Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva:
Climax Deka ~Spoilers~
► Review from 4/12/2008
Warning! This is the Spoiler-filled version of the review for Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka. If you don't
want to know the plot, turn back now.
Okay then?
I want to begin this review by addressing a little disservice which has, to my knowledge, thus far gone uncorrected.
Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka is not, in fact, the first time two Riders have had a crossover in the Heisei era. And
no, I’m not talking about the Hyper Battle thing with Agito & Ryuki.
I’m talking about Kamen Rider World. You know, the one with Giant Shadow Moon. It’s made in 1994, it counts! I guess if you
wanted to be really fickle, you could say the 3D RX thingy is really the first, since it came out in April 1989 (after the start of the
Heisei era), but does it really count if someone is teaming up with themselves? And themselves again two more times? I dunno.
But ZO & J did it, so let’s give it up for them.
In fact, in a lot of ways, Climax Deka mirrors that little crossover a lot; two Riders from two until-now separate stories cross
paths, it doesn’t quite make a whole lot of sense, there’s a giant thing at the end, and it’s tons of fun.
Announced out of nowhere just a month or two ago, this movie was originally going to be a direct-to-video special that then got
bumped up to a full-fledged feature by popular demand, and I think it’s safe to say the world’s a better place for it. After all, when
was the last time a Rider film debuted in the spring? When was the last time a Rider movie featured Riders from two separate
series in the same movie? When was the last time a Rider film wasn’t just a vehicle for the writer’s self-indulgent pop star revenge
fantasy/ horror movie rip-off that unashamedly sidelines the characters we paid to go see? Wait, don’t answer that last one.
The first thing you should know about this movie is that despite the title, it really is Kamen Rider Den-O: The Movie 2. It’s Den-
O’s movie through and through, from the OP credits (done in the style of the TV series) all through to the ending, which manages
to be irreverent, silly, and heartwarming all in one go as Den-O often was.Kiva is in it, and he’s important, but he’s ultimately
making a guest appearance; no worries though, as his own movie is coming this August anyway!
As usual, I made it in on opening day (April 12th 2008) and at the very first showing at TOHO Cinemas in Mito. No going to
Tokyo this time! In fact, this will mark the first time I’ve ever camped outside the theater for a Rider movie (or any movie), albeit
for about 5 minutes with everyone else waiting for the place to actually open. After going through the gift shop, aptly named “The
Store” and laying down too much money on the all-essential theater-only goods, I settled down in the theater amidst the diverse
assembly of other moviegoers. Moms or Dads with their kid(s), “singles” (or more perhaps accurately, adult fans), groups of girls
(there for Takeru, Koji, etc.), solo girls (also there for Takeru, Koji, etc.), confused grandparents (who remember Kamen Rider
as the guy on the potato chip bags), a really cute girl next to me who hopefully likes Skyrider, and yours truly.
Following the previews and the PSA’s (which are done by a cartoon dude that looks like "Street Fighter"’s M. Bison for some
reason and admonishes his cronies for running in the aisles, talking during the movie, kicking the seats in front of them, etc.) we get
the long-awaited movie itself. Oh, speaking of previews, there was one for the Kiva/Go-Onger movie this summer, but it's just
scenes from the show (as these early trailers usually are.)
First up there’s the omake short, with Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, Ryuutaros, & Kivat-Bat talking about the history of them
there moving pictures, or at least Kivat-Bat trying to while the others goof off. It’s amusing, but like the Momotaros summer
vacation thingy from the last Den-O movie, you’re not missing a whole lot unless you really, really, really liked the little segments
on after each episode. And if you did… well, look forward to this, probably coming out on the Director’s Cut/Special Collector’s
Edition/etc. version. I just hope they have one in the next FIRSTy/NEXTy movie which’ll be them apologizing for the whole thing
about Chihar… okay I’ll stop.
The Synopsis
The film proper then opens with a car chase. There’s cops, bank robbers, cars crashing, and all that jazz. You know, typical day
in Tokyo. And suddenly… there’s also a shot gun-wielding Ryôtarô on the Den-Bird!? Possessed by Momotaros no less, our
hero surprises the police and crooks alike with his dramatic entrance. A van marked “Den-Liner Police” (well, “POLICE:
DenlineR” if you want to get technical) shows up, and from the back, Kohana & the rest of the gang wield a bazooka. They fire
right at the criminals’ car, flipping it over. M-Ryôtarô dismounts and is joined by Kohana, Urataros, Kintaros, & Ryuutaros. As
the Owner narrates the mission statement of the newly-formed Den-Liner Police, the gang strike a pose.
