[DreamSword]

Kamen Rider Decade Episode 28: Amazon, Friend

Listen to me talk about one of the more disliked arcs of Decade HERE!

Hi, I'm DreamSword, and if you didn't already know, Kamen Rider Decade is a show that I absolutely could not stand watching. Merry Christmas!

But you know, at the time of this writing, I recently finished watching Kamen Rider Amazon for the first time, and wouldn't you know it, I rather liked that show. I also liked this two-parter of Decade the first time I saw it. Surprising, right?

It's one of the few bits of Decade that I felt worked well enough on its own merits, and now having seen Amazon, while I wouldn't call the tribute aspects perfect, I feel as though they're alot better handled than in most of the other "tributes" that Decade tended to go with. Most of which felt like they were written by people who actively hated the source material.

Many point at AR Amazon's' actor and call his acting terrible at best and a betrayal of the original Amazon's' at worst, but me? I think it overall checks out. And I feel as though the directing on him was absolutely intentional.

Because here's the thing, anyone who's under the impression that the actor for Showa's' Amazon was 1000% different from the delivery brought upon by his AR version? Well, I feel as though they should actually like, watch the original Amazon. The early episodes especially. Because his delivery, especially on the iconic "AM-A-ZON!" line, was equally flat. And while it did get better as the show went on, it never reached any sort of super passionate heights.

And in context of Decade's' story in and of itself, it makes total sense why Amazon acts the way that he does. He's a stranger in a land where he has had no friends, no real human interaction, and is fighting for the lives of the people who actively hate him every day. Emotionally, he's battered and drained. And his general demeanor reflects that. But despite those difficulties, he continues on the path he feels is right, and tries his best to be a light in the darkness. That embodies not just Amazon, but Showa Kamen Rider in general.

A big aspect to Amazon's' story was communication and camaraderie, which this two-parter decides to showcase by showing what happens when those aspects of human society are corrupted and abused by those in power. And it's easy to see as an even more deliberate decision by acknowledging that Mole Beastman doesn't exist in this world, and the Alternate Reality version of Masahiko being Amazon's' enemy rather than his best friend. It's the sort of what-if scenario that I feel anyone who's familiar with the original Amazon would atleast find some sort of appreciation in.

But therein lies the rub, doesn't it? One of my biggest critiques of Decade as a whole is that it is not at all written with newcomers in mind, and it also does not make it at all clear that the worlds its presenting are corruptions(in more ways than one) of the shows that it's paying "tribute" to up until the very end of the show's' run. This arc isn't any different in those regards, but at the very least this one works well enough within its own context, as well as the greater context of Decade's' "plot" as a whole, unlike most other arcs within. Atleast, if you ask me, anyway. Like, yeah, it's by no means perfect, but I was more satisfied with what it did than what it didn't.

Take Tsukasa for example. Now, it's no secret that he's a character of whom I absolutely cannot stand, but I liked the way he was utilized here: His more abrasive aspects being used to the advantage of the team for once rather than to their active detriment, as well as him taking a backseat for once and letting Amazon take the lead. That's the sort of story that Decade as a whole wants the viewer to believe it is, but this was the first(and only) arc wherein those ideas were actually followed through on(unless one counts the Kamen Rider Wizard two-parter years alter). For once, Tsukasa is infact as fellow Rider who is "just passing through" rather than taking center stage and making the story be all about him.

Is this arc perfect? No. But it's a noticeable step up from the average, and was alot more in line with my own personal tastes as well as delivering upon what the show tried to(falsely) advertise from the start. And in those regards, I still enjoy it for what it is, even after having seen the original work it's attempting to pay tribute to.

Never say I never gave Decade any sort of compliment. Merry Christmas.