There are Spoilers in this review. If you don’t want any spoilers of this series, don’t read this article.
Another Kamen Rider series has come and gone. As Kamen Rider Drive is speeding his series forward on October 5th, it’s time to take a look at last year’s series; Kamen Rider Gaim. Will this series obtain the forbidden fruit, or should it stay in Helheim Forest? Let’s Find Out:
The Story and Characters:
This series is about Kouta Kazuraba; a man who was part of a dance group known as Team Gaim, but now looking for a job. When the team leader goes missing, he finds a new device called the Sengoku Driver. When he is in danger from an Inves attack, he takes the belt himself and becomes Kamen Rider Gaim. There are many dance groups fighting for stages across the town of Zawame and use the power of the Lock Seeds to create the Inves Games. But maybe, the Inves Games are not everything that it seems.
The best thing I like about this series is the way it handled the story. Since Kamen Rider Den-O, each series ran 2 episode story-arcs for each monster that they had to face. But, in this series, each story-arc ran for about 10 episodes and it definitely changes as the story progresses. It gives the series great pacing and more time to develop the characters. It was a very well-written series because of Gaim’s writter; Gen Urobuchi (Writer of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and the first two seasons of Fate/Zero). He envisioned this series as a question; “What would you do if you were given the belt of a Kamen Rider?” and it clearly shows. If I were to fault the writing of the series, it would be the two episodes 30 and 37, where the plot comes to a screeching halt just to plug the latest movie; Kikaider Reboot for episode 30 and the Gaim Summer Movie for episode 37. It’s a minor nitpick, but it shows how good the pacing can be.It left you guessing on many things and leave you wanting more such as “Who’s the main villian of the series?” because you were never really sure. There were many references to the stories from the Bible. The main one of course being the forbidden fruit from the tale of Adam and Eve.
Onto the characters, and this one is going to take very long. There’s a grand total of 11 Kamen Riders in this series, each one being developed phenomenally well.
Kouta Kazuraba (Kamen Rider Gaim) was a former member of Team Gaim, but had to move on in order to take care of his sister and himself. Once he got the Sengoku Driver, he joined back with Team Gaim as a guardian when playing the Inves Games. He is a Kamen Rider who reminds me a lot of Spider Man at times. He needed to understand that with great power, comes great responsibility. He is a man who takes care of others over himself. He would still protect everyone, even if he has to change. At times he is reckless and naive about what the current situation may bring, even when the audience and the others around him can see it. He definitely becomes a wild card. If I were to give a comparison to another character, Kouta is more on the lines of Yugi Muto from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Kaito Kumon (Kamen Rider Baron) is the leader of Team Baron. He seeks to become stronger than everyone and crush the weak. When Kouta uses a Sengoku Driver in the Inves Games, he sought out one himself and becomes Kamen Rider Baron to combat against Kouta. If Kouta is like Yugi, then Kaito is like Seto Kaiba. He always think of himself more than others. He lost everything he had ever since the big corporation Yggdrasil turned the small town of Zawame into a giant city that belongs to them. He has every right to be angry at them. At times, he was definitely smart; mainly figuring out who the imposter of Zangetsu Shin really is. In a sense, Kaito was much like a rival of Kouta. Always questioning his logic and that his naive personality may bite him in the end.
Mitsuzanae Kureshima (Kamen Rider Ryugen) is a member of Team Gaim, who is the brother of the CEO of Yggdrassil; Takatora. He always felt that he was in his brother’s shadow, being forced to become like him. But, when he is not studying, he dances alongside the other members of Team Gaim. When Kouta was in self-doubt, he bribed Lock Seed Dealer Sid to get a Sengoku Driver and become Kamen Rider Ryugen. There is a lot of things that I could say about Micchi, but it could be summed up in one thing; a split personality. During the first couple of episodes, you can definitely see that he didn’t want to be like his big brother by secretly dancing with Team Gaim. But, when he finds out about the truth of the Inves Games, he not only joins his brother, but begins to back-stab his own friends so that no one could get in his way. Kouta still sees Micchi as a friend when no one else would for the actions he has done. He was mostly manipulated by others like Ryoma Sengoku and the Overlords. Micchi was a complex character and he was a character that you would love to hate at times. He was a character that had to learn what it takes to be a hero the long way around. For some reason I always kind of saw Bakura from Yu-Gi-Oh. Man, this series has so many Yu-Gi-Oh similarities.
