正義の守護者の難しさ
Some of what this show is about is that there aren't a whole lot of opportunities to actually
be a defender of justice or righteousness in the world today. It's really hard to be that kind of
hero. And most people have to sort of make do with like a nine to five. That's not what they thought
they wanted to be when they were growing up. And so I think some of the attraction of the show is
that these are people who refused to let that dream die. Welcome back to 2AM OTTACK! I'm your
host Mayu, a born and raised Japanese non-otaku, and I'm Cisco, an American otaku. In this podcast,
we share our reviews of anime and manga through our distinct perspectives with commentary on
Japanese culture, history, and language. Cisco, what's up? So we've talked about Tojima Tanzaburo
wants to be a Kamen Rider before, and like we barely knew about original Kamen Rider. Yeah,
I thought I knew a little bit because I have like a vivid memory of watching Kamen Rider and my
brother mimicking being a Kamen Rider and everything, but it's way more deep in Kamen Rider world.
Deep? I think. Okay. The more like I learned about it, it's like it has like a meanings of it or like
no? No, that's cool. Yeah, absolutely. So like, yeah, like we got a little bit of knowledge about
Kamen Rider after we posted an episode because a lot of Kamen Rider fans, like an original,
I don't know what to say, people who actually used to watch Kamen Rider in like real time. Yeah,
Kamen Rider fans. Kamen Rider fans commented and they told us this is the answers to your questions.
Hell yeah. I didn't read any of them. You didn't read. I did. I don't really have any
more knowledge than before. I feel like I got a little bit knowledge about Kamen Rider. But
even though you don't have any knowledge about Kamen Rider, you can still enjoy this anime.
That's so true. Right? Yes. Because you actually enjoy it. I think this anime is great. Yeah.
Just recently, we recorded a three day long talk with a Kamen Rider fan, aka my brother,
and he was so great. He was like educating us about Kamen Rider and the many different
incarnations of Kamen Rider that exist. Yeah, so we can include some of the information we got
from him. Yeah. And we can talk about it today. Great. Before we start, we'd like to hear from
アニメの影響とコミュニティ
you. Share your thoughts, ideas, questions, or even suggestions for what we should talk about.
Email us using the address in the description, or you can use the Spotify or YouTube comment
sections. All right. So we've watched until episode 12. That's right. And it's been so
fun to watch. Yeah, it's very entertaining. What's been so like, you know, attractive about this
anime for you? Well, I was going to save this, but I think I'll just say it here at the outset.
I think one of the things I like a lot about this anime is that it reminds me of Nitengo Jigen.
What's the name of this anime in English again? 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.
2.5 Dimensional Seduction. I don't really love the seduction part, but whatever.
It reminds me of that anime in the best way possible, which is to say, it's fundamentally
a show about loving something and the way that that brings you into community with
other people who feel the same way, which is something that anime has done throughout my life.
And so seeing that experience recreated by these shows has been sort of fulfilling and
nice for me. And it gives otaku an opportunity to laugh at ourselves because of how
fundamentally ridiculous we are and also celebrates the fact that, you know,
our bonding over these shows that we really passionately love can be an awesome sort of
force for good. I'm not an otaku for like anime and stuff like that. I'm an otaku for other stuff
like baking, but not like a what? Sorry, I just pictured you baking being like,
I don't know. Baking is so awesome. So like from my perspectives, like those people are
totally junior bill. Yes. To me, because they're all full grown up people. Yes. And then they
still want like a heroes. They want to be here. Do you want to be heroes? And that they pretend
no, they they are heroes, I think, in their minds. I mean, I think they're heroes in the
real world, too. They stopped robberies and stuff. That's true. That's true. But like fighting like
actual like mutants and stuff. To me, it's like I don't know how to say this. I believe you mean
nerdy, nerdy, but I don't know if I want to get involved in the group. I do. I want to be in
their friend group. I can't. I think I would offend them. You would. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I
would laugh at something that they were totally serious. I mean, I don't think they're even that
bothered by that. But like to me, like, you know, this sounds like you want just watching them.
