Kamen Rider Decade Series Review

[Tendou]

I figured since the show Kamen Rider Decade is over I would write up my review of it in in its entirety. This is my first review so bare with me. I don't plan on including any big spoilers. I want this review to b a helpful tool for those thinking about watching the show.

Plot: Wikipedia sums up the plot best, "The story revolves around the nine previous universes of the Heisei Kamen Riders merging into one, something that would destroy all the worlds. To prevent this, Tsukasa Kadoya transforms into Kamen Rider Decade and is told that to protect his own world he must travel with Natsumi and her grandfather to the other Kamen Riders' Worlds (referred to as an A.R. World or Another Rider's World) and eliminate the anomaly in that world. Along the way, confronting the mysterious Narutaki and the thief Daiki Kaitoh, they are joined by Yusuke Onodera of the World of Kuuga and Kivala of the World of Kiva."

The concept of the show was very ambitious from the start. Kamen Rider Decade was supposed to be the show that celebrated the entire Heisei Era of Kamen Riders and it ended up for the most part in succeeding. Each Rider World they go to is an alternate reality version of the original Kamen Rider shows' stories. In other words it is a different take on the stories. Due to this the creators were able to put in new actors to play the lead Riders in each world without creating much of a fuss from fans. Some of the original actors do return to reprise their roles outside of these worlds.

Each respective world had very interesting stories. The problem with this though was that the overarching plot, that is Decade's story, was put on the sideline for most of the show. The pace of the main story was very slow, but does pick up towards the end.

The best part of the show is definitely after Decade and friends finish their journey through the Heisei worlds. This is when the show's plot picks up and the story becomes even more intriguing.

The ending in my opinion is a big let down. The show ends on a major cliffhanger. The story is supposed to be finished in the Decade/Double movie coming in Winter 2009, but since I am reviewing the show and not the movie then I believe the ending is a big let down.

Rating: 8.5/10

Characters:

The characters in the show are all very interesting and none are a big disappointment.

Tsukasa Onodera/Kamen Rider Decade is the main character. Decade has the power to transform into any of the main Riders, but he needs to unlock their power before he can do so. He is played by Masahiro Inoue who happens to do a fantastic job playing as this character particularly as the show progresses. If you watched Kamen Rider Kabuto then you can compare him a lot to the main character there. He is a bit less arrogant and not as mean though. You could also see how the creators also made that analogy through the show. His character goes through the most development, as should be expected, mostly thanks to his travels through the Heisei worlds. He has amnesia and doesn't know which world is truly his. He is constantly told that he is supposed to be the Destroyer of Worlds by fellow Riders and enemies, but he tries to fight that destiny.

Natsumi Hikari is the main female character. She and her grandfather Eijiro Hikari have allowed Tsukasa to live with them in the Hikari Photo Studio for quite some time before the show starts. At the beginning of the show she has a vision of Decade destroying all the Riders. Due to this she fears that Tsukasa may become a true Destroyer and tries to do everything she can to help him not become that. One could say that there is a little romance going on between her and Tsukasa. Natsumi is played by Kanna Mori. She does a fantastic job as well playing as Natsumi. She is also very cute and is a strong female character.

Yuusuke Onodera/Kamen Rider Kuuga is one of Tsukasa's traveling companions. Yuusuke originally came from the World of Kuuga and due to certain circumstances joins up with the group. He becomes quick friends with both Tsukasa and Natsumi and is usually the more emotional one in the group. Yuusuke is played by Ryouta Murai. He does a fantastic job at making his version of Yuusuke a legitimate addition to the Kamen Rider franchise. He doesn't really transform to Kuuga much during the beginning of the show, but towards the end he fights more often.

Daiki Kaitoh/Kamen Rider Diend is known as the Treasure Sniper. Diend has the power to summon any rider to fight for him. He passes through the different worlds stealing treasures. He encounters the group early on in their journey and fights both as an ally and an enemy. Kaito is played by Kimito Totani. He like the others does a fantastic job at his part. His character goes through a lot of character development towards the end and he is my personal favorite on the show.

The other characters on the show all do their parts well. The biggest disappointments are Narutaki and Kivarra. Neither have any background towards why they are against Decade and neither really do anything, but annoy Decade. One standout character is Apollo Geist, a villain later on in the show. He is a great villain and it is sad to see that he was introduced so late in the show. His main goal was to be the biggest pain in the ass in the world. How badass is that.

Rating: 8/10

Music: The music in the show really fits the tone of the show. The opening Journey Through the Decade is sung by renowned artist Gackt and the two endings Ride the Wind and Treasure Sniper are sung by Masahiro Inoue and Kimito Totani respectively. My favorite in the show is Treasure Sniper.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: I'll just list the Pros and Cons at this point.

Pros

Great characters
Great Villains
IMO Suit designs are very good. Others will disagree.
Music
The original Kenzaki Kazuma
Great Plot Progression towards the end
World of Rx and Black
Shinkenger Crossover

Cons
Narutaki
Slow plot progression
Frustrating Cliffhanger

The show really had a great run and I wish it was normal length like most of the other Rider shows. Hopefully the upcoming movie will do a good job in ending Decade and I also hope they do more movies or maybe another show with Decade.

Overall Rating: 9/10

If anyone has any comments on how I can improve my reviews please post here. Thank you.

[PrimoPiccolo]

Originally Posted by Tendou

One standout character is Apollo Geist, a villain later on in the show. He is a great villain and it is sad to see that he was introduced so late in the show. His main goal was to be the biggest pain in the ass in the world.

Hahaha

[TECHWON]

yeah i love the series but a few of my buddies disagree cuz of the writing got screwy over the course of the series