GARO (2005 - 2006)

GARO The Golden Knight

Since ancient times creatures called Horrors have preyed on mankind. Possessing terrible strength, magical powers, and the ability to shape-shift, Horrors have been the stuff of nightmares. Mankind's only defense against these creatures are the Makai Knights; human beings who possess superb martial arts skills and powerful magic. Over the centuries, the Makai Knights have been successful in repelling these monsters, and to the people of today Horrors and Makai Knights are just obscure myths. However, the threat of Horrors is very much real and now as they stand on the edge of complete annihilation, they will call on Messiah the Origin of All Horrors to exterminate mankind forever. Only one man can stop the Horrors from bringing about their terrible plan. That man is Saejima Kouga. That man is Garo The Golden Knight.

Name: Saejima Kouga, Occupation: Undisputed BADASS

Created in 2005 by Keita Amemiya, GARO is a dark fantasy set in the modern era. More so than its successive series, Garo is a masterful blend of horror, fantasy, drama, and martial arts that creates a tokusatsu that is on par with many Kamen Rider series, and speaking as someone who feels Kamen Rider is the greatest tokusatsu out there that is no small statement. The cast, presentation, and writing go a long way in making this show standout. There is a lot of world building that uses small details like introducing terms such as Makai Knights, hoshi, madou fire, watchdogs and so forth to gradually and effectively build a captivating horror fantasy. I thought taking in all the complex terms and rules of this world would be daunting at first but by the second or third episode I knew a great deal about this world and never felt lost as the series went on. The show follows Saejima Kouga (Garo) who is played by Hiroki Konishi who seems to be channeling his inner-Blade era Wesley Snipes. We get the feeling very early on that despite Kouga's archetypal construction there's more to his character than he lets on. While he's mostly a reserved badass, Kouga usually has a witty quip or cold remark which in addition to suiting a particular situation, also goes a long way in exploring his hidden depths.

Kouga, Gonza, and Kaoru

When he's not cutting down Horrors, Kouga isn't particularly outspoken and I feel that Konishi does an absolutely amazing job with this character in communicating his thoughts and feelings with non-verbals. Whether it's the speed of his gait, his posture, facial expressions, or just certain glares or glances of his eyes, Konishi's acting enables Kouga to speak the most when he's not saying anything at all. It's a quiet performance that's hardly silent. As a character Kouga is all business and has little interest in anything outside of his duties as a Makai Knight and this either by whole or in part has stunted how he associates with other people. In doing so, it builds a believable wall between our male and female leads.

Sleeping Beauty

Played by Mika Hijii, Kaoru Mitsuki serves as our female lead who strangely enough, is effective because she's completely average. Kaoru is a starving artist who is trying to achieve her dream of becoming a world class painter and has to take odd jobs in order to eat and pay her rent to the best of her ability. At her core she's a single woman trying to make it out here. She has an unfortunate encounter with a Horror and while Garo prevents Kaoru from being killed, he doesn't technically save her life. Kaoru gets stained with the blood of a Horror which infects her body and attracts other Horror to her like a beacon. And even if they don't kill her, in 100 days she'll turn into a Horror herself so it goes without saying Kaoru's days are numbered. What's compelling is that despite being hunted by these monsters Kaoru refuses to give up. She keeps aiming for her dream while at the same-time, trying to unravel the mystery of her father's final masterpiece which is an unfinished picture book of a strangely familiar figure in golden armor.

Character development. We don't have this in the states.

Kaoru builds a believable, albeit predictable romance subplot with Kouga which I actually didn't mind much to my own surprise. It doesn't feel shoehorned into the plot and the relationship is a very slowburn as Kouga's character arc has to take him from the person he is i.e. someone who doesn't care about forming bonds and is solely dedicated to being a Makai Knight, to the person he needs to be i.e. someone who is compassionate and understands that the monsters in his own heart are every bit as dangerous as the Horrors themselves. I point this out because it is Kouga's relationship with Kaoru that forces him to reflect on who he is and why he is and opens the door to further characterization and bits about his background. As the story progresses, we encounter other characters including rival Makai Knights.

