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.

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 .

Fuuto PI is available in streaming form via Crunchyroll It's almost hard to believe it, but after all these years there's finally an official  Kamen Rider anime series. Despite the potential for an animated series based on Shotaro Ishinimori's premier tokusatsu hero as well as the numerous manga release ripe for adaptation there's been over the years, somehow 1993's Kamen Rider SD has remained its only anime offering - until now. Announced alongside Shin Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider Black Sun as part of the franchise's 50th anniversary celebrations, the story of Kamen Rider W now continues in Fuuto PI ! Based on the ongoing manga series of the same name (marketed in Japan as Fuuto  Tantei ), the adaptation is being done by Studio Kai  - a relatively new studio whose previous credits include Uma Musume Pretty Derby 2nd Season .

Release Date: January 2018 RRP: 7884 yen If there's one series the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line has shown a particular dedication to in the last year or so, it's Kamen Rider W . That isn't all that surprising really, given both the show's popularity and its surprise semi-revival last year with the ongoing Kamen Rider W: Fuuto Detective manga. First came Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker at the end of 2016, followed by Kamen Rider Accel and Kamen Rider Skull last year. Now Bandai Tamashii Nations are kicking off 2018 with the last of the show's Riders - the villain of its summer movie Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate. However unlike the others S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Eternal was unable to escape the fate of being a Tamashii web exclusive , making him a little pricier than the others. But as you'll see further down in this review, the figure has a few surprises in store to try and justify this cost. ...

Release Date: August 2017 RRP: 6480 yen When the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line kicked off three years ago many assumed it would prioritise brand new versions of the titular Kamen Riders of each series (along with the few forgotten ones), with their order based on their original release dates in the mainline. While this has remained somewhat true, the line has now grown to accommodate villains, alternate forms and additional riders – both as mass release figures and Tamashii web exclusives. Given the popularity of Kamen Rider W , it’s no surprise to see that the line’s first movie Rider is (and as a retail release no less) S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Skull . First appearing in Kamen Rider x Decade & W: Movie War 2010 before later getting his own segment the following year in Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & W featuring Skull: Movie War Core , Kamen Rider Skull aka Sokichi Narumi is the founder of the Narumi Detective Agency, Shotaro’s mentor ...

Release Date: June 2017 RRP: 6480 yen Last year the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line made its first foray into villains and secondary Riders with the release of N Daguva Zeba and Kamen Rider Gatack , but as expected both figures came as Tamashii Web exclusive releases. However with S.H. Figuarts premium offshoot now covering the immensely popular Kamen Rider W , Bandai Tamashii Nations are shaking things up a bit. S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Accel is the first secondary Rider in the line to be released at retail, with Kamen Rider Skull arriving later in August as its first movie Rider.

With the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchu Seihou line roughly following the same release pattern as the main S.H. Figuarts line did during its early beginnings it has become fairly easy to predict what Bandai Tamashii Nations are going to do next. Since the release of Kabuto , Kuuga and Agito matched things perfectly (with a healthy dose of Hibiki sprinkled in for good measure), as far as main Kamen Riders go the next destination seemed imminent – Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker . The lines taken a few diversions with various Kuuga forms and Gatack , but it didn’t stray too far off course and the star of Kamen Rider W finally arrived in October 2016.

These days my favourite months of the year are always the ones that bring along a new box of 66 Action candy toys . With the Ultraman selection strangely quiet at the moment (there's been no new announcements since wave 2 hit a few months back, so hopefully something come forth once Ultraman X hits screens), the series that started this wonderful little line is back for its sixth wave. This time the selection of Kamen Riders   Bandai have on offer include Kamen Rider Mach, Kamen Rider Accel, Kamen Rider Kuuga and Shadow Moon.

  Wave one of the  66 Action Kamen Rider  candy toys have hands down been my favourite release of 2014 so far. While S.H. Figuarts are doing some amazing things with their releases at the moment, it was amazing to find a brand new line that had so much personality. And thankfully Bandai must have felt the same, because before the first wave was even released they had already officially unveiled a second. Showing up for wave two are Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Melon Arms), Kamen Rider Double (Cyclone Joker), Kamen Rider Den-O (Sword Form) and Kamen Rider Kabuto (Rider Form) . Adding a little bit of mystery into the mix, this wave also includes a bonus secret release in the form of Dark Kabuto .

As we reach the end of my planned Kamen Rider Gaim Arms Change  figure purchases, we also reach the reason I decided to check out the line in the first place. Rider/Sentai movies are known for their exclusive power-up forms and mecha, and Gaim 's first movie outing - The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle , is no exception. However rather than be four brand new fruits, here the core four Gaim  riders draw on the power of the previous four "Neo-Heisei" era Kamen Riders - W , OOO , Fourze  and Wizard . How could the prospect of riders wearing other riders as armour not be exciting?

Ready to count up your sins? Because here's a review of Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker, the base form and lead character from the series Kamen Rider W . Originally released back in February 2010, this is a review of the recently released reissue from November 2012. Kamen Rider Double has a relatively simple design, but that doesn't make seeing it in toy form any less impressive. The Cyclone side has this brilliant metallic sheen, while the Joker side contrasts nicely with its matte finish. The decorative parts such as the chest "W" and arm/leg gauntlets look great, however the option to have the arm ones removable is highly questionable (I'll get onto that more in a moment). As an earlier Figuarts release, Cyclone Joker even has diecast metal feet! The only real sore point in terms of looks is the decision to use black joints for the cyclone side, but this is carried onto the Heat, Fang and Lunar sides in other Double figures too. However ...

In terms of spectacle, following an anniversary series is always going to be a difficult thing. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters is currently struggling to make a name for itself following the 199 hero extravaganza that was Gokaiger , and back in 2009 Kamen Rider W faced a similar problem following Decade . But while Go-Busters has taken the look and feel of Super Sentai a step forward, W is a more back to basics approach but with a few new things thrown into the mix. The show ran for a total of 49 episodes, with a number of feature length films and the usual variety of tokusatsu specials such as DVD mini episodes and net movies. "Count up your sins." In the windy city of Fuuto, there is underground distribution of devices known as Gaia Memories - small USB-like drives that turn the users into super powered monsters known as Dopants. Following the death of his boss, self-proclaimed "hard-boiled" detective Shotaro Hidari works with his partner Philip to s...