Kamen Rider is one of the pillars of Tokusatsu. Along with Ultraman and Super Sentai, it remains in production to this day. We briefly delved into the Rider universe when we talked about Kamen Rider J (1994) last year. J was made during a very strange time for the Kamen Rider franchise as it was made during the dark ages when there were no TV series on the air. Despite J taking place in between the Heisei and Showa periods, it is usually roped in with the Showa era Riders whenever the gang crossover. The Heisei Era featured a more toyetic outlook with a focus on selling show related products. That does not mean that the series is without critical merit and is not worth watching, it is just a considerably different series than it was originally. Today’s topic, Kamen Rider Build (2017-18), is the twenty-eighth Kamen Rider series and features the exploits of Kiryū Sento a physicist and Kamen Rider who must stop the exploits of a world-eating Alien who wants to use the powers of Pandora’s Box to reach his full power to destroy the planet. There is a Space Queen from Mars, a series of three walls that have completely separated the country, and the Kamen Rider system is based on matching elements with our lead rider having the base form of “Rabbit Tank.” It is a complex plot that weaves quite the emotional tale over 49 episodes.
The emotional beats are what really make Build worth watching. In tumultuous times like these, Build and Rider shows in general offer a look at our best selves. The ability to come together as a group to succeed against any obstacle. It is not all sunshine and roses, however — people die and people fail — but it teaches the viewer the importance of getting back up after you fall. This show offered a unique comfort for me since the two main characters reminded me of two close friends. This is made all the better by the final battle which is only won when the two characters realize that they’re the best match. Friends are the pathway to survival in Kamen Rider and that simple message can get you through even the hardest of days.
Unlike most television shows, Kamen Rider seasons have a lot of episodes in their seasons. For comparison, you could fit almost five seasons of most HBO shows within this one show. As such, the dynamics change every ten episodes or so, and they are constantly upending the heroes and villains to switch up how everyone interacts. For the most part, the series handles this well. However, near the end of the series, there is a bit too much change and alteration. They introduce elements to ‘surprise’ you that don’t quite mesh well with the earlier portions of the season. Had they hinted to this at the beginning then everything would have flowed better, as it seems less like this was their plan from the beginning and more like they needed something to fill in 10 more episodes.
The fight choreography is top-notch in Build, along with the suit designs. Every episode you’re introduced to a great battle with colour and flair. Watching even the worst episodes of Build isn’t boring. It is an absolute delight. The colour pallet specifically doesn’t limit itself to what most action TV shows in America do. Purple and Pink are allowed to adorn Men in Tokusatsu which makes a world of difference. The show plays in the realm of TV differently than most American shows as well by having some of the greatest recaps ever made. The characters interact with each other like they’re finding out about the information for the first time and will complement one another’s appearances. Characters will break the fourth wall and entertain you with the exposition, which is something almost all TV shows have difficulty with. Hell, Game of Thrones (2011-19) had to invent ‘sexposition’ to get over this issue. Kamen Rider Build feels like it makes you a little recap podcast before every episode. Many show writers could learn from this idea.
One of the tropes of modern Kamen Rider is the idea of having the show’s initial villain eventually turning sides and becoming one of the heroes. Build is no exception to this trend, as the initial villain Gentoku — who begins the show as Kamen Rider Batman (Night Rogue), a military man who wants to reunite the country — ends the show as a fashionista Purple Crocodile Kamen Rider. You cannot make this stuff up. When he is Night Rogue he does some truly heinous evil deeds and yet he finds his redemption through the show. He is not just a simple joke character. In the end, he is someone trying to grow past his mistakes, and become a better person. He puts on a goofy persona to hide the pain of his past. Character arcs like these are some of the best things about Kamen Rider. It mixes goofy and heartfelt interchangeably, showing how oftentimes the two identities are linked. Gentoku is not the only Rider who has an incredible arc. Kamen Rider Grease, who is the third Kamen Rider introduced, is a man who fights for his friends. He and his friends are at first unaligned with our main heroes. Then his friends start dying. One after the other. It is truly heartbreaking to see Grease interact and cope with their deaths. Gentoku himself kills one of his friends, which makes their late show interactions all the more vital. Grease forgives Gentoku, giving both characters a chance to grow. You don’t always fight for your friends, sometimes you have to fight in their memory. Grease likewise has to balance his more heavy emotional beats with some absurdism as he is desperately in love with one of the main heroines of the show, a Youtube star named Misora. Misora is the one possessed by the Queen of Mars by the way, but that’s a whole other scenario. When Grease is not brooding about his loss, he is obsessing over Misora. Spoiler alert for the series but these two elements come to a head during his finale. The villain brings back his friends as mere shells of their former selves and Grease takes it upon himself to stop this abomination. To do this however he must use a powerup that guarantees his death. He uses the powerup, defeats his former allies, and begins to die. This is when Misora stumbles on the scene. She chooses to stick with Grease during his final moments and their final interaction is heartbreaking. Build meshes the absurd and emotional expertly.
A show would be nothing without a good villain and boy does this show have a great villain. Evolto is the kind of villain I love. For the majority of the series, he is aloof and seemingly carefree in his evil deeds. Win or lose a battle, he seems very relaxed about the whole thing, always in the end seemingly having the upper hand. As you learn more about him and his plan his attitude begins to make sense. He does not need to care about petty wins and losses as it all is playing into his larger scheme. This attitude infuriates the heroes and creates a wonderful dynamic. The smart thing about making his character having such a relaxed outlook is that when Evolto finally begins to change his outlook it gets scary. Having a character be carefree and then slowly escalate works extremely well in Kamen Rider Build. During the final episodes when he drops his veneer and has his back against the wall you know things are about to get serious. He will stop holding back and unleash his all. Initially, it seems as if Evolto is nothing more than a secondary villain to Rogue. Unlike a few other Rider series in which they introduce the final villain halfway through, Evolto is around from the start, you just don’t really get to fully know him until later on.
49 episodes is a lot to talk about with a lot of themes and adventures to be had. Kamen Rider Build is thus far my favourite of the modern Rider series that I have watched and is well-worth diving into everything it has to offer. An emotionally rich tale with twists aplenty. The toy stuff almost feels like more absurdism when watching as North America is so far removed from the Kamen Rider merchandise. It is worth seeking out and experiencing for yourself. In these crazy times, Kamen Riders are here for you. Strap on your rider belts and dive into the colourful, wacky world of the world’s greatest heroes.
