Special Effects? No, It's Real (2-in-1)
Even though Kuuga's white Growing Form was somewhat weak, the rooftop fight scene was still very exciting. The production company had ample funds for this project, so they hired a famous martial arts choreographer to design the fight scenes.
Following the rooftop fight was a critical helicopter battle. This scene cost a lot of money. Renting helicopters is expensive, and filming complex action scenes in a confined space required multiple takes, which increased the cost.
All these expenses made Jada a bit anxious. However, the end result was spectacular. The intense clash of muscles, the whirring helicopter blades, and the aerial shots combined with external camera footage created a gripping sense of urgency, amplified by the high-energy BGM.
"Awesome!" Daniel cheered as he watched the fight. Men naturally love such action-packed scenes.
Despite being weak in the beginning, Kuuga, in his Growing Form, adapted to his newfound strength and managed to kick the Spider Man off the helicopter.
As the ending theme played, Daniel sighed with satisfaction. This show was indeed a great production. But something felt off to him. The Spider Man was a tough enemy, immune to modern weapons. Could he really die just by falling from a helicopter? The final scene showed the Spider Man falling onto a rooftop, but his body wasn't shown.
Spiders, like the Spider Man, could possibly use webs to survive a fall, just like Spider-Man from across the ocean.
With these thoughts, Daniel kept watching. Sure enough, the police found no body at the Spider Man's fall site. Subsequent murders and witness descriptions confirmed that he was still active.
More victims fueled Yuusuke's anger, leading him to confront the Bat Monster. However, he was quickly overpowered and forced out of his transformation by the Bat Monster's taunting words, "This is what real fighting is like." He would have been killed if not for the timely arrival of the police.
The ordeal didn't end there. Asuna, the police officer, found the Bat Monster's hideout in a church. During their fight, she knocked over some candles, setting the church ablaze.
"The flames in the church look so real," Daniel marveled, impressed by Picca Comics' special effects and willingness to spend money.
"Even big-budget movies don't get such realistic fire effects!"
But were these flames just special effects? No, they were real.
Ren had to praise his employee, Xena. Her family had a large property, including an old church scheduled for demolition. When Xena learned that Ren needed a burning building for filming, she offered the church, knowing it would be torn down anyway. After reporting the controlled burn to the authorities, they filmed the scene.
The real flames made the actors and crew nervous. They had only one chance to get it right, and any mistake could lead to a dangerous accident. Thankfully, they completed the scene without any mishaps.
As the church burned, Yuusuke arrived, determined to prevent further innocent tears. His resolve turned into action: "I don't want to see anyone cry because of these monsters!"
"Watch me... my transformation!"
With these words, Yuusuke punched the Bat Monster, transforming partially with each hit. His belt emitted an unprecedented glow, and amidst the flames, a hero in red—Kuuga's Mighty Form—stood firm.
"The warrior who defeats evil with the Spirit Stone of Hope, transforming into the form of fire!"
——Kamen Rider Kuuga, Mighty Form!
At this moment, many children watching TV cheered. Compared to the Growing Form, the red Mighty Form was much cooler and resonated with them more.
In this new form, Yuusuke learned his true name—Kuuga—from the Bat Monster. As the main promotional form, the Mighty Form had to be impressive, powerful enough to make up for the Growing Form's weakness.
One Bat Monster wasn't enough for Kuuga. The Spider Monster from the first episode also reappeared.
Initially struggling against both monsters, Yuusuke soon gained the upper hand with the sun's help.
"This is my final move!"
With this declaration, Kuuga performed a series of acrobatic kicks, ending with the all-powerful Rider Kick, defeating the Bat Monster. The Spider Monster quickly followed suit.
As the ending theme played, Daniel was about to change the channel when he noticed something different. The end credits included behind-the-scenes footage.
"Wha... It wasn't special effects? They actually burned a real church?!"
Daniel was stunned.
