Kuuga's Premiere
Before the premiere of "Kamen Rider Kuuga," the show had already gained a lot of attention! This was thanks to the recent "parent group incident" that brought in a huge amount of traffic. On top of that, Ren's fame as the Porter and the later advertisements from Jada added even more heat to it.
With Ren sharing teaser photos of the costumes and some settings, the show's appeal was further amplified. The inclusion of an ancient language and script in the plot intrigued many. It's rare in the entire film industry for a production to create an entirely new language and script. Typically, this kind of effort is reserved for big-budget movies, not TV series.
The buzz surrounding "Kuuga" became as strong as, if not stronger than, any TV station's repetitive advertising.
Finally, the day of Kuuga's premiere arrived.
Daniel closed the latest issue of Picca Comics, reflecting on the intense plot of the latest chapter of "Attack on Titan."
In this issue, Levi's squad was wiped out, and Eren was swallowed by the Female Titan, only to be rescued by Levi and Mikasa. The Survey Corps had to abandon the bodies of their comrades to return inside the walls, marking the mission as a failure.
The battle scenes were gripping, but some parts were hard to stomach, like using the bodies of fallen comrades as bait for Titans, leaving them with no proper burial. This is particularly unsettling for people who value preserving the body after death.
But such is the harsh world the Porter created in "Attack on Titan." Thinking about the scene in Chapter 21 where Eren fought the Female Titan, Daniel couldn't help but ponder. Eren seemed to recognize the Female Titan, shouting "Ar..." before his head was smashed.
If the Female Titan was a human like Eren, then he clearly recognized her. "Ar...," could it be Armin (Arlert) or Annie (Leonhart)? Considering the Female Titan's blonde hair, Annie seemed more likely. However, it's possible that Armin could also be the Titan since the series hasn't confirmed if the Titan's gender matches the human's.
"Watching the Porter's manga always leaves me with a sense of anticipation," Daniel said, stretching. He suddenly remembered something and turned on the TV. "If I remember correctly, the Porter's 'Kamen Rider Kuuga' premieres today."
Daniel was really interested in this show. The promotional material from Picca Comics claimed it was on par with Ultraman. Ultraman is a dream for many men, a hugely popular IP both domestically and internationally. If any other company had made such a claim, Daniel might have thought they were exaggerating just for hype. But since this was from Picca's studio and created by the Porter, Daniel had faith in it. The Porter had never disappointed with any of his works.
Moreover, the inclusion of ancient scripts gave Daniel a lot of confidence in the series. He didn't want to miss it.
He turned on the TV just in time to catch the opening theme of Kuuga. The editing was top-notch, with cool fight scenes and an exciting BGM that made him want to sway along.
After the opening theme, there was a segment in the ancient script. Daniel, intrigued, compared it to the translation provided by the official site.
"Watch TV in a well-lit room... and keep a distance from the screen." Reading the symbols one by one, Daniel's eyes widened. These symbols did resemble what he saw in the images before. Especially the TV-watching symbols, a square with a small person inside, made him admire the Porter's creativity.
The show began with the same cave pictures Ren had posted on Weibo. An old professor and his team opened a coffin engraved with ancient scripts, revealing a mummified man wearing the stone-like Kuuga belt.
"This is kind of creepy," Daniel shivered at the eerie atmosphere created by the ancient tomb and the haunting BGM. The director, Andrew, an experienced filmmaker, used every trick in the book to craft an unsettling mood, making it feel almost like a horror film.
When the ancient script translated to "Death! Warning!" and the protagonist called the professor, the scream on the other end heightened the tension.
As expected, the entire archaeological team in the tomb was wiped out. The death of such prominent figures in archaeology drew police attention.
Meanwhile, a monster, the Spider Man, appeared, threatening public safety. The police, unable to match its power, ended up being chased into their own station.
At this critical moment, Yuusuke fused with the belt, transforming into Kuuga in his white initial form. The transformation was cool, but the combat prowess was disappointingly weak, unlike Ultraman's epic transformations.
Just as Daniel felt a tinge of disappointment, his phone chimed with a notification. The Porter had posted a new update on Weibo.
The post clarified that Kuuga's forms were based on insects, and the current white form was called the "Growing Form," akin to a larva, explaining its weak combat abilities.
"So, it'll have multiple forms like Ultraman?" Daniel speculated excitedly.
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