Takatora Kureshima (Kamen Rider Zangetsu/ Zangetsu Shin) is the project leader for the big corporation Yggdrassil. He is Micchi’s older brother. He is a man of realism. Treating everything like a serious battle. When he first battle Kouta in Helheim Forest, he was questioning him on why he doesn’t want to fight. But when he finds out that he is being used by Ryoma Sengoku and that the Overlords can be the ones to stop the invasion of Helheim Forest, he decides to fight alongside Kouta. But he realized it was too late to change when all of his partners tried to kill him, even his own brother. The last half of the series was definitely his redemption, trying to help his younger brother because he has become cold and realistic, just like him. I just wished that his character changed a little early on so that he could be given more time to redeem himself.
Jounichi (Kamen Rider Guridon) is the leader of Team Invito. A smart and intelligent person who is of course lacking in strength. That’s when he made an alliance with Kaito and Team Baron. But, when he gets treated poorly by Kaito, he teams up with Hase and revolt against Kaito. Later, he would train under Oren Pierre Alphonso to not only become a great chef, but also become a better, confident person. At first, I didn’t see much in this character, but once the second half of the series rolled around, it’s like he changed for the better. The last episode definitely helped his character a little as he wanted to help redeem to a lost friend. I think he was one of the more under-developed characters in this series.
Hase (Kamen Rider Kurokage) is the leader of Team Raid Wild. Much like Jounichi, he joined with Team Baron in order to take down the likes of Team Gaim. But, when he gets treated poorly by Kaito, he teams up with Jounichi to revolt against Kaito. If Jounichi is the brains of the duo, then Hase is the brawn. But, he paid the ultimate price when his belt was destroyed as he took a bite of the Inves fruit and became a monster to be destroyed by a group of new Armored Riders. Hase was an under-developed character that did play an important part to the plot as he kind of brought foreshadowing to a couple of elements that would be brought up later on.
Oren Pierre Alphonso (Kamen Rider Bravo) is the runner of the local bakery. He believes that everything had to be executed perfectly. When he saw the Inves Games happening around town, he thought they fought like amateurs. So, he decided to steal a Sengoku Driver and become Kamen Rider Bravo. He was trained as a mercenary before he went to France and learned how to be a baker. He also has admiration for the white Armored Rider. He was kind of an annoying character at first because he acted so over-the-top that he kind of got annoying. He even was actually rallying people to banish the Beat Riders after a mysterious disease was spreading around Zawame City. However, he does tend to fight fair and he does learn later on that the fate of the world is on the line. He actually becomes a pretty smart character during the last half of the series.
Zack (Kamen Rider Knuckle) was once the second-in-command of Team Baron, but when Kaito left on his search for more power, he left Zack in charge. He was given a Sengoku Driver that was meant to be given to the public to protect humanity from the continuously growing Helheim Forest. When he uses this Sengoku Driver and the Walnut Lock Seed, he becomes Kamen Rider Knuckle. This character seems to be pretty under-developed at times. He was mainly on the sidelines fighting Inves monsters. It would be interesting to see the struggle that he is going through as a new leader. Unlike Kaito, he is actually a kind person who would rather want to dance for the crowds than just use it for power. He would always run into a battle without creating a plan. But he definitely does improve during the final few episodes of the series.
Ryoma Sengoku (Kamen Rider Duke) is Takatora’s partner in research of Helheim Forest and the creator of the Sengoku Driver. When the Beat Riders began learning about the forest, he took into his own hands to get rid of them as he uses a new belt called the Genesis Driver to become Kamen Rider Duke. This man is a man of science. Always wanting to crack the code of the strange and the unknown to make logical sense. He is very strategic as he uses everyone as a pawn for his desire. If he doesn’t need them, he just ditches them in a Dr. Evil escape pod. If there was a competition to see who is the main villian of this series, Ryoma could be a top contender. When meeting this guy, you will never know if he is friend or foe.
Yoko (Kamen Rider Malika) is Ryoma’s assistant at Yggdrasil. She may seem calm at first. But, if you make her mad, she can take you down in a few seconds. She uses a Genesis Driver to transform into Kamen Rider Malika. Once, Ryoma ditched her and the Yggdrasil Tower in an escape pod, she finds fascination to Kaito and helps him search for power.
