[Kamen Rider Die]

FUUTO P.I. EPISODE 10 - “SUPERHUMAN R - A PASSPORT TO SHADOW FUUTO”



And here we are, in the final story of Fuuto P.I. (Season 1, he said optimistically?)

It’s clearly rushing through some backstory to create a way for Team Double to come into direct conflict with Shadow Fuuto. I spent about four seconds wondering if I’d somehow skipped an episode when Tokime and Shotaro commiserate over Tokime’s broken Memory being a Joker Memory, like Shotaro’s. It’s a huge piece of relevant information, but it’s given an In Media Res reveal that almost plays backwards to how you’d normally want a dramatic detail to be dropped on an audience. The characters have already digested it, so when they talk about it, it lacks an emotional payload, so they quickly flash back to when it had that emotional payload. Incredibly weird! The start of this case has the same weird cadence, where we’re constantly doubling back on dialogue scenes to provide missing context. It’s a slightly disorienting ramp up to the season’s conclusion, but it’s probably unavoidable when you can only tell four stories in a season.

None of that really matters once Tokime’s abducted (maybe?) to Shadow Fuuto, as the tension ratchets up and never really dissipates. The search for Ritsuka’s grandfather takes a backseat to Tokime’s abduction and the machinations of Bando’s group, against the backdrop of Fuuto But Evil.

I like Shadow Fuuto quite a bit as a source of menace. My favorite detail is all of the red HVAC units – wind, but artificial and monstrous. Can’t think of a better way to convey that something is the malignant opposite of Fuuto than that! The villain we get to go along with that, Reactor… he’s okay? It’s a fun design, but he’s a full-on henchman, so there’s not a lot of thematic insight his presence can provide. He works for Bando, but he’s not responsible for the schemes or the goals; he’s the power and the defense, not the brains. The fight is splashy, but sort of rote by now: Reactor is Way Too Powerful, and the Maximum Break Is Useless. It’s… I mean, it’s what I’d derisively term an Anime Fight Scene, but I don’t want to critique an entire medium with so little knowledge of it. It’s the kind of fight where I mostly tune out, because we’re another fight or two away from either a Double powerup, or a crucial flaw being observed in the villain. What we get now is just an opponent whose power is On Another Level than our heroes are used to, and that doesn’t mean a lot to me. I like fights where the villains are cunning, not just overpowered.

Not crazy about this one, really. It’s rushing through an investigation to get us to Shadow Fuuto, and then Shadow Fuuto is just a fight against a guy who none of the normal attacks work on. It’s dangerous for our heroes, but it’s a kind of danger that doesn’t feel especially clever or compelling. I’m hoping that the next part creates a dilemma for our heroes that isn’t just some dude who can no-sell every attack.