“Ore-tachi, Sanjô!”
Ryôtarô then forces Momotaros out and asks what they’re doing running around with all that heavy firepower and getting in the
way of the regular cops. But as it turns out, the suspects are hardly regular themselves; a pink rabbit-like Imagin emerges from
one, and the other turns into an unfamiliar enemy. The good guys identify this as a Fangire, the creatures which “have recently
been targeting people”. Momotaros & crew are itchin’ for a brawl, so Ryôtarô transforms into Kamen Rider Den-O Sword
Form, and it’s on.
There’s an OP credits sequence just like in the show, with “Climax Jump DEN-LINER Form” set to scenes of the movie, scenes
from the Den-O OP, and scenes from the Kiva OP.
Urataros, Kintaros & Ryuutaros tackle the evil Imagin while Den-O goes after the Fangire. Both are quickly defeated thanks to
that BIG gun Ryuutaros has and the good ol’ Hissatsu Waza. Meanwhile, Kohana checks the overturned car, and finds plenty of
cash, but not the one thing they’re looking for. Well, two things. One being a clue to the location of the crooks’ base (as they’re
all part of a larger organization, naturally) and the other being…
A Rider Pass! Our heroes are soon back on the Den-Liner, which has now been converted into a makeshift police station. Yes,
everybody has desks and all that, although Naomi is still there making the coffee. The gang also have a new ally: Suzuki Kazuya, a
timid inspector sent by the actual police to aid in the investigation. How they even know about the Den-Liner, or got in touch with
them so they could send this guy, or whatnot… I dunno. It’s not explained, like a lot of things in this movie, but I have to say it’s
only after the fact that you’ll put any thought into it. When the movie’s rolling, it’s going so fast that you just have to go with it!
Anyway, Suzuki is slightly out of his element, scared to death of Momotaros & company and not even sure about Owner, who is
now known as “Deka-Chô” (roughly akin to “Chief Inspector”) although Ryôtarô insists that they’re all okay and please, call him
“Owner”. Owner, who tells Suzuki to call him “Deka-Chô”, informs us of the stolen Rider Pass, and how that in the wrong hands,
a world full of Imagin is once again a possibility. And that isn’t good, right? Despite his reservations about working with such an
odd bunch, Suzuki agrees to give all the help he can. Take note that in a lot of his scenes, there’s an emphasis on Suzuki’s
wristwatch. This becomes important later on.
In a fancy, upscale restaurant, a collection of shadowy characters has gathered together. The leaders dine on fine Chinese cuisine,
while at a nearby table, two familiar figures watch on. The aforementioned leaders are Kuroki Seiya, a notorious killer and
criminal known throughout the country, and Negataros, a dark “rogue” Imagin who has come back to 2008. Both are united by a
common dream: world domination, baby! However, Kuroki is unimpressed by the “dark army” Negataros has amassed; it’s like a
dozen guys. Plus the two dudes at the other table whom he doesn’t trust: he has good reason not to, since it’s Yuuto & Deneb
going undercover. Posing as bodyguards for Negataros, Yuuto boasts that he doesn’t even need all those other crooks, especially
not a bonehead like Kuroki. There’s a tense standoff when Kuroki draws his gun (and Deneb is ready to take a bullet for
Yuuto… what a pal!) but Negataros tells everyone to sit down and shut up. He’s confident in his master plan; all those thugs he’s
amassed (the ones that aren’t humans) are in fact Fangire, as their cracking, stain glass faces show. What’s more, he’s got a Rider
Pass, something which gets a nasty look from Yuuto.
Suzuki & Ryôtarô begin the search for suspects, and an overeager Ryuutaros offers to help by jumping into Ryôtarô’s body and
approaching anyone who looks the slightest bit suspicious or evil. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the first people he bothers are
some actual thugs, who are none too pleased by this weird dancing kid. Dancing? Did someone say dancing? R- Ryôtarô
summons his backup dancers to aid in attacking and arresting the mobsters, and soon enough things get out of control as the
entourage start beating up and cuffing anybody who looks remotely shifty. Poor Suzuki struggles to keep up. This scene is
absolutely ridiculous and amazingly shot (considering it’s in like, the middle of Tokyo), it must be seen to be believed.
