Shin Kamen Rider; or, Tokusatsu: Far From Home Please use your power for the people. Use your power to protect the weak. A year after the premiere of Shin Ultraman (2022), Tokusatsu fans were presented with the conclusion of the Shin Trilogy of movies cooked up by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. The final instalment focuses on one of Toei’s greatest heroes: Kamen Rider, a motorcycle-riding fighter of justice originally created by manga artist and producer Shotaro Ishinomori.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: シン・仮面ライダー Runtime: 121 min
Synopsis A mysterious group called the Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling (in short: SHOCKER) kidnaps Takeshi Hongo (Sosuke Ikematsu) and attempts to transform him into a brainwashed synthetic animal hybrid known as Augment. Hongo undergoes a transformation into Grasshopper-Aug 01, but he retains his human willpower and identity. He is rescued by Professor Hiroshi Midorikawa (Shinya Tsukamoto) and his daughter Ruriko (Minami Hamabe). Midorikawa explains that he gave Hongo the superhuman power of prana for the purpose of defeating SHOCKER. Hongo becomes Kamen Rider and starts to fight the evil organization. Soon after, another Kamen Rider, Hayato Ichimonji (Tasuku Emoto), joins Hongo in his quest.
Fanboyism: The Motion Picture If you go back and read my reviews of Shin Gojira and Neon Genesis Evangelion, you can tell that I have issues with the auteur artist Hideaki Anno. I try to stay open-minded and appreciate his original input into the realm of visual arts, but there are times when he just takes things way too far in order to please himself. Shin Kamen Rider reflects exactly that.
Whereas Shinji Higuchi’s Shin Ultraman was an enjoyable light-hearted ride that paid tribute to the original content, Shin Kamen Rider delivers the same format but in a very washed out manner. The dynamic, nearly break-neck action is there, but it does not feel compelling. The stakes are there, but you do not feel motivated to root for the characters who are stone cold in their expression of emotions and delivery of lines. A comfortable fanboy aura is there also, but you have experienced it already in the previous entry of Shin flicks.
Perhaps Hideaki Anno wanted to play things safe, or he might have been given a tight deadline by Toei. Either way, Shin Kamen Rider is a disjointed mess that desperately attempts to satisfy 50-something fans of the original series who were children back in the 1970s. Unfortunately, fanboyism is not enough to make this movie good. Personally, I would appreciate it more had Anno gone for a traditional remake that would reintroduce the character of Kamen Rider for a new generation of cinemagoers. Show the character’s origin and give us the standard good vs. evil story without analytical breakdown of the villain’s psyche.
That being said, there are a few things that I enjoyed in the film. For example, the 70s vintage production design, the sound effects, basically the whole showdown with Hachi Aug-01 (but mainly because of Nanase Nishino’s sismance-charged performance), and of course numerous small parts done by such actors as Shinya Tsukamoto, Mikako Ichikawa, Takumi Saitoh, and Yutaka Takenouchi. Unfortunately, Masami Nagasawa’s cameo as Scorpion-Aug seems too awkward and too out-of-the-blue for the context of this film.
Recommendations All things considered, this is definitely the weakest entry of the Shin Trilogy. When the end credits rolled in, I experienced one of the rare moments in my life that I felt as if I wasted time. However, perhaps Hideaki Anno’s fans will react differently. Shin Kamen Rider just did not click with me. I prefer to stick with the original series and explore the franchise further.
Overall score: 5/10
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Shin Ultraman; or, In the Tokuverse of Madness Some things are only clear when you are in between. I believe this is why I exist. Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, the creative duo behind Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) and Shin Godzilla (2016) return once again to the Tokusatsu genre. Supervised by the Toho Studios and Tsuburaya Productions, the Shin Ultraman movie is the latest instalment in Higuchi and Anno’s so-called Shin Japan Heroes Universe, a marketing project that aims to reinvent the most popular Kaiju heroes.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: シン・ウルトラマン Runtime: 112 min
Synopsis Japan is known as the only country on Earth that is constantly plagued by kaiju monsters. For this reason, the government created a special team known as S-Class Species Suppression Protocol, so they could analyse the giant monsters and help the military in fighting them off. However, the recent attacks render the team helpless. All of a sudden, an extraterrestrial being called Ultraman appears and saves the day. Who is Ultraman? Is he a friend or a foe? The arrival of a mysterious alien sets in motion a chain of events that may lead to the annihilation of Earth.
