Some time after their investigation in Shadow Fuuto, Shotaro agrees to answer all of Tokime's questions. How were the Gaia Memories created? How did Shotaro meet Philip? And how did the pair go on to become Kamen Rider Double? To fully explain, an initially hesitant Shotaro must take Tokime back to the very beginning. And it all started with the man he looked up to as "boss" - Sokichi Narumi.
This is the story of how a young Shotaro first met Sokichi, and would eventually go on to become his apprentice. By day Sokichi operated as a private detective, but unbeknownst to Shotaro his also battled against the monsters that threatened the city as Kamen Rider Skull. One night the Narumi Detective Agency received a phone call from a mysterious client, taking Shotaro on a mission he was never meant to go on. Together Sokichi and Shotaro travel into hell, and on that fateful night everything would change forever.
Technically the origins of Kamen Rider Double and the story of Sokichi Narumi are nothing new - both have previously been explored in live-action format in the Begins Night and Kamen Rider Skull: Message for W portions of Movie War 2010 and Movie War Core respectively. However as portions of crossover films that are also telling present-day stories in tandem, both segments had to be much more focussed in what they wanted to tell. As a 90 minute film entirely dedicated to this key chapter in W's timeline though, The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull is an opportunity to expand upon some of these elements in greater detail whilst also filling in some of the blanks in between. While the events of Message for W are only really alluded to, Begins Night feels far more fleshed out compared to its live-action counterpart. But what works particularly well about this film is very much looked at as an enhancement of what's previously been seen on screen, rather than an attempt to improve upon or replace it. The events of the film play out just as they have previously, right down to certain shots and dialogue matching the original version. It further emphasises how Fuuto PI really is a true continuation of Kamen Rider W as opposed to an adapted sequel - with one flowing into the other beautifully despite a few minor aesthetic differences.
Despite these extended sequences and filling in of the blanks, admittedly there still won’t be a whole lot that comes as a surprise to longtime Kamen Rider W fans. While the scenes of young and teenage Shotaro are great bits of history and building up his relationship with Sokichi more than what we saw in the series, there isn’t a great deal that couldn’t be inferred without seeing it properly play out on screen. Likewise in staying relatively close to the previous version of Begins Night, viewers will see most of its main plot beats coming. Really it’s only the film’s big action set pieces where the story gets to properly flex a little bit, specifically Skull’s fight against the Antlion Dopant and Double’s against the Ocean Dopant. It’s not bad in that the film is well-structured and Begins Night is arguably a story good enough to be told twice, but something is lost when you already know when most of the key moments are going to happen. Of course there’s every possibility some viewers might have jumped on with Fuuto PI and this is their first time seeing Kamen Rider Skull and Begins Night, but at the same time if said viewers enjoyed the anime one would expect they’ve checked out the original series in the years in between.
With Sokichi and Shotaro’s relationship at the core of the story, The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull also works with a surprisingly small cast. Although most of the core cast from the original series show up in some shape or form, most of them are limited to small cameo roles. Akiko and Terui for example don’t show up until the film’s closing scene for example. Similarly Tokime’s role is largely that of an audience surrogate – listening intently to Shotaro’s tale before offering her own thoughts right at the very end. So what we do have is a story that very much places Sokichi at the centre and shows how he came to influence both halves of Kamen Rider Double. With Shotaro we see how the detective inspired him to follow in his footsteps, even if Sokichi was initially hesitant to take him on as an apprentice. While it’s fun to see Shotaro both as a child and teenage, what’s perhaps more interesting is seeing how Sokichi holds him at arm’s length to conceal his dual identity, and how Shotaro’s frustrations helped lead to the events that transpired in Begins Night. For Philip it’s a little more straightforward in that there’s less time for that influence to develop, but that single encounter with Sokichi is pivotal in him becoming the hero he would go on to be. Sokichi however is just effortlessly cool. He’s every bit the hard-boiled detective Shotaro aspires to be, approaching every situation with that gruff but incredibly warm-hearted persona. Even though he’s a lot of those old noir detective cliches rolled into one, he’s just so insanely likeable that it doesn’t matter.
When it came to action the Fuuto PI series already had plenty to offer, and now that level of spectacle is also carried over to a feature-length format. With a little less to offer form-wise (it is a prequel after all) the film is perhaps a little more restrained in that respect, but the few it does showcase are presented with the level of energy and impact you’d expect. Skull may be a slightly more classic style Rider in terms of powers and move set, but what he lacks in flashy attacks (the giant energy skull of his Maximum Drive finisher notwithstanding) he certainly makes up for in raw power – every punch and kick conveying strength beyond that of a normal human. Over on the Double side of things the story tells the debut of both the CycloneJoker and FangJoker forms, with an emphasis on the latter for the key fight scenes. Not only is in-keeping with how the original show presented Begins Night, but also works on a metaphorical level – Shotaro being thrust into the world of Gaia Memories as events spiral beyond his control. Again FangJoker is a particularly physical fighter, living up to its reputation as Double’s “berserker” form with its flurry of spiked attacks. Although Kamen Rider’s charm largely lies in it being live-action, the opportunity to see these characters move and fight in a more exaggerated and animated way continues feel both unique and thrilling.
