REVIEW: Amazons 05
If you also read my Kamen Rider Ghost reviews I say what I’m about to say quite a bit, but I feel that it’s extremely appropriate for Kamen Rider Amazons episode 05: we have got to the point in the show where we are hitting the average stride of the show. The initial amazement of the show has worn off and it definitely seems like we are hitting the point in the show where the show is filling in space and its thing is well established. Am I saying that this episode is filler? Not necessarily.
What I mean is that this episode feels very formulaic, whether intentional or not. The structure of the plot along with what happens is kinda predictable and doesn’t necessarily feel new and exciting like the previous episodes. It could just be because, as I said, the excitement of a new series has worn off and I have simply just gotten used to the programme. But I still get the distinct feeling that this doesn’t feel as fresh or new as the prior four episodes. I wasn’t as excited to watch the episode as I have in the past few weeks and nothing particularly jumped out at me screaming “I AM AMAZING AND SPECTACUALAR” in the episode.
It’s probably simply because, well, nothing much happened. Within the shortest runtime we have had in the series so far, nothing of note was accomplished or occurred. Haruka is still figuring out what he is, the extermination squad are just there hanging out and Jin is being experimented on my Nozoma pharmacy while comatose. That last thing kinda highlights a weird trend I’ve been seeing with Amazons, that Jin is just kind of not around a lot of the time, despite being a protagonist. It feels like with every episode, there is some kind of contrived reason as to keep Jin out of the events of the episode and focus just upon Haruka. Now I like Haruka and his story quite a bit, but I certainly hope we get more of Jin since he is one of the protagonists and is one of the titular Kamen Riders.
The episode feels like it’s just spinning its wheels a bit, which is a shame considering firstly how short the series as a whole is going to be, at 13 episodes, and how focused the previous episodes felt. I suppose this is kind of a necessary evil considering there does need to be some breathing room and breaks after an action packed 4 episodes. But I still can’t shake the feeling that nothing really happened in this week’s episode and that it felt super formulaic. The first half was a lot of talking, which isn’t a bad thing at all but I feel nothing was accomplished, nor was any decision or revelation made; it felt like just a bit of hot air. The second half was all action, but it felt awfully familiar (possibly because the whole bus thing reminded me of Sawada’s debut in Faiz/555) and didn’t do anything new or exciting.
The one thing I can really say about the fight scene/ second half is how weird and out of place the Butterfly Amazon’s design is. For the most part we’ve been getting monsters that fell in line of a realistic aesthetic, similar to the Worms from Kabuto or more colourful Orpehnochs from Faiz/555. But this week, we got an Amazon which had grey hair, a bandana and a scarf. I can’t find any reference point or previous monster that they are calling back to so really, there is no discernible reason for the Amazon to look like the way it does; it’s even worse since it looks nothing like any of the previous Amazons. It just sticks out like a sore thumb.
Basically nothing happened this week in Kamen Rider Amazons. We got a fight scene, we got some dialogue, but really nothing got accomplished or moved the plot forward. But really, it’s not that heinous. It still was well shot, well-acted and the action was fine; It was just nothing exceptional happened and I have covered it all before in previous reviews. I certainly hope in next week’s episode something actually happens that’s of note; for the sake of the show and for me to have a worthwhile review.
