Video distributor Shout! Factory was Santa Claus to tokusatsu fans this past December. On December 12, Shout! uploaded all fifty episodes of the 2002 television series “Kamen Rider Ryuki” onto their YouTube channel. Shout! then followed up with uploading all forty-nine episodes of “Kamen Rider Kuuga” to their channel on Christmas Day. Both seasons are fully subtitled in English as Closed Captions and can be toggled on and off.
“Kuuga” and “Ryuki“ are far from the first series in the “Kamen Rider” franchise to be brought to America. However, they are the first ones to be available entirely on Shout! Factory’s YouTube channel: TokuSHOUTsu. They, along with the seasons “Zero-One”, “Geats”, and the original 1971 “Kamen Rider” have been released physically and on Tubi. The physical releases can cost up to $60, which can be a hurdle for lower-income individuals. Although Tubi is a free streaming service, it is not as widely used in the same way YouTube is. In addition, the subtitles on the Tubi uploads are hard encoded – meaning that they cannot be toggled.
“Ryuki” and “Kuuga” being on YouTube with closed captions allows them to be even more accessible to an English-speaking audience. Especially among those who prefer a more casual viewing experience.
What Is Tokusatsu?
Both “Kamen Rider Kuuga” and “Kamen Rider Ryuki” are tokusatsu TV shows, but, what is tokusatsu? Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action media that make use of practical effects to a great degree. While extensive use of practical effects is the main attraction, digital effects are also prevalent in this type of media. In fact, “tokusatsu” as a word literally means “special filming” in English.
The “Kamen Rider” franchise is one of the longest running pieces of tokusatsu media. The original “Kamen Rider” hit the air on April 3, 1971 and ran until February of 1973. Since then, there has been a new entry in the franchise on TV almost every year. The longest gap between seasons was eleven years. Before “Kamen Rider Kuuga” aired in 2000, the last season, “Kamen Rider Black RX”, aired from 1988 to 1989.
Aside from the “Kamen Rider” franchise, other notable tokusatsu media include the “Godzilla” films, the “Ultraman” series, and the “Super Sentai” franchise. There is also the “Power Rangers” franchise which is adapted from “Super Sentai’s” footage.
A New Hero, A New Legend
In the year 2000, archeologists in Japan find a tomb in an excavation site and pry it open. At the same time, Yusuke Godai has recently returned to Japan from a journey to Indonesia. While Godai uses one of his 1,999 skills to comfort a lost child, the archaeologists have effectively opened Pandora’s Box. The tomb’s opening causes mysterious monsters called Gurongi to be revived after a millennia. The Gurongi leave no survivors.
The next day, Godai accompanies his archaeologist friend, Sakurako, to help investigate an artifact brought to the police. A stone belt with a symbol reading “power” engraved into its sides. As they leave the police headquarters, a Gurongi crashes a patrol car through the entrance and begins its assault. Driven by pure instinct, Godai puts the stone belt on himself and soon becomes the titular Kamen Rider Kuuga.
“Kamen Rider Kuuga” is a unique entry in the “Kamen Rider” franchise. The nature of the show is similar to a police drama with the presence of characters like Kaoru Ichijou. It is also a thriller mystery with the police and Godai investigating and fighting the Gurongi. The Gurongi’s designs and actions bring a flavor of horror to the show, as well. The overall tone of “Kamen Rider Kuuga” is starkly mature in comparison to its predecessors and successors.
You Have To Fight To Survive
Kamen Rider Ryuki is centered on Shinji Kido, a young trainee journalist at a publication called ORE Journal. Always making mistakes, Shinji is at the bottom of ORE Journal’s corporate hierarchy. His coworkers constantly tell him off for trying to play hero while hunting for a scoop.
Shinji goes off on his own to investigate the apartment of a man who disappeared for a scoop. Upon finding a mysterious card deck on the floor, Shinji discovers a place known as the Mirror World. Monsters traverse through reflective surfaces and slip through the veil to devour humans. In the Mirror World, Shinji forms a contract with one monster in order to become Kamen Rider Ryuki. He comes across other Kamen Riders as he unwittingly becomes a part of the Rider War.
A major theme in “Kamen Rider Ryuki” is justice – specifically, the question of “what is justice, truly?” Each Rider within the show each has his own idea of what justice is and how to achieve it. As Shinji survives the Rider War, he grapples with how he defines justice and how it evolves alongside him.
To Become That Blue Sky
“Kamen Rider Kuuga” and “Kamen Rider Ryuki” hitting YouTube is a great step forward for making the franchise more accessible. Although, a few downsides are that the closed captions are only in English and are region locked to North America. Both seasons are children’s shows, however, so being on YouTube makes them easier for kids to access.
In addition to “Kamen Rider Kuuga” and “Kamen Rider Ryuki”, the 2022 series “Kamen Rider Geats” is on YouTube. Unlike “Kuuga” and “Ryuki”, “Geats” is not on the TokuSHOUTsu YouTube channel. It is instead available for free with advertisements through YouTube’s Movies & TV service.
Both are TV shows that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The thriller mystery that teeters into horror of “Kuuga” holds just as much appeal for adults as for children. “Kamen Rider Ryuki” is a series that has influenced many, many pieces of Japanese pop culture. Its message about justice and how people use it are relevant today more than ever. If you are interested in getting into tokusatsu, Kamen Riders “Kuuga” and “Ryuki” are two of the best starting points.