Nostalgia Service Allow me to start my review by saying that I am not a massive fan of Ultraman. It is not that I dislike the franchise, but I never felt the need to check it out in full apart from bits and pieces on YouTube. As a result, Shin Ultraman is my first proper interaction with this series that has been around for over 50 years now.
At first, I was a bit weary of the movie given the fact that it was cooked up by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno. As I have stated in my review of Shin Godzilla, I did not greatly enjoy their NGE-charged take at the Godzilla mythos. I was afraid that the directors will repeat their fanboy mojo concerned with fatalism, depression, and bureaucracy in Ultraman, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Shin Ultraman is, for all accounts and purposes, a love letter to the original series that started it, Ultra Q (1966), and to the general spirit of good old Tokusatsu shows from the Showa era. When handing over his script for the film in 2019, Hideaki Anno stated that his intention was not to introduce Ultraman for a new generation of young spectators, but to adults who used to watch the show in their childhood (source). Shinji Higuchi also added that they purposely avoided repeating the bleak style of Shin Godzilla to avoid blandness.
In consequence, Shin Ultraman is light-hearted, special-effects charged spectacle that can be enjoyed by Toku fans across the globe, even those who are unfamiliar with Ultraman. In fact, I dare to say, the movie feels more like a miniseries rather than a feature due to its narrative structure. Every 20 minutes or so, we get new monsters, new threats, and action set pieces thrown at us. Brisk pacing of the film coupled with top-notch cinematography, tight editing, and the soundtrack evocative of classic Tsuburaya TV shows amounts to a more than entertaining viewing experience.
Evidently, Higuchi and Anno couldn’t help themselves and had to throw in their critique of Japanese authority, but this is not a prevalent theme of the picture. More interesting is the examination of human capacity to become an apex predator ready to destroy other species. The resolution of this problem in the finale is done in a very thoughtful manner indeed.
Speaking about performances, Takumi Saitoh obviously shines as the lead, Shinji Kaminaga. Masami Nagasawa does great as the partner and (a sort of) Kaminaga’s love interest, Hiroko Asami; however, Higuchi and Anno just had to fetishise her character in certain scenes (cue giant Masami walking hypnotised across Tokyo in high heels).
The SSSP team is composed of the always charismatic Hidetoshi Nishijima, nerdy Daiki Arioka, and funny Akari Hayami. In contrast to the neurotic protagonists of Shin Godzilla, the SSSP experts seem likeable and cheerful, even in the face of grave danger. The supporting parts of grumpy old politicians were done by veteran actors such as Tetsushi Tanaka, Kyusaku Shimada, Ryo Iwamatsu, and Yutaka Takenouchi (he also appeared in Shin Godzilla). What is more, motion capture stand-ins for Ultraman were the original suitmation actor Bin Furuya and Hideaki Anno. In addition, the film features voice appearances by Issei Takahashi as Ultraman and Koichi Yamadera as Zoffy, Ultraman’s superior.
Recommendations All things considered, Shin Ultraman is a wild, entertaining Tokusatsu ride. In the times of real-life hopelessness, people need more of this sort of light-hearted visual spectacle. Higuchi and Anno stated that the film is intended to be the first part of a new Ultraman trilogy of movies, but only time (and box office returns) will tell if we get the sequels. In the meantime, I look forward to Shin Kamen Rider which is due to come out next year. Shin Ultraman is going to debut on Amazon Prime in Japan next week on the 18th of November.
Overall score: 8/10
Note: All the pictures used belong to Toho Co., Ltd. and Tsuburaya Productions.
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Shin Godzilla; or, You Can (Not) Remake Man is more frightening than Godzilla. It has been 5 years since the release of Shin Gojira, Toho’s 29th Godzilla live-action movie. The mid 2010s marked a renaissance period for the King of the Monsters in view of the MonsterVerse movies and numerous anime productions. Needless to say, I was extremely hyped when Toho announced that they are going to make a new movie (please refer here and here to see my old posts), but when I finally saw the movie, it left me with mixed feelings. This is most certainly not a conventional Godzilla flick and it took me a really long time to digest my thoughts and come to appreciate it for it strives to be something new within the franchise with nearly 70 years of cinematic legacy.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: シン・ゴジラ Runtime: 120 min
Synopsis Tokyo Bay, 2016. An amphibious creature emerges from sea depths and wreaks havoc on the Japanese soil. The Japanese authorities do not know how to handle this threat until the monster returns to sea. A group of researchers determines that the creature came to existence in the course of nuclear fission caused by radioactive waste dumped into the sea. Consequently, there is a strong possibility that it may return again in a changed form. When this happens, the United States intervene and enforce on Japan permission to use nuclear weapons so as to stop the monster. Nevertheless, the research team led by Rando Yaguchi (Hiroko Hasegawa) develops a safe, alternative plan that will allow the freezing of Godzilla.
