Welcome back to Super Hero Time! And boy, do we have a series worth mentioning. This is...
Kamen Rider Den-O.
Well, what can I say about Kamen Rider Den-O? Well... with the series, movies and specials it keeps getting and all the special appearances that characters get... this maybe the most popularest series of the Kamen Rider series ever made! The reason?... Well... fans and even the main lead actor claims it's because of the series comedic timing, but to me I think it's a great series.
The story follows Ryotaro Nogami is a young man with a lot of bad luck. One day, he finds a strange pass and things got stranger from a mysterious girl and a large time-traveling train to being possessed by an entity called an Imagin, beings from an alternate future whose kind are attempting to change the past. Though slightly confused about the nature of the crisis, Ryotaro, along with the aid of the hot-headed, violent Imagin, dubbed Momotaros, and becomes Kamen Rider Den-O, traveling to different times on the DenLiner to battle the evil Imagin to prevent them from altering the past to affect the present and future. During his adventure, Ryotaro is joined by other Imagins who aid him as well; the lying, manipulating and womanizing Urataros, the herculean (and narcoleptic) Kintaros, and the childish yet powerful Ryutaros. He later meets the mysterious Yuto Sakurai and his bumbling Imagin partner Deneb. Yuto is not only Kamen Rider Zeronos but is the younger incarnation of Ryotaro's older sister Airi's fiance, Sakurai, who mysteriously disappeared and is tied to the mysteries involving the Imagin and a person known as the Junction Point. Well... for a comedic series, this sure sounds like complicated timey wimey shit. Now onto the characters!
Ryotaro Nogami
portrayed by
Takeru Satoh.
Ryotaro is a young man with an intense streak of bad luck. Having lost his parents at a young age, he lived with his grandmother and older sister Airi, visiting his parents' library/cafe called the Milk Dipper as often as possible. He also kept a photograph of his parents until he lost it, regretting that day ever since. He and Airi eventually reopen the Milk Dipper along with Airi's fiance. However, her fiance mysteriously disappears a month before their wedding and she is suddenly struck with amnesia of all events relating to him. Ryotaro begins to take care of Airi and help at the Milk Dipper. He makes sure that she is always happy and never reminded of her fiance and become burdened by the loss, even though he questions if it is right for Airi to forget completely. Ryotaro will help anyone in need if he has the ability to do so, regardless of his bad luck; he also refuses to accept self-sacrifice as the only means to protect others. I love how different this guy is, to the other Riders. He not arrogant, cocky, self confident or smart. (Well, OK he can be smart but... not as smart as other characters have been.) But it's a breath of fresh air, that the main Rider, is quite different from the past Riders. Also...
These are the four main possessions from the main Imagins of the show, and boy this actor is good at impersonating the other characters ways, moves, and behaves. Anyway on to the next character...
Hana
portrayed by
Yuriko Shiratori.
is a Singularity Point and the first DenLiner passenger Ryotaro met, convincing him to become a Kamen Rider while explaining the uses of the Rider Tickets and the Rider Pass. She said that she fights so that she can protect and preserve the flow of time from the Imagin, and she made a contract with the DenLiner's Owner to do so. She originates from a future destroyed by Imagin chaos, still existing because of her status as a Singularity Point. With no timeline to call her home, Hana is filled with malice and spite towards the Imagin, making her capable of subduing the Tarōs (A nickname given to the Images that join them on their journey, bonus points to guess why!) when they get out of line, especially Momotaros with a simple punch to the head with force equal to a truck's. Ironically, Hana grew a soft spot for the Tarōs over the course of the series, briefly crying when Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros disappear, though she refuses to admit it. Hana usually worries and looks after Ryotaro, treating him like a younger brother. I won't spoil any more about her, because... well it spoils the enjoyment of watching the series itself. I like Hana and her personalty is just lovable! From being a fiery tempered young lady to a soft hearted cutie! So yeah, don't mess with her. Right next up is...
Naomi
portrayed by
Rina Akiyama.
Naomi is the waitress of the DenLiner's dining car, the setting of nearly all of the action aboard the Den Liner. Despite her efforts, she usually serves poorly made coffee (she once put wasabi *Japanese plant/food* in the coffee as an experiment), though the Imagin cannot resist it. She is extremely hyper and does not get surprised easily, sticking to her belief of making only coffee. She is good friends with the Tarōs Imagin and is usually seen playing with Ryutaros. Not much to really say about this character, because all she does throughout the series, movies and specials is... make coffee. But she's sweet, kind and helpful throughout. Plus she brings with her, a sort of... "relaxing comedy." If that makes senses, like after the characters are beaten or something bad happens she'll do her best to try and help, but does it bad. But the good kind of bad. Up next is...