It's the right amount of distance for me at the same time watching them. I'm just happy
that they are happy. Right. Because like they get them, you know, they get each other. They
do get each other. They have the same idea and they have the same passion. Who is the number one?
So, so passionate. Yeah. And then like after that, like fight or whatever, they drink,
ヒーローになる夢
they go drinking. That part is definitely different from most other shows, which it shows them
having a good time. Like I said, in community. Yeah. After their moments of drama. What was
interesting about my brother, who has been a huge Kamen Rider fan, was he thought it didn't
have to become a writer? Yeah, I think the desire to be a hero is really strong for lots of people.
I don't think it's limited to fans of Kamen Rider. You know, I think especially when you're young,
there's a huge attraction towards being a Seigi no Mikata, right? A defender of justice or of
righteousness. Right. And standing up to protect the weak and being like brave and strong and all
these things that you're not when you're little, but that you want to be when you're older. And I
think some of what this show is about is that there aren't a whole lot of opportunities to actually be
a defender of justice or righteousness in the world today. It's really hard to be that kind of
hero. And most people have to sort of make do with like a nine to five. That's not what they thought
they wanted to be when they were growing up. And so I think some of the attraction of the show is
that these are people who refused to let that dream die. And instead, worked really hard towards
becoming heroes and are I mean, are heroes because they are in a world where those other sort of bad
things exist. But I think especially in the very beginning when he's just stopping, you know,
guys from getting his stand at a festival destroyed, right? That's something that anybody
could do. And that would be heroic if you did it. So I think your brother's point was that it doesn't
need to be common writer, right? There's lots of people who want this experience or who dream of
having this experience of getting to be a hero, whether it's a specifically common writer hero
or a different type of hero, or, you know, I think in America, Marvel or whatever. And I think people
who are really into sort of like D&D or LARPing are in kind of the same boat, right? Of like,
wishing they could be something greater than what this world allows.
Yeah. He was making a point that the reason Tojima wants to be a common writer is not to save
people.
That it's like very purely for himself. Yeah, he does make that point that he's not really about
trying to save people. He's about getting to be in that role that he always wanted to be in.
So I thought that was like a clear point. And then it was kind of obvious.
I mean, I think the I think your brother's point about he doesn't necessarily want to
save people. He just wants to fight shocker. He just wants to get to be this hero that he
dreamed of also is maybe against what I was just saying earlier, but makes the point that he's very
pure in terms of his desire to get to like, live in that world or, or be this person that he's
dreamed of being, as opposed to just being a general do-gooder, right? He's not like,
Oh, well, you know, there aren't any real shockers. So I'll study like environmental
law and like help people that way. He's like, no, I really want to be a common writer and fight,
you know, do a writer punch against somebody who's bad.
I don't really know what to make of that. I can't really spin that into a bigger narrative
other than. Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, it still has that idea of like not letting go
of your dream and wanting to pursue it, even if it's something that's not really possible.
And I think plenty of otaku kind of do that, right? Acknowledge that it's not really possible
and yet want to get as close to it as we can anyway.
敵の象徴と影響
So like, you noticed something about the enemy shocker about their symbols or how they salute?
Yeah. So one, they have these giant belt buckles that have like, I think a globe, right? And an
eagle on top of it. And so the eagle is used a lot in Nazi iconography and the fact that they're
sort of wearing all black, right? Sort of really, I guess the black shirts were technically the
Italian fascists, not the, the Nazis were the brown shirts and nobody's wearing brown, but
they have some, you know, they also do like essentially a zig Heil when they change into
their shocker form, right? They go and like do this weird salute. Yes. So they're definitely
borrowing Nazi iconography. And I mean, notionally the eagle goes back to the Romans, right? That's
the Nazis using it because they're the third Reich or the third Rome, but that was in there.
And so I was like, Oh, are they, are they trying intentionally be Nazis? There's a highling,
they've got eagles. And the answer is yes, they are intentionally trying to be like the Nazis.
That's an influence on the original. So that was cool to be borne out by people who actually know
what they're talking about and be like, yep, it is. It's intentionally borrowing from the Nazis and
Nazis are always pretty solid bad guys. It's kind of interesting that this show has at least one
person who's in shocker, who sort of turns and decides not to be in it anymore. And at least
one other person who's not in it originally, who's like, I've always wanted to be in shocker.
