Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Review – A Love Letter to Tokusatsu Fans
- Frank Laudato
- Apr 28
- 5 min read
What does it mean to grow up being a fan of tokusatsu, henshin heroes & monsters? That is a question that the series Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider answers.
The story introduces us to Tojima, a man who has just turned 40 and has been a Kamen Rider fan since he was a little kid. Like many kids who grew up watching henshin heroes part of that fandom was his childish dream to one day be an actual Kamen Rider, sure it is the typical childish dream of wanting to be a superhero when you grow up, typically as you mature that dream fades when you mature and realize it is all fantasy fiction, but for Tojima it never faded he trained from childhood and has never stopped.
This story follows not only Tojima but also a woman Yuriko who shares a similar dream of becoming Electro-Wave Human Tackle, the first female hero in the Kamen Rider series. The series begins as a quirky comedic story but quickly strikes an emotional chord in the hearts of tokusatsu fans with its close to home look at the fandom.
If you’ve watched our show before, followed along with us, or even followed Frank back in the Godzilla Island days, you probably know that a key focus of our tokusatsu fandom has always been kaiju. But tokusatsu is a much bigger world than just giant monsters.
Series like Metal Heroes and Kamen Rider exist, which are shows that don't usually feature city destroying Kaiju. Instead, they focus on criminals, mutants, cyborgs, and other strange creatures of the week. The action tends to focus on henshin heroes in martial arts style fights, loaded with special weapons, and creative tokusatsu effects that make each fight feel sensational.
Growing up in the U.S. in the 90s we didn't really have access to these types of shows. Instead, we had Americanized versions of tokusatsu, with series like Power Rangers t, Beetleborgs and the short-lived Kamen Rider attempt by Saban Masked Rider. Of the three were massive Power Ranger fans which was probably the closest to Kamen Rider we could get while it wasn't exactly the same it had similar but fewer dark elements than Kamen Rider.
Recently my exposure to Kamen Rider was Kamen Amazons and the 2023 Shin Kamen Rider movie. Both offered very different takes on the franchise but helped open the door for me to explore the wider world of Rider stories.
Although I don't have deep Kamen Rider lore knowledge the message of this series comes through loud and clear. Out the gate Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider shows what it feels like to grow up as the “outcast” kid who liked things that were a little different, like henshin heroes and tokusatsu shows.
Through Tojima’s story, we see how that passion followed him throughout his life, even when it made him stand out. As a child, Tojima was bullied at school for being different and for embracing the things he loved. Yuriko’s story mirrors this in many ways. She was also bullied by her classmates, but her father tried to lift her spirits by introducing her to Electro-Wave Human Tackle. What started as a way to cheer her up eventually became something much bigger, inspiring her and helping her grow into a stronger woman. In many ways, these moments are what make the series resonate so deeply with a tokusatsu fan like me. It’s not just about fandom it’s about how the heroes and characters we grow up with can shape who we become, making this a really special series, even if you are a noob to Kamen Rider.
When Tojima and Yuriko begin stopping a string of robberies carried out by Shocker wannabes, things quickly take a shocking turn. The pair soon encounter what appears to be a real Shocker combatant, and a monster! Forcing them to confront the possibility that the evil organization from their adored Kamen Rider might actually exist.
As their strange crusade continues, the two expand their small group of heroes when they meet Mitsuba Shimamura, a young restaurant owner with his own tragic connection to Shocker. Mitsuba claims that when he and his brother were children, their grandparents were killed by a Shocker monster the Bat-Man.
We learn Mitsuba’s brother, Ichiyo claims that he carries the soul of Kamen Rider V3 within him. Ever since witnessing the murder of their grandparents, the two brothers have dedicated their lives to proving that Shocker is real.
This point of the series was a surprising turning point for me because having not had access to an English-translated version of the manga. I thought this was going to focus on a group of passionate Kamen Rider fans taking on everyday criminals in the real world, something along the lines of a tokusatsu henshin hero version Kick-Ass, I never thought that we would actually see the real Shocker or Kamen Rider monsters in it. It made these fans childhood fantasies real the good and the bad parts!
With Shocker revealed as a real-life threat we soon learn that Mitsuba's girlfriend Yukarisu is a Shocker combatant herself whose mission was to spy on those that know of Shocker's existence. Yukarisu reveals herself as Shocker when she confronts Yuriko for talking to Mitsuba out of jealousy as she has become obsessed and in love with him.
The theme love plays a major role in this series, Yukarisu is the first combatant we see in love with someone and that love is what has the power to conquer the evil of Shocker. Throughout this series we begin to see hordes of Shocker but learn they have been growing in numbers for years as that is the goal of the Shocker Monsters to take over the world.
It is eventually revealed that many Shocker combatants have been breaking the mind control that the monsters have over them with love. Whether it be falling in love with someone as Yukarisu did, loving a pet dog, loving the friends you have made, or any other form of love it breaks the spell. The only catch to this broken control, is your mind still has this psychic link to the rest of Shocker that can't be severed, so the rest of the combatants can still sense your location and presence.
The Bat-Man dispatches his top combatant Thunder Raiko a former female professional wrestler she begins hunting down the Shocker deserter's and killing them one after another. Though we see love start to crack her control she remains dedicated (at least for this season).
Without spilling too much more plot than I already have of this first season. We also see the Spider Man as the other re-occurring Shocker monster although he seems to have his own agenda and way of doing things separate from the Bat-Man. The Spider Man meets a Pop Idol who has become obsessed with ramen though he won't admit it he himself may also be falling to the power of love, during his investigation into how some humans like Tojima can find the power to fight Shocker.
We got an impressive 24-episode season out of this series and though our title character Tojima finishes on a high note I feel that the core cast has many more moments to shine and there are still a few plots and storylines to finish up in a follow-up season. The final moments of the season do end with the crew suiting up again to tackle the still lingering Shocker crimes after a news report that they are still going on. So, we know the Rider team is still fighting and Shocker is still out there! What did you think of Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider and are you picking up the manga as they hit the shelves with a physical English-translated version for the first time?
Amazon Associate Link: Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Volume 1 (Out This August)
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