs that this series has offered to its fans. Asides that they try their best to give an authentic Amazon to older fans (Which, I might say is passable, personality wise), they gave this world a good arc to watch. Aside from the BLACK x BLACK RX arc, Kuuga arc and Hibiki arc, this is one of my personal favorites prior the World of Rider War arc.
As Tsukasa and co. prepares for a group photo, Eijiro drops a new backdrop, it’s the World of Rider War. But first, before they ended up on that place, they went to stop over in a different world in which an old house is present and it seems this world is familiar in Tsukasa’s eyes. Yep, next up, Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai Shocker Director’s Cut.
Aside from that, the redesigns of the Armlets looked good. The Gigi Armlet looked like it had more nifty details added to it, while the Gaga Armelt was completely redesigned. Aside with the gold and earth colors, they ignored the original series use of both Armlets on Amazon. In the original series, Amazon is not wearing both Armlets on both arms, instead, the Gaga Armlet is attached at the opposite end of the Gigi Armlet (Hence the “mouth thing” in the design in the Armlet). When I first saw it, all I can say is, it is so ridiculous! As I see Amazon fight while seeing the Gaga Armlet “dangling” as he slashes Emperor Zero, I can’t help to thing this thought, “Will it fall?” Luckily, it never fell down, but seeing how ridiculous it looked like, I guess they decided to fix this issue and make it look like that Amazon is wearing both Armlets.
As for the battles, Amazon’s signature impaling is still present but since this is the era with CGI, they decided to keep those fights in a certain distance. In short, in one scene in which he bites the Bakeneko, its on a distance just for us to see the blood spurting out from the creature. This is the only disappointment in this arc aside from Amazon’s lack of energy in his screams. Seriously, this arc is only two episodes! Why can’t they give older fans the gore Amazon is know for! By gore, the close-up one with blood spurting out from his enemies and limbs being removed from the enemy. Seriously, I want to see monster limbs fly out, or in the battle between Llumu Qhimil, see his head fly out from his body with blood spurting out from it! Kinda like how he killed Shin Emperor Zero at the finale of the original series!
Overall, like I said, it is one of the best arcs that this series has offered to its fans. Asides that they try their best to give an authentic Amazon to older fans (Which, I might say is passable, personality wise), they gave this world a good arc to watch. Aside from the BLACK x BLACK RX arc, Kuuga arc and Hibiki arc, this is one of my personal favorites prior the World of Rider War arc.
As Tsukasa and co. prepares for a group photo, Eijiro drops a new backdrop, it’s the World of Rider War. But first, before they ended up on that place, they went to stop over in a different world in which an old house is present and it seems this world is familiar in Tsukasa’s eyes. Yep, next up, Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai Shocker Director’s Cut.