The Owner
portrayed by
Kenjirō Ishimaru.
The Owner of the DenLiner is Hana's serious yet eccentric contractor, with a habit of speaking in complex riddles when it comes to the nature of time. He states that only those with a "Pass" are able to ride the DenLiner and, with it, transcend time itself. Also, as the DenLiner's owner, he cannot stand fighting in his train and any who would dare alter the flow of time. For either category, Owner possesses Passage Denial tickets, which are able to leave unwanted passengers stranded in the middle of time unless they have tickets. He has great knowledge of how time progresses and points out that sometimes the most minor of changes will not affect the future. No one knows his actual name and just call him "Owner". He also happens to be a Singularity Point as he displays immunity against Ryutaros's ability to control people, even returning a similar tactic against Ryutaros himself. He is able to outrun the DenLiner and held a Master Pass. Owner enjoys eating various dishes that have a flag placed in the middle of them. His aim is to eat his entire meal (usually rice or flan) without knocking the flags over so he can finally beat his rival, the Station Master. (Oh! by the way, Kenjiro plays both The Owner and Station Master.) Though the two look identical, with the Station Master wearing in white uniform and having effeminate mannerisms, Owner explains that the resemblance is just everyone else's imagination. This guy, is just a laugh from start to finish. He can be serious when needs be, but he can also be loads of fun when things are a peace or when the Tarōs are having fun. Also... this guy can fight with spoons! O_O Not messing with him... Next up is...
Momotaros
voiced by
Toshihiko Seki.
Momotaros is the hot-headed Imagin that first possesses Ryotaro and gives Ryotaro his power, which allows him to transform into the Sword Form transformation, without knowing that he is a Singularity Point. He can also sense when an Imagin is rampaging in the city, subsequently alerting Ryotaro immediately. Momotaros blames Ryotaro for his Oni-like *Demon* form, though it matches his personality, best described as hot blooded, arrogant, and comedic, serving as a foil to Ryotaro's own shy and cowardly personality. In fact, Momotaros is more interested in fighting than carrying out the Imagin's goal. Unfortunately, he is constantly beaten by Hana when he gets Ryotaro into trouble. When he possesses Ryotaro, declaring the words "Here I come!" or to say it in it's Japanese saying, "Ore, sanjō!" Momotaros's own personality takes over, giving Ryotaro power, confidence, and a bit of his eagerness for a good fight. His eagerness is shown in battle, where he always declares the words, "I am, from start (to finish), at the climax!" Momotaros is also somewhat selfish, initially fighting alongside Ryotaro in order to ensure his own survival. Though he unknowingly places Ryotaro in unneeded danger to suit his fancy, Momotaros eventually learns to respect him and his desire to protect others. Though he demands respect, Momotaros is usually put in his place by Hana and her powerful punches. He also does not know how to swim, has a narcotic reaction to red peppers, and seems to be afraid of dogs. While he acts hostile and demeaning to the other Tarōs, he does care about them. Momotaros is... a dumb ass. But my god, you'll end up loving this guy! His personalty is nothing more then, a child trapped in a adult/demons body. Also sometimes everyone likes to call him, Momo. I don't know why, but it sounds nice. Next one is...
Urataros
voiced by
Kōji Yusa.
Urataros is the smooth-talking Imagin that possesses Ryotaro knowing very well that he is a Singularity Point, which allows him to have more freedom than granting the wish of anyone else. He is also the second Imagin that gives Ryotaro his power, allowing transformation into Den-O Rod Form. When he possesses Ryotaro, he usually states the words, "Hey, will you let me reel you in?" He is also aware of the evil Imagin planning to destroy time, but simply does not want to commit it as in spite of his cool exterior, there's indication that he's somewhat of a coward and lies just for self preservation. He tends to flirt with women more than fight, as well as lie to further his goal. He sarcastically calls Momotaros his sempai. Urataros is a casanova with a very convincing personality, owning the ability to convince almost anyone by speaking to them, with Ryotaro the only one who trusts him and lets him stay as he sees he has a good heart. Urataros, however, later says that he lies simply for the sake of lying ("One lie is more interesting than a thousand truths"), and seems quite irritated that Ryotaro is "trivializing his lies." While Momotaros gets Ryotaro in trouble through reckless methods, Urataros puts Ryotaro in conflicting situations when he goes around wooing multiple women. Despite these negative traits, along with his occasional fights with Momotaros, Urataros does show genuine concern for Ryotaro's well being. Being the best speaker of the Taros, possessing Ryotaro simply to get information out of someone, or to talk his way out of something. He is also useful in situations that require patience, something Momotaros severely lacks. Man, ladies stay away from him! I mean it, this guy is just loves flirting with woman to get his way. But once you get to know him, he's actually a nice guy. And his character development is something you don't see with characters these days. Right up next is...