Airi, Ozaki & Miura arrive on the Den-Liner, remarking surprise (but still taking this all extremely well… but then, it is Den-O) at
the part of Ryôtarô’s life he clearly hasn’t told them about much. They find the office filled with all manner of suspects, several of
whom were probably just unfortunate people in the way! The commotion finally gets to Owner, who pulls out his own version of
the Den-Gassher, changes it to Gun Mode, and proceeds to shoot everyone with what are apparently knock-out toothpicks
(complete with the Den-Liner flag) leaving just Kohana, Naomi, and the guests conscious. Ryuutaros then pops in, and freaks at
the unexpected presence of Airi. Hiding from her in embarrassment, she kindly approaches and offers him a bentô. Awww, how
sweet.
Elsewhere… hey look, it’s Wataru! And Shizuka. Wataru is digging something up and his “surrogate mother” tells him to hurry
before someone makes this into an even more embarrassing situation. Suzuki catches up to an exhausted Ryôtarô, who is
disappointed that even after all that, they still have no leads. They spy Wataru & Shizuka though, and Suzuki is sure they’re up to
no good. In fact, they’re digging up some horrible-smelling, probably-expired concentrated Miso for Wataru’s latest violin dye
project (I’m not sure, but I *think* he buried it himself to enhance the effect.) Momotaros still doesn’t trust Wataru (being able to
hear through his connection to Ryôtarô) so he jumps into action, accusing Wataru of being part of the evil organization.
Unfortunately, so does Urataros, so while the turtle enters Ryôtarô, our red friend takes control of Wataru, and a little squabble
ensues. The Imagin soon exit and a shaken Wataru mentions that he recalls something about an evil organization at the place
where he got the Miso from in the first place (when he was dumpster diving, probably. And who actually says “our evil
organization!” out loud like that? Wait… it is Kamen Rider!)
Ryôtarô & Suzuki go undercover as the garbage men at the enemy hideout, and happen across an argument between Kuroki, a
useless crony, and Yuuto, whom Ryôtarô recognizes (and likewise.) Negataros shows up and again tells everyone to simmer
down, he’s not going to let his organization fall apart like this. The bad guys then tell our undercover heroes to beat it. And do
something about that stench…
On the Den-Liner, our heroes devise a plan of attack. Suzuki recognizes Kuroki from the fact that his face is plastered in police
stations everywhere across the country, and sees this as his big chance. Even despite his own better judgment, he heads back to
the enemy base and attempts a solo infiltration, but just when he thinks he’s got the whole gang cornered, he finds only
Negataros... and his henchman, the Clown Imagin, who gets the drop on the hapless cop.
Ryôtarô alerts the rest of the gang to Suzuki going AWOL, so it’s time to mount a rescue attempt. Because knowing him, he’s
going to need rescuing. Meanwhile, Yuuto proceeds to go ahead on his own, first trying to get through Negataros’ other main ally
and the requisite foreign lady, Sarah (no, not the Shin Kamen Rider one.) Meanwhile, Deneb, steadily getting boozed up on wine,
tries to distract Kuroki, and gets a little help from Naomi in a cheongsam, proving there is indeed a God. Meanwhile, Urataros
again jumps into action… and ends up in Yuuto. U-Yuuto puts the moves on Sarah… until he goes for her gun, and she proceeds
to start beating up on him. Urataros is out, and the Clown Imagin emerges from Sarah to aid in the aforementioned beating of
Yuuto. Kurosaki eventually gets past Deneb and runs into Ryôtarô, who gets some help from Kintaros.
K-Ryôtarô knocks Kurosaki around left and right, and even gets in what is without a doubt one of the single most painful-looking
attacks I’ve ever seen in Kamen Rider, up there with the Rider Head Crusher and the 3-Point Drop. I mean it’s brutal. Like…
not something I’d ever wish on anybody. Including girls, who it probably wouldn’t work the same way on (you probably see what
I’m getting at here, so moving on…) Negataros decides to not let these buffoons jeopardize the operation any further, and sets the
whole place to blow with a handy cell phone activator. Deneb & Naomi flee, K- Ryôtarô saves Suzuki, Yuuto gets away (and
shows us he’s not afraid to hit girls) and everybody else gets away without too much harm. With the base up in smoke, the bad
guys are ticked, and they’re ready to push the plan forward.
