I've only just recently finished watching the Kamen Rider Faiz series. Otherwise known as 555. Why did I jump to this show out of all the options available? Uh, have you seen this guy? (Pictures provided below)
Pretty cool, right?
I was spoiled on one plot point going in, thanks to Kamen Rider Decade travelling to a version of the Faiz earth- I knew going into it that the main character was secretly an "orphenoch", the race of monsters that get fought in the series proper.
The orphenochs deal is that they were humans until they died, but then woke up again as an orphenoch, with enanced strength, a new form besides their human selves, and other various powers. I originally would have likened them to vampires, but seeing as the series ends with the revelation that orphenoch state of being isn't sustainable, that given enough time all the orphenochs will die off of their own accord (unless the Orphenoch King can be awakened- that's sort of the big deal at the end of the series). Anyways, they're more like zombies I guess. Not that it's that important to liken orphenochs to any other creatures, but it may help give you a clearer idea about them.
Analogy. Yes, that's right.
The main character, Inui Takumi, is the wolf orphenoch and Kamen Rider Faiz. A very interesting point was raised over at the tvtropes page for the show: A superhero who transforms using a high-tech cellular phone has as his tragic flaw an inability to communicate. Everyone is constantly calling each other, but misunderstandings abound. Well over half the conflict in the series would be resolved if people could just sit down in a room, and get things cleared up at once.
This was actually far and away the most series Kamen Rider series I've seen to date (remember that's Den-O, W, OOO, and Decade, though I've just started Kuuga, and that one is pretty serious too so far) but even still it has it's share of wackiness. Random things mostly having to do with the circuitous love quadrangles they've got going on. Takumi himself didn't seem to be too in to the love business, unless you count Kiba Yuji, the horse orphenoch. Those two dudes really dug each other. But mostly Takumi was too worried about turning evil, what with his orphenochness.
It was either half way or three quarters of the way through the series when the director decided all of the characters must be going insane! They introduce some camera tricks, the names of which I don't know, but, you know, it was all instagram-y up in there. It was crazy awesome. Though it had its drawbacks, the sudden lack of narrative cohesion (plus, lets be honest, they were probably rushed for time) hurt the ending of the series. A big explosion happened, and then time skipped ahead a bit, with the big bad guy still alive (though no longer active/conscious), and Takumi starting to deteriorate... well, it's an unsatisfying ending.
It could really use a movie to tie things up.
Man, it is hard to talk about an entire Kamen Rider series, yet I keep trying to do just that. Harder still in that I try to do it when the clock is always ticking away near the deadline. Suffice it to say, I'm not doing the series judgement in describing it.
But the little voice that sounds off as the transformation belt goes off is mighty smooth- opens cell phone, presses 555, enter.
"Standing By"
User calls out "Henshin" into phone, inserts cell phone into belt.
"Complete"
And then tron lines surround the guy and it's mighty awesome.
Okay, need to figure out what to discuss for my last post.
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