is a 2009-2010 Japanese
tokusatsuis a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
drama, the eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the
Kamen Rider SeriesThe is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...
. It premiered following the finale of
Kamen Rider Decadeis the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
on September 6, 2009, and aired alongside
Samurai Sentai Shinkengeris the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai Series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It premiered on February 15, 2009, the week following the finale of Engine Sentai Go-onger, and ended on February 7, 2010...
in
TV Asahi, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
's
Super Hero Timeis a programming block on the Japanese television network, TV Asahi, featuring new episodes of tokusatsu television series from the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series...
programming block. Following
Shinkenger's finale, it aired alongside
Tensou Sentai Goseigeris the title of Toei Company's thirty-fourth entry in its long-running Super Sentai Series of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It joined Kamen Rider W as a program featured in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block, until the premiere of Kamen Rider OOO...
, until
W concluded on August 29, 2010. The series is described as the . The catchphrases for the series are and .
Promotion
Advertisements throughout the months of May, June, and July 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider W, who first appeared at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event, and also featured in
Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shockeris the film adaptation of the 2009 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Decade. The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 8, 2009, alongside the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger film, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger The Movie: The Fateful War. The catchphrases for the movie are and...
.
Hiroshi Tanahashiis a Japanese professional wrestler who works primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his fifth reign.-Early life:...
of
New Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
is a self-admitted fan of
Kamen Rider W, and in June 2010 made a new costume designed after Kamen Rider Double FangJoker's design and wore it to a match in
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
on June 19.
Rin Asukais a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture represented by Stardust Promotion. Her debut role was in the film Tenshi ga Kureta Mono, and was later cast in the film adaptations of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for several episodes of K-tai Investigator 7...
also appeared at the match to promote the show.
Production and casting
The series' main writer is
Riku Sanjois a Japanese manga artist. He has worked as both a story writer for manga and anime. He graduated from Meiji University.-Anime:*Gaiking*MD Geist*Digimon Xros Wars*Digimon Xros Wars: Time Traveling Hunter Boys-External links:...
and the main director is Ryuta Tasaki. The theme song titled "W-B-X ~W-Boiled Extreme~" is performed by
Aya Kamikiis a Japanese singer-songwriter. Her style ranges from pop, rock to rhythm and blues. She currently resides in Osaka, and is currently signed with Tokyo-based AVEX recording label. She speaks moderate Chinese, and because of this, she has a notable fanbase in China.-Biography:Kamiki learned to play...
with former
JUDY AND MARYJudy and Mary was a Japanese multi-genre band formed in 1991 in Hakodate, Hokkaido by bassist and vocalist , with drummer and guitarist completing the lineup in 1992. Guitarist replaced Taiji the following year...
guitarist
TAKUYA, known better by his mononymous stage name TAKUYA, is a Japanese guitarist and record producer. He was formerly the second guitarist of Judy and Mary. He currently works as a solo artist under the name TAKUYA and also had a solo project called ROBOTS which was dissolved in 2009. He was previously...
as the unit . The creature designer is
Katsuya Terada, is a Japanese illustrator and cartoonist from the town of Tamano, Okayama. His alias is .-Biography:Katsuya Terada is probably best known in the United States as the character-designer for the animated film Blood: The Last Vampire...
, previously the character designer for
Blood: The Last VampireBlood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000...
, the designer of Monster X for
Godzilla: Final Warsis a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, the designer of Cutie Honey's costume for
Cutie Honeyis a 2004 Japanese tokusatsu film adaptation, produced by Gainax, of the 1970s manga and anime series Cutie Honey.The film stars popular Japanese model Eriko Sato as the hyperactive Honey. Directed by Hideaki Anno, the film loosely retells the classic story of Cutie Honey's battle to defend...
, and the mechanic and character design refinement for
Yatterman.
