[Fish Sandwich]

Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Red:

I've always felt there was a secret double meaning to the color choice here. Obviously it's red for Zero Form, but the focus gets away from Yuuto frequently enough that it might as well be for Momotaros. Further confusing the issue is that Zeronos somehow ends up in Altair Form during the climax, a blatant breach of continuity that I completely forgot happened in more than just Climax Deka. I mean, there's more of a reason here. It's so Deneb can do a thing in Vega Form, but at that point, you'd think they could just do that with the red suit underneath. Play it up in the marketing like it's a cool new form, even. None of this of super important, though.

This movie seems like it would be right up my alley, considering it's about my favorite character from the show, and focuses on the star-crossed romance that I was similarly fond of, but I've always been a tiny bit dissatisfied with it in that regard. I feel like it doesn't totally commit to its own premise, but I also know I'm asking way too much. It's honestly impressive enough as it is we got a Kamen Rider film with a five minute scene of two people drinking coffee, especially considering the target audience here is liable to still think girls have cooties. I've also said before I respect how Den-O always kept its sense of humor central no matter how dramatic it got, so I'd probably be just as unhappy if the entire movie was just some schmaltzy romance film that stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm aware I'm being way too picky here.

It probably also hurts that I've never bought Takuya Mizoguchi as Ryoutarou. Largely because he says his lines in a way that's glaringly different from Takeru Satoh's distinct delivery, sounding way more confident overall, something that I've never been sure is meant to be character development or not. Some of the actual lines themselves seem more confident, so that may be part of it, but either way, it's always seriously hurt my ability to accept the change, necessary or not. So I think this movie got off on a bad foot with me when I originally watched it and saw that the first few shots with Ryoutarou conspicuously avoid showing his face or having him speak, only for him to immediately become a main character in the film. It's just not the same.

But all this complaining makes the movie seem a lot worse than it is, and Den-O is still Den-O, so it's not even like I don't enjoy it. The stuff with Yuuto and Airi, when it's there, is pretty much exactly what I want, and quite memorable for how distinct it is. The material for the Den-Liner crew serves admirably to keep things accessible without detracting from the tone of the more serious parts. Some of the dialogue seems to exist specifically to digest what's going on for the kids, which I can't consider a flaw when it probably was 100% needed for them to process the sudden influx of wistful emotional drama in their movie about rainbow-colored monsters fighting bad guys. They also provide all the usual wacky Den-O fun, which is great in its own right, especially when the highlights include Momotaros living on the streets for four months as a bum, complete with ragged clothes, even though he doesn't wear anything to begin with. I mean, if I need to justify why that's hilarious, Den-O probably isn't the series for you. So don't take my whining too seriously. It's a perfectly good movie, even if it isn't utter perfection.

Also, between Hobo Momo here and seeing him fight Shocker in Let's Go Kamen Riders, I think Toei is missing a huge opportunity to do a movie where Momotaros gets trapped in 1971 and accidentally gets wrapped up in every important moment in Rider history in a way that doesn't actively contradict anything we saw on TV. It practically writes itself! Imagine him disguising himself as one of Shocker's scientists to make sure Hongou doesn't brainwashed. Maybe the police mistake him for an Unidentified Lifeform in the year 2000. The 50th anniversary is coming right up, guys, make it happen!

Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Blue:

This was and is my favorite in the trilogy. I think it's by far the most focused on its title character, and since that character is New Den-O, I couldn't be much happier. It's less daring than Red, and less creative than Yellow, but Koutarou's first proper starring role does a lot to flesh him and Teddy out, telling a very endearing story about their relationship going through a bit of trouble when they end up separated. All the beats in Episode Blue are delivered pretty much perfectly. The sequence at the start where Teddy saves Koutarou from a Ryoutarou-style series of misfortunes so effectively Koutarou just walks along like nothing's happening tells you everything you need to know about them, and makes you feel that much more for Koutarou when the universe starts crapping on him later. I mean, a bird literally craps on him at one point. It's easy to sympathize with his troubles, and the plot also does that thing I always love seeing where the Victim of the Week plot thematically matches what's going on with the main characters. It's crazy tight. The action scenes even naturally feed into the drama in way that's both clever and funny by having Kintaros and Urataros act as replacement weapons for New Den-O, which naturally doesn't go well. Even the culminatory scene of Koutarou and Teddy reuniting at the very end is just beautiful in how its executed. Koutarou rushes to give him a hug, trips because of his bad luck, only for Teddy to catch him in his arms anyway, paying off that element perfectly and showing us that these two are back on track now.

Like I said, I was a fan of New Den-O before I was a fan of Den-O itself, so the fact that he got his own little movie with his own version of Double Action and everything makes me really happy. I'm honestly a bit sad he isn't still popping up in stuff. I'd definitely prefer him being around to recasting Ryoutarou, or what we get nowadays since Takuya Mizoguchi is now older then Takeru Satoh was when Den-O started, which is having the Taros running around with nobody holding their leashes at all.

Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Yellow:

Somewhat inexplicably, the final Den-O movie to date not only stars a character from Decade, but is once again written by Shouji Yonemura, with Kobayashi merely credited with supervision. It's plenty of fun in its own right, and the plot has a lot of fun twists and turns that start with Diend trying to shoot his own past self early on and never really stop. Still, it doesn't have that same touch to it, and the plot isn't anywhere near as emotional as the other two films. The way G Den-O is written comes off as extremely heavy handed at points, with particular mention going to the awkward way he offhandedly mentions his defining personal trauma when telling Kaitou he can't change the past about a minute after appearing. It's not a dealbreaker by any means, but Reiji definitely feels more like a character from Kabuto than Den-O.

Kaitou himself has the hurdle to get over of being a character from Decade, which I think means most viewers are inherently conditioned from that show to not invest themselves in any development they get, but for what it's worth, his character here is reasonably strong, despite a predictable arc, and Diend's status as a thief makes him one of the most unique Riders in the franchise, so I definitely appreciate giving him a chance to be more in the limelight.

Overall, the Chou Den-O Trilogy was a fun experiment, and produced three movies that are all pretty decent. Like the rest of Den-O's post-series output, it's not mindblowingly amazing, but they're reliably solid, and Den-O's cast has legs to the point where they don't feel stale, either. I also appreciate that Toei didn't shoehorn in an overarching plotline, which is something that I feel detracts from similar projects they've done since. The only throughline here is the latest showdown between Owner and the Station Master, which you get to see at the end of Episode Yellow after some build-up so subtle you might not even catch it. It's actually kind of an adorable way to connect the movies.