TV Review: Kamen Rider Zero-One
To cap off the semester, I would like to take these last two reviews in a different direction, or rather, introduce a different direction that will become part of the norm soon enough. These two reviews will be the start of my delving into reviewing entries in the Tokusatsu genre of media, a genre that is near and dear to my heart. The first of these two reviews will go into the Kamen Rider side of things.
Before I get into the review, the question from anyone unfamiliar might be asked: what is Kamen Rider? Kamen Rider is a Japanese live-action superhero show. It focuses on titular heroes (the Kamen Riders) who fight evil and do so with complete practical effects. The franchise is separated into three eras: the Showa Era (1971-1994), the Heisei Era (2000-2018), and the Reiwa Era (2019-present day). Each era has its fair share of Kamen Riders, and each Rider is unique in their own way. In this review, I will be talking about the first season of the Reiwa Era, Kamen Rider Zero-One. The series was written by Yuya Takahashi and as with all Kamen Rider seasons, developed by Ishinomori Productions Toei Company.
The story follows Aruto Hiden, the heir to a company that specializes in artificial intelligence development called Hiden Intelligence. Their latest development is the perfection of a type of android called Humagears. Humagears serve as helpers to society. They can be purchased or assigned to do whatever task needs to be done. When the current president of the company, Korenosuke Hiden suddenly passed away, Aruto, his grandson, is requested to take up the role as president. Part of the will Korenosuke left for Aruto was a warning that soon, there will be a catastrophic event that surrounds the Humagears, and the only way to stop it is for someone to utilize the newest product in defense technology, the Zero-One system. As president, Aruto is the only one capable of using this system. So, equipped with the Zero-One Driver, he becomes Kamen Rider Zero-One and works to prevent the coming cataclysm.
I have been a Kamen Rider fan since 2017, and Kamen Rider Zero-One was the second season that I watched live. It was hard for me to enjoy the season that came before it, being that it was an anniversary that relied heavily on references that I did not understand at the time. So, Zero-One wound up serving as a proper starting point for me to watch Kamen Rider live, and I loved it all the way through. I personally am a huge fan of action and superheroes, so seeing karate men wearing spandex fighting bad guys satisfies that fanboy inside me. With that being said, Zero-One checks all the boxes when it comes to that. Sleek action, with 99% of it being practical effects, makes it an entertaining watch just on the fight scenes alone. Not to mention the actual suits as well. As said before, each Kamen Rider is unique, and their suit designs show it. To pair with the action, Zero-One has some amazing suits that make the sleekness even sleeker (too much sleek?).
Zero-One is not the only Kamen Rider in this show, however. He is accompanied by Kamen Rider Vulcan and Kamen Rider Valkyrie, members of a military organization called A.I.M.S. that specializes in heavy-duty scenarios. Both Riders provide an interesting contrast to Zero-One, in not only design, but in character as well. Aruto’s dream is to live in a world where humans and AI can live together, while part of A.I.M.S.’s job is to destroy said AI, should it go berserk. More Riders get introduced down the line, each unique in their way and serve various parts in the show’s story.
Despite all the things that make this show great, I cannot continue this review without mentioning the elephant in the room. The show started in September 2019 and ran until August 2020. That means that around the halfway point was when the COVID-19 pandemic started. The pandemic affected everything in the world, and as such, it affected this show immensely. Setbacks such as going on hiatus multiple times and even affecting the script, to which rewrites had to be made, really gave this show a struggle. What did not help either was that the middle of the show was a bumpy ride, so combining the quality with the setbacks, it was a slow burn at the time. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. What was a bumpy ride smoothed itself out right when it needed to and provided a satisfying ending arc for the show. That same light not only helped the show, but it helped me as well. I loved the show from the start, so I personally did not mind the bumps that it had. The pandemic caused a good number of people, including myself, to fall into a dark place. But having something that I knew I liked to wait for every week when I might have been feeling down was what made this show truly special to me. Because of this, this show will always have a special place in my heart and will forever be one of my favorites.
What Kamen Rider Zero-One may lack in quality at times, it makes up for it in a great watch that is surely worth your time, and underlying significance. It was there for the fans, it was there for me, and it’s even there for newcomers who may be interested in getting into Kamen Rider. The fact that it was able to pull itself out from a rough spot and go out with a bang is an achievement in itself.
