The Show That Does Not Stand At The Top Of Dubbing - A Look At Kamen Rider Kabuto (Cartoon Network version)...

Well whaddya know... The Crusader's Realm is officially announced! If you're reading this blog for the first time, welcome to the site! Several posts have been made since the start of July, but feel free to navigate down and take a look at them again. All of these are just a taste of what's to come as we go along, so I hope you enjoy reading everything here, and now we get back to show!

After a long night of partying and surprise, I woke up to this Fourth of July morning eager for some Saturday morning toons to catch at Cartoon Network. I certainly did just that, but I also remembered that today marked the official CN debut of Masked Rider Kabuto, and being a big fan of the series, I made it a point to see the show despite my misgivings on "the dubbing treatment" of similar shows on the network itself. Before anything else, here's a little primer for the unfamiliar.



Masked Rider Kabuto - Also known as "Kamen Rider Kabuto" in Japan, is just one of the many installments of the popular Kamen Rider franchise, which has spawned several characters and riders that continue to entertain kids and folks around the world thanks to it's spectacular use of stunts, suit actors, and special effects. Originally premiering back in 2006 and representing the franchise's 35th anniversary, KRK tells the story of Tendou Souji, a man who usually quotes his grandmother and appears to be quite skilled and confident, especially when it comes to cooking delicious cuisines of all kinds. He has trained vigorously for seven years, awaiting the day when his destiny call out and gives him his life mission - to become Kamen Rider Kabuto. Using a belt buckle and a mysterious device known as a Zecter, Tendou is able to transform into the crimson clad, blue-eyed hero, to combat a mysterious alien race known only to humanity as "Worms". As Kabuto, he empowered by the Masked Rider System, a device that gives the user the ability to bend space/ time via the "Clock Up System", which is perfect in dealing with the alien menace that has the ability to mimic people and move at fast speeds.



Back in its Heyday, KRK was a hit and clicked right away with its viewers. It was considered by many fans to be a "return to basics" in Kamen Rider standards, foregoing the use of gimmicks like cards and musical instruments and instead reusing simple transformation devices - in this case, "Zecters". As the series progressed, we would be introduced to several other Riders, each with their own style and motif that serves to aid or impede Kabuto's mission in destroying the Worms once and for all. Running for a total of 49 episodes, the show's popularity was only smeared by the rushed ending and many unresolved issues that were left hanging because of time constraints. Still, the series was able to deliver, and even spawned a theatrical movie called "God Speed Love". Popular J-actors also lent their amazing talents to the show and became even more successful as a result - such as the man who plays Tendou himself, Hiro Mizushima. It also had a cool opening - NEXT LEVEL as performed by YU-KI. Check it below and see for yourselves how awesome it looks.




Going back to the show itself, I just caught the first episode of the "dubbed version"... and it was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.O.o The same guys who usually dub shows on Animax and Asian Live Action features are back... only this time their performance here sounds more like a flat script reading session that's full of dead air. Seeing this just tightens my dedication to stick to the original Japanese itself (which was absolutely GREAT btw). Much of the jokes were lost in translation, and everyone sounded like a hokey circus act with no direction whatsoever. I also got irritated during the transformation sequence... the actor shouts "Transform" while the Zecter retains "HENSHIN"?! (Japanese for doi, Transform!). Man... this was one messed up dubbed. I'm sure it's truly aimed for kids who could care less for story and just want more action, but personally, I feel it's a waste. A show that was as good as Kabuto deserves some respectful treatment, but I guess some people just don't understand the novelty of an item... especially when it comes to retaining it's original presentation.

Score - 3/10