Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak

Summer movies have been a staple of the Kamen Rider franchise for decades, but rarely do their stories feel quite as signposted as it did in Kamen Rider Gotchard. The appearance of a mysterious orange Gotchard from the future way back in episode 16 raised all manner of questions - many of which would not be answered until months later with the release of Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak. Largely taking place in an alternate timeline, the film explores future events branching off from the Alchemist Academy's first encounter with Glion. The film was written by Gotchard co-writer Keichii Hasagawa, directed by Ryuta Tasaki and released cinematically as part of a double-bill alongside Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit.

When the Earth is suddenly under attack from an army of Kamen Rider Dreads, Houou Kaguya Quartz appears before the Alchemist Academy and explains that this threat comes from a parallel future. Realising that this must be the future of the orange Gotchard that once appeared before him, Houtaro vows to travel to the future to help him the same way the orange Gotchard has once helped him. Using the power of the Chemies, Houtaro and Rinne (with Kajiki in tow) travel 20 years into the future to find a world where Glion has won.

Having lost everyone and everything dear to him, the Houtaro Ichinose of the future has become a very different man. But with the help of his past self, can Daybreak Gotchard remember the person he once was and defeat Glion once and for all?

Kamen Rider Summer movies can take a variety of different forms. Back in the early days of the Heisei era we had the films like Paradise Lost, Missing Ace and God Speed Love which very clearly took place in parallel worlds - branching off from their respective series at specific points (or sometimes not at all). Later down the line they became far more connected with the shows themselves, whether it be through events (no matter how minor) that help tie them together or simply being able to roughly pin point where the film takes place in the series timeline. The Future Daybreak is somewhat unique however in that not only does it combine all of these traits, but it's signposting in the series goes beyond a simple preview prior to the film's release. Gotchard's alternate future is something the show has built up towards since the very beginning, with Houtaro's trajectory in the show directly influenced by his orange counterpart. But while his involvement may have set our hero on his course, at the same time that doesn't make The Future Daybreak essential viewing for the rest of the series. As such it's something of a curious case - still remaining somewhat detached from the show but also a far more rewarding viewing experience thanks to the characters' prior involvement. It also works well because unlike other Summer movies it's less preoccupied with introducing new characters whose entire backstories have to be explained in the movie (or accompanying TTFC special). There are a few changes here and there, but more or less it's building off of the pre-existing Gotchard cast and what we know about them. While the hour runtime means there still could have been room for expansion (snippets of the future would have been perfect for a number of web prequel shorts), but thanks to that existing knowledge exposition never feels especially rushed.

So here we have The Future Daybreak, or what it could also be called - "How Future Houraro got his groove back". He is at the very heart of this film, or more specifically just what it would take to transform the happy-go-lucky and almost eternally optimistic Houtaro we all know and love into a battle-hardened solider who has had everything he loves ripped away from him. The Kamen Rider franchise isn't afraid to put its protagonists through the wringer at times, but this version of Houtaro seems to have especially had it rough. While the limited runtime of the film doesn't really allow for a more gradual change of heart in the future Houtaro, actor DAIGO (also known for Nozomu Taiga in Ultraman Saga) carries the character well as a tortured soldier as well as believably a version of Junsei Motojima's Houtaro. The dynamic between the two Houtaros is definitely the highlight of the film, with the positivity stemming from his character allowing the kind of wonderfully emotional climax that, even amongst all the darkness in the storyline, fully embraces Kamen Rider as a hero the children.

Though the main focus may be on the two Houtaros, Rinne being along for the ride is another key point for the film as (much like the series) it tries to deepen their relationship with making anything too explicit. Whether their relationship is truly romantic or platonic is arguably left open to the viewer's interpretation, The Future Daybreak really highlights not only how important said relationship is but also where Houtaro's breaking point lies. Future Houtaro sees Rinne as someone in need of protection at all costs because of his own loss, while our Houtaro continues to see her as someone willing and capable of fighting alongside him. And that she does, with Majade a key figure in both the story and action sequences - helping to reaffirm the future Houtaro without falling too heavily into the trap of being a damsel in distress.

Houtaro isn't the only one to have undergone some changes in the alternate future either, as The Future Daybreak introduces us to a far more ruthless version of Glion. Having him take over most of the world already sets the stage for this to be a darker interpretation, but the knowledge of him picking off Houtaro's friends and family one by one and toying with him throughout puts him far above anything the character achieved in the series itself. Only adding to this the Dark Masks - his new trio of homunculi villains who walk around with the faces of Gotchard's fallen allies. On paper it all sounds a little grimdark, but onscreen it really helps contextualise how Glion has completely beaten Houtaro's old personality out of him. As an audience we may be left wondering how Glion seems to have abandoned his goal of turning the world to gold, but even that's nicely explained with a last minute twist that fits in with everything we know about his motives. When it comes to villains The Future Daybreak pretty much has everything you'd want out of a Kamen Rider movie - a good outing for the main villain, movie-exclusive villains that don't need much explanation, a movie-exclusive villain Rider and even a giant monster battle just to top it all off.

