We have seen all our fair share of superhero anime, such as My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, and Tiger & Bunny, to name a few. One superhero series decides to get into this superhero action, and they are called Kamen Rider.
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Kamen Rider franchise, Fuuto PI takes the stage this summer as the new superhero anime of the season. It is the sequel to the live-action television series of the franchise: Kamen Rider W. So how did this new superhero series turn out? Here is our first impression of the series.
A Sequel to Kamen Rider W
Based on the manga, Fuuto Tantei (Fuuto Detectives), Fuuto PI takes place in the city of wind called Fuuto. After the defeat of the evil organization Museum, private investigator Shotaro Hidari, and his partner, Philip, were working to protect the city's peace from the remaining Gaia Memories, a memory unit similar to a USB drive, and monsters called Dopants. One night Shotaro encountered a mysterious, amnesic woman named Tokime. With Dopants still running the city, Shotaro and Philip must fight again as the hero of justice, Kamen Rider W, while uncovering Tokime's true identity.
Fuuto PI is a sequel to the live-action television series aired in 2009: Kamen Rider W. From the first episode, they have made lots of references and information from the live-action series that might be a bit confusing to people who are new to the franchise. The confusion didn't last long, though, since all it does is provide information to people who haven't seen the series, so new fans could enjoy what this series has to offer while long-time fans can relive the nostalgia while at the same time get a fresh take on the series.
Mystery and Action, but at a Slow Pace
Fuuto PI has a good mix of mystery and action scenes, especially with the mysterious character, Tokime added in. She brought an extra layer of mystery alongside the cases that Shotaro and Philip had to solve because of her mysterious connections with the Gaia memories. The addition of Tokime also added an interesting dynamic to the relationship between her, Shotaro, and Philip and how they solve their cases.
The action scenes were also what you would expect to see in superhero action series. The visuals were clear and were not awkward to watch. The style is similar to the fighting and action scenes in live-action superhero series.
The pacing of the episodes between the mystery, crime-solving scenes, and the fighting and action scenes was a bit slow. While it was interesting to see how Shotaro was trying to solve a case, it took a while before we got some action scenes from the characters. As a Kamen Rider series, we expected to see Shotaro and Philip transform to Kamen Rider W as soon as the first episode, but instead, it took a few episodes in before we got to see them fight as Kamen Rider W.
Final Thoughts
From the first few episodes, we can see that Fuuto PI can be enjoyable for both new and old fans of the franchise. Although the pacing of the episodes was currently slow, it brought out the essence of what the Kamen Rider franchise is known for. So, if you are interested in mystery, action, or the superhero genre or are a fan of the Kamen Rider series, Fuuto PI might be the right anime for you!
Have you seen Fuuto PI? What have you thought of Fuuto PI so far? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
