by lhb412 » Mon Jan 01, 2024 7:58 pm
Finally rewatched Shin Kamen Rider on NYE after finishing Ishinomori's original manga, which was appropriate because it did provide a bit of background. I don't think I mentioned it here, but unfortunately in theater I had a rather obnoxious crowd, which didn't make the film's bombarding you with so much information any easier!
Of the three Shin films this one feels the most personal to Anno's struggles with depression. As Benjamin mentions, any political aspect to the villains have been ripped out, and instead everyone's motivation, heroes and villains, seems rooted in a response to their own depression. It also feels... like, really autistic. People don't speak in dialog, they speak in quotations from their own impeccably cited and belabored manifestos. One gets the feeling that Anno has been constantly tinkering with this in the back of his mind for 50 years and just now we're all able to perceive it. Easy to see why this was a more modest success when compared to the previous two Shins. You have to be aboard for the vibe.
Some really breathtaking stylistic flourishes, and terrific music, but ultimately the strongest thing about this is just how committed and sincere the cast is for this weirdness. It's across the board, too. As such, my favorite moments are some of the really quiet moments with the characters. My second favorite thing was the total replication of the '70s style in some of the framing, editing, and choreo!
I imagine that every time I revisit this In the coming years I'll take something a bit different away from it each time. It's just that kind of film.