Review by Frank Plowright

Kamen Rider Kuuga is the latest in a line of warriors bestowed great powers in order to fight the Gurongi, manifestations of evil who’ve returned to Earth. Over Kamen Rider Kuuga 02, Yusuki Godai successfully saw off one threat, but as is the way with manga serials, every time the Gurongi are defeated they generate a new threat, designated by Japan’s protectors as unidentified lifeforms.

Where this differs from most other manga is that Toshini Inoue gives the Gurongi very distinctive speech patterns. As seen on the sample art, there’s a form of nonsense dialogue with the English translation supplied underneath. It’s irritating. Extremely irritating. And there’s an awful lot of it.

The sample art also shows the casual slaughter of humans the Gurongi indulge in, so it makes sense that the police’s official response team includes someone equally unpleasant and brutal. Tetsuya Suruga was briefly seen in action in the previous volume, but here gets a full outing. To say his presence causes tension is an understatement, as Kauru Ichijo considers Suruga responsible for his sister’s condition. Over a cleverly twisting plot, it’s Ichijo who rapidly finds himself the outcast and suspended.

As opposed to the full on action over the previous two volumes, Kamen Rider Kuuga 03 supplies a majority of quieter moments along with explanations, one being the significance of the points awarded by the Gurongi in earlier volumes. In keeping with Godai’s upbeat nature, his primary mission here is one of encouraging integration and redemption, while Inoue ensures Suruga pushes the audience buttons by being thoroughly arrogant and unlikeable.

Because there are fewer action scenes Hitotsu Yokoshima’s art makes a greater impression than before. His emotional moments are strong, exemplary in bringing out the moment Godai realises he’s made a terrible mistake, and the genial nature of the homeless community with whom he spends some time.

Despite the action being restricted to the start and finish, this is a fast-paced and dramatic episode supplying considerable change between beginning and end. The finish is a total shocker set to twist the emotional screw still further in Kamen Rider Kuuga 04.