Streaming: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 12
Source: Manga
Episode Summary: The city of Fuuto is a mysterious place where it’s very easy for magic to become reality. Shotaro Hidari considers himself a hard-boiled detective (though some would beg to differ) who knows the city like the back of his own hand. However, when a supposed “witch” begins mugging people, Shotaro finds that despite meeting her in person one night and being struck by her beauty, she’s especially difficult to track down. When a victim approaches him to help find her (along with his stolen items) it takes the extent of Shotaro’s information network to simply figure out where she might appear next.
When it becomes apparent that this witch may also have had her hand in the murder of the member of a local crime organization, Shotaro considers leaving the matter to the city’s police. However, the insistence of the client, as well as the nature of his own pride as a private investigator, keeps driving him toward answers. When he and his client are drawn into an alternate version of Fuuto and find themselves under attack, Shotaro finds himself in a pinch. The only thing that can save them is the intervention of Phillip – Shotaro’s literal other half as part of Kamen Rider W.
Impressions: Most of what I know about the Kamen Rider franchise I know through a very passionate friend of mine who’s an expert on most things tokusatsu in a time where some of that information is still difficult to come by (at least in the US where we live). Oftentimes another person’s enthusiasm about something can become contagious, though, and so I have at least a little bit of appreciation for the franchise’s history and have enjoyed the little samples of it I’ve watched here and there.
The thing is, I’ve discovered over the years that I’m just not that big of a live-action tokusatsu fan. It’s not the quality of the special effects that gets me – I find their corniness charming. It’s just that, if I had to choose between watching a live action hero series and an equivalently-produced animated one, I’ll just feel more drawn to the animated one every single time.
Enter Fuuto PI, a new animated entry into the Kamen Rider mythos. While not exactly the first – if you’re willing to squint slightly, you could probably count Studio Bones’ adaptation of The Skull Man – it definitely seems to be working to capture the particular look and mood of at least the recent Kamen Rider series. It’s got a slightly edgier feel than a typical hero series, with its protagonists operating somewhere alongside but outside the law. However, it’s also got that specific brand of over-acted, corny dialog that I personally associated with a lot of the live-action tokusatsu material I’ve seen. I don’t mean that as a criticism either; it’s a specific “brand” and I really enjoy it.
The interplay between the characters (especially the two halves of this universe’s titular Rider) remind me of the leads in Tiger and Bunny, in that they represent the hot-headed goofball and cool-headed genius contingents of character expression (now that I’m thinking of it, I’m sure T&B was the one cribbing off of material like this). I imagine if that character dynamic appeals to you, then this ought to as well.
This episode was a lot of fun, and definitely a pleasant surprise since it was a late drop and I don’t think I was actually aware enough of its existence to really anticipate it. If you’re into fairly straightforward heroic action kind of material, it’s definitely worth checking out. At least in my opinion, you don’t really need to have a past history with Kamen Rider to get something out of this episode.
Pros: This episode is ridiculously well-made in comparison to the majority of anime I’ve watched lately. The character designs are very detailed and there are a lot of creative shot choices that make the episode feel lively rather than mostly static.
While Kamen Rider is partly iconic due to the fact that he’s depicted as an actual rider on a motorcycle, I’ve learned that, due to liability reasons, the recent TV series have strayed from using that as a gimmick. Of course, that’s not an issue when it comes to animated characters, so in this episode we get to watch an exciting chase scene in which Shotaro dodges between traffic on his motorcycle. Don’t try this at home, kids!
Cons: Possibly the only real stain on this episode, and something that’s specific to me as a viewer, is that almost ever scene involving Tokime, the “witch” and antagonist, is framed so that her secondary sex characteristics are more front-and-center than her face. She enters Shotaro’s frame of vision tiddies-first and we never really get a break from that. I know Kamen Rider is generally a shounen property, but I find it very cynical to assume that it takes female sex appeal to maintain boys’ attention, especially when the rest of the episode is otherwise so good in a more universal way.
Content Warnings: Mild nudity. Depictions of violence and injury, including dismemberment and gunshot wounds.
Would I Watch More? – I got a little spoiled before watching this episode by someone posting the henshin scene from the second episode, so I feel like I want to at least watch that one to get the full experience. This episode was a lot of fun and it’s something different this season, which in itself is appealing.