Monday, September 17, 2012

The Mage with the Rings

*spoiler alert*  If you want to watch Kamen Rider Wizard visit TV-N and contribute to their awesomeness and appreciate good fansubs.

So to have something to write about I started the latest in the Kamen Rider franchise, Kamen Rider Wizard (or if you're saying it in Japanese Uizarudo).  It opens with an explanation that magic is the precursor to science and many have forgotten magic but few still know of it and those are, yeah, wizards.  Which leads to us being introduced to Haruto as he looks out at the city atop a streetlamp and through a doughnut before taking a bite.  He is quickly interrupted by one of his familiars, a fire spirit, called Garuda. Who informs him of some Phantom activity, so he pauses his snacking to summon his motorcycle and ride off into the city.

Next, the scene changes to what appears to be a sting operation.  With two detectives being informed of the situation, the male a man named Amino asking, his partner a women named Daimon Rinko if she is comfortable with doing this operation to which she replies, "Protecting people is a cop's duty." which seems to annoy her partner.  Inside construction workers are being overwhelmed by the monsters of the series called Phantoms, these particular grunts are called Ghouls.  The police are quickly overwhelmed and Rinko comes face to face with a more powerful Phantom, Minotarous.  And like many Rider's before him, Wizard literally comes driving through the wall, tripping up some Ghouls as he doughnuts to a stop.  Spinning as he steps off his bike he materializes his weapon a gun that fires silver bullets, totally pulling a Wanted moment as the bullet passes right by Rinko striking Minotarous' and blowing one of his horns off.  Who comments that his opponent is a Wizard, as he attempts to blow-him-up with a spirit bomb-like fireball.  Much to everyones surprise Haruto is fine, his ring of fire, absorbs the blast in his transformed state.  {The thing I loved about this is that it goes right into a cold-opening of the theme song, Magical Showtime by Rider Chips} 

The next bit showcases the awesome stunt work of Mr. Seiji Takaiwa and the other actors in the Ghouls outfits.  The costume design reminds of a mix between Agito and Den-O with a shred of Ichigo mixed in there, the grunts look like Ultra from Ultraman Mebius with devil horns added to the heads.  The swordplay is VERY good and impressed me on the level that Shinkenger's Shinken Red opening fight, cold-opening did. {One thing that kind of annoys me about his weapon, not the fact that it changes from a sword to a gun, vice versa, it's that to do his finisher he's got to shake hands with his weapon...}  Title card pops up then the promotional stuff.

Haruto calls his hangout to inform one of his partners a girl named Koyomi, there is also a scene with an eclipse, Haruto watching people explode and demonic wings burst out of him.  Rinko appears and talks to Haruto who mentions some thing, like, the people being attacked are possibly Gates which means, a person with large magical potential.  The purpose of the Phantoms are to create despair and break that persons spirit releasing the magic stored inside them hence creating a new Phantom.  Her response is one that you'd expect, but she does him one up and handcuffs him.  Needless, to say, I was colored impressed by the latest installment and while it doesn't stray to far from the convention, I have hope for it.  It seems more exciting then the last season which I can't seem to get the enthusiasm to finish.

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