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"Wow, wow, this is amazing!"
"They actually burned down a church?"
"Seriously, they must have a lot of money to do that."
Watching the behind-the-scenes footage, many TV viewers couldn't believe their eyes. It wasn't that they hadn't seen special effects before, but this level of realism was rare. Burning down an actual building for a scene? That's something you don't see every day.
Sometimes, people gather just to watch controlled demolitions from a distance. But this was a TV show, not a movie, and using real flames in a TV series was almost unheard of. What if something went wrong? What if they needed a retake?
The Next Morning
At the ratings analysis meeting for "Kamen Rider Kuuga," the staff of Picca Comics were elated with the results. The premiere had an average rating of 2.76%, breaking the record for the highest-rated TV show premiere in the country. This was a significant improvement over "Ultraman Tiga's" premiere ratings.
Of course, this didn't mean "Kamen Rider Kuuga" was better than "Ultraman Tiga." When "Ultraman Tiga" first aired, Ren was an unknown writer, and the show aired on a lesser-known TV station. This time, "Kuuga" aired on a top-rated network during prime time, which naturally attracted more viewers. Plus, the recent parent-teacher group incident and the hype about the ancient writing had drawn additional attention.
Given the quality of "Kamen Rider Kuuga," everyone at Picca Comics expected its ratings to continue climbing.
Sure enough, the next day, "Kamen Rider Kuuga" was trending. The real church burning scene caused an uproar online. People began trying to locate the church.
As more people joined the conversation, useful information surfaced.
"Hey, that church looks familiar. It's the one near my house, right? Pic included. I thought it caught fire, but it turns out it was for a TV show?"
"No way, did they really burn down a church for a show?"
"That's hardcore!"
People were shocked. Who would actually burn a building for a TV show?
"If only 'Dou Qi Hua Ma' spent money on things like this, it wouldn't be so mocked."
Meanwhile
The outside chatter was just noise to Ren. He knew they were only at the beginning. Real success would depend on the show's continued performance.
Picca Comics was in a much better position than before. With the success of the God Light Stick and now Kamen Rider, the company was thriving. Ren knew that future Kamen Rider merchandise, like different belts and weapons, would bring in significant revenue.
"Celebrate! The king of tokusatsu has been born. He is the god of transport, Ren!" Ren playfully strapped on a Kuuga belt and struck a pose: "Henshin!"
After a few moments, he sighed. Playing alone wasn't much fun. Plus, without the localized name for Kamen Rider, it felt less authentic.
Ren hoped his child would be born soon. Ideally, a boy so they could play Kamen Rider vs. Ultraman together. As he turned to put down the belt, he froze. Jada was peeking through the door, looking at him with a curious expression.
⊙﹏⊙‖∣°
"How long have you been standing there?" Ren asked awkwardly.
"Since you said 'Celebrate,'" Jada replied.
"Can I say it's a misunderstanding? I was just thinking about new ideas and got carried away."
"Sure, I understand," Jada said with a knowing look. "Go on, I didn't see anything."
Jada never expected her husband to be so nerdy. But she decided not to mention it, giving Ren some face. She closed the door, leaving Ren to turn into a statue for a moment before collapsing on the bed, rolling around in embarrassment.
"So awkward! She saw me losing my mind!" Ren thought. "My dignity as the head of the family is gone!"
If Jada were there, she might wonder when Ren ever had dignity.
Back at Picca Comics
As expected, the real church fire scene gave "Kamen Rider Kuuga" another ratings boost for episodes three and four. This also sparked fierce competition among online platforms for exclusive streaming rights.
In the end, Tencent, with its deep pockets, secured the exclusive streaming rights for "Kamen Rider Kuuga." Rumors suggested that the deal brought in a fortune for Picca Comics.
While the exact numbers weren't disclosed, it was estimated to be at least 13 million per episode. Coupled with TV rights, the show was indeed worth its weight in gold.
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