Kintaros
voiced by
Masaki Terasoma.
Kintaros is the third Imagin that gives Ryotaro his power, which allows for the Ax Form transformation. He is vaguely modeled after a bear and has a Sumo wrestler-like personality. He also has a habit of deep sleeping (akin to hibernation) until the mere mentioning of any word that sounds remotely similar to the Japanese word for "to cry" often provokes Kintaros out of his slumber to possess Ryotaro in an instant. He speaks in a the dialect of Kansai-ben *a Japanese dialect*, saying, "My strength has made you cry. Wipe your tears with these!" whenever he possesses Ryotaro, taking out a handkerchief for whoever wants to wipe their tears off with. He has a habit of popping his neck every time he begins and ends a battle, as well having "You cried" as a battle-cry. Kintaros is a strong Imagin who constantly seeks opponents stronger than himself. Unfortunately, he is sometimes unable to control his own strength resulting in accidentally destroying things, which he attempts to fix afterward. He is also very selfless and had no intent to follow Kai's orders to alter time to begin with. At first, he is dependent on a retired karateka named Masaru Honjō, who gave him his "bearish" look, as he attempted to master karate so Masaru could achieve the "ultimate karate". Kintaros wants to teach Masaru the ultimate karate, in order to let him settle things with Kikuchi instead of disturbing the time stream. Seeing the good side of Kintaros when he protects Masaru from the Rhino Imagin and being mortally wounded in doing so, Ryotaro allows Kintaros to enter a contract with him, saving the Imagin's life. Unlike the others, who had (at least partly) selfish intentions for assisting Ryotaro, Kintaros's motives for helping him are noble from the start, having a desire to repay Ryotaro for saving his life, stating so on several occasions. I've gotta say, at first when watching the series I didn't really think much of Kintaros. Mainly because even though, he can be selfish at times he can be very noble and good at the same time. It's also because unlike the others he doesn't stand out as much, because of his constant sleeping, but when he's wake and reacting with the others alongside them, he's very noticeable. Right lastly we have...
Ryutaros
voiced by
Kenichi Suzumura.
Ryutaros is the fourth Imagin that gives Ryotaro his power, which allows for the transformation into Den-O Gun Form. Though he is the last Imagin to appear, Ryutaros initially possessed Ryotaro the moment that Urataros did, and simply hid himself from the others. Ryutaros reveals himself in his form when he is attracted by Naomi's coffee inside the DenLiner. Ryutaros is most childish in personality with a love for drawing and animals. Ryutaros also appears to enjoy break dancing, to the point to that it is incorporated into his flashy fighting style. His personality is one of a fun-loving dancer/disc jockey but is reckless. This recklessness also causes the most collateral damage, as he fires his gun aimlessly. When he possesses Ryotaro, he first asks "Mind if I…?" (Usually "Mind if I defeat you?" or "Mind if I end this?") followed by "I can't hear your answer" He has the ability to control people simply by snapping his fingers. This tactic works with summoning the Machine DenBird as well. Originally, Ryutaros possesses Ryotaro after being promised the title of become the DenLiner's conductor by Kai (main villain of the series), who also gives the Imagin a ticket, on the condition that he destroys Ryotaro. However, because he does not wish for Airi (A main character who you'll see in the series.) to cry, Ryutaros decides not to destroy Ryotaro. The only individual he will listen to is Airi, whom he affectionately calls "sis", Ryotaro only calls her the more formal "sister". Because he knows that Airi has loved Yuto Sakurai, and from faulty advice on love from Kintaros, he becomes jealous of Yuto and wishes to show that he is stronger than him. But when Kai takes matters in his own hands in killing him, combined with realizing how he and Airi can not to be together, Ryutaros matures a bit to cope with fading away while eventually mustering courage to fight in the final battle against Kai. He's just very fun, to watch Ryutaros. Every time he's on screen, you know your going to be watching not only a fun loving gun wielding madman, but also some seriously brilliant dancing! Right on to the second Rider!
Yuto Sakurai
portrayed by
Yuichi Nakamura.
