Kamen Rider THE FIRST

Review

Producers: Kazuo Kato, Koichi Yada, Shinichiro Shirakura, Naomi Takebe Director: Takao Nagaishi Original Story: Shotaro Ishinomori Screenplay: Toshiki Inoue Music: Goro Yasukawa Cast: Masaya Kikawada, Hassei Takano, Rena Komine, Eiji Wentz, Ryoko Kobayashi, Kanji Tsuda, Itsuji Itao, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Toru Kazama, Shiro Namiki, Toshiyuki Kitami, Renji Ishibashi, Hirotaro Honda, Mayumi Sada, Issa Hedona, Hideyo Amamoto -- Synopsis (from the "CD Journal" database)

From Amazon

Abducted by the evil secret organization Shocker, Takeshi Hongo undergoes surgery to transform into Kamen Rider, a cyborg with the abilities of a grasshopper. However, as Hongo awakens to his true self, he decides to fight Shocker. Asuka Midorikawa, a magazine reporter who mistakenly believes her fiancée was killed by Hongo, investigates the monster's crimes. A man named Hayato Ichimonji, who looks exactly like her supposedly murdered fiance, Yano, appears before Asuka. He is none other than Kamen Rider No. 2, sent by Shocker to eliminate the Kamen Riders. While the film's "return to the roots" motif might lead one to believe it would be a faithful remake of Shotaro Ishinomori's first Kamen Rider comic, it's actually a work based on the original, with some added twists. The rider's appearance has also been refined to be more stylish and modern. However, after Hongo's escape from Shocker, the story becomes essentially original. While there are scattered nuances, spirit, and details from the original and the first TV series, it lacks cohesion as a single work. It's unclear whether director Takao Nagaishi's aim is to partially recreate the original or to create a new portrayal of the rider living in a modern world. While there are many highlights, such as the dynamic motorcycle action, it would be wise to first carefully consider the significance of this "return to the roots" in comparison with the original. (Morihiko Saito)