Suzumura Rei The Silver Knight

Played by Dustz lead singer Ray Fujita, Suzumura Rei serves as Kouga's bitter rival, foil, and unwilling ally depending on the situation and his mood which is liable to change in a heartbeat. Rei can best be described as ruthlessly efficient as he'll cut down Horrors (and anyone tainted by Horrors) with merciless ferocity. He develops an interest in Kaoru that some times takes a left turn into creepy land, and he also holds a grudge against the Golden Knight for reasons known only to himself. The script (and the franchise as a whole) gets a lot of mileage out of Rei's character right from his introduction because it shows us that Kouga isn't the only Makai Knight and there are others fighting against the Horrors. It also shows us that different Makai Knights have different regions of the world they're supposed to defend and they're not actually supposed to crossover into each other's jurisdiction. On top of that, the inclusion of Rei helps the plot move closer to the larger conflict.

Power Up!!

As per the norm with tokusatsu the villains of the series tend to be your Monster of the Week variety starting off. Kouga receives assignments from the Watchdogs (his bosses) and intel about Horrors while other times he must hunt them on his own with absolutely no information to go on. These Horrors lure humans often targeting them based on their character flaw such as greed or taking advantage of people's desperation or regret on other occasions. Essentially if there's someone out there that has a psychological, emotional, or spiritual weakness there's a Horror that will prey on them. Some of the scenarios in which people fall victim to Horrors makes perfect sense such as when a Horror poses as a doctor and kills people in his private hospital because it would go unnoticed if there was a mishap on the operating table. Other scenarios do seem contrived such as when one Horror poses as a broker and attacks the people she meets. But she meets people out in the opening, at night. Who meets a broker in the dead of night? I admit these are minor gripes and this is typical of most series of this kind. It's not a jab at the convention but I do wish the reasoning behind some encounters was more creative.

The Dark Knight Returns

Around the halfway point Kouga learns that his father's nemesis Barago is not only alive but in his very city. The conflict between the two not only turns the world of Garo upside down but brings the city to its knees. The action is top notch due in large part to excellent choreography, some creative wire work, and relatively simple use of CG except for the most over the top battles. One of the things I appreciated about this Garo and a major advantage it has over its successive sequels is that it uses costumed stunt men for most of its fight scenes. I feel the action is more effective in this manner not only because its the tradition of tokusatsu but also because by not using CG, the battles look more real and the combat is a lot more interesting because even with the use of wires, there is still a guy in a suit executing these moves rather than a CG model. It also says a lot about the presentation and the remarkable level of care put into this series because Horrors and armor worn by the Makai Knights all look really complicated so there was certainly a lot of effort that went into building this world.

Garo is ready for action!

When CG is used it's done where it makes sense such as in the creation of some two story tall Horrors and fight scenes which could not have been done any other way. Perhaps the most jaw-dropping use of CG combined with live action comes during the series climax which I won't spoil but I will say it was the most stylish, action packed finish I've seen this side of Karas. Simply put, Platinum wishes they made something this over the top.

"He fights battles and doesn't afraid of anything."

The series isn't perfect. Some of the writing toward the end gets inconsistent, for some viewers it may take too long to set up the ultimate conflict, and series villain Barago doesn't get a lot of characterization. While he does get an entire movie dedicated to his story (Kiba Gaiden), I feel that he should have been explored more thoroughly in the series in which he was introduced and not a separate movie. However, what is here is quite good. Opening and ending themes by Jam Project (The Soultaker) along with a fantastic score by Shinji Kinoshita and Kōichi Ōta gives each scene a life and a mood of its own. Garo blends drama, horror, martial arts, and transforming super heroes to create an imaginative series that launched an entire franchise and for very good reason. Like an RKO out of nowhere Garo definitely took me by surprise and it's a series I won't forget anytime soon. While I can't vouch for some of the later entries, the original Garo is very much a must see.