Oct 18, 2022
Before I start my review, I wanted to let everyone know that it took me way longer than I would like to admit to understand that the English name of this show Fuuto PI is not pronounced as Fuuto "PIE" but as Fuuto "P.I." (as in Private Investigator). After reading that you may be thinking to yourself, "This reviewer clearly won't be able to provide an accurate analysis of this series that will sway my intent to watch it or not". If you are thinking that, that's cool by me. I also believe that I have some interesting insight that is worth reading on about.
Disclaimer:
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I have not read the manga at the time of writing this review.
When the Fuuto Tantei anime was announced I had already watched a handful of Kamen Rider series, but had never sat down and watched Kamen Rider W. I did that in the span of about two or three weeks leading up to the release of this anime. I say this to show that I had W fresh in my mind as I watched Fuuto Tantei.
This series serves as a faithful follow-up to Kamen Rider W in it's themes, plotting, and overall aesthetic. The season is split into mostly stand-alone cases that relate to an overarching plot. Mysteries are presented to our heroes, there are cool-designed monsters that our detectives encounter in the pursuit of solving these mysteries, and they transform into Kamen Rider W together to defeat them. All of our favorite characters from W are back with their catchphrases and quirks. I really appreciate how their development continues to be fleshed out beyond the narrative of W. The new characters are intriguing, but didn't have enough time in the season to really get any serious depth. While Kamen Rider W is definitely a kid's show aimed to sell toys, this anime is not (even though I would love some figures of the new dopants). There are many dark moments and implications that are much more obvious than what was presented in W.
The animation is fantastic, especially during battle sequences. In W the fight scenes were limited by stunt choreography and special effects of the time, so the fights scenes are lot more exciting and fluid when not bound by live-action filming. A lot of the backgrounds are dark, so the vibrant colors really pop. When it comes to the women in the show (excluding Akiko), there's a significant amount of fan service. Not my cup of tea, so take that as you will.
I enjoyed this show for what is was, it wasn't mind-blowing but I had fun with it. I look forward to Season 2 and I hope that reception from this release encourages Toei to localize more Kamen Rider content to the West. I also hope this show encourages new fans of Kamen Rider to check out other entries in the franchise.
Now, count up your sins! and watch Fuuto Tantei!
Thanks for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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