Yuto is a man who bears the same name as Airi's fiance, referred in the series as the "Past Man" ("Past Man" portrayed by Tomonobu Okano.), who mysteriously disappeared prior to the beginning of the series, but similarities do not go any further it would seem. It is later revealed that Yuto is the very same Yuto Sakurai, only a decade younger, sharing his future self's high knowledge of astronomy. Prior to the series, Yuto Sakurai encounters his future self, the older Yuto Sakurai of 2007, who reveals to him the situation relating to the Imagin. Provided with the Zeronos arsenal and Deneb, Yuto takes the ZeroLiner forward in time to May 20, 2007. Unlike Ryotaro, Yuto claims that protecting the flow of time is not the same thing as protecting people. He says that saving people is unnecessary if it means disrupting the flow of time even if it means sacrifices must be made to save the future. He holds a very spoiled personality, and often acts like a child when things do not go his way and putting lots of sugar in his coffee before actually tasting it, hence earning him the nickname "Boku-chan" by Urataros. Yuto is also the kind of figure who would use dishonest methods to get the job done, but has since abandoned this way of fighting. A running gag with Yuto is his hatred for shiitake *Japanese mushroom*, going as far as a comic beating to make sure Deneb does not serve any. I may of spoiled a little bit with him, but he is a likable character. Plus it's funny watching him, act childishly to others. Next up is...
Deneb
voiced by
Hōchū Ōtsuka.
is an Imagin fully contracted to Yuto Sakurai, gaining a physical form within normal space time due to Sakurai's wish for the Imagin to aid his past self as part of their contract. Rather than possessing him to travel into the past, Deneb willingly betrays Kai and possesses Sakurai in the middle of a fight after witnessing his desire to protect time as Kamen Rider Zeronos. Deneb serves as Yuto's butler and fights alongside him while he is in Altair Form, able to fires bullets (or smoke pellets) out of his fingertips. He also provides Zeronos the ability to transform into Vega form. He carries around a basket that contains hand-made candies that have wrappers that bear his face called "Deneb Candy". His personality is the polar opposite of Yuto's, with Deneb's noble demeanor usually resulting in embarrassing consequences done to Yuto, who comically beats him up for it. Although Yuto treats him with occasional disrespect; Deneb chooses to stand by his side out of friendship and loyalty, knowing Yuto to be a kind person. He also acts as a parental figure to Yuto, doing his best to make sure he lives healthy, including a need to serve shiitake to him, despite Yuto's hatred towards it (and usually resulting beating up). Due to the fact he has a physical form in normal space time, Deneb often appears in (poorly constructed) disguises in order to avoid standing out. I really love this guy! Deneb is just loads of fun to watch, especially when he's with Yuto. You just can't help, but love this character for who he is, and what he stands for. Last up the main villain...
Kai
portrayed by
Hideo Ishiguro.
Kai is an antagonist of the series and is a Singularity Point from the future who is the mastermind behind the Imagin attacks, psychically giving them the orders to destroy the key to the Junction Point to ensure the future of the Imagin. To pick ideal dates to send Imagin back to, Kai uses a black page-a-day calendar where he has several hosts' memories and his own to pick from. To find these dates, he can look into human minds for strong memories much like the Imagin. When his own memories are used, a past incarnation of Kai appears in the past only to dissolve into a pile of sand. Kai is also capable of opening up portals through time and travel through it without the use of a time-traveling train, and through this ability can also release blasts of energy capable of erasing everything but himself from time and space. After mentioning how he feels about an event, he says "I have the face for it, don't I?". He often has an emotionless or angry expression on his face when he says this. Kai also has psychic abilities akin to Ryutaros's, having the ability to control people as well as summon up a small troupe of break dancers. Despite his villainous methods, Kai believes that his goal of saving the Imagin's future is altruistic, having true feelings for their kind. I hate to say it, but this guy doesn't leave a very big impression as a bad guy. I mean you can tell, he's evil and all but the character isn't a strong one for me. A good villain, but not as strong as the other Rider villains before.
So ends my review and tribute to Kamen Rider Den-O. And I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I really recommend this series to anyone who loves Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers! And to anyone who loves all around good comedy. So join me next time on Super Hero Time! guys for...
Oh dear... *sighs* I knew this series would reel it's head out one day...
*Takes a deep breath*
Next time...
Saban's Masked Rider.
*Side Note.*
I know I didn't talk about the other characters like Arir, Seigi, Issē and even Sieg. But I felt for this review it was more impotent to give new viewers a preview of who to look out for in the series. And to introduce people to not only the Kamen Rider series, but also Super Sentai, Power Rangers, BeetleBorgs, etc. So I will say that in some of reviews there'll be characters I won't mention unless I really have to. Until next time guys!
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