Newcomer
Masaki Sudais a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture. Before being signed onto the Top Coat talent agency, Suda tried out for both Amuse, Inc.'s 30th anniversary contest and the Junon Superboy Contest. His debut role is as Philip, the male lead and half of the eponymous hero of the 2009/2010 television series...
portrays the mysterious Philip. Drama actor
Renn Kiriyamais a Japanese stage and television actor from Yokohama. His debut role was as Bunta Marui in The Prince of Tennis musical Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service. Kiriyama is also known for his role in Shotaro Hidari, the male lead and half of the eponymous hero of the television series...
, who made his acting debut as Bunta Marui in
Musical Prince of Tennis: Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service, joins the cast as Shotaro Hidari.
Hikaru Yamamotois a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. After winning the Amuse Ohimesama Audition, she was signed onto the Amuse, Inc. talent agency. She starred as the female lead in Kamen Rider W in 2009-2010.-Television:-Film:-External links:* *...
, who made her acting debut in
Watashitachi no Kyōkasho as Chiharu Nobue, portrays the female lead Akiko Narumi. Comedian and actor Takeshi Nadagi portrays Mikio Jinno and veteran actor Minori Terada, known for his leading role in
The Human Bulletis a 1968 Japanese film about Him , a Japanese soldier during World War II who becomes assigned to a kamikaze mission against a U.S. battleship. It is an anti-war satire written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto....
, portrays Ryubee Sonozaki.
Story
In the ecologically-minded city of , there are many windmills and the people live in harmony. However, the Sonozaki Family sell mysterious devices resembling
USB flash driveA flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
s called
GaiaGaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
Memories to criminals and other interested parties who use them to become monsters called
DopantsThe are the fictional antagonists in the Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W. Dopants are normal humans who use Gaia Memories. The Gaia Memories are aspects of the true , the knowledge of everything on the Earth. These were originally accessed due to Philip's link to the Gaia Memory by means of the...
, committing crimes with the police force powerless to stop them. To make matters worse, the Gaia Memories carry a dangerous toxin that cause their users to go insane to the point where they could die from the life-threatening devices. After the death of his
bossis a fictional character who appears in the films of the 2009-2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W. Kamen Rider Skull first appears in the film Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade: Movie War 2010 in the portion Kamen Rider W: Begins Night, and then makes appearances in the Movie War 2010 portion,...
, the self-proclaimed hardboiled (actually half-boiled) detective Shotaro Hidari works with the mysterious Philip, who possesses the true Gaia Memory, to investigate crimes which involve Dopants. Using their own Gaia Memories, Shotaro and Philip use the Double Driver belts to transform and combine into
Kamen Rider Doubleis the primary and eponymous protagonist of the 2009–2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W. Kamen Rider Double's name is taken from the English word double as he is the first Kamen Rider that requires two people to transform, and his motif is that of the letter W. His debut was a cameo in the film...
to fight the Dopant menace and keep Futo safe. While joined in their fight by investigator Ryu Terui, who transforms into
Kamen Rider Accelis a fictional character in the 2009–2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W, and is the series second Kamen Rider after the titlular Kamen Rider Double. The name comes from the English word "acceleration" and his motif is that of the letter A as well as a motorcycle.-Ryu Terui: is a superintendent...
, the mystery of Philip's past, his relation to the Sonozaki Family, and their Museum organization are revealed.
Episodes
All episodes of
Kamen Rider W have two titles: the first indicates a story arc while the second indicates the episode's title. The letter of the
Latin alphabetThe Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
in the story arc title has a double meaning: it represents a major character (Kamen Rider, Dopant, or otherwise) that is featured in the arc and another English word that indicates the theme of the arc.