With the film so focused on the two Houtaros there's admittedly much less for the supporting cast to do, which is probably why they stay back to guard the present while Houtaro and Rinne are off time-travelling. That said The Future Daybreak still manages to make good use of Gotchard's supporting cast, even if it's mostly relegated to action sequences. Everyone important is still here and gets to have some involvement in the plot, while Spanner, Minato and Lachesis' actors get the opportunity to overact as the Dark Masks as well. Even Renge and Sabimaru are able to get in on the action more than usual - wielding the power of the Chemies for their own rather unique fight scenes. The Dark Sisters' defection in the alternate future is another nice little touch, as well as making perfect sense given Glion's treatment of them in the main timeline. Though one of the main aspects of the film it would have been nice to have some additional expansion on, it nevertheless works well in context and adds a nice little shakeup to Houtaro and Rinne's arrival in the future.

One surprise element added to the film is the appearance of Kamen Rider Legend, who in some respects just feels like a regular for Gotchard at this point. Whether Houou Kaguya Quartz showing up holds any real story relevance is up for debate, but at the very least him appearing early on works very well for explaining the initial setup of the movie so it can quickly get on to the main event. It also helps that, despite his over the top personality, he doesn't dominate The Future Daybreak in the same way he did his crossover episodes in the show itself. Any trace of The Hundred is absent and Butler is only referenced in passing, his presence largely allowing for the balance of having two Riders remain in the present day while Houtaro and Rinne are in the future timeline. That isn't to say that Legend isn't without his own special moment though, as the film takes time out to reunite Kaguya with the man who put him on the path to becoming the "gorgeous" Rider he is now. Where exactly this takes place in Decade's timeline is up for debate (especially if you want to take into account the DecaDriver rather than the Neo DecaDriver), but ultimately it doesn't matter - this is just a fun little crossover moment to make Legend's story feel a little more complete. Seeing the usually cool Kaguya completely loose his composure at the sight of the eternally suave Tsukasa is cute, and though completely removed from the crux of The Future Daybreak it isn't enough to overshadow it. The same can also be said for Legend's usual Heisei Rider summoning routine (featuring all the usual suspects), but really if you can't allow for a little spectacle in a Kamen Rider movie when can you?

That level of spectacle is definitely felt throughout the whole The Future Daybreak, from the dystopian ruins of the future timeline to the fight scenes and action sequences. With a number of different forms and multiple Chemy powers at its disposal the film makes good use of elements the series has already provided, but there's lots of movie-exclusive (or at least semi-exclusive) content to enjoy as well. The series may have given audiences a sneaky preview of Daybreak Gotchard but it's here we get to see him in all his glory - that orange suit a visual metaphor of Houtaro's burning emotions as well as a clear contrast to the cool blue of regular Gotchard. Glion gets a new look in the form of Kamen Rider Dorado, an alternate take on the Rider form he gets in the final episodes of the show. Even though in typical Toei fashion it's largely a kitbash suit made of existing parts, it still manages to look great and exude an element of menace equal to that of Glion himself. Rounding off the new Rider forms are the double whammy of Miracle Gotchard and Shining Daybreak, both of which build upon their base designs with flourishes befitting their names and the uplifting tone of the film's climax. Beyond the Riders themselves even the Malgam designs are top tier, with the Dark Death Masks sporting intricate designs that perhaps don't get enough screen time to be fully appreciated.

Finally one important staple of the Kamen Rider Summer movie experience is the debut of the next series Rider, and much like Gotchard himself previously did in 4 Aces and the Black Fox Kamen Rider Gavv leaves a very strong first impression (or would do if this was your first time seeing him). Unlike some previous examples both Shoma's character and his fighting style seem pretty ironed out right from the start, and having the brightly coloured Gavv and his candy-based powers meet up with the straight-faced Spanner makes for a rather amusing pairing. As with the Legend parts Gavv's cameo is a good opportunity to pull away from the drama of the main story without losing any of its energy, providing the kind of spectacle you'd expect from a Kamen Rider debut as well as getting the audience sufficiently hyped up for the Kamen Rider Gavv series.

Kamen Rider Summer movies rarely disappoint but even still Kamen Rider Gotchard the Movie: The Future Daybreak easily stands as one of the best the franchise has produced in some years, telling a story that feels like it's been in the making throughout the whole of Gotchard's run. From building upon the audience's prior knowledge of existing characters to tell a parallel universe storyline that doesn't feel too constrained by running time to its great character and action moments, The Future Daybreak takes all the best parts of Gotchard, mixes in the parallel world vibes of those classic Heisei era Rider movies and condenses it all down into one perfect package.