Back on the Den-Liner, everyone is miffed with Suzuki and his misguided heroism, as now they’ve lost any leads. Of course
Ryôtarô is the exception, and the voice of reason. Despite all of Suzuki’s apologies, he still senses something is amiss. Suzuki
explains how in letting everyone down, he let himself down even more. He’s a failure, and not the man he wanted to be. He then
explains the wristwatch. It once belonged to his father, who died in the line of duty not long before he was born. Although he
never knew his father, he always knew he was a great man and idolized him all his life, which is why he wanted to join the force.
Their hearts touched by this tale, the Den-Liner crew agree to pool their resources and do everything they can to stop Negataros
& his gang.
That night, Wataru plays his own father’s violin…
The next day, Negataros & his posse prepare to begin their campaign of destruction by first destroying the National Diet.
Fortunately, a bunch of shifty-looking guys led by some monsters (one of which has a human skeleton for a shoulder pad)
marching up the center of the government is bound to attract some attention, so it isn’t long before the Den-Liner & Zero-Liner
swoop in. Ryôtarô & Yuuto transform!
“Henshin!”
The trains then come by again and pick everybody up, dumping them all at a conveniently abandoned factory/warehouse-looking
place. Negataros, the Clown Imagin and the Fangire guys (who never completely transform, curiously) confront Den-O (Sword
Form), Zeronos (Altair Form), Urataros, Kintaros, Ryuutaros, & Deneb. Negataros still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve though,
and pulls out both the Rider Pass & and Henshin Belt identical to Den-O’s. He transforms into Nega Den-O (Nega Form), a
dark version of Den-O with some different colors and added evil highlights. The two Den-O’s go at it while Zeronos takes the
Clown Imagin and everybody else who’s good fights everybody else who’s evil.
Elsewhere, Kuroki, Sara, and the human crooks are dropped off in time for the Den-Liner Police van to pull up and confront
them. Suzuki tries to act tough but books it once Kuroki opens fire. Kohana does slightly better, scaring the crap out of everyone
with her bazooka, although she needs to work on her aim (let’s just say she’s way off.) So she quickly abandons the weapon and
lets her fist and feet do the talking. Yes, Kohana fights a bunch of thugs in hand-to-hand combat. Suzuki musters enough courage
to go after Kuroki again, and Kohana is left to deal with Sarah, who, as you probably would expect by now, has a katana.
Because that’s just how these things work.
Nega Den-O gives the real Den-O a hard time thanks to his ability to use any version of the Den-Gassher without having to
change form. Kintaros jumps in and Ax Form gives it a go, but soon relents as the evil Rider uses the rod mode with brutal
efficiency. Urataros jumps in and Rod Form fares well until Nega Den-O starts shooting things with his own gun mode of the Den-
Gassher. So it’s Ryuutaros’ turn.
The Clown Imagin gives Zeronos a hard time, as he’s just full of tricks (watch for a bit where they just reversed the film and had
him jump backwards. I love old-style special effects like that!) Kohana, wielding a pipe, manages to disarm and disable Sarah
(and I swear it looks like she broke her neck… this was supposed to be a kids’ movie! Okay, okay, she’s probably fine. Still,
brutal.)
Elsewhere, Den-O & Nega Den-O blast at each other with fully-charged shots. Nega Den-O dodges with some fancy “bullet
time” thing and sends the real deal Den-O flying. Just when things are looking grim for Den-O, as in “About to get shot in the face
at point blank range” grim, who should show up, but…
Kivat!
The lil’ bat guy heralds the arrival of Wataru, who comes roaring in on the Machine Kivaa. Den-O recognizes him from earlier.
Wataru removes his helmet and, still driving towards the battle, transforms.
“Henshin!”
Kamen Rider Kiva (Kiva Form) arrives to the fight. Negataros recognizes him, identifying him as “Kiva” right before being sent
flying by the new Rider. Ryôtarô is greatly impressed by this other hero.
