Orangevine
This is an outstanding family-friendly action-adventure drama with loveable characters and complex story-telling; a must-watch for Suda Masaki's fans.
Tokusatsu genre has a bad rep. "Cringey", "full of overacting", "soulless money grab" are just several examples of accusations thrown at tokusatsu. Ultimately, though, the best tokusatsu dramas have much more in common with family-friendly classics than with shows for little kids. Think Hayao Miyazaki, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or any given shounen manga - family-friendly just means it's exciting enough to keep kids engaged and that there is no nudity.
Kamen Rider W is exactly like this. Once the viewers accept the hyperbolic world-building and exaggerated acting as necessities of the genre, they are able to enjoy the complex multilayered story at the heart of the show.
The complexity is created by many factors. There is a postmodernism premise that includes main character (Hidari 'Left' Shotaro), a hard-boiled detective wannabe, who solves cases in hilariously family-friendly 'Gothem'-city. Naturally, his hard-boiled code of conduct requires him to religiously wear a fedora and to document all of his cases using a typewriter (while writing down Japanese words in Romaji). Little details like a giant industrial fan that obstructs the view from the private eye's office add further hilarity. Other characters never get tired of pointing out the ridiculous set-up providing much embarrassment for poor Shotaro.
There is, of course, a string of femme fatales but like any noir hero worth his salt Shotaro cares the most about his detective partner Philip. The duo of Shotaro and Philip is narrative gold. Shotaro is a character who does his utmost to pursue the toxic masculinity ideal but fails every time due to his compassionate heart and caring nature. Philip, on the other hand, is Shotaro's perfect foil - he looks delicate, he faints during Kamen Rider transformations, and he couldn't care less about any hard-boiled rep. He is also coldly rational and posses absolute knowledge and a raw power unmatched by Shotaro. In fact, Philip comes quite close to that toxic masculinity ideal.
This subversive interplay between character traits makes for charged conflicts and great character development.
Philip has a mysterious past full of abuse the extent of which is only hinted at. There are many similarly hard topics raised in the show but they are never spelled out due to the need to hide them from the young viewers.
The central arc is very coherent. New plot developments reliably catch the viewer unawares because the clever foreshadowing is easy to dismiss. The smaller arcs vary in quality, though.
The villains of the show are entertaining and relatable, and Akiko (the female lead) is one of those rare truly nicely done female characters. She may seem loud at first, but it's impossible not to like her several episodes in.
The acting deserves a special mention. Tokusatsu usually features young inexperienced actors. Kamen Rider W, though, struck gold with its leads. Kiriyama Renn who plays Shotaro was already a solid actor. He hard-carried many scenes keeping the right balance between exaggerated comic acting and more subtle one. On the contrary, Suda Masaki was playing his first ever role - Philip; indeed, he was just 16 years old. It turned out, though, that Suda was a genius.
Now, ten years since the premiere, no one in Japan doubts Suda's ability to act; after all, he received the 'Best Actor' academy award when he was just 25. However, he had never stood before the camera at the start of the Kamen Rider W shooting and it shows. Suda can barely act in the first episode; he struggles with Tokyo dialect having been raised in Osaka with its Kansai-ben; he visibly cringes when he needs to say a line about never trying Osaka's famous takoyaki. It's hilarious. But Suda needs just a couple of episodes to visibly improve. By the end of the show, he is a solid actor.
Watching one of the most acclaimed Japanese actor pick up acting skills at a neck-breaking speed is an entertainment all on its own.
((In fact, Suda's acting was too good. Once an actor proves himself capable, he never gets the simple roles popular in mainstream. The same way early careers of Ikematsu Sosuke, Ayano Gou, or Kubota Masataka are filled with roles of serial killers, rapists, and outcasts, Suda's career took an art house turn with endless variations of the young delinquent role. It took a lot of time and effort before Suda was back in the mainstream.))
The final layer of complexity comes from the many clever metaphors and world-building details. For example, Shotaro uses Joker Gaya-Memory while Philip uses Cyclone. The names seem silly until the whole story is revealed and the connection to the story progression becomes apparent.