The final Rider is Sid (Kamen Rider Sigurd). Ah, Lock Seed Dealer Sid. You know those drug PSA’s where the drug dealer acts very calm and collective. Well, that sums up Sid. As the Lock Seed Dealer, he was the one that gave almost everyone a Sengoku Driver and their respective Lock Seeds. But, when he takes matters into his own hands, he uses the Genesis Driver to become Kamen Rider Sigurd. He is very similar to Kaito as he will do anything in order to seek power, even eliminate friends that are in his way. But, that attitude could lead him to his ultimate demise.
There are very few side characters that are worth mentioning. But, there are two that are influential to the plot. First, there is Mai. She is a very cheery and calm girl. She is very supportive to those around her and some may find affection towards her. But, she definitely becomes a vital part of the plot later on.
Finally, there is Sagara; the DJ of Zawame City. A very zany and over-the-top DJ who watches the Inves Games unfold. But, as the story progresses, he becomes more helpful; specifically to Kouta. He frees him from a prison and gives him his two pre-ultimate forms and even his ultimate form; Kamen Rider Gaim Jimber Lemon Arms, Kachidoki Arms and Kiwami Arms. Why is he being so nice to just Kouta? He just wants to help him. But, you could say that he is a snake giving you the Forbidden Fruit. See, the biblical references are definitely here. He plays everything out as a big game of chess, and helps both sides to see who is the strongest between the Riders or the Overlords. He is another interesting case of being unsure about whether he is friend or foe.
Then there are the other contenders for the main villians of the series; the Overlords. Creatures who were once inhabitants of a great civilization taken down by Helheim Forest. I think that the main three generals do have some interesting similarities. First, there is Rosyuo; the King of the Overlords. He is a very calm, and powerful King. He is always unsure of what he is doing is right and would do anything to revive his queen. I see definitely similarities to Kouta. Then, there is Demushu; who is a giant, red brute who seeks power much like Kaito. Finally, there is Redyue; who is a very calm and collective Overlord. But, she is sick of being in Rosyuo’s shadow and tries to back-stab him. Much like how Micchi wants to be out of his brother’s shadow. It definitely shows as they join forces against the Riders. It’s very interesting to see all of these similarities.
The story and characters are very well-written and definitely show that many of these characters are very three-dimensional.
The Fight Scenes and Music:
Talk about a interesting idea when it comes to the Rider designs. Let’s have warrior-based Kamen Riders and have their armor and weaponry being based from fruits. It sounds like a weird and silly idea on paper, but it was very well executed. It blends pretty well considering that each Rider is based off of a specific warrior like Baron being based off a medieval knight. Each Rider has a specific weapon made out of a fruit. For example, Gaim Orange Arms has a sword in the shape of an orange slice, Baron Banana Arms has a spear in the shape of a peeled banana, and Zangetsu Melon Arms has a melon shield. It’s pretty cool to see all the unique weapons that are used for each Arms. I say this because it definitely makes the fight scenes awesome to watch.
The music was definitely awesome to listen to. The background music was a joy to listen to. It sets up the overall tone perfectly to the series and it is big and grand like a giant war is about to break out and it clearly shows. The background music is done by Kouske Yamashita; who has worked on the music for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and the music to Digimon Xros Wars. I highly recommend picking up the original soundtrack to this series. My personal favourite songs from the series are Rise Up Your Flag by Gaku Sano (The actor who portrays Kouta Kazuraba), and the series’ main theme; Just Live More by Gaim No Kaze. Just Live More is an awesome song that is action-packed all the way through and it is a perfect song for a showdown. Maybe for something like Super Smash Bros.
Final Verdict:
What can I say about this series, this really is a prime example of never judging a book by it’s cover. The story is well-thought out leaving you wanting more and twists your expectations in knots. The characters are very well-developed giving them lots of depth and were awesome all-around. The fight scenes are awesome and it definitely benefits from the Rider designs and weaponry. The music is well ranged from goofy and quirky, to big and grand and is phenomenal to listen to. Is this series perfect? Not exactly. But, is this a fantastic series? You bet it is. It has become one of my favourite Kamen Rider series and for very good reasons. My final verdict for Kamen Rider Gaim is a 9/10. Gaim, I know your series just ended, but this is your stage now upon the greats. As Gaim’s battle is over, a new Rider is ready to start their engines.
Beyond American Shores 