Kamen Rider The Next

Kamen Rider The Next
Directed by	Ryuta Tasaki
Produced by	Kazuo Katō Shinichirō Shirakura Naomi Takebe Kōichi Yada
Written by	Toshiki Inoue
Based on	Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider V3 by Shotaro Ishinomori
Starring	Masaya Kikawada Hassei Takano Kazuki Kato Miku Ishida Erika Mori Tomorowo Taguchi Goro Naya
Music by	Goro Yasukawa
Cinematography	Issei Tanaka
Editing by	Hideaki Ōhata
Studio	Toei Company Toei Channel Toei Agency Toei Video
Distributed by	Toei Company
Release date(s)	October 27, 2007 (2007-10-27)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Kamen Rider The Next (仮面ライダー THE NEXT, Kamen Raidā Za Nekusuto^?, Masked Rider The Next) is a 2007 Japanese tokusatsu film directed by Ryuta Tasaki and written by Toshiki Inoue. The film was released on October 27, 2007. The film borrows elements from the Kamen Rider V3 television series and is a sequel to the Kamen Rider The First movie (which was a film adaptation of the original Kamen Rider series). Actor Kazuki Kato, who had previously portrayed Daisuke Kazama/Kamen Rider Drake in Kamen Rider Kabuto, portrayed Shiro Kazami/Kamen Rider V3.^[1] Both Masaya Kikawada and Hassei Takano reprise their roles as Takeshi Hongo/Kamen Rider 1 and Hayato Ichimonji/Kamen Rider 2, respectively. It was given a PG-12 rating for its brief nudity and violence.^[2]

Plot

Two years after the events of Kamen Rider the First, a strange series of bizarre murders occur with the victims mutilated in a most gruesome fashion while pop star Chiharu's "Platinum Smile" is being played, becoming an urban legend. Meanwhile, Takeshi Hongo has become a high school science teacher with a troublesome class with one student catching his attention; a troubled girl named Kotomi Kikuma who was best friends with Chiharu and is worried about her. By the time Hongo and her find a dying "Chiharu", they learn she's actually an imposter as the Shocker Inhumanoid Chainsaw Lizard arrives with the six Shocker Riders to carry out the task of executing Hongo, forcing him to reveal himself in as Kamen Rider Ichigo (1) to Kotomi before escaping his hunters. At around the same time, Hayato Ichimonji is shown still alive but slowly weakening due to his body's rejection of the cybernetic changes which made him Kamen Rider Nigo (2).

The next day, after saving Kotomi from some punks by exposing his physical ability, Hongo accepts Kotomi's offer to help in finding Chiharu by finding her older brother Shiro Kazami, who is the former president of the rising IT enterprise ExaStream, which is tied to the mysterious disappearance of its staff two months prior. Making their way to his holiday home to meet Kazami, Hongo and Kotomi soon learn that he is in league with Shocker as Chainsaw Lizard and the Shocker Riders battle Kamen Rider Ichigo on as Kazami joins the fray as a Shocker Inhumanoid code-named "V3". After chasing down Rider 1 in a high speed chase across the countryside, V3 and the Shocker Riders take down Rider 1 until Kamen Rider Nigo re-appears to cover Rider 1's escape. But after realizing his "sister" was another imposter, Kazami reveals the incident at ExaStream was a Shocker experiment of Nanobots designed to convert all humans in Japan into cyborgs, with him being a survivor of the experiment. The three riders later learn that Kotomi found the other girl, revealing the gruesome fate the real Chiharu suffered as she and her predecessor were involved, horrifying Kazami as Kotomi is telepathically shown the truth of the real Chiharu's final moments as "Chiharu" runs off and eventually is brutally murdered with the manager and the record dealer who were covering up her death as Kotomi uses Platinum Smile to communicate with Chiharu, learning that she's still alive as the "ghost" took its leave.

After Kazami reveals to Hongo that Shocker's foreign branch brought a shipment of nanobots to spread them across the nation, Rider 1 arrives to intercept the convoy while battling Scissors Jaguar, the mastermind behind the Nanobot Operation, with Rider 2 arriving to back him up as the battle brings to the Legend of Gathering in an all out fight for the nanobots. Though the Double Riders were overwhelmed, the tables are turned as V3 arrives to support them. While the Double Riders kill Scissors Jaguar, V3 manages to destroy Chainsaw Lizard and the nanobots before coming face to face with Chiharu, horrifically mutated by the nanobots into a monster as she pleas her brother to put her out of her misery. Though reluctant to do it, Kazami executes the V3 Punch to honor his sister's wish to die rather than live as a monster in agonizing pain. After the Triple Riders escape the burning restaurant, Ichimonji takes his leave to spend his final moments in bliss at a Ginza bar he regulars, while Kazami decides to start a new life for himself. As for Hongo, he is forced to quit his job after a few complaints made for his earlier stunt as Kotomi decides to walk him home. The Platinum Smile incidents seemingly end as the credits roll.

Later, a post-credits scene suggests that, even though Chiharu was finally at peace, the "curse of Platinum Smile" was still in effect.

