In the ancient past, humans worshipped giant monsters known as "Kakuzyu" as gods - with the mighty Enkaku standing above the others as their king. Then one day their age came to an end, with the Kakuzyu sealed in battery-like devices known as Egorgears.
In the present day Kakuzyu Hunters now battle one another, using Omegahorns to summon the Kakuzyu from their Egorgears and draw upon their power. Shout the Fiery however is a treasure hunter, searching for ancient artifacts whilst trying to uncover the mystery of a broken stone tablet. After discovering an ancient Omegahorn and awakening Enkaku from his slumber, Shout is drawn into the world of the Hunters - his new partner dubbing him "Captain Omegahorn".
Even before getting into the worldbuilding set out here, one of the most refreshing things about Kakuseihunter Omegahorn's debut episode is just how different it looks. After the more urbanised setting of both Gavan Infinity and the majority of Super Sentai series, it feels really good to have a show that gets back to nature in such a prominent way. That isn't to say those previous shows didn't have their own moments in similar environments, but seeing the Shout running across sand dunes, swinging through canyons and climbing down cliffs really sets the tone for a more explorative show. Even the settlements here feel more scaled back for the most part, with Wild West-style wooden lodges and saloons sitting alongside trailers and camper vans in an almost anachronistic fashion. There are certainly a few familiar Toei filming locations showcased here, but the overall vibe feels unique - something which is key in making Omegahorn stand out right from the get-go.
The other main thing that stands out in the episode is its quick grasp on world-building, setting out the narrative landscape of the series just as much as it does the physical one. The opening scenes are another CGI-laden spectacle, showing off all of the key Kakuzyu whilst succinctly summing up the history of Omegahorn's world in a few short sentences. From there it jumps forward to the modern day, again perfectly establishing this new world of kaiju battles. Of course there are still plenty of questions to be raised, but its by no means similar to the various worlds seen on Gavan Infinity - emphasising how Project R.E.D. can be whatever it wants to be. That is undoubtedly the most exciting part of Toei's newest tokusatsu venture, the sense that every series can be wildly different from the last yet somehow they'll all be connected. The key is going to be making the shows all feel self-contained at the same time, especially with the reveal that (at least for now) these shows are going to be six-monthly outings in the same way Gavan Infinity was. Omegahorn has done a good job of setting out its worldview here, but it also has to make sure that its story satisfies as well.
Shout the Fiery (played by Sho Narahara) also makes a great first impression here, presenting a protagonist that's more about following his own dreams first and foremost. He's charismatic but also careful not to get caught up in the world of the Kakuzyu Hunters, preferring to stick to his treasure hunting expeditions. While we see his athleticism first hand, the fact he built his own his own AI transformation device (the Omega Analyzer, voiced by Megumi Han) and protective suit also highlights his intelligence. After awakening and unwittingly partnering with Enkaku (voiced by and played by Masato Kunigami in human form), the pair immediately strike up a fun rapport - Enkaku a fish out of water in a time very different to his own and Shout somewhat exasperated at the situation he's found himself in. Enkaku sees the potential in Shout to name him Captain Omegahorn, and when Shout is pulled into a monster battle he stands out by discarding the established rules and doing things his own way. Shout may be good natured, but he's not a hero as such just yet - and seeing that grow over the course of the series will be very interesting.
The focus here may be on Shout and Enkaku but through the world-building we are also introduced to a number of other Kakazyu Hunters, some of which make up the show's supporting cast. In our first taste of a Hunter battle we see Giriko the Wave Slasher (Nanaha Itose) make her debut, making short work of Koza the Chainball as she wields the power of her kaiju Zankaku. Later in the episode we also meet twin hunters Ail the Bold and Ali the Upright, who engage Shout in battle as Enkaku learns the customs of the modern age. There's even a very brief introduction to the various hunters that make up Ibaru Alliance, the main antagonistic faction of the series. We don't get much other than names (as well as a very familiar face) but its clear that they're quite different to the usual hunters - their cityscape base of operations a far bigger clash to the rest of the show's aesthetic than their fashion sense.
The climax of the episode brings its first kaiju battle, and although giant-sized fights have always been a staple part of Super Sentai its not necessarily something many fans will immediately associate with Toei tokusatsu. However things certainly get off to a good start here, largely due to the use of a physical suit for Enkaku on top of the previously established CGI elements. Not only is the detail of the suit fantastic, but suit actor Naoya Iguchi's movements truly bring the character to life in a way that CGI just wouldn't manage. Scenes of him running through a barrage of explosions against a mountainous miniature set, as well as an array of different camera angles help bring a good sense of scale to the battle. The Omegahorns themselves are also a fun gimmick, literal megaphones from which the Hunters call out their commands. Yes its the obligatory bit of toy advertising these shows run on, but it's a fun idea that shows anything can become a tokusatsu trinket with enough imagination.
But while the overall focus of the series may be on kaiju battles, from the very beginning Project R.E.D. promised that its series would primarily feature red coloured heroes - and that's what it delivers once again. Shout's GO Hunt Suit is not quite the same costumed superhero we're used to though, instead being a protective suit that's more meant for exploration and defence than it is for fighting. That doesn't mean Shout doesn't give it a go though, facing a Kakuzyu head on whilst dodging its attacks via jet boosters hidden within its backpack. While the more mechanical elements of the suit carry a similarly Metal Heroes vibe as Gavan Infinity, they only make up a fraction of the design - the rest drawing obvious influence from elsewhere. Between its backwards baseball cap, backpack and red and white jacket it's hard to see "Captain Omegahorn" as anything but a mechanised version of Red from Pokémon. That aside, seeing the suit used in the field for exploration is much more interesting than it being used in combat - the simple transformation device and sequence making it feel far more ingrained into the series than the main feature. Hopefully the series will feature more of that aspect, highlighting the suit's gadgets in a more practical sense as well as just fighting.
And for those interested in just how this series will connect to Gavan Infinity, the episode wastes no time in forming the strands between them. The most obvious of these is of course the similarity between the Emorgears and Egorgears, which besides being a clever bit of cross-compatibility between the two toy lines will surely come into play within the narrative itself. As revealed in the preview at the end of Infinity makes a quick appearance amongst the Ibaru Alliance under his new guise of "Reiji the Ironclad", but what's perhaps more interesting is the appearance of his crashed Cosmo Gavarion at the very end of the episode. As if Shout's exploration of the ship in the next episode wasn't enough, the preview also reveals that both Setsuna and Kiki will already be making an appearance to find out what's happened to their comrade. Omegahorn's debut may have established a very different world to the ones we saw in Gavan Infinity, but it hasn't taken them very long at all to cross. Already Project R.E.D. is living up to its promise of interconnected shows, the question now is how well can it pull it off.
If there's one thing that the first episode of Kakuseihunter Omegahorn confirmed, it's that anything goes when it comes to Project R.E.D.. If you thought Gavan Infinity was maybe playing it a little too safe, then this presents something wholly different whilst also clearly being cut from the same cloth. Omegahorn's premiere does a wonderful job of setting out establishing both its world and characters, the titanic kaiju battle an impressive preview of what the show has to offer when it comes to action sequences. With the debut being more than strong enough to stand on its own merits, if anything the callbacks to Gavan Infinity were just an added bonus. Strap yourselves in tokusatsu fans, this is where Project R.E.D. is going to start getting interesting.
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