"Walking the path of heaven, to rule everything!" This simple catch phrase sums up the entire show, but it's still worthwhile to watch the show.
The plot starts out as a somewhat simple "Monster of the Week" formula for the fights, but the human drama is the main focus of the show. Each character is very unique: jerk with a heart of gold (Tendou), an idiot who wants to help (Kagami), a withdrawn and hurt girl who suffers alone (Hiyori), a millionaire who tries unsuccessfully to adapt to a changing lifestyle (Tsurugi) and a beautician who just wants to protect the beauty around him (Daisuke). These characters tie the show together and to more than just further the plot, it is the majority of the plot. However, the show also focuses on how these character's change, but I felt that at times these changes were sudden, and a bit forced (Kagami suddenly becoming a bad boy once he can transform).
My only major complaint about the plot, is how the show builds up to such a climatic finale, but then in the last 3 episodes it is finally revealed who the main enemy is, and at this point it just didn't matter to me who the enemy was, I just wanted to see them be defeated, and the ending epilogue is just too campy and weird.
Kabuto has a sense of humor that relies heavily on name calling, puns, and physical gags, but it all works well together. I still lose it every time I see a 7 year old girl beat back a superhero with a fire extinguisher.
The fight scenes, one of the major reasons anyone watches Kamen Rider in the first place, are excellent. Some of the best I've seen in the series. Nearly every move has a purpose, and it's not just useless swings of the arms and rolling around on the ground. These action sequences convey almost as much characterization as the human sequences. The new "Clock Up" (basically super speed) powers effects seemed to be used much more consistently in the first few episodes, but as the show went on there were differences between the "Clock Up" sequences (time stops at first, but later just slows down time). This inconsistency bothered me, but sometimes it's better to just ignore the small facts. Overall, Kamen Rider Kabuto is one of my favorite series. Unfortunately it goes off with more of a whimper than a bang, but the journey is what's important. The actor's, somewhat silly at times, know their characters well and fit the parts they are brought into. The action is well played, not a single move wasted. The humor is top notch, I still laugh at the fire extinguisher scene. Every. Single. Time.
If you are considering watching Kamen Rider but you are on the fence, or if you are already a huge fan of the franchise, I whole-heartedly recommend this series for it is one of the best that Kamen Rider has to offer.
The plot starts out as a somewhat simple "Monster of the Week" formula for the fights, but the human drama is the main focus of the show. Each character is very unique: jerk with a heart of gold (Tendou), an idiot who wants to help (Kagami), a withdrawn and hurt girl who suffers alone (Hiyori), a millionaire who tries unsuccessfully to adapt to a changing lifestyle (Tsurugi) and a beautician who just wants to protect the beauty around him (Daisuke). These characters tie the show together and to more than just further the plot, it is the majority of the plot. However, the show also focuses on how these character's change, but I felt that at times these changes were sudden, and a bit forced (Kagami suddenly becoming a bad boy once he can transform).
My only major complaint about the plot, is how the show builds up to such a climatic finale, but then in the last 3 episodes it is finally revealed who the main enemy is, and at this point it just didn't matter to me who the enemy was, I just wanted to see them be defeated, and the ending epilogue is just too campy and weird.
Kabuto has a sense of humor that relies heavily on name calling, puns, and physical gags, but it all works well together. I still lose it every time I see a 7 year old girl beat back a superhero with a fire extinguisher.
The fight scenes, one of the major reasons anyone watches Kamen Rider in the first place, are excellent. Some of the best I've seen in the series. Nearly every move has a purpose, and it's not just useless swings of the arms and rolling around on the ground. These action sequences convey almost as much characterization as the human sequences. The new "Clock Up" (basically super speed) powers effects seemed to be used much more consistently in the first few episodes, but as the show went on there were differences between the "Clock Up" sequences (time stops at first, but later just slows down time). This inconsistency bothered me, but sometimes it's better to just ignore the small facts. Overall, Kamen Rider Kabuto is one of my favorite series. Unfortunately it goes off with more of a whimper than a bang, but the journey is what's important. The actor's, somewhat silly at times, know their characters well and fit the parts they are brought into. The action is well played, not a single move wasted. The humor is top notch, I still laugh at the fire extinguisher scene. Every. Single. Time.
If you are considering watching Kamen Rider but you are on the fence, or if you are already a huge fan of the franchise, I whole-heartedly recommend this series for it is one of the best that Kamen Rider has to offer.