Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Kamen Rider V3 brings back the legendary hero for more adventures. Created by Shōtarō Ishinomori, Kamen Rider V3 revitalizes the classic Tokusatsu genre hero. Developed for Japanese television by Masaru Igami, Kamen Rider V3 is the third installment in the beloved genre classic.

Kamen Rider V3 was broadcast in Japan between February 17, 1973 and February 9, 1974. Kamen Rider V3 was a collaboration between the Toei Company and Mainichi Broadcasting System. Broadcast on TV Asahi, Kamen Rider V3 features theme music performed by Hiroshi Miyauchi (opening) and Columbia Yurikago-kai (ending).

Produced by Seiji Abe (Kamen Rider Super-1, New Kamen Rider) and Tohru Hirayama (New Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Super-1), Kamen Rider V3 features Hiroshi Miyauchi, Hizuru Ono, Hideki Kawaguchi, Akiji Kobayashi, and Takehisa Yamaguchi. Hiroshi Miyauchi tales the iconic role as Kamen Rider V3. Genre fans who appreciate the action- adventure of the Tokusatsu genre will be thrilled with the series.

The journey isn’t over. Kamen Rider returns with a new hero determined to save the day and fight the enemies. Shiro Kazami is traumatized after becoming an eyewitness to a murder. Following the cruel trauma endured, Shiro finds himself seeking help from the Double Riders. The request is a simple one. Shiro asks the Double Riders to transform him into a Kamen Rider himself.

After transforming into a cool Kamen Rider himself, Shiro finds himself having more trouble than he bargained for when the transform technique causes harm to the Double Riders. Now Shiro must work alone to fight the evil Destron group, an organization determined to cause complete chaos in Japan. Can Shiro save Japan and be the ultimate Kamen Rider? Shiro is now Kamen Rider V3 and with new abilities and strengths the task is set forth – and Destron group enemies must be defeated at all costs.

Shiro Kazami (Hiroshi Miyauchi) transforms into the legendary hero Kamen Rider V3. Hiroshi Miyauchi is a great fit for the Tokusatsu action classic. The actor has a lot of fun with the role and this confidence in playing the part is well exuded and easy to appreciate. The actor delves into the over-the-top magic of the role and the exciting energy the part provides.

The costuming is one of the strengths of the production. Kamen Rider V3 has an iconic costume design and the central hero of the series has a big mantle to showcase and shoes to fill. The costume works perfectly for the hero. The costumes for the villains from the Destron Group are well-done, too. The costumes for these characters are superb and provide the genre undercurrent that fans of Tokusatsu action series expect to find. The larger-than-life and over-the-top costumes add a sense of whimsy and excitement to the production. There is so much to appreciate about the costuming and what it provides the series.

The cinematography by Hideo Hara and Ryuji Kawasaki is one of the strengths of the production. The filmic aesthetic is something to celebrate. The visual sensibility of the production helps the series to provide an aesthetic more cinematic. The cinematography makes the series feel bigger in scope and production scale than one would expect given the production budget. The old-school style of these visuals adds a lot of charm to the series.

The score composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z) is an essential feature of the series. The score by Kikuchi is a ton of fun and a perfect backdrop to the action sequences. These elements of the score provide whimsy, action, and adventure. The score checks off the boxes to entertain audiences with a rewarding original score. The music is engaging and fun.

Written by Hajime Kaido and Ikuro Suzuki (Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Amazon) and other staff writers who worked on the series, Kamen Rider V3 brings a lot of exciting energy to the table. The characters are entertaining and the dialogue is fun. The goofy action-packed storytelling is worthwhile and has perfect ingredients for a successful genre series.

Minoru Yamada (Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider X) is chief director of Kamen Rider V3. Kamen Rider V3 is a delight for action fans. Kamen Rider V3 delivers action in spades. The stunts and action scenes deliver plenty of excitement. The action is reason enough to see the genre series. Kamen Rider V3 doesn’t disappoint. The series feels cinematic even as if is sometimes silly and over-the-top. The series has adventure and action in spades – the bread and butter of the Tokusatsu genre. Kamen Rider V3 is thrilling fun for action fans and that is essential to the production – the joy of it all.

Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Kamen Rider V3 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release has impressive high-definition encoding. The transfer looks crisp and engaging on the release. Discotek Media provides a solid encoding of the television series. The cinematography is well reproduced on the release. The image can sometimes still have some inherent softness and this is due to the film grain and style of the cinematography. Nonetheless, a solid presentation and one that benefits from the efforts of Discotek Media.

Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is reasonably engaging. The audio is crisp, clear, and worthwhile. There are nice lossless audio elements for the presentation. Dialogue is well reproduced on the release. The English subtitles are well-done and add to the quality of the release. The subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes a nice o-card slipcover. The quality of the slipcover is quite impressive and it adds to the collectability of the release. The artwork on the slipcover is fantastic. Likewise, the artwork underneath the slipcover (which features another unique piece of key art) similarly impresses and adds to the quality of the package design. The cover-art also includes an impressive reverse-side selection of art, too. The end result is better box-art – something fans will appreciate.

On disc supplements include:

Interview with Hiroshi Miyauchi (Shiro) (HD, 18:41)

Interview with V3 Suit Actor Tetsuya Nakayashiki (HD, 19:38)

Hiroshi Miyauchi & Tetsuya Nakayashiki Dual Interview (HD, 26:37)

Memorial Roundtable (SD, 40:02)

Hiroshi Miyauchi Hawaiian Interview (SD, 29:31)

Series Preview (SD, 00:22)

Vintage Product Commercials (SD, 1:28)

US Blu-ray Trailer (HD, 1:10)

Liner Notes includes 22 click-through slides of notes.

Photo Gallery includes 45 click-through pages of photos.

Discotek Media has done a solid job with regards to the supplemental package. It is nice to see an anime set with a more robust set of supplements. Far too often, there are barebones or close to barebones releases for anime series. Discotek has gone above and beyond by including impressive extras for the box-set. Discotek provides interviews, a roundtable, liner notes, and more. Sometimes in the modern era of streaming, some fans opt to stream once and move on from a series if the physical media counterpart doesn't have a nice selection of bonus features. In this regard, it is quite nice to see Discotek Media catering to physical media fans with a more well-rounded package for collectors.

Kamen Rider V3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kamen Rider V3 is a blast of action-packed entertainment. The series has a fantastic sense of adventure and the lead actor has a great time in the main role. The production features impressive design merits throughout. The release also provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. Discotek Media has also provided the release with a nice selection of bonus features.

The release has a good assortment of more in-depth supplementals – such as interviews with the cast, liner notes, and more. The first print run of the release also includes a fantastic looking o-card slipcover. The cover art adds a lot to the package design and the under-slip artwork provides more unique key art. Highly recommended.