Deneb shows up to help Zeronos out against the Clown Imagin, and they merge into Zeronos Vega Form. A Splendid End awaits
the Clown Imagin, who explodes spectacularly. Zeronos then takes out the Fangire goons with a Grand Strike, freeing up
Momotaros & the boys to go help out Den-O.
Why? Cuz Den-O is going into Climax Form, that’s why! He mounts up on the Den-Bird, and together with Kiva, the two Riders
deliver a Boistous Kick & Darkness Moon Break, which sends Nega Den-O flying. The villain explodes… but it’s only his Rider
armor. Negataros ain’t going down yet, and he summons his own evil version of the Den-Liner, aptly named the Nega Den-Liner.
Zeronos arrives in time to join the other two as they watch Negataros escape back to the World Between Time. Naturally, our
heroes give chase… at least Den-O & Zeronos do. Kiva is left behind… or is he?
The Den-Liner & Zero-Liner confront the Nega Den-Liner in the great desert expanse, but are easily overpowered when it turns
out the Nega Den-Liner runs on pure evil; it’s armament cars actually house all the various GiganDeaths! Hades, Hell, Heaven,
you name it. Things look really bad for the good guys now, as the Liners are tossed about like a bunch of toys. Until, miraculously,
Kiva & Castle Dran rise up from the sand, blocking a blast that would’ve finished the trains. Rallying for one last attack, the Den-
Liner, Zero-Liner & Castle Dran head straight for the Nega Den-Liner. Dran puts its feet on the two trains, coasting along, and
delivers a massive blast that utterly destroys the Nega Den-Liner and Negataros, who gets a classic “My evil organization… is…
forever!” line as he blows up. The Den-O crew and Kiva then part ways. See, I told you it was a guest appearance!
Suzuki, having overpowered Kuroki at last, arrests the criminal just in time for Kohana, Ryôtarô & the guys to clean up. Later,
Ryôtarô brings an apprehensive Suzuki out of the Den-Liner. In return for him helping them out, they’ve brought him back to the
past for a little surprise. 22 years in the past, in fact. Suzuki, stunned, watches as a familiar man and his fellow officer question
Otoya, who’s got a girl in one hand and plenty of excuses in the other. Deciding he’s not going to be trouble, the cops let him go,
and call it a day. As they walk past, Suzuki calls out to one of the men: Suzuki Kazuma, his father. But he stops, and shakes his
head. His father, assuming it’s just a case of mistaken identity, smiles, and turns to leave. Suzuki watches them walk away, and
smiles himself.
“Dad… I became a cop.”
And soon we’re back to the beginning. The cops are chasing a carful of crooks, but the Den-Liner crew is on hand to help out yet
again. Once again, the criminals’ car is sent crashing and our heroes line up triumphantly and pose. And once again, Ryôtarô
forces Momotaros out and asks why they’re still running around doing the detective thing; the Owner only put it together so they
could find the Rider Pass (which they presumably blew up, anyway.) Momotaros explains that, quite simply, “it’s cool!” Everyone
digs the detective gimmick now, so why not continue? A Deneb-possessed Yuuto shows up, asking to be let into the agency as
well, although a less-enthusiastic Yuuto forces him out and begins chasing him around. And everyone else bickers and squabbles
as they always did. Suddenly, the suspects’ car begins to move, and they drive off into the distance.
And our heroes; Ryôtarô, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, Ryuutaros, Kohana, Yuuto, & Deneb, are soon hot on their trail. The
Den-Liner Police are on the case once again…
THE END
The ED credits feature behind-the-scenes/making of footage (including a really sweet moment when the Deneb suit actor gives
Yuuto some flowers) and then...
YES. A post-credits teaser that's actually worth waiting for. It's a little preview of the Kiva movie! A rather... unusual one. We
don't see much aside from the regular cast, but there's the most badass-looking Wataru yet, his mouth smeared with blood and a
lifeless woman in his arms. Uh-oh. There's also a lot of yelling, and I'd swear that is Otoya at the end holding... Wataru? Huh? I'll
have to see that again I think.