Tokusatsu genre has a bad rep. "Cringey", "full of overacting", "soulless money grab" are just several examples of accusations thrown at tokusatsu. Ultimately, though, the best tokusatsu dramas have much more in common with family-friendly classics than with shows for little kids. Think Hayao Miyazaki, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or any given shounen manga - family-friendly just means it's exciting enough to keep kids engaged and that there is no nudity.
Kamen Rider W is exactly like this. Once the viewers accept the hyperbolic world-building and exaggerated acting as necessities of the genre, they are able to enjoy the complex multilayered story at the heart of the show.
The complexity is created by many factors. There is a postmodernism premise that includes main character (Hidari 'Left' Shotaro), a hard-boiled detective wannabe, who solves cases in hilariously family-friendly 'Gothem'-city. Naturally, his hard-boiled code of conduct requires him to religiously wear a fedora and to document all of his cases using a typewriter (while writing down Japanese words in Romaji). Little details like a giant industrial fan that obstructs the view from the private eye's office add further hilarity. Other characters never get tired of pointing out the ridiculous set-up providing much embarrassment for poor Shotaro.
There is, of course, a string of femme fatales but like any noir hero worth his salt Shotaro cares the most about his detective partner Philip. The duo of Shotaro and Philip is narrative gold. Shotaro is a character who does his utmost to pursue the toxic masculinity ideal but fails every time due to his compassionate heart and caring nature. Philip, on the other hand, is Shotaro's perfect foil - he looks delicate, he faints during Kamen Rider transformations, and he couldn't care less about any hard-boiled rep. He is also coldly rational and posses absolute knowledge and a raw power unmatched by Shotaro. In fact, Philip comes quite close to that toxic masculinity ideal.
This subversive interplay between character traits makes for charged conflicts and great character development.
Philip has a mysterious past full of abuse the extent of which is only hinted at. There are many similarly hard topics raised in the show but they are never spelled out due to the need to hide them from the young viewers.
The central arc is very coherent. New plot developments reliably catch the viewer unawares because the clever foreshadowing is easy to dismiss. The smaller arcs vary in quality, though.
The villains of the show are entertaining and relatable, and Akiko (the female lead) is one of those rare truly nicely done female characters. She may seem loud at first, but it's impossible not to like her several episodes in.
The acting deserves a special mention. Tokusatsu usually features young inexperienced actors. Kamen Rider W, though, struck gold with its leads. Kiriyama Renn who plays Shotaro was already a solid actor. He hard-carried many scenes keeping the right balance between exaggerated comic acting and more subtle one. On the contrary, Suda Masaki was playing his first ever role - Philip; indeed, he was just 16 years old. It turned out, though, that Suda was a genius.
Now, ten years since the premiere, no one in Japan doubts Suda's ability to act; after all, he received the 'Best Actor' academy award when he was just 25. However, he had never stood before the camera at the start of the Kamen Rider W shooting and it shows. Suda can barely act in the first episode; he struggles with Tokyo dialect having been raised in Osaka with its Kansai-ben; he visibly cringes when he needs to say a line about never trying Osaka's famous takoyaki. It's hilarious. But Suda needs just a couple of episodes to visibly improve. By the end of the show, he is a solid actor.
Watching one of the most acclaimed Japanese actor pick up acting skills at a neck-breaking speed is an entertainment all on its own.
((In fact, Suda's acting was too good. Once an actor proves himself capable, he never gets the simple roles popular in mainstream. The same way early careers of Ikematsu Sosuke, Ayano Gou, or Kubota Masataka are filled with roles of serial killers, rapists, and outcasts, Suda's career took an art house turn with endless variations of the young delinquent role. It took a lot of time and effort before Suda was back in the mainstream.))
The final layer of complexity comes from the many clever metaphors and world-building details. For example, Shotaro uses Joker Gaya-Memory while Philip uses Cyclone. The names seem silly until the whole story is revealed and the connection to the story progression becomes apparent.
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