Cho-Den-O Series

Kamen Rider Den-O's Super Climax Form premiered in the first of the "Cho-Den-O" movies.

The "Cho-Den-O" Series (「超・電王」シリーズ, "Chō-Den'ō" Shirīzu^?, "Super Den-O" Series) is a Japanese multimedia franchise featuring the cast and characters of the popular Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Den-O and its films.^[1]

History

Kamen Rider Den-O was the seventeenth installment of the Kamen Rider Series and the eighth during the Heisei period run of the series, a joint production between Toei Company, TV Asahi, and the late Shotaro Ishinomori's production company Ishimori Productions. Its first film, Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born! opened in Japanese theaters on August 4, 2007. In its opening weekend, the movie came in 4th place and was the highest selling Japanese production of the week.^[2]

Later in 2007, Toei had announced that they were in production for a V-Cinema release for Den-O coupled with Kamen Rider Kiva, but this was later changed to be a direct, albeit limited, theatrical release entitled Kamen Rider Den-O & Kiva: Climax Deka. In its opening weekend, April 12, 2008, Climax Deka took the top spot at the Japanese box offices,^[3] unseating the Japanese release of Cloverfield.^[4] In the end, it grossed 730 million yen, over double the normal revenue for a Kamen Rider film.^[5]

Later in 2008, another press release from Toei announced that there was to be a third film for Den-O entitled, Saraba Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown.^[5] Having a third film was the first for any of the Heisei Kamen Rider television series, a fact that Takeru Satoh, who had played the lead role of Ryotaro Nogami in the television series, attributes to Den-O's comedic timing.^[6]Eventually this was originally considered to be the last appearance of Den O. However because of its rising popularity, Toei Company announced on January 29, 2009,that there would be a fourth film for Den-O, and that it was in production as of January 29, 2009. The film was scheduled to be released in April 2009.^[7] On February 9, 2009, Toei revealed that this film was to be the first in the Cho-Den-O Series.^[1] and that the film would feature the cast and characters of I'm Born!, Final Countdown, Kiva, and Kamen Rider Decade.

The Onigashima Warship

Main article: Cho Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade Neo Generations: The Onigashima Warship

The first film in the Cho-Den-O Series is titled Cho Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade Neo Generations The Movie: The Onigashima Warship (劇場版 超・仮面ライダー電王＆ディケイド ＮＥＯ ジェネレーションズ 鬼ヶ島の戦艦, Gekijōban Chō Kamen Raidā Den'ō ando Dikeido Neo Jenerēshonzu Onigashima no Senkan^?) released on May 1, 2009. The film features the return of the Tarōs, Deneb, and Sieg, along with New Den-O from Final Countdown, Jiro, Ramon, and Riki of Kiva, and Tsukasa and Natsumi of Decade.^[1] The film also introduces Akina Minami portraying a bushi woman named Toki (トキ^?).^[8] The movie also marks the debut of Kamen Rider Cho-Den-O (仮面ライダー超電王, Kamen Raidā Chō Den'ō^?), also called Super Climax Form (超クライマックスフォーム, Chō Kuraimakkusu Fōmu^?), which appears as a variation of Den-O's Climax Form incorporating Wing Form's mask as wings.^[8]

Cho-Den-O Trilogy

Main article: Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider The Movie: Cho-Den-O Trilogy

Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider The Movie: Cho-Den-O Trilogy (仮面ライダー×仮面ライダー×仮面ライダー THE MOVIE 超・電王トリロジー, Kamen Raidā × Kamen Raidā × Kamen Raidā Za Mūbī: Chō Den'ō Torirojī^?) is the name given to a series of three films released in a four week period between May 22 and June 19, 2010. The films, Episode Red, Blue, and Yellow, each focus on a different Kamen Rider in the extended Cho-Den-O storyline: Zeronos, New Den-O, and Diend of Decade. The trilogy was originally posted as a rumor on Futaba Channel as a single film titled Owari Kamen Rider Den-O The Movie Last Stop: The Climax is Eternal (劇場版 終仮面ライダー電王 終着点 クライマックスよ永遠に, Gekijōban Owari Kamen Raidā Den'ō Shūchakuten Kuraimakkusu yo Eien ni^?), however the April issue of Televi-kun confirmed the Cho-Den-O Trilogy title.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "ライダー史上初の快挙、大人気作の新＜超＞シリーズ化・決定新たな旅のレールは＜超・電王＞へ！映画「超・仮面ライダー電王＆ディケイド」の製作決定！". http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/decade/news/05.html. Retrieved 2009-02-11. 
2. ^ "Weekend returns for the weekend of August 4-5". http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/japan/?yr=2007&wk=31&p=.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-11. 
3. ^ "映画興行成績ランキング - goo 映画". http://movie.goo.ne.jp/ranking/boxoffice/20080415.html. Retrieved 2008-04-15. 
4. ^ "映画興行成績：「仮面ライダー電王」女性人気で堂々1位　「クローバーフィールド」は2位に　4月12、13日". http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/manga/archive/news/2008/04/20080415mog00m200006000c.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "バラエティ・ジャパン | 佐藤健『電王』３度目映画化に「一番面白い」". http://www.varietyjapan.com/news/movie_dom/2k1u7d00000dcmlm.html. Retrieved 2008-09-26. 
6. ^ "佐藤健、「仮面ライダー電王」人気の秘密は… - 芸能 - SANSPO.COM". http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/080926/gnj0809261105021-n1.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-26. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "全国映画概況発表会見で、「仮面ライダー電王」新作発表?". http://animeanime.jp/news/archives/2009/01/post_649.html. Retrieved 2009-01-30. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "仮面ライダー電王：映画「超・電王」で復活　アッキーナ出演も佐藤健は… - 毎日ｊｐ(毎日新聞)". http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/graph/anime/20090209/. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 

External links

• Cho-Den-O-01.jp - The official website for The Onigashima Warship (Japanese)
• Den-O-3.com - The official website for Cho-Den-O Trilogy (Japanese)