Kamen Rider Sigma Episode #7 Production Notes *Updated and Revised as
of
- The title of this episode is admittedly riffing on the title of an episode from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion for no reason other than it sounded cool. Also, it sort of fit with all the references to the word “soul” used in this episode. I’d by lying if I said I didn’t plan on finding a way to eventually work “Seele” (German for “Soul”) into the story, but I think it’ll end up being humorously more than anything else.
- The italicized lines of dialogue are meant to narrate over the scenes of action going on between them. As we ultimately learn, these are the words of the enigmatic “Coeur Noir”.
- The opening sequence this time is an especially creepy moment, and while this episode involves a lot of dialogue and plot development, many of the details are left vague, like the true nature of the killer (although you’ve probably figured out by now it’s the Geier Kaijin that appears at the end of the episode.) There are a also number of things not outright stated until later. For example, Kanagawa clearly told Kôhei about the murders in their first scene, but we don’t hear about them until the next scene, and the identity of the victims is not discussed on the scene after that with Shishi.
- Ooyasan = “Landlord”
- A throwback reference to episode #1 is made with the broken window and coffee table.
- 534, coincidentally, was my member number at the old Japan Access forum.
- Kôhei’s “thinking out loud” moment was a bit of self-parody of the “(Thinking)” and other emotional tags I often use to set voice tones or actions. Such is the added challenge of working with a script format.
- Maya mentions not understanding the term “MIBs” : I imagine Mikoto does sometimes throw in English words or phrases that other characters aren’t familiar with. Of course, even they sometimes use distinctly English phrases or wordplays, but hey— I can only be so accurate!
- I admit the lack of real details about the ending of last episode might be kind of disappointing, but I just could not stop laughing when I came up with Kôhei’s explanation. Of course, references are made to the end of Kikaida as well as the first episode of Kamen Rider Kuuga, the same reference having been used back in episode #2 of Kamen Rider Sigma. That bear sure gets around. Fear not, we will find out what really happened to the Sasaki family… some day.
- Shibaraku = equivalent to “Long time no see”
- We meet another new character in this episode, Kanagawa Kazuo. Initially conceived as just a minor player, Kanagawa’s quickly risen to a more substantial role in the story, so keep an eye on him in the future. He’s basically a straight man to Kôhei’s antics, but not without a few quirks of his own.
- By now some readers must be wondering why I refer to certain characters by their first names (Maya, Kôhei, Mikoto, Junko, Risa, etc.) and others by their last names (Hongô, Ichimonji, Kazami, Tachibana, Shishi, Kanagawa, etc.) The reasoning for this is some characters with the same last names will be showing up (BIG hint!) later on, so the first names are used to differentiate them from their relatives (another BIG hint!)
- Senior Officer #2 really doesn’t seem to like Kôhei…
- A clue to one of the many mysteries of this episode lies in the description of the various murders. In three cases the victims were not found until later, in different locations from where they were pulled out of their cars. But in the fourth (the one seen at the beginning of this episode) the victim is left right on the road. And pay attention to the fact that one of the first three murders is different!
- Kôhei just translates French to English (well, Japanese) like it’s no big deal. No reason behind this, but I figure he would know a bit of some other language, so it might as well be French.
- The SOUL Foundation is sort of Kamen Rider Sigma’s equivalent to SMART BRAIN from Kamen Rider Faiz, a massive conglomeration that has its hands almost everywhere. As is described in the episode, their focus is on new technologies and developments. But is it simply out to make a killing in the market, or is there some darker motive?
- “You remember that merger between One Course Industries and MONO Inc. from a couple months back?” : A double-punch of bad puns here; “One Course” is an intentional mangling of “On Course”, and mono is the Japanese word for “things, objects”.
- And of course, “ONENO” is about as bad of name as you can get!
- Obachan = I have yet to find a really good female version of Oyassan, so the closest I could find was another way of saying Obasan (Aunt), this being equivalent to “Auntie” or “Ma’am”.
- Junko has become a little wacky as she’s aged.
- Mikoto names off a particular restaurant that should sound vaguely familiar. Maya claims to have eaten there before, but did she ever cross paths with the master chef?
- Chisako, or rather, Kyôko, is another regular character introduced in this episode. The idea behind making her a CIA agent was inspired by Taki Kazuya (who was with the FBI) although she’s been refined over the writing process so that she doesn’t end up too much like Taki, and steals the thunder from Mikoto, the literal Taki of this story! Although we only get hints of her true personality here, she’ll turn out to be very different from the usual “FBI/Interpol agent sidekick” character archetype…
- Risa Sylvia-Seul is the third prominent character introduced in this episode, and I do mean prominent. Her creation came about in early 2004 when I was thinking of ways to add a larger, overreaching storyline to Sigma beyond just the episodic plots and the general “Fight Geier, meet Riders, save people” part of prior versions. As you can guess, Risa and SOUL will go on to play major roles in Kamen Rider Sigma, especially next episode! And what of her father… ?
- Kôhei isn’t being intentionally sexist; he really was convinced that the head of SOUL was a man, as everything prior to Risa’s introduction indicates.
- “...as I’m sure you’re aware, being high-ranking officials, their sudden and unfortunate deaths are of considerable suspicion.” : Kôhei trying to sound cool again!
- I love Kôhei’s parting thought in the conversation with Risa.
- Kôhei & Maya engage in more of their usual verbal sparring. The love/hate relationship between them has really become one of the driving forces of the story in my mind. We also get a glimpse at Maya’s fondness for dressing up in disguises (trust me, it’s something she’ll be doing often.)
- Meishi = “Business Card”, an essential in the Japanese business world.
- “Mitsukuri Atsuko” is, believe it or not, an original name for the character that ultimately ended up as Maya. Not so much Maya herself, but her basic design— of a young, pink/magenta haired woman— was one that I had been toying with for years before working on Sigma (Kôhei has similar origins) and used in a number of other failed projects. In all of them, she was generally a side player, so it’s sort of funny how the character design evolved into the Maya we know and love. So using this name was a bit of a tribute to her origins.
- Sumimasen = “Thank You, I’m Sorry” or “Excuse Me, I’m Sorry”
- “Honichizami Products” : Can you figure out where this came from?
- “Well, we’ve been in business for over 35 years!” : Ditto. (^_~)
- Another unsolved mystery: Risa’s age. What’s going on here?
- The entire twist with the fake Chisako came about because, while I liked the conversation going on, I didn’t like the direction it was heading in. Chisako (or Kyôko) is supposed to be a bit tougher and meaner with Maya than say, Kôhei or Mikoto, but here she was just coming off the wrong way, so how better to explain it all than with an evil double!?
- Chisako/ Kyôko reveals her true nature, prior to the big episode-ending fight scene. While #7 was a relatively talky entry, it’s to try and give some sense to this storyline, because just wait until you read #8!
- Kyôko, apparently being used to speaking the name in English, calls Maya “Masked Rider Sigma”!
- Tora = “Tiger”
- “There’s reasons, believe
- “I’m getting “tired” of you already.” : This is one of those rare lines that probably would only work in English!
- Maya has to trick Tire-Tora into giving her time to Henshin, a task most other Riders haven’t had to worry about!
- “Coeur Noir” narrates the fight with another monologue. Who is this guy?
- Another cliffhanger and another mysterious scene involving Risa ends this chapter. But if you thought this was crazy, keep reading!
"Dragon Fang Rider Kick!!"
~Igadevil
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