キャラクターの魅力
It's one thing to want to be in shocker. It's a different thing. You know, if we're really taking
the Nazi thing farther, it's like, that's pretty disturbing. Right. Although I guess their only
real point of connection is like world domination and human experimentation, right? Both pretty
disturbing things. Anyway. Yeah. So that is apparently a real influence on the show.
So there are like many interesting characters in the show.
Yes.
Who's your favorite?
I think I got to go with the original Kamen Rider, Ujima Tanzaburo, because I'm old and so is he.
And so I relate to him on that level.
He's the oldest.
He also has the best Gaider Punch! And I like also relate to that in some way.
Okay. Okay.
What about you?
I think I like Mitsuba.
Interesting. Rider Man.
I don't know anything about Rider Man, but he does Aikido, which I think cool.
Yeah.
Yeah. And you know, it's not like punch or kick. Like, you know, he uses techniques to like
dodge or I don't know how you can really attack enemies, but like the way he does,
I really like it. And he and his girlfriend, Yukarisu, they are funny together.
She's really over the top.
She's over the top. Her voice, Yukarisu's voice is by the same person as Power from Chainsaw Man.
Yeah. There's some similarities there.
Yeah. You can tell. Yeah.
Yeah. Fair.
But like, I love the couple. I mean, everyone is really funny.
Yeah.
And then now we are about to see what's up with Ichio and Mitsuba's sister, who's really strong.
No, Ichio is the sister.
No, she's Futaba. Her name is Futaba.
That's why the bar is named that.
Yeah.
Yeah. You're right. Okay.
So I'm looking forward to find out more about her because like,
she was always like fit up with like her brother is trying to be a Kamen Rider.
Yeah.
And she was bullied or something at school because of the brothers.
Yeah. Because they were such nerds.
Yeah. Yeah. But like, it looks like she's hiding something.
She's going to be a Kamen Rider too.
I don't know. I don't know. But like, she's so strong.
Yeah.
So maybe she has some like her own thing or she can be part of the group or...
Yeah. It's going to be part of that Pink Tiger thing.
Yeah.
Yeah. This is definitely going to be her.
仮面ライダーの視聴歴
Has this show made you want to watch an original Kamen Rider?
That's a really good question. I feel kind of pressure
receiving comments from other, you know, Kamen Rider fans.
Yeah.
Like, because like some people like recommend it, like you should really watch this.
Right. Right. Right.
Thank you.
Um, I don't know. There are so many, right?
There's so many different kinds of Kamen Rider.
There's a lot of Kamen Riders. Yeah.
And I've watched some of the Showa era Kamen Riders, but I can't tell which one is which.
Maybe I'm down to watch the one that my brother recommended. Kamen Rider Kuga.
Cougar?
Are? Kuga. Kuga.
Is it a cougar though?
It's not a cougar. It's a guy.
Just cougar?
Cougar. I don't know how to spell cougar.
Are you sure it's not cougar? Because it really sounds like it.
If there's a if there's a pink tiger in it, then, you know, it's definitely a cougar,
especially if it's an older woman.
Yeah. Is there like a puma theme, though?
I'm not going to be able to not hear it as cougar.
No, it looks like a regular Kamen Rider.
OK, whatever. I'm down to see that, too.
Because I remember watching parts of it when my brother was watching,
and it was so different from the other Kamen Rider in the past that I used to watch.
The one I used to watch was definitely for little kids, like a lot of fighting.
The story is kind of the same, like a superhero.
Sure.
Patterns, you know, there's like, you know, somebody is need help,
got kidnapped or caught by Shocker or something.
And then Kamen Rider helps and he always wins.
That was a pattern.
But Kamen Rider Cougar looked like a regular TV drama and it has a structure.
And, you know, I don't think each episode ends with a story.
Like, it's like continuous episodic.
It's a series of the thing.
So the actor who did the cougar became really, really popular and famous.
And after a while, whoever gets the role for Kamen Rider,
they become like serious actors on TV and stuff.
Yeah.