The Actual Review
If the summary is anything to go by, it should tell you that this movie literally cruises on by. At just a little over an hour, it doesn’t
waste a moment. As a result, exposition is fairly scant and there’s a lot of unanswered questions, but like I said, most of this stuff
will only come to mind after seeing the film. And really, how much of it actually matters to enjoying the movie? Considering the
basic premise of Den-O (and Kamen Rider as a whole) there’s only so much sense these things can make. I mean take the
example of Castle Dran showing up at the end. As far as we know, Kiva and Castle Dran can’t travel in time, or if they can, not in
the same way that the Den-Liner does. But clearly, the writer just said “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if Castle Dran showed up then to
help them out?” and that was that. And it works. It doesn’t make any sense if you try to think about it too hard, but really, in a
movie like this, you almost shouldn’t, or the whole thing basically falls apart.
I’m speaking, of course, of the fact that Den-O & Kiva are able to even meet. As I pretty much suspected from the time this
would be announced, there was no logical explanation. No changing of the timelines, or alternate realities or dream sequences or
any of that. They just had Den-O & Kiva cross paths and a few throwaway references to indicate that the characters from one
show were aware of characters in the other. And really, that’s all we need. If you start applying questions like “Well why didn’t
Den-O fight the Fangire in the past too?”, it doesn’t really gel, but the idea is you’re not supposed to; you just take it at face
value, and there we go. And besides, it’ll still make more sense than Tendô’s explanation for why Hyper Kabuto sometimes
showed up to save his own butt.
So putting that out of the way, how does it do as movie unto itself?
I’d say I’m very tempted to put Climax Deka in my top 5 Rider movies, period. It is, in a lot of ways, closer to the older Shôwa
movies than it is to the more contemporary films in that the main selling point of the film is about the fact that it’s got a guest Rider,
and beyond that there isn’t the debut of any new form or anything; it’s using pieces that are already lying around and putting them
together in a different way. I mean, the 8 Riders vs. Ginga-Ô movie is all about the fact that it’s got the 8 Riders in it, but it’s still
distinctly Skyrider’s movie. I guess you can count Nega Den-O as the advent of a "new thing", but to me he's really closer to the
Shocker Rider/Dark Kabuto/etc. mold of being a recolored knock-off rather than a new Rider (note also that the official program
declines to call him Kamen Rider Nega Den-O.)
The main difference here from the older films is that it’s the past Rider who is the star; that’s a first. The movie could have been
Kamen Rider Kiva & Kamen Rider Den-O: Take a Bite out of Crime, but Den-O is the top-biller. And Zeronos is right behind
him! In fact, Kiva/Wataru is third in the distinctly Den-O credits, which further underlines the point. And yet, despite his limited
screen time, good use was made of Kiva. But it is certainly a Den-O movie with Kiva in it, more than an actual 50/50 split.
Okay, so how’s it do as a Den-O movie then? In a lot of ways, it has the feeling of a class reunion where almost everybody you
wanted to see shows up; nearly all the familiar Den-O characters are back, and they’re doing what they do best. All the famous
catch phrases are said, the little details (Kohana punching the hell out of everything that’s an Imagin, Kintaros snoozing, Deneb
obsessing over food, etc.) are here. The most glaring omission, and even then this is only in the context of where the TV series left
us, is Sieg. But I feel that his story was more or less handled by the TV episodes with him, and his appearance in the first movie
was sort of his big moment to shine (for a while.) His eleventh-hour save in the finale was a nice little parting gift, and if that wasn’t
enough, you still got to buy his CD. At this point, he basically would’ve been extra; fine if he was here, but it doesn’t really hurt the
movie by him being gone (as opposed to if it lacked any of the other Imagin.)
As for the rest; Ryôtarô’s pretty much in line with what we saw at the end of the series, a much braver and more confidant (if still
somewhat sheepish) hero than when he started. I think Satô could pretty much play the character in his sleep by now, given how
much he had to handle in the series itself. He still does all the Imagin personalities like it was second nature, although I would guess
this wasn’t filmed too long after the series wrapped, so he hasn’t lost the touch yet (and given Den-O’s popularity, it’s a wonder if
he ever will, if there’s ever more movies/specials on the way.) Yuuto as well is the Yuuto we left off with. Nakamura does get to
channel Kiriya a bit when he has to pose as a bad guy, especially in one snotty laugh (which showed just how great the theater
sound system was; it sounded like he was someone in the audience!)