Power of Resurgence After the box office success of Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla from 2014, Toho also wanted to capitalise on their popular brand. Since the contract with Legendary Studios did not limit the Japanese in terms of live-action productions, they called up director Hideaki Anno with an offer of making a new movie. Anno initially declined, stating that he was too exhausted after making Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) and that he would not be able to match the greatness of Ishiro Honda’s original picture. Nevertheless, Anno’s close collaborator, Shinji Higuchi, managed to persuade him, and so the two were given the tough job of getting a Godzilla flick done within 16 months.
Considering the limited time window the filmmakers were given, I have to say that in terms of special effects and production design, they did a marvellous job. It would seem that all the action is CGI, but the crew actually combined a number of practical and digital effects together. What we see on the screen is part-real and part-computer generated. Interestingly, Godzilla was played via “motion picture” technique by actor Mansai Nomura.
With regard to the screenplay, however, here is where I am having issues. Hideaki Anno just can’t help but relive these Neon Genesis Evangelion vibes in each and every scene of the film. As a result, we get to see the following, already familiar to anime fans tropes: out-of-touch grumpy politicians having boring discussions about Godzilla, hot waifu speaking English, good nerdy girl, and general feeling that the world is about to end. What is more, NGE tone is reinforced through the music score. As I have already mentioned in my editorial devoted to Godzilla music, composer Shiro Sagisu does a fine job whenever he is allowed to be original and creative, but the inclusion of various remixes of “Decisive Battle” from NGE just to please Anno’s fanboy fantasies is unforgivable.
That being said, I respect what Anno and Higuchi were going for with Shin Gojira. For the first time in the franchise, we get a new movie which does not acknowledge the 1954 father picture in any way. This is a full remake but a remake with a purpose. In this reality filled with red tape and bureaucracy, Godzilla functions as an embodiment of everything wrong with Japanese policies. It strikes the Japanese nation like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the 2015 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. People are dying because of the ineptitude of their leaders. The only hope for change lies in the group of able young men and women who take a stand against the King of the Monsters and save the day.
In my opinion, the ending is way too optimistic and right-centered for Hideaki Anno who constantly basks in the postmodernist shades of depression. Perhaps it was the change initiated by the studio or Shinji Higuchi. Interestingly, the very last scene clearly indicates the possibility of a sequel, but Higuchi himself stated that there will never be Shin Gojira 2 because of the Hollywood productions which are churned out with increasing frequency. If there is going to be a new Japanese Godzilla movie, it will be a totally new story.
On a side note, I have to praise the magnificent ensemble cast of Shin Gojira. There are so many great actors and actresses in it! Apart from Hiroki Hasegawa as the main lead, there is also Satomi Ishihara, Issei Takahashi, Ren Osugi, Kimiko Yo, Akira Emoto, and Jun Kunimura.
Recommendations If you are struggling with depression, then you will certainly find Shin Godzilla as an entertaining viewing experience. The movie is an undeniably bold, new entry in the franchise that explores the titular monster and its significance in greater depth, but it does not have a lot of rewatch value, in my opinion. Allow me to give a big shout out to MangaUK for their 2-disc DVD release of the film. The picture quality is excellent and I appreciate 70 minutes of bonus features.
Overall score: 7/10
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Neon Genesis Evangelion; or, The Cop-Out Gospel of Hideaki
Anno’s Depression
Humans cannot create anything out of nothingness. Humans
cannot accomplish anything without holding onto something. After all, humans
are not gods.
Continuing my journey through the 90s anime shows, it was
inevitable for me to encounter the so-much-appraised Neon Genesis Evangelion
(literally: The Gospel of the New Century), the 26-episode anime series created
by Hideaki Anno in 1995. Feeling encouraged by exhilarating opinions from MAL,
such as “hugely experimental and wonderfully unique, Evangelion is a roaring
success” or “one of the most influential anime created in the 1990's, if not of
all time,” I decided to give this a chance. The result was a one disappointing viewing experience for me.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン No. of eps: 26
Synopsis
Meet Shinji Ikari, a teenager who is unexpectedly summoned
to the city of Tokyo-3. This is the year 2015, approximately 15 years after the
so-called “Second Impact” which caused a global cataclysm. Shinji is ordered by
his estranged father, Gendo Ikari, the head of the NERV organisation, to drive a
giant bio-machine known as Evangelion. Shinji has, and is destined, to pilot
EVA in order to protect the planet from mysterious Angels, a race of monstrous
beings who want to destroy mankind. Shinji is aided in his quest by other NERV
associates, Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi, as well as the pilots of two
other EVAs, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Souryuu.
