Kamen Rider The First

Kamen Rider The First is a 2005 Japanese tokusatsu Film. The film is an adaptation of the legendary television series Kamen Rider, though there are many differences between the film and the original programme; some of these, however, are due to a closer reliance on the original Kamen Rider manga by Shotaro Ishinomori. Written by Toshiki Inoue and directed by Takao Nagaishi, the film stars Masaya Kikawada as Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider and Hassei Takano, who previously played Kamen Rider Raia in Kamen Rider Ryuki  as Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2.

The film was released theatrically on December 5, 2005, though it had several early screenings around Tokyo during the previous two months, beginning on October 23, at the Tokyo Film Festival. It was released on Region 2 DVD on April 21, 2006. American Anime distributor Media Blasters released the film subtitled-only on Region 1 DVD on April 3 2007.

The film's theme song is "Bright! our Future" by Da Pump, though the opening features a small portion of the original Kamen Rider theme song, "Let's Go!! Rider Kick", sung by Masato Shimon.

The film was produced by Ishinomori Productions and Toei, who have also produced every previous television series and film in the Kamen Rider franchise.

Plot summary
College student Takeshi Hongo is abducted into the terrorist organisation Shocker (Sacred Hegemony Of Cycle Kindred Evolutional Realm), at the hands of a Cyborg Inhumanoid (Kaijin) known as the Bat. There, he undergoes painful reconstructive surgery, turning him into an Inhumanoid himself. Unlike the original series, he does not escape prior to mental conditioning by Shocker, and becomes one of their soldiers, nicknamed "Hopper". He carries out a mission successfully, and meets Shocker's major agents, including Dr. Shinigami. Hongo receives his orders— Kill those who have seen Shocker's Inhumanoid soldiers. However, what he doesn't realise is that the two witnesses are the journalist who had interviewed him prior to his kidnapping, Asuka Midorikawa (Rena Komine) and her fiancé Katsuhiko Yano (Hassei Takano). Attacking the two along with Shocker soldier Spider, it is here that Hongo remembers his humanity, and has an epiphany with regards to what he should do. Despite his efforts, Katsuhiko is killed by Spider, and Asuka finds Hongo next to the body. Blaming him for Katsuhiko's death, she begins to follow him, attempting to ascertain why whom she thought was a normal college student is a murderer.

Meanwhile, at Shocker headquarters, it is revealed that those who undergo Shocker's treatment need periodic blood transfusions, lest they reject their cybernetic components. Though Hongo seems to lack the need for the transfusions, he is labeled a "traitor" by Shocker and must be destroyed. It is here that Dr. Shinigami reveals his plan to create a second soldier based on Hopper's design to do the job. Hongo, having now abandoned Shocker, visits Tōbei Tachibana, who gives him his motorcycle, the Cyclone. He is then able to defeat Spider. Asuka meets Hayato Ichimonji, who is identical to her fiancé, whom she thought was dead. He reveals that "Katsuhiko Yano" was an alias. What he doesn't tell Asuka is that he had been kidnapped by Shocker and turned into the 2nd Hopper. His mission: defeat Hongo at any cost.

The film also features a subplot, interspersed throughout. It involves two terminally ill hospital patients, who get a chance to live after an offer by Shocker. The couple is taken to Shocker's island base, where they laugh and play under the watchful eye of Shocker's sinister bird logo. It is only then that it is revealed that this part of the film has been a flashback, taking place around a year ago. The two had underwent the reconfiguration and surfaced in the current story as Shocker soldiers Cobra and Snake, who branded Ichimonji a traitor for failing Shocker by putting his feelings for Asuka first.

Ultimately, the Riders team up after Bat attempts to kidnap Asuka and turn her into an Inhumanoid, which enrages Ichimonji enough to cause him to turn on his former masters. They defeat Shocker's three cyborg soldiers at their island base, but Shinigami and other major agents have survived, and they're already in the process of fashioning of a new base of operations while plotting a new scheme to eliminate the Riders, once and for all.

Villains
The Inhumanoids in The First are not non-humans but cyborgs much like the Kamen Riders. There are 3 Inhumanoids seen in the series and are probably higher up in the ranks of Shocker than the normal grunts. It is also unknown if two of the first Inhumanoids were kidnapped prior to the movie and were brainwashed or they serve Shocker of their own free will. Also there are three Shocker Commanders.


 * Dr. Shinigami: Survives
 * "Youth": Survives
 * "Lady": Survives. Take over the position of recruiting new Inhumanoid candidates.
 * Hopper 1: Becomes Kamen Rider 1
 * Hopper 2: Becomes Kamen Rider 2
 * Spider: Destroyed by Kamen Rider 1's Rider Kick
 * Bat: Destroyed by Kamen Rider 1 and 2's Double Rider Kick
 * Cobra: Haruhiko Mitamura. He was mortally wounded by Kamen Rider 1's Rider Kick and died holding on to the lifeless body of Snake.
 * Snake: Miyoko Harada. Killed by Kamen Rider 2's Rider Kick.

Returning faces
Several actors in this film have appeared in previous Kamen Rider productions. Hiroshi Miyauchi plays Tōbei Tachibana, a character who has appeared in numerous other Kamen Rider shows, acting as a sort of father figure to the Riders. Previously, Miyauchi portrayed Kamen Rider V3 in the 1973 series Kamen Rider V3. Hassei Takano previously played Kamen Rider Raia in the 2002 series Kamen Rider Ryuki played as Katsuhiko Yano in this film. Hideyo Amamoto also digitally reprises his role as Dr. Shinigami from the original Kamen Rider series.