So I'm down to watch that one.
And Oda Girijo too.
So.
Okay, cool.
Yeah. What about you?
I mean, I think I'm curious about the original Kamen Rider because I guess when I was like a
little kid, I saw the original Batman TV show with Adam West.
And it's very campy and it's kind of silly.
And I think it has some things in common with like tokusatsu in general.
And I like, I guess I watched a couple of episodes of Power Rangers at some point,
but Power Rangers was a weird show because they reshot all of the sequences where they're not
fighting anybody with like white actors.
Do you not know about this?
No.
So I don't know what Power Rangers was called in Japan.
It might've been called Power Rangers.
Power Rangers, I think.
Okay. But there's like five of them, right?
Well, when they're in costume, you can't see any of their skin at all.
So they used all the action sequences from the Japanese show,
but then for all the other sequences where they're not in the battle suits,
they reshot those parts with like white actors in like America.
Anyway, I think like, it's not like I've never seen any tokusatsu,
but I haven't seen a lot of it.
And I definitely don't know anything about Kamen Rider.
And so I think like going back to the original for me would be the most interesting
to be like, what exactly was this genre like?
And why did this become like the beginning of this enormously long series?
And I mean, it might be that, you know, at the time it was like a viable IP.
And so they just continued making more series of it.
And then it naturally transformed,
which I guess is sort of what happened with Batman, right?
The original Batman comics are kind of one thing that Adam West TV show
is something totally different entirely.
And then like, you can't even really compare that to like the later Batman movies.
So maybe it's something like that, but I'm interested in seeing the original
just to get a better sense of it or in watching, I guess,
stronger the one that tackles in because I like tackle as a character a lot.
仮面ライダーとその音楽
Do you want to talk about the music?
Yeah, the music is great.
I had like mixed feelings about Teddy Lloyd,
because it feels like Teddy Lloyd just makes literally everything now.
But the Gnosia theme songs like really grew on me.
And then this theme songs are great.
Like the Kamen Rider music is really good.
And so now I think I might be kind of a Teddy Lloyd fan.
But no, I mean, these this opening and ending are both really, really good.
And the long versions of the songs are just as good as the opening
and ending theme song versions.
So yeah, I'm I'm digging them.
All right.
And I think like the ending theme song in particular has like a real
throwback kind of funk feeling to it.
Like it's it sounds kind of it would be 80s in Japan,
but like it sounds kind of 70s in America.
And yeah, I like it.
I think it's I think it's fire.
Let's do today's word of the day.
OK.
What is today's word of the day?
Well, we already did like several of them basically during the episode.
I'll throw this one in too, just in case.
正義の概念
So Seigi means righteousness or justice.
And in both anime and this kind of well,
I don't know whether it's talked about in like live action shows to quite the same degree.
But in anime, there's a lot of like Seigi no Mikata.
And it means being someone who stands up for the weak.
Right.
Sort of like a knight, honestly.
And I don't really know that there's a equivalent term in English like
defender of justice or warrior of righteousness or something like that is a good translation.
But I feel like Seigi no Mikata just means hero in some some significant way in Japan.
But you got to be a hero who's standing up for the right things.
So that's a term that you'll hear a lot.
And it's the thing that I think more people should aspire to.
That's all I got.
All right.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
If you happen to be an English speaker and also know a lot about Kamen Rider,
we'd love to hear from you.
And I'm sorry for anything we got wrong.
That's all.
アメリカでの仮面ライダー
I think there were Kamen Rider in America too.
They made Kamen Rider in America.
Wait, really?
Yeah.
When?
2000 or something.
I can't remember the exact year.
But like, yeah, I got comment from, you know, subscriber.
Wow.
Yeah, it didn't go.
It just wasn't a hit?
It wasn't a hit.
Interesting.
But they acted it like, you know, people here did it and made Kamen Rider series.
OK, I think I want to see that one.
Yeah.
That sounds really interesting to me.
Yeah, I wonder why it was become it didn't become successful.
I think they may not have been sure who they were pitching it to at that point.
But that sounds fascinating.
Yeah.
I guess that's it.
OK.
All right.
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Peace.