Crank Up That Fatalism!
Neon Genesis Evangelion was supposedly made during the time
in which Hideaki Anno was suffering from depression. Two of his previous anime
productions did not become big hits and, while being drunk, he agreed on a deal
to work on a television series. After two years of development, the project
materialised to be NGE, the ultimate reflection of Anno’s struggle with
depression, as he himself admitted.
Where should I begin with this show? Well, it starts off in
medias res, which is a good thing because you keep thinking about what is going
on in the world of NGE: What are the Angels? What are the EVAs? What is the
mystery of NERV? Why are only specific children allowed to pilot EVAs? What
happened to Shinji’s mother? What is the Human Instrumentality Project? The
main problem of the show is that the questions start to amass and barely a few
answers are given. From a show with some engaging plot and good-looking mecha
fights, it eventually turns into downright incomprehensible towards the end.
Do not get me started on Shinji, the main protagonist.
Joseph Campbell is turning in his grave because Shinji is the angelically cruel
antithesis of the story’s hero. Shinji (Cop-Out) Ikari
is a boy fine with “living alone” because “he’s alone anyway”. Enjoy watching
him experience the existential crises (processed by listening to music and
subway excursions) just as humanity is under attack and people suffer in agony.
You would think that he is just a shy, but extremely gifted, pilot who eventually
saves the day, but (surprise, surprise!), the EVA machine does most of the job for
him in the entire series (which is, in a way, explained in the end).
Well, not only Shinji, but every character in this show is a textbook sociopath. Marvel at the sight of some hot waifus descending into the
abyss of madness by reminiscing about their daddy/mommy issues or evaluating
the meaning of life. Even Freud or Jung could not have helped them
out. The most prominent female heroines of this anime are Asuka (Annoying and
Overconfident) Langley Souruu and Rei (Submissive Girl/Otaku’s Dream Come True)
Ayanami. None of them won my sympathy. Oh, and did I mention that all of the
waifus “offer” themselves to Shinji in his psychedelic dreams? This might give
you an idea about the original target audience this show aimed at in 1995.
What is more, NGE is filled with lots of religious
references which made it gain some recognition in the academia. I
personally did not mind the symbolical aspects, but the creative team’s statement
that they were throwing this stuff at random without giving much thought to it
may put off some of the viewers: “There is no actual Christian meaning to the
show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool” (Kazuya Tsurumaki, Assistant Director of Neon Genesis Evangelion).
What is going on with the end of this show, anyway? I do not
want to get into any spoilers but, apart from overblown existentialist issues
that would make Jean Paul Sartre proud, I did not get the whole thing with
ascending into another level of existence. After watching episodes 24 to
26, I felt as if Anno showed me the middle finger. Still again, when I thought
that The End of Evangelion (1997) might give me more answers, after checking that
one out, I felt as if Anno dropped his pants and mooned me…
I get the fact that the production team fell into financial trouble, which is visible in the animation quality since episode 22, but this
is not the reason behind the faults of NGE. The primary fault is the writing.
Turning a creative process into a healing experience is great, but sometimes the
writer does not necessarily have to share it with the world. Eventually, I had
to read through a super long article from IGN in order to understand what
the heck was going on. I was effectively discouraged from watching Rebuild of Evangelion.
That being said, I cannot say that NGE is entirely bad. It
starts off great in terms of world-building and fails miserably on that matter
later on. However, what the show gets absolutely right are the mecha fights,
which were the only factor that kept me engaged. In fact, the only episode I
truly enjoyed from the beginning to the end was no. 13 Angel Infiltration/ Lilliputian
Hitcher, because it featured none of the EVAs’ pilots. In addition, the anime’s
intro combined with the epic theme song, sung by Yoko Takahashi, are the
only entirely positive things about this show to me. (Well, also memes, creepy stuff, and more memes).
Recommendations
I am not the only one out there with an unpopular opinion about Neon Genesis Evangelion, yet I understand that beauty is the eye of the beholder. If
you liked the show, then great, you have full right to do so. I found it to be completely not my
cup of tea. To sum up, is it the worst anime I have ever seen? Not a chance.
With its many faults, Neon Genesis Evangelion just is painfully average to me.