The crew of The First also features many returning faces. Director Takao Nagaishi is a longtime tokusatsu director who has helmed several episodes of 2006s Kamen Rider Hibiki. Nagaishi was also an assistant director on the original Kamen Rider series. The film was written by Toshiki Inoue, a popular fixture in anime and tokusatsu screen writing. He has written virtually every theatrical film in the Kamen Rider franchise, as well as all the episodes of Kamen Rider Agito (except for one) and Kamen Rider 555. He also served as a writer on Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Hibiki, Kamen Rider Kiva, and Kamen Rider Decade. Inoue is the son of the late Masaru Igami, who was the chief writer on the original Kamen Rider series, as well as Kamen Rider Stronger, Kamen Rider Amazon, and Kamen Rider X.

Differences between film and television

 * The movie has a great deal of elements from the original television series that spread across from the beginning to end, although several of these conflict with the film's timing. Hongo Takeshi originally had to ride his motorcycle at highspeeds to power his typhoon belt and transform into his Rider form while Ichimonji Hayato was able to power the Typhoon by arm movements. Although Hongo was able to do the same eventually, the movie version can do it from the beginning.


 * The Riders' henshin movement is also different from the actual series. In the series, Hongo and Ichimonji perform a series of stylish hand-waving, then jump into the air to complete the transformation. In this movie, they simply open up their leather jackets (or polo shirt, in one of Ichimonji's cases), revealing the Typhoon Belt (and their body armor), then snap on their helmets and faceplates on their heads to transform. These movements are implemented later in the movie, as battle poses before their confrontation with the Bat, but have no connection to their transformation.


 * Dr. Shinigami appears from the very beginning of the movie, although in the original series, he appeared after the defeat of Colonel Zol, the first Shocker general.


 * The character of Ichimonji Hayato was completely rewritten. In the television series, Ichimonji was a photographer who was kidnapped to become Shocker's new Kamen Rider, although he was rescued by Takeshi Hongo before he could be brainwashed; the two were allies from the beginning. In the film, Ichimonji was originally Katsuhiko Yano, the lover of Asuka Midorikawa. Katsuhiko was killed by Spider, and Hongo/Hopper was framed for it. Katsuhiko's corpse was recovered and turned into a cyborg similar to Hongo. His brain was altered to believe he was a man named Ichimonji Hayato in competition for Asuka's affection. Ichimonji originally served as Hongo's enemy, and later a hesitant ally. He disappears at the end of the movie, leaving his helmet on the road.


 * Asuka Midorikawa shares the same last name as one of Hongo's professors who had worked for Shocker, Professor Midorikawa. In the original series, it is Professor Midorikawa who saves Hongo before he can be subjected to brain surgery by providing the distraction to allow Hongo to escape, only to ultimately be murdered by the Spider. Asuka also shares a similarity with Professor Midorikawa's daughter, Ruriko; both had witnessed the death of their respected loved ones (Professor Midorikawa for Ruriko, who was her father, and Katsuhiko Yano for Asuka, who was her fiancé) with their own eyes and originally thought that Hongo was to blame for it. Then both of them ultimately found out the truth and forgave Hongo.

Cast

 * Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛): Masaya Kikawada (黄川田 将也)
 * Hayato Ichimonji, Katsuhiko Yano (一文字 隼人, 矢野 克彦): Hassei Takano (高野 八誠)
 * Asuka Midorikawa (緑川 あすか): Rena Komine (小嶺 麗奈)
 * Tobei Tachibana (立花 藤兵衛): Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内 洋)
 * Haruhiko Mitamura (三田村 晴彦): Eiji Wentz (ウエンツ 瑛士)
 * Miyoko Harada (原田 美代子): Ryoko Kobayashi (小林 涼子)
 * Shocker Staff: Lady (ショッカー幹部・美女): Mayumi Sada (佐田 真由美)
 * Shocker Staff: Youth (ショッカー幹部・若者): Issa Hentona (辺土名 一茶)
 * Shocker Staff: Elderly Gentleman (Dr. Shinigami) (ショッカー幹部・老紳士): Hideyo Amamoto (天本 英世)
 * Shocker Staff: Elderly Gentleman (Dr. Shinigami, voice): Eiji Maruyama (丸山 詠二)
 * Spider (スパイダー): Itsuji Itao (板尾 創路)
 * Bat (バット): Kanji Tsuda (津田 寛治)
 * The Member of the House of Representatives (代議士): Renji Ishibashi (石橋 蓮司)
 * The Private Secretary (秘書官): Hirotaro Honda (本田 博太郎)
 * Megumi (めぐみ): Hitomi Nakahodo (仲程 仁美)
 * Shocker Combatmen (ショッカー戦闘員): Katsumi Shiono (塩野 勝美)

Suit actors

 * The Hopper 1 (Kamen Rider 1): Hiroshi Maeda (前田 浩)
 * The Hopper 2 (Kamen Rider 2): Mark Musashi (マーク 武蔵)
 * The Spider: Akira Ohashi (大橋 明)
 * The Bat: Makoto Arakawa (荒川 真)
 * The Cobra: Mizuho Yoshida (吉田 瑞穂)
 * The Snake: Yumi Sunaoshi (砂押 裕美)

Songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Let's Go!! Rider Kick!!"


 * Lyrics: Shotaro Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
 * Artist: Masato Shimon
 * Ending theme
 * "Bright! our Future"
 * Lyrics: ISSA
 * Composition: ISSA & YUKINARI
 * Arrangement: YUKINARI & UNAShinji Tanahashi
 * Artist: Da Pump
 * Artist: Da Pump