Movie REVIEW: Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull

The announcement of a Fuuto PI anime series felt like a huge moment for the Kamen Rider franchise, particularly as its worldwide simulcast would allow the series to have a far wider reach than any others had previously. But although the sequel to 2009's Kamen Rider W certainly delivered in terms of story and spectacle, the 12-episode series barely scratched the surface of the manga it was adapted from. However despite a few years of silence it seems the story of the half-and-half detectives isn't quite over yet, as return once more in Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull. Adapting the "Portrait of S" arc from the manga, the feature film looks back at the origins of Kamen Rider Double as well as Shotaro's mentor Sokichi Narumi. Once again animated by Studio Kai, the film also serves as the 2024 "Winter movie" for the franchise - unexpectedly taking the place of a Gavv and Gotchard crossover.

Anime REVIEW: Fuuto PI

Fuuto PI is available in streaming form via Crunchyroll

When Kamen Rider W made a surprising return in 2017 in the form of the Fuuto Tantei manga series, many fans automatically assumed it would probably never get an anime adaptation despite being perfect for it. After all, Kamen Rider Spirits is right there and Toei still haven't done anything with it. But Kamen Rider's 50th anniversary celebrations brought along some big announcements, one of which revealing that the two-in-one detectives would be returning to television screens in the Fuuto PI anime series. Animated by relatively new anime studio Studio Kai, the 12-episode has been adapted for screen by Tatsuto Higuchi – with the manga's story having been penned by original Kamen Rider W writer Riko Sanjo.