Let’s appreciate Hideaki Anno so long as he’s with us. Less than a year since gifting us a fitting, fittingly head-spinning finale to his Evangelion saga, his Shin Ultraman—on which he holds screenwriting credit, directorial duties going to Shinji Higuchi, co-director of the great Shin Godzilla—has just debuted in Japan to fine notices. (The trailer sure promised something well beyond the scale of American blockbusters.) As of late he’s turned directing duties towards Shin Kamen Rider, a reboot of the ’70s series about a superhuman, motorcycle-riding hero who fights evil. Last year we learned a March 2023 debut was planned, and today a brief trailer promises that debut.
At only 51 seconds it’s not per se worth dissecting too greatly, though those well-versed in Kamen Rider may have more takeaway. As an Anno acolyte—I’ve watched Cutie Honey, for God’s sake—the flashes of his confrontational style, which I in fact think galvanizes more in live-action, are catnip. (And dig that Evangelion nod in the train tracks.) So admittedly these 51 seconds do count for a lot. God willing Kamen Rider has a short trip from Japan to the U.S.
Watch the preview below: