Shin Kamen Rider is directed and written by Anno Hedeaki. That is all you need to know to want to watch it. Believe me. And the third by Anno in his own SHIN saga. After the unanimously celebrated Shin Godzilla, a movie no Evangelion fan should miss, and Shin Ultraman. This last one was written by Anno and directed by Gainax fame and Tokusatsu legend Higuchi Shinji. If still you are not hooked watch the official trailer! But this is not the 1992 film, Shin Kamen Rider Prologue that Toei is streaming on Youtube.
Shin Kamen Rider version of the classic hero was designed by Anno Hideaki with the help of Maeda Mahiro and Yamashita Ikuto. Maeda illustrated the teaser poster. A long time collaborator of Anno he has designed Angels for Gainax Evangelion. Yamashita Ikuto’s design of the hero motorbike, The Cyclone, after his work as mecha designer for the original Evangelion.
Shin Kamen Rider made by a long time fan of the series
Hideaki Anno proposed the project to Toei producer Kii Muneyuki during the production Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. The celebrated mind behind Eva is a fan of the Kamen series since his childhood after all. The roots of Gainax/Daicon led us into the Tokusatsu genre. With the amazing Yamata no Orochi or The Return of Ultraman.
Anno Hideaki reboot of Kamen Rider is not far from the original series itself. But it is back to the root. It is Anno projecting out of his mind the fun that the series means to his younger self. And it is a great movie for fans of the director as well. My favorite out of the SHIN trilogy, no doubt. The style is a love letter to Tokusatsu shows of the 70’s.
SHOCKER, Hongo and Ichimonji
SHOCKER is back of course. Shin Kamen Rider reincarnation of the evil organization is more spiritual than ever. In my mind it was unavoidable to think about the Doomsday cult following Aum Shinrikyo when the SHOCKER leader came out into action. But the Sustainable Happiness Organization use of AI is an everyday topic in today’s human society almost not scifi anymore.
Meanwhile, Ichimonji joined the original hero Hongo in Shin Kamen Rider to make any fan happy as well. The direction is a pleasure. More of the extensive use by Anno Hideaki of Go pro cameras and even iPhone cameras to show minimal angles. Not as crazy as his own Love & Pop but you can imagine how. Or even make a curve to nowadays documentation of the reality. Actors seem to read their lines in a cold fashion. Almost like a rehearsal. But this works great. It is almost back to its roots. It is not bad acting, a common first impression. But it has Kamen Rider written all over.
Anno Hideaki becoming a Tokusatsu figure
Shin Kamen Rider is a must for any Anno Hideaki fan. After the SHIN trilogy it is hard to deny the acclaimed mind behind Evangelion is now a figure in the Tokusatsu genre. And it seems he enjoys the role as well. After the origins of Gainax as Daicon and those heroes and Kaiju B movies he is now more involved than ever in the genre. A potential sequel to Shin Kamen Rider has been proposed by himself. He added “I am waiting for Toei to request it”. And he even has started writing the film as Shin Kamen Rider Masker World. Even after Toho rejected the cross over Godzilla vs Evangelion proposed by Anno Hideaki himself. As part of the past Anno Hideaki Exhibition at the Abeno Harukas Art Museum statues of Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman and Shin Kamen Rider sealed his influence forever.