Similarly Fuuto PI continues to excel in its portrayal of the Dopants, using the animated medium to emphasise their monstrous nature far more than live-action suits could even with the support of CGI. Introduced in this film are the Antlion and Ocean Dopants, the former facing off against Skull and then the latter Double at the film's climax. Though still designed to be somewhat conceivable in live-action, both make great use of the medium in terms of their abilities to be dynamic as possible. The Antlion with its swirling sand whirlpools and moisture absorption, and the Ocean Dopant with its kraken-like chariot from which it commands the ocean. Although neither are particularly fleshed out as actual characters, the Ocean Dopant's identity as Saeko Sonozaki's personal secretary Nagi Oshima does make him at least feel like an extended member of Museum. This leads on to one area where the film really shines in regards to its villains - featuring characters that appeared in the original series. Although the Spider Dopant from Message for W only makes a brief appearance, Saeko Sonozaki is a big part of the Begins Night story. As well as having Saeko's inclusion in the story play into Nagi's character, the film takes the opportunity to show just why the Taboo Dopant is among the most powerful Dopants that appear in Kamen Rider W. Between the prehensile tail and the bulging eyeball at its tip, the Taboo Dopant has genuinely never looked better than it does here.
As with the series itself the voice cast have all settled into their roles well, with Katsuhisa Houki, Satomi Sato and Mao Ichimichi all reprising their roles as Ryubei, Saeko and Wakana Sonozaki from the Memory of Heroez video game just as the established cast had before them. That said the film isn't completely absent of Kamen Rider W alumni, as Naoko Korda reprises her (voice only) role as Fumine/Shroud. Overall they all convey the characters' personalities and mannerisms well even if they aren't perfect soundalikes of the original actors. Kenjiro Tsuda (who amongst his numerous anime, video game and tokusatsu roles voiced Vail and his respective Drivers in Kamen Rider Revice) doesn't quite have the same hypnotic suaveness as Koji Kikkawa portraying Sokichi, but still has those gruff yet vulnerable qualities that perfectly fit the hard-boiled detective. Kamen Rider Skull fans should also fear not as Kikkawa's presence isn't completely lost from the film, with not only "Nobody's Perfect" playing over a key scene but also brand new song "Niau Otoko ni Nare" ("Become a Suitable Man") debuting as the film's main theme. Together with W-B-X playing over Double's first major battle, The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull hits all the right nostalgia buttons to make it a true Kamen Rider W experience.
Ultimately if there is a problem with the film it's exactly the same problem the Fuuto PI series had - it's simply a precursor to more interesting things. Following the end of Shotaro's tale the film returns to present day not only for Philip to further clarify a few things but also to tease what's next in store for the detectives. The exchange cleverly highlights the importance of the Joker memory both to Shotaro and Tokime, with the sequel's main antagonist Yukiji Bando also reappearing (to the viewer) to offer an additional take on it - teasing the next stage in Street's plans. While of course fans can always check out the manga to continue on with the story (although it still not having an official English translation is somewhat disappointing), it would be a shame for the anime adaptation to stop here.
And although the story still seems to be a bit out from the introduction of manga-exclusive forms FangTrigger and FangMetal, there's still something new thrown into the mix with the concept of Kamen Rider Double CycloneSkull form. Posed as the hypothetical form Double would have taken had Sokichi used the Double Driver to partner with Philip instead of Shotaro, it's an interesting idea that pairs well with the CycloneAccel Xtreme form Shroud had planned for Philip and Terui in the original series. Sadly there's no real way the form could properly debut in the narrative itself, but the dream-like visuals that accompany Philip's explanation are a nice bonus. The form itself is simple but combines elements of Skull's design into the CycloneJoker silhouette reasonably well, even if the somewhat manic grin of Skull's mouth section doesn't quite have the same impact had the helmet been half a skull. Although it's an element that doesn't have any real impact on the story whatsoever and feels partly here for the accompanying toy sales, it is nevertheless a nice little expansion of the Kamen Rider Double mythos and power set.
For those who have loved and followed Kamen Rider W for the last 15 years Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull might not have a great deal of new story on offer, but nevertheless it expands upon Double's origins nicely and the perfect opportunity to serve up some great new Skull content. Though a familiarly with the original series certainly enhances it, the film retells Begins Night in a way that makes it just as approachable for anyone who entered this world through the anime/manga or even using this as a jumping on point. Most importantly of all though it's confirmation that Toei aren't quite done with Fuuto PI just yet, and now with all the formalities out of the way hopefully there's enough steam left for it to continue into further seasons or movies that fully delve into what the manga has to offer.
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