Kamen Rider Faiz (2003-2004)
Production: Toei Corporation
Episodes: 50
By CoN_Strife

Story

Two years ago Yuji Kiba was in a car accident that killed both of his parents and put him into a coma. Fast-forward to the present and suddenly we find out he has died.... only to wake up later on in a morgue. When Yuji tries to visit his past life, he sees that everything has changed. He then finds himself in the care of 'Smart Brain' where they explain to him that he has been reborn as an Orphenochs and must now abandon his human heart and kill all humans.

The other half of our story is about a man named Takumi Inui.

Takumi Inui isn't your happy go lucky guy, he is reluctant to share his feelings and even more reluctant to make friends.

He follows a girl named Mari Sonoda when he thinks that she stole his gym bag. As it turns out that he's not the only one interested in Mari's bag, for it seems that she is actually in possession of a belt with advanced technology that some people don’t want out in the public arena. While confronting her for stealing his gym bag, an Orphenoch appears and demands that Mari hand over the belt.

Scared, she tries to transform into Kamen Rider 555, but the belt doesn't work for her. As an act of desperation, she attaches the belt to Takumi and he's forced to fight the Orphenoch. Reluctant to stay with Mari, Takumi finds himself getting deeper and deeper into her world and eventually agreeing to fight the Orphenochs as Kamen Rider 555.

Review

I was about as reluctant to buy and watch this series, as Takumi Inui was to continue as a Kamen Rider.

After hearing that Kamen Rider Ryuki (my first Kamen Rider Series) wasn't your traditional Kamen Rider, I was afraid of how a traditional series would affect my outlook on exactly what a Kamen Rider is. I didn't want anything to take away that already drawn up mental understanding of what I thought a Kamen Rider to be, I didn't want to see that ruined.

Well, I finally said that I just have to do this, I mean if I didn't take a chance with Ryuki, I never would have found out about Kamen Rider's greatness in the first place, so if I didn't watch Faiz, I wondered what else I could be missing.

After viewing both the series and the movie, I can safely say that my mind is now at ease and my sense of what a Kamen Rider really stands of, is much more evolved. Now, I only mention that because I know a lot of people feel the same way, with many sharing Ryuki as their first Kamen Rider series…well I'm telling you that if you miss 555 because of that reason ...then you'll truly be missing out on a great series.

The show is packed-full of drama. What connections do Smart Brain have between humans, Orphenochs, and the Kamen Rider gear? Will Kiba Yuji be mankind's and Kamen Rider's greatest ally? Or will he be their greatest foe? The story goes in so many directions at once in early episodes, only to gradually come together as the storyline reaches its conclusion. You won't believe who or how many people's lives are intertwined with one another's. The greatest part of that though is HOW they are all connected.

But if it's the action that attracts you to Kamen Rider, then fret not ...for Faiz delivers. Every fight (and I mean EVERY FIGHT) has a purpose, every fight has something to do with making the main plot larger than it is. There wasn't one battle or fight where I didn't have my fingers crossed hoping that someone would make it out alive or that they would just kill someone already.

Whether it's Kamen Rider vs. Kamen Rider, Orphenoch vs. Orphenoch or Kamen Rider vs. Orphenoch.... you're going to be on the edge of your seat.

I loved the way that they not only dealt with the conflicts between Orphenochs and humans, but also how they found the time to show you everyone's inner conflicts as well. You end up caring about some of the Orphenochs much more, because in a way you can see their own humanity of sorts ...and you just might begin to wonder if they’re not right in wanting to rid the world of humans.

Nothing is rushed in this series, but even better ...nothing is dragged out to the point where you're saying "When do I get to the finale?" or "Is it over yet?".I LITERALLY could not put this series down.

I woke up an hour before I had to be at work and watched episode 4, after that I called in sick and spent the whole day watching this series. I just couldn't stop watching. I finished the series the next day somewhere around 2:00. Not to mention the movie (see my review for that too).

Conclusion

I usually only write reviews for things that I've enjoyed, generally because reviews here at Japan Hero are usually volunteered (gotta love this place) and so when I see something I like I get excited about it and ask an admin or two to be involved in some un-official/official way.

After watching Faiz, I can't begin to express to you how good this series is. I mean this series just seemed so fresh for me in the sense that it was like watching this genre for the first time all over again.

I don't know if it was due to the way that you end up caring for certain characters, or whether it's because the story was told in such a unique way that you just couldn't help but think, "I wish life really was like that".

I'm definitely recommending Kamen Rider Faiz to you all, whether you're an old school Kamen Rider fan, or just jumped on board with a recent Kamen Rider series.
If you’ve never seen a Kamen Rider Series before in your life, you will enjoy Kamen Rider Faiz.

It's got all the excitement you're looking for; the entire story is magnificent, and there are more twists, turns and shocking events than something that is full of twists, turns and shocking events!

Faiz is definitely worth the purchase, but viewing this series is worth more to me than any dollar amount can atone for and is up there as one of the greatest series I have ever seen, no matter what form of entertainment you want to classify it as.

Kamen Rider Ryuki may have been the series to catapult me into the Kamen Rider genre ...but Kamen Rider Faiz is the one that got me to stick around and see what happens next. I'm officially a Kamen Rider fan now, and if you're not already.... you will be after Kamen Rider 555.

<<CoN_Strife>>