Kamen Rider ZO

Kamen Rider ZO
Japanese 仮面ライダーZO
Hepburn Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō
Directed by Keita Amemiya
Produced by Ishimori Productions
Toei
Bandai
Written by Noboru Sugimura
Starring Kou Domon
Shohei Shibata
Isao Sasaki
Music by Eiji Kawamura
Distributed by Toei Co. Ltd
Release dates
  • April 17, 1993 (1993-04-17)
Running time
 48 minutes
Language Japanese

Kamen Rider ZO (仮面ライダーZO Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō), translated as Masked Rider ZO, is a 1993 Japanese tokusatsu movie produced by Toei Company, part of their Kamen Rider Series.[1][2] Directed by Keita Amemiya, the film was the first joint production between Toei Company Limited and Bandai.

A Sega CD full motion video based game was released for ZO in 1994,[3] and made its way to the United States in the form of The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO.

As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, ZO was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011.[4] The film's protagonist, Kamen Rider ZO makes appearances in the films of the later Kamen Rider Decade television series,[5] as well as appearing as a playable character the 2011 Nintendo DS video game All Kamen Rider: Rider Generation.[6]

Plot

Masaru Aso was the lab assistant of geneticist Doctor Mochizuki, and was used as one of his experiments related to the creation of the Neo Organism, enabling him to transform into a grasshopper-like being called Kamen Rider ZO. He fled into the mountainside and went into a coma for two years before he was awoken by a telepathic call and with an unconscious urge to protect Hiroshi Mochizuki, the son of Doctor Mochizuki. After an attempt to uncover the meaning of his transformation at Mochizuki Genetics, Masaru senses Hiroshi in danger and saves the boy from Doras as ZO. Masaru then reveals himself to Reiko and her karate class. ZO battles Koumori Man to cover Hiroshi and Reiko's escape, when the two of them are sucked in a pocket dimension by Kumo Woman, both monsters having been created by Doras. ZO saves them and kills Kumo Woman before Koumori Man swoops down and snatches Hiroshi off, with ZO in pursuit. After saving Hiroshi, Masaru reveals to Seikichi that Dr. Mochizuki used him in his experiments. Refusing to believe it, Hiroshi runs off before Masaru finds him and fixes his watch, recognizing the melody that stirred him out of his rest as he helps Hiroshi cope with this new information. However, Koumori Man assumes Mochizuki's form to lure Hiroshi away and captures him with Doras knocking Masaru out cold. Making his way to a complex, ZO kills Koumori Man before making his way to Hiroshi and Dr. Mochizuki, learning that the geneticist was the one who woke him up and that the Neo Organism has been acting on its own whim the entire time to become the perfect being. ZO attempts to fight Doras, only to be assimilated into the Neo Organism. Doras then proceeds to use the boy to force Mochizuki to complete its evolution. However, the watch manages to hold Doras at bay as ZO breaks out of the monster and Mochizuki sacrifices himself to destroy the pool, the Neo Organism's life source. The complex then self detonates as ZO and Hiroshi escape with their lives. Dropping Hiroshi with Seikichi, Masaru leaves to parts unknown.

Characters

Neo Organism

Neo Organism (ネオ生命体 Neo Seimeitai) is a pool of living fluid that relies on the very container its dwells in as its life support. It takes on the appearance of a deformed little boy in Hiroshi's likeness, lacking emotion and having a god complex. The Neo Organism orchestrated the events in the movie and held its creator captive for two years when he refused to complete its evolution. It soon assumes the grotesque Kamen Rider-like form of Doras (ドラス Dorasu), to find Hiroshi to force Dr. Mochizuki to complete its evolution into the "Perfect Lifeform" so it can destroy the "inferior" human race and their imperfections. Doras is capable of regenerating itself from severe injuries, absorbing inorganic and organic materials to upgrade itself, altering its form into an orb or a bladed projective, generating lasers, and producing Doras Monsters (ドラス怪人 Dorasu Kaijin) from itself. When Doras manages to absorb ZO, it becomes a red fleshy version of itself called Doras Strengthened Form (ドラス強化体 Dorasu Kyōkatai). It then goes after Hiroshi, but the music from the pocket watch manages to give ZO the strength to break free from Doras' body after Mochizuki destroys its life support. Reverting to its original state, Doras is finally killed by ZO's Rider Kick, the ZO Kick.

Cast

Song

ZO vs. J

The S.I.C. Hero Saga story published in Monthly Hobby Japan magazine in the February to May 2005 issues for Kamen Rider ZO featured a crossover with Kamen Rider J and was titled Masked Rider ZO (& J): ZO vs. J (MASKED RIDER ZO (& J） -ZO vs J- Kamen Raidā Zetto Ō (ando Jei) -Zetto Ō vs Jei-). In the story, the Neo Organism Doras gains the powers of the Fog Mother. It introduces the original characters Red Doras Ver. 2 (赤ドラスver.2 Aka Dorasu ver.2), Doras Ultimate Form (ドラス究極形態 Dorasu Kyūkyokukeitai), and Fog Doras (フォッグ・ドラス Foggu Dorasu).

Chapter titles

  1. Doras (ドラス Dorasu)
  2. Music Box (オルゴール Orugōru)
  3. Earth Spirit (地空人 Chikūjin)
  4. Fog (フォッグ Foggu)

Adaptation

Kazuhiko Shimamoto drew a manga adaptation of the film. The manga takes some liberties with the plot: including expanding the role of several characters and a different characterization of ZO himself. More graphic violence was also added. It includes a short story about Kamen Rider Black and a short story about Kamen-rider creator Ishinomori himself.

The movie was adapted into a full-motion video game for the Sega CD, with an interface similar to Dragon's Lair. The game was released in America as "The Masked Rider: Kamen Rider ZO", despite the film never airing in the United States. The game was critically panned, largely due to its script and dubbing as well as some scenes from the entire film being cut from the game.

Adaption in Saban's Masked Rider

Saban Entertainment spliced together some footage from Kamen Rider ZO to be used in their Masked Rider TV show, with the monsters being used in certain episodes. Doras became Destructosphere and was the first monster sent by series villain, Count Dregon, in the opening two part story Escape From Edenoi: Parts 1 and 2. Kumo Woman became Arachnida and appeared in the episode Stranger from The North, who also appeared with a monster from the follow-up movie Kamen Rider J and Koumori Man became "Parasect" and appeared in the episode Cat-Atomic.

References

  1. ↑ Televi Magazine First Issue 31st Anniversary Project: All Hero Great Assembly (テレビマガジン創刊31周年記念企画), December 2002
  2. ↑ Televi Magazine Deluxe 66, January 17, 1997. ISBN 4-06-304418-1
  3. ↑ "仮面ライダーZO みんなのクロスレビュー、最新情報". Famitsu.com. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
  4. ↑ "2011年9月のラインナップ". Toei Channel. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  5. ↑ Uchusen, No. 125. July 2009
  6. ↑ "仮面ライダー総集結のアクションゲーム『ライダージェネレーション』が発売！". Dengeki.com. 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  7. ↑ Kamen Rider Art Collection: Hero Edition (仮面ライダーアートコレクション ヒーロー編). Page 72-74, June 2003. ISBN 978-4-8402-2373-7
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