Shinnosuke himself is also used sparingly, only really appearing to offer a few words of advice to the Roidmude who’d happily call him a friend. What his inclusion does bring however is some nice cameos and call-backs to Drive’s episodic cast members, which really helps shape the film as a piece of “final” Drive fiction. Plot-wise Kamen Rider Heart is fairly by the numbers – the Roidmude amalgamation 5886 makes for a good one-off villain but isn’t really much more than a brainless bruiser with a nice suit design. From seeing Tomoya Warabino impressively act out both Brain and Medic’s mannerisms to Heart’s comically fanservicey bath scene, Kamen Rider Heart still manages to have an element of silliness to it that is genuinely funny. It isn’t all bad though – after years of bodyswap/bodysharing episodes you expect Toei to deliver when it comes to Heart, Brain and Medic sharing one body, and they do so with some of the movie’s best moments. Rinna’s eccentricities seem to have been amped up tenfold as well, with the scientist feeling like a shadow of her former self whose main draw is wigs and questionable fashion choices. It’s a huge pity because Genpachiro can actually be a pretty deep character when the plot calls for it, but a lot of his message feels lost in an onslaught of gurning and over the top body movements. Genpachiro was one of its biggest offenders when it came to this, and as one of the film’s main characters it means there’s quite a lot of zany camera close-ups and silly faces. However the return of Heart does come at a price, and that’s also the return of Drive’s over the top comedy style that helped turn many Western fans off the first half of the series. With Brain and Medic almost acting like his conscience, Heart gets one last hurrah where he truly gets to play the hero – acting both as redemption and progression of his former status of a villain with a (somewhat) noble cause. As a character that plays far more on intelligence and emotion than he does on brute strength, this is the perfect setup for a Heart movie and the writers play on it wonderfully. His weakened state also makes him considerably more vulnerable, putting the character in a position he’s never really been in before since his only real ‘defeat’ was his death. Heart’s strict code of honour continues on into this story, which instantly covers any questions of why he’s allying himself with humanity here. As one of the most fascinating and layered villains that Kamen Rider has produced in years, it’s great to see him take the lead and develop from his defeat at the end of the series. If there was any Kamen Rider Drive character deserving of their own V-cinema movie, it was definitely Heart. However when Roidmude 005 returns and begins to haunt and frame Reiko with his own string of murders, it’s up to Gou to prove her innocence and free her from her father’s curse once and for all. Meanwhile in Kamen Rider Mach, Gou has developed a close friendship with Reiko Nishihori – supporting her during her prison stay and then meeting her upon release. While the two unlikely partners don’t get along, the weaker Heart learns where true strength lies as he sets out to extinguish this bug from the Roidmudes programming. In Kamen Rider Heart, the three Roidmudes team up with First Division inspector Genpachiro Otta as a Roidmude amalgamation targets the humans previously copied by Roidmudes. However something goes wrong and it isn’t Chase that returns – it’s Heart, complete with Brain and Medic’s consciousness also merged into his body. Finally returning home, it isn’t long before he, Rinna and Kyu put these skills to the test and attempt to revive their fallen comrade. It’s been three years since the defeat of the Roidmudes, and Gou Shijima has travelled the world to learn the skills needed to resurrect Chase. In terms of Drive movies Kamen Rider Drive Saga: Kamen Rider Chaser, may have been a side story taking place during the course of the film but the second – Kamen Rider Drive Saga: Kamen Rider Mach/Kamen Rider Heartacts as a true epilogue to the show, bringing back Gou Shijima/Kamen Rider Mach and the Roidmude Heart for one last outing. This trend initially kicked off with Kamen Rider W’s Accel and Eternal movies but has recently been revived with Kamen Riders Gaim, Drive and Ghost. Not only does that Rider make a return alongside the current one in next year’s Movie Wars release, but in recent years the additional Riders have shared the spotlight in their own V-cinema releases. When a Kamen Rider series draws to a conclusion, rarely is it truly the end.
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