I’ve made no real secret of my initial dislike of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. I was put off by the aesthetic of the show and I let that colour my enjoyment of the series as a whole which was a mistake; I ended up kind of liking it.
However, the series is not without its flaws and I feel the series could have been so much better if it was significantly restructured and so I’m going to tell you exactly how I’d have made the show given the opportunity.
First of all, I’d have done away with the medical aspect of the series. It never really meshed well with the video game inspired aspects for me and just seemed out of place. Instead, I’d embrace the video game aspect entirely. I would have the Riders engaged in some kind of elaborate LARP/blood game not unlike the Gurongi in Kamen Rider Kuuga. The Riders would be forced into competing against the Bugsters in a real life video game to earn points, level up and defeat higher ranked Bugsters until they faced off against the final boss. Essentially, I’d be expanding the Kamen Rider Chronicle storyline arc into a whole show.
The Ride Player suits should have been the Riders’ level 1 form or maybe a level 0 form if we have to have those super deformed suits. After managing to defeat a Bugster boss, the rider can take the EXP earned and would then be able to invest the points into choosing equipment and stats which would effect their unique Kamen Rider form. And most importantly, they’d all be equipped with bikes or else the title of Rider wouldn’t make sense (that always bugged me).
I feel that as a premise this would make for a stronger foundation than a medical drama/video game superhero show that the Ex-Aid we have tried to be. What we got wasn’t bad but it could have been used to greater effect and it’s a shame we won’t get that. Either way I’m just glad I won’t have to see neon pink helmet hair for a while.
Kamen Rider, Series, Columns and Features
Kamen Ranger’s Ramblings: Improving Ex-Aid