The Imagin… come on, you know part of the reason this was made was so that we could get more of them (I expect an all-
Imagin spin-off some day now.) They’re all as loveable as you remember them. Even Ryuutaros, who was trying to watch early
on in the series, and mellowed over time, is now a more likable but no less anarchic character as he was at the end of the series.
Of course, Deneb got the biggest laughs from me, but the character is pretty much perfection; Deneb could team up with pretty
much any character in the Kamen Rider universe and it’d be brilliant.
And one thing this movie really did was make characters I otherwise felt ambivalent towards, or liked, but not in an “I’m-dying-to-
see-them-come-back” sort of way… actually pretty nice to have back. Owner = Hilarious and finally clicking with everything else
around him. Airi = Welcome for once, and her scene with Ryuutaros was very sweet. Ozaki & Miura = See how much funnier
they are when they’re actually involved with the rest of the characters and not just clueless bozos! And then there’s Kohana, a
character I’d say I’ve just been “eh” on. While I’m not one of those who regards the loss of adult Hana as a blow that crippled
the show forever (although the handling of it could’ve been a little better), Kohana was never anything to get really excited about
to me. The actress did a good job in the show, and it’s nice that she was somewhat significant in the end. Here though… well,
she’s completely superfluous, but so is the whole movie in a sense, which is why she fits in so well. The much-hyped bazooka
scene wasn’t anything I’d give the “Jin Keisuke Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Realm of Awesomely Ridiculous
Weapons” to, but at least she actually used it (as the poster is, I’m sorry to report, somewhat misleading, and there’s less gunplay
than you might be hoping for. Or maybe you’re not hoping for it, in which case enjoy!) However, her hand-to-hand fights were a
joy to behold, and aside from one dodgy effect (elaborated on below), they looked great, and much credit must be given to
Matsumoto for doing a lot of that herself!
On the Kiva side of things, well, it’s pretty much what you’re expecting. Wataru is Wataru, Shizuka is Shizuka, and Otoya
manages to come out of this a lot better than usual (no getting punched in the face, thrown off a pier, or OD’ing on caffeine.) This
is obviously set early on in Kiva’s timeline, as Wataru is still trying to find that perfect violin dye, and there’s no IXA jumping out
of the bushes or anything.
So how about those new characters, huh? Suzuki, who has a pretty significant role, is both amusing and sympathetic when we
learn about his father. He reminds me a lot of Kabuto’s Kagami for some reason, although a bit more restrained, if that makes any
sense. Kuroki is one mean mutha’, but never so much that he’s more than a camp crook as was oft to happen in Den-O (which, I’
d like to remind you, continued the trend in Kamen Rider lately of having crime in Japan be at an all time high.) He makes a nice
double act of sorts with Negataros, and you can actually feel for him when he expresses disappointment at the “armies of
darkness” amounting to a bunch of guys in suits standing around. Speaking of which, Sarah (who is played by an Australian
actress named… wait for it… Sarah) is pretty cool, and while she doesn’t do a whole lot other than hit stuff and almost get kissed
by U-Yuuto, she adds an additional quirky element to an already quirky package.
Negataros is a character that I’m sure got hyped a lot prior to the film; I mean he’s an evil Momotaros that turns into an evil Den-
O! Kinda-sorta, at least. I’d say he’s in the same league as the other big screen Den-O villain, Gaoh; he’s pretty much bad to the
bone and that’s it. Nothing wrong with that though; sometimes it’s nice to have a villain who is just absolutely 100% irredeemably
evil and likes nothing better than clubbing baby seals, stealing candy from children and, why yes, even use ice cream cones as
weapons of mass destruction. And take over the world, that too. Negataros, for what’s basically a walking custom figure of a
costume, looks cool, and even Nega Den-O (a repaint lover’s dream come true) looks cool with his purple hues and added
detailing.
