Looking Ahead – Kamen Rider Fourze
Next Sunday, the current Kamen Rider season, Kamen Rider OOO, comes to an end. Like every year, I’m both sad to see the on-going series wrap up and excited to see the next installment of the super-hero franchise. The new Rider is a celebration of the franchise’s 40th anniversary and a loving homage to the heroes that came before.
Enter: Kamen Rider Fourze.
Stylin'
We know a fair amount about Fourze at this point. The main character’s a high school punk named Gentaro Kisaragi, who attempts to make friends by forming a Kamen Rider club. A fellow classmate, Kengo, hands him the Fourze Driver, a belt that allows him to transform into our hero so he can fight off this season’s enemy, the Zodiarts.
Our heroic cast of teenagers
Fourze also honors the 50th anniversary of spaceflight with a Rider design that’s equal parts spacesuit and space-shuttle. His belt is a beautiful monstrosity. It’s made to resemble a spaceship’s cockpit, complete with a monitor and four “Switches” that allow Fourze to equip a variety of weapons – from an oversized drill on his leg to a giant rocket on his arm.
You wil be mine...
These early details – the suit design, the high school setting, the fact that their headquarters is a lunar base accessed through Kengo’s locker – imply that Fourze is going for a lighter tone right from the start. I’m optimistic about this choice, as this should be a series that focuses more on the fun of the concept. Schoolyard drama would feel out of place in a Kamen Rider series, and could lead to the tonal schizophrenia that plagued Decade and Kiva.
Saving the world before third period.
These concerns aside, I do love the sheer over-the-topness (that’s a word now) of Fourze’s design and the show’s potential for literal rocket punches and drill kicks. If it can keep some tonal focus, it’ll be a fun way to celebrate forty years of justice.
ROKETTO PAAAAANCH!
Look forward to Kamen Rider Fourze, airing on September 4th.
