[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - HENSHIN LESSON



I just paid the Mandarake invoice for the DX Hiden Zero-One Driver and AIMS Shotriser two-pack.

I don’t know how it happened, me becoming that guy? A belt collector? Some folks joked that it was "Androzani germs", a couple years of exposure to DX toy videos and collectibles trivia that warped my mind until I bought role-play toys that cost as much to ship as they do to own. Possible! There’s also me getting a Decadriver for Christmas last year, and then purchasing the extra cards, leading to a couple afternoons of playing with all the cards and noises in a cacophony of childlike glee. After you own one belt, maybe you eventually buy more? That’s how the collection-based parts of my psychology work, so I can see it as a cause.

But there’s also just how fun the Zero-One Drivers look, you know? The Zi-O belts never ever clicked with me (I don’t think the Ridewatches are that neat?), but these couple belts are exactly my flavor of toku. I like the whole production aspect of the Progrise Key: the Authorizing, the Key opening, the CHUNK of it getting slammed into the Driver, the little bit of poetry at the end that Aruto doesn’t fully understand… they’re a hell of a commercial for toy-ownership, these Henshin sequences.

This video lays it all out in a way that would’ve been the nail in the coffin, if I’d had any self-control prior. The step-by-step of it all is incredibly cool, and Aruto plays off of Izu’s instructions with the same impeccable comedic timing as on the series. This whole thing was just a commercial to go buy the toys, but it played like a validation of my gut instincts. I appreciate this show making cool toys and selling them to me!

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KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 5 - “HIS PASSIONATE MANGA WAY”



Not the deepest story this time out, but I think it succeeded on style, charm, and a couple smart ideas.

Exploring how people stay motivated in a society where AI can handle whatever job is required, that’s a solid one to tell this early in the show. It’s well-established by now that Aruto (and, by extension, his grandfather) saw the role of Humagears to be additive to the human experience, not substitutional. Humagear were meant to work in unison with people to create happiness, not swap out human effort for machine diligence. An episode where Aruto has to force a hero to regain his creativity is fine, but nothing that feels particularly inspired.

So it’s nice to see this episode build out the Humagear view of these things, too. Izu gets a lot more screentime to try and explain how Humagears see their role in society, and it’s the most interesting part of the story for me. There’s a disappointment in her interactions with Ishizumi, the manga artist, that form a nice accompaniment to Aruto’s frustration with him. Aruto wants him to stop delegating the entirety of his workload, just because he can, since that diminishes humanity’s potential; Izu speaks for the Humagears when she points out that they don’t exactly relish the idea of replacing a lazy humanity, and would rather collaborate with driven people to create something better.

It’s a really neat idea, Humagears being bummed out by people phoning it in. Instead of the weird genocidal angle of MetsobouJinrai (Jin’s fun in a very This Guy Wrote Paradox On Ex-Aid way), Izu comes from a place of almost parental chagrin, that Humagear assistance has become so commonplace and obligatory that humans can barely sit up in their chairs anymore. (Ishizumi’s portrayal was… not subtle!) It’s like, Humanity, come on. You’re better than this. Please remember that.

The message was clever this time out, and so was the action. I liked how the show leaned into the manga aesthetics in ways small (the Magear/Magia has a cartoony weak-point) and large (the finale done as panels on a page; glorious), making sure that a relatively slow episode had a rollickingly funny closer. They really managed to throw together an exciting bunch of fights in this episode, enough to restart the creative fires of even the most jaded of creators.

I liked this one a whole bunch. The story concept is kind of nothing special, but the smart direction and unique viewpoint elevate it early and often. Great example of how smart this show can be at pretty simple premises.

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KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 02: KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - FLAMING TIGER



I like this form change a lot better? It helps that the Rising Hopper mask is moved down to the wrists, leaving the helmet to just red and black. The COLOR of the Rising Hopper suit feels less obtrusive here, filling out the ribs and moving around to the back. (Onscreen, it’s even better, since it’s lit mostly by flames. It just looks epic?)

Very few stickers on this one, if memory serves. The COLOR parts of the wrists, feet, and back of the legs, plus some silver on the clavicle and the thin red lines at the top of the helmet. The rest is painted at the factory. Real basic build. It’s effective, though. And I appreciate Bandai throwing in the Shooting Flames hands. Why would you use anything else on this figure?