Rewatching Kamen Rider W: Episode One

Kamen Rider W is probably my favorite Kamen Rider series of all time. I say probably only because I've watched the series from start to finish just once. There are quite a few episodes I've seen two or more times, but watching your favorite episodes over and over isn't the same thing as watching it from beginning to end all over again.

Recently, (thanks to Over-Time) I was able to watch Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z, which takes place between episodes 44 and 45 of the show. Since the movie was in theaters at the time the show was airing, I just had to read spoilers to figure out what had happened in between. So, I'm starting W all over again, and this time, I'll watch the entire thing, movies and all, as it was originally intended. And along the way, I'll post general thoughts and things I missed the first time around.

Join me as I ride with the devil all over again~

Starting the episode with Begins Night was a pretty fantastic choice. The budget for this stuff was obviously pretty high, and it looks absolutely beautiful. I also think letting the audience get a glimpse of Sokichi Narumi right off the bat was a good decision, even if it had to be when he died. And man, that first henshin!




Still gives me goosebumps.

The show's awesome theme song makes for a pretty great transition sequence too, especially since it captures the overall feel of the show so well.

Oh Akiko~ I'd forgotten how subdued she was when she first showed up. She was her usual self again after a couple minutes, of course, but it was a little jarring. Shoutaro, on the other hand...




..was his half-boiled self from the moment he showed up on screen.

I know I'm only talking about the first episode here, but I have to say, I think the first two-episode arc is one of the most traditional hard-boiled detective stories W ever did, right down to the dame.

Even if Marina looks pretty conservative and sweet here.

This episode is pretty heavy on Shou/Akiko stuff, which is always a lot of fun.

The episode also has less Philip than I remembered, but in spite of that, he has some pretty great moments.

Philip researching is always wonderful to see. And I love his excited face!

Magma is an extremely cool looking dopant, and in a way, that makes it feel sort of unexpected that he gets taken out in the first episode, even when watching it again. There's a part of me that always feels like they'll find a way to find the coolest looking monster designs over and over again. I love his very first appearance.

The initial Sonozaki stuff, on the other hand, really undersells their overall coolness. Since I know they get spectacular stuff in only a few more episodes, this doesn't bother me at all. And I will never not love their pulling out gaia memories at the dinner table antics.




But the highlight of the episode, for me, is the fight with Magma. Luna is always so much fun to watch, and I especially like the Luna/Joker combination. Maybe this is why.

I'd forgotten that the episode ended on the Revolgarry. Maybe it's just that the T-Rex dopant showing up like it did seems like a natural ending point to me? But I love the Revolgarry, and it sets stuff up for the next episode, so it works better this way.

I actually watched the first four episodes again before I wrote this (there is no way to watch just one W episode), so expect the next post shortly.