[Fish Sandwich]

One more bit of behind the scenes trivia that's rather odd is that producer Shinichirou Shirakura was apparently the one to write that goofy animated short preceding the film. Generally not the kind of work he's known for, but hey, he even wrote a whole Den-O novel way later on, so I guess these characters really ARE just that fun to write!

Anyway, it's interesting to have it pointed out how little the film cares to educate moviegoers about what Den-O is, because thinking about it, that's probably a direct sign of well, simply that Den-O was probably so successful by that point that they kinda legitimately could count on *everyone* knowing exactly what's going on? I've joked before that Momotaros is as iconic as Rider #1, but I'm also convinced it's not a joke, is what I'm saying.

Oh, and this is a pretty great movie, too! I remember being fairly neutral on it the first time around, and then never giving it a second chance until my big rewatch of the whole series, but after it got that second chance from me, I described it rather glowingly as...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

a classy flick that, in choosing to explicitly be part of the show's continuity, gets to really represent Den-O as a whole, telling a simple but effective story about the Den-Liner getting hijacked by our obligatory movie-exclusive Rider that packs in all the humor, excitement, and sentimentality that make the series so great.

...and now it's still a Rider film I think rather highly of. Not one of my absolute favorites, but the more time passes, the more I appreciate all the smart choices this one made.