Wind Wave Internet radio
To tie into the show, TV Asahi, Toei, and
Avex Trax, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
have produced the Wind Wave FM
Internet radioInternet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
station. Only one of the shows, , also exists within the fiction of
Kamen Rider W. The other programs, DJ Hurry Kenn's
FU-TO Hit on Groove music show and Tsuyoshi and Ayano's show, treat the television series as fiction, explicitly referring to the songs they play as theme songs (as part of a mail in request, DJ Hurry Kenn played
AAA DEN-O form, and also known as Attack All Around, is a Japanese pop band signed to the label Avex Trax which debuted in September 2005. The group originally consisted of five young men and three young women who had all acted in commercials and had been dancers for other Japanese stars, such as Ayumi Hamasaki...
's "
Climax Jump"Climax Jump" is the 13th single by the Japanese group AAA, released by Avex Mode on March 21, 2007. The song was composed by Shuhei Naruse with the lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi. The song is the first opening theme for the 2007 tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Den-O...
", and referred to it as the theme song for
Kamen Rider Den-Ois the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008...
). All of
Doubles theme songs have been played as part of the various radio shows, several of which were first heard on the "radio" before being utilized as part of an episode's soundtrack. On March 7, a new radio show featuring Queen & Elizabeth titled began "airing", but was discontinued a month later. To mirror the current events in the show's story,
Healing Princess was cancelled on June 13, 2010.
All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker
Kamen Rider Doubleis the primary and eponymous protagonist of the 2009–2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W. Kamen Rider Double's name is taken from the English word double as he is the first Kamen Rider that requires two people to transform, and his motif is that of the letter W. His debut was a cameo in the film...
, voiced by Kiriyama and Suda, made his debut appearance in
Kamen Rider Decadeis the title of the first of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. Decade, as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider Series, having begun with Kamen Rider Kuuga in 2000...
s first film
Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shockeris the film adaptation of the 2009 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider Decade. The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 8, 2009, alongside the Samurai Sentai Shinkenger film, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger The Movie: The Fateful War. The catchphrases for the movie are and...
.
Movie War 2010
As part of the triple feature,
Ws film opened in Japanese theaters on December 12, 2009. The film expands on the origins of Kamen Rider W, featuring guest star
Koji Kikkawais a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...
as Shotaro's mentor and Akiko's father Sokichi Narumi.
A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate
In addition to the
Movie War 2010 films,
Double also has a feature film titled . Filmed in
3-DA 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
, it was released in theaters on August 7, 2010. Mitsuru Matsuoka, lead singer of Sophia serves as the film's primary antagonist. It also features the first on-screen appearance of the 12th Heisei Kamen Rider:
Kamen Rider OOOis the primary and eponymous protagonist of the 2010-2011 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider OOO. The name "OOO" is pronounced similarly to both "O's", referring to the three O's in the television series' title which represent the character's transformation items, and...
.
Movie War Core
After the end credits of
W Forever, a short teaser featuring Kamen Rider Double and Kamen Rider OOO states that there will be a crossover film featuring both series' characters, much like
Movie War 2010. It is titled . As part of it,
Ws film will open in Japanese theaters on December 18, 2010.
Movie War Mega Max
Renn Kiriyama and Masaki Suda will reprise their roles as Shotaro Hidari and Philip in the 2011 film . The third out of the 5 parts of this Movie War, , takes places in Futo and features Kamen Rider W continuing his battle against Foundation X.
Video game
A port of
Kamen Rider: Climax Heroesis a Bandai Namco and Eighting PlayStation 2 video game featuring the protagonists of the Heisei Kamen Rider Series. It is the first Kamen Rider fighting game to be released onto the PlayStation 2 since Kamen Rider Kabuto...
titled for the
WiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
was released on December 3, 2009. It features Kamen Rider Double as a playable character and also features Dopants and other kaijin as characters in the game.
Mini-Dramas
As part of the special features on the DVD releases, a series of short films are included called in which Shotaro
daydreamA daydream is a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake. There are many types of daydreams, and there is no consistent definition amongst psychologists. The general public also uses the term for a...
s about what life would be like if he, Akiko, or Ryu acted differently. These feