Toei Tokusatsu World Reviews: Bicrosser

There’s a reason I tend not to stray far from the safe bastions of Heisei-era Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, and Kyodai Ken Byclosser (兄弟拳バイクロッサー), or simply Bicrosser, is a prime example of why. This first episode is pure nonsense and not in the fun way. In the way where you have to wonder if this was meant to be parody but was created with the utmost sincerity.

Here’s the breakdown; Ken and Ginjiro Mizuno, brothers in university and high school, respectively, are at home being massive dorks about motorcycle model painting and mid-80’s PC gaming when a mysterious light enters their room and disappears into the mountains. They give chase and are attacked by the Blackmen of Dester, who were there to excavate the stone idol of Devil Gola.

After a brief motorcycle chase, they’re thrown off a cliff and into the Bicrosser, a ship created from the light they saw earlier. The mysterious entities responsible, who are never named, are from the Pegasus galaxy and they came to Earth looking for two brothers born on specific days according to their prophecy. They are given the power of the Bicrosser to avert disasters that will come.

Meanwhile the Dester organisation, led by the jewel-obsessed Doctor Q, wants his minions to make children cry so the idol of Devil Gola will produce more diamonds and that will help him conquer the Earth… Somehow.

Then the good doctor unleashes a robot monster to menace some poor handywoman. The brothers hear her scream via telepathy, transform and attack the monster. They barely hold their own but pull-out their ultimate weapon, the Blazer Cannon, and destroy the monster. The day is saved, laughs are had, the episode ends and I’m sat here questioning my life choices.

This first episode is a rushed mess and yet doesn’t seem to have the time to explain anything so you’re kind of thrown into this inexplicable situation with little-to-no context and with no real grasp on any of the characters. The brothers are fine but they barely get any characterisation and their actors being a good ten years older than their characters was really distracting to me.

The Bicrosser suits are plain and generic and between those and the design aesthetic of the vehicles, I thought I was watching a lost Space Sheriff/VR Troopers pilot.

Why are the brothers important? Why is Doctor Q a mad scientist after a demonic idol when all he really wants are jewels? Why does this show look so cheap but had so much money put into it’s model work? Answers weren’t very forthcoming and I couldn’t find a shred of information about this show apart from it’s bare bones wiki entries.

I can’t even say I disliked it, I was just confused by how and why it was allowed to exist. It’s not surprising that the Bicrossers aren’t really remembered when you think of the great Metal Heroes of yesteryear but that makes me even more curious as to the background of this show.

Bicrosser is an odd show that baffles me and I recommend seeing it purely for the novelty of a henshin hero wielding a motorcycle as a cannon because I think THAT was the original idea Ishinomori had and then built a story, such as it is, around it.

You can now find Bicrosser, as well as many other tokusatsu shows, on the TOEI Tokusatsu World Official YouTube channel to watch for free with English subtitles.