Last Friday, May 13, was the opening of Shin Ultraman in Japan and it was also the day Toei dropped the new teaser trailer for another Shin movie, Shin Kamen Rider.
In the brief 55 seconds clip, you get flashes of some of the key cast, the all-important motorcycle, as well as glimpses of the actions. In the clip, we also have a look at some of the villains.
For those who don’t know, Kamen Rider was an unwilling superhuman who is not a hero by choice. The protagonist, Takeshi Hongo, who has a talent for riding a motorcycle caught the eyes of an evil organization, Sustainable Happiness Organization with Computational Knowledge Embedded Remodeling aka SHOCKER.
SHOCKER is hell-bent on world domination through the pursuit of happiness for human beings. And their idea of “happiness”? To turn everyone into augmented humans, without thoughts of their own.
Young Hongo-san’s talent with motorcycle and physique caught SHOCKER’s attention who had him abducted and became an unwilling recipient of the upgrade.
But before the scientist could brainwash him to gain control of him, he made a break and thereafter, swore that he will use his newfound power to ensure that humans stay humans. Exactly as the plot of the 1971 series, which I happen to rewatch last year.
The reboot was in commemoration of Kamen Rider’s 50th anniversary (2021). The Shin Kamen Rider is the third reboot of a tokusatsu series adapted by the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno, following his works on Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman.
It is written and directed by Anno, and is set to hit the theaters in Japan in March 2023. This is not the first teaser. Last year, TOEI Company shared a remake opening of the first episode of 1971’s Kamen Rider with Shin Kamen Rider. It was super nostalgic.
Images: YouTube (東映映画チャンネル)/TOEI Company [JP].