Characters

Heroes

• Kamen Rider 1
• Kamen Rider 2
• Kamen Rider V3 (Originally he is one of Shocker cyborgs who later defects to fight alongside Riders 1 & 2)

Villains

• The Great Leader of Shocker (cameo voice only like his television series counterpart. He is alive after the movie's ending)
• Scissors Jaguar (シザースジャガー, Shizāsu Jagā^?): A warped scissor-bladed jaguar cyborg who can morph his hands into blades, the mastermind behind Shocker's nano-tech project who caused Kazami's transformation into V3. Based at the restaurant Legend of Gathering, Scissors Jaguar intended to turn all of Japan into cyborgs with the nanobots. However, his plans were foiled as he was killed by the Double Riders' Rider Double Kick and Rider Double Punch combo.
• Chainsaw Lizard (チェーンソーリザード, Chēnsō Rizādo^?): Formerly Kazami's secretary, she was exposed to the nanobots and became a sensual lizard cyborg who can change her right arm into a regenerable buzzsaw weapon that can cut through anything. She serves as Scissor Jaguar's 2nd in command before being eventually killed by Kamen Rider V3's Hanten Kick when she attempts to escape with the nanobots.
• Shocker Riders (ショッカーライダー, Shokkā Raidā^?): Alternative Riders based on Kamen Rider 2. They are mass produced as soldiers of Shocker, and are enhanced in terms of abilities and powers under nano-technology.

Chiharu

Kazami's younger sister, Chiharu was a Japanese Idol who was exposed to the nanobots the day her brother became V3. Because she left before Shocker quarantined the ExaStream building, Chiharu was unaware of her being infected until it was too late as her rivals pushed her down some stairs into a live electric circuit, severely disfiguring her face. Unable to cope with it, Chiharu attempted suicide after leaving a note to have her wristwatch sent to her brother. However, Tristar Promotions refused to make her death public, and used the very girls responsible for Chiharu's disfigurement to stand in for her as they release her final song, "Platinum Smile". In order to cover up Chiharu's death, the executives at Tristar Promotions disposed of her body in the city sewers, where the "nano-bots" in Chiharu's body malfunctioned as they revived her into a sub-human monstrosity.

The song "Platinum Smile" soon after became a thing of urban legend, as Chiharu's "ghost" brutally murders those who listen to it, as well as those were covering up her demise. In the end, Kazami faces the wretched beast that was once his sister, and in an emotional climax, kills her. Chiharu seemed to finally be at rest. However, it seems that the curse of "Platinum Smile" did not die with Chiharu, as her "ghost" appears again, hate-filled and embarking on a bizarre murder spree.

Cast

• Takeshi Hongo (本郷 猛, Hongō Takeshi^?): Masaya Kikawada (黄川田 将也, Kikawada Masaya^?)
• Hayato Ichimonji (一文字 隼人, Ichimonji Hayato^?): Hassei Takano (高野 八誠, Takano Hassei^?)
• Shiro Kazami (風見 志郎, Kazami Shirō^?): Kazuki Kato (加藤 和樹, Katō Kazuki^?)
• Kotomi Kikuma (菊間 琴美, Kikuma Kotomi^?): Miku Ishida (石田 未来, Ishida Miku^?)^[2]
• Chiharu (Chiharu Kazami (風見 ちはる, Kazami Chiharu^?)): Erika Mori (森 絵梨佳, Mori Erika^?)^[2]
• The Great Leader of Shocker (ショッカー首領, Shokkā Shuryō^?, Voice): Gorō Naya (納谷 悟朗, Naya Gorō^?)
• Scissors Jaguar (シザースジャガー, Shizāsu Jagā^?): Tomorowo Taguchi (田口 トモロヲ, Taguchi Tomorowo^?)^[2]
• Chainsaw Lizard (チェーンソーリザード, Chēnsō Rizādo^?): Rie Mashiko (益子 梨恵, Mashiko Rie^?)
• Yamazaki (山崎, Yamazaki^?): Shinji Rokkaku (六角 慎司, Rokkaku Shinji^?)
• Takako Miki (未來 貴子, Miki Takako^?)
• Shindou (進藤, Shindō^?): Kyusaku Shimada (嶋田 久作, Shimada Kyūsaku^?)
• Vice-Principal (教頭, Kyōtō^?): Yosuke Saito (斎藤 洋介, Saitō Yōsuke^?)
• Shocker Combatmen/Shocker Riders (ショッカー戦闘員／ショッカーライダー, Shokkā Sentōin/Shokkā Raidā^?, Voice): Katsumi Shiono (塩野 勝美, Shiono Katsumi^?)

Suit actors

• Kamen Rider 1: Hiroshi Maeda (前田 浩, Maeda Hiroshi^?)
• Kamen Rider 2: Tomohiko Akiyama (秋山 智彦, Akiyama Tomohiko^?)
• Kamen Rider V3: Makoto Ito (伊藤 慎, Itō Makoto^?)
• Scissors Jaguar: Tomotaka Watanabe (渡辺 智隆, Watanabe Tomotaka^?)
• Chainsaw Lizard: Ayako Hino (日野 綾子, Hino Ayako^?)

Songs

Theme song

• "Chosen Soldier"
  • Lyrics & Artist: ISSA
  • Composition: Daisuke Imai (今井 大介, Imai Daisuke^?)

Insert song

• "Platinum Smile"
  • Lyrics & Artist: Riyu Kosaka
  • Composition: LOVE+HATE

References

1. ^ "仮面ライダーＶ３　２７年ぶり復活". Archived from the original on 2007-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20070611092148/http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2007/06/08/04.html. Retrieved 2007-06-08.  (Japanese)
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "今秋公開の映画「仮面ライダー THE NEXT」はPG-12". http://news.ameba.jp/2007/07/5571.php. Retrieved 2007-07-15. 

External links

• MaskedRiderNext.jp: Official website (Japanese)
• Kamen Rider The Next at the Internet Movie Database