As for the monsters aside from Negataros: Pink Rabbit Imagin comes and goes like the wind, but I think he’s a repaint/retool of
someone else (sounds like I’m talking about toys here!) and pretty much just there to tell us the Imagin (or some of them) are
back in business. I’m not sure why the Horse Fangire is back, but hey, it is a movie, and if there’s one thing those are allowed to
get away with, it’s bringing back old monsters just because they can. Clown Imagin is very neat, and the design is pure Nirasawa
(he also did the Undead & the Worm in addition to the Imagin, and his non-genre stuff is even more macabre.) The latter gets the
biggest amount of screen time, and fortunately he’s got a nice, deranged personality to support it. And seeing the GiganDeaths
again is nice. The Fangire dudes are a bit odd, since they’re just regular guys with the stain glass effect looking like it was painted
on later in the movie (which of course, it was) but they’re basically henchmen, and they serve that purpose to the very end where
they all get blown to bits.
As for the other minor characters, they’re all pretty good, although understandably overshadowed by the main cast. Of special
note is Morimoto Ryôji, Aikawa Hajime/Kamen Rider Chalice himself, in a brief but significant cameo as Suzuki’s father. I’m glad
that they went though the trouble to get an actual past Rider for an important part like this, that’s the kind of thing I wish they did
more (remember how it used to be a trend to get as many of the previous years’ Rider actors in the movie for cameos? Episode
Final got damn near everyone!)
Moving on to the action; there’s plenty of it, although, apart from the fight near the beginning, action actually involving the Riders is
kept to the end, which works rather well. There’s a lot of little fights here and there between Imagin and thugs, backup dancers
and crooks, Ryôtarô and anyone in his way, etc. The final battle is truly epic, with lots of people running around and hitting each
other all at once. Kiva is kept mostly to the vehicles (his bike or Castle Dran), but I didn’t mind, as he’s running left and right on
our screens every week.
As for the effects, they were mostly pretty good. There are one or two shots which I’d describe as “a little overly ambitious” and
while they don’t ruin the movie, they don’t look as good as they could’ve. This is mainly down to using green screen & wires as
opposed to doing them on location; while I know it’d be hard to get Kiva & Den-O doing their Rider Kicks as well if they were
just jumping off a building towards the camera, it does look a bit better that what we’ve got. I think the main issue is that since
Kiva’s Rider Kick is done during the day here (as opposed to the night like on TV), the fact that it is a guy shot against a screen
being digitally fiddled with or whatever is a lot more apparent. I’m not one to criticize effects in Kamen Rider a lot of the time; I’m
incredibly forgiving, even with the new shows, which I personally feel have a lot of great effects. But when they screw it up, it
often looks much worse than anything in the old ones because of the reliance on CG, which rarely actually look as good as they
probably wanted it to look. But like even despite this, I try not to let them get in the way, as story & characterization (and of
course, action) come first in my book, and if you can tell a great story with absolutely terrible effects, you’re much better off than
something with great effects and a terrible story. So that said, this is a really minor quibble and doesn’t hurt the movie at all, not
really.
The music, as far as I could tell is all right out of the shows (both Den-O & Kiva), and a couple of the “Double-Action” versions
even got used, including the new one made for the movie. And what was definitely the best use of “Climax Jump HIPHOP ver.”; it
gets cut off mid-note when Ryuutaros sees Airi!
So overall, I’d say it was a pretty solid movie. I feel this is certainly one you need to see for yourself to get the actual feel of; I
personally feel my summary doesn’t quite capture the true zaniness. It really is one of the wackiest (and hands-down funniest)
Rider movies of all. I’m tempted to call it the “8 Riders for the 21st Century”, although that might be a bit extreme. After all, there
weren’t any aliens attacking a space station. But you can’t have everything.
What there is, however, is a really great ride for Rider fans, especially if they love Den-O. It’s great to have the old gang back for
one last go (if this is the last one) and throwing in Kiva is a nice little nod to the future. It’s a lot like being reunited with old friends,
and I have no shame in admitting I got a little misty-eyed during the OP (because really, I honestly never thought I’d actually be
able to see a Rider crossover movie in theaters, and have I ever mentioned how something about that version of the song just
clicks with me?) It’s one I’ll go back to see another time or two before it close, before the inevitable wait for the DVD release.
And I’m hoping that this’ll become an annual event now, as if there’s one thing this movie proved, it’s that Rider crossovers = still
works as well as it ever has. Especially this format, of making the starring Rider the previous year’s, thus allowing for one more
adventure with last year’s Rider before we let go again. Unless, like with Den-O apparently, the climax never ends!
And, if nothing else, at least Chiharu wasn’t in this one. I don’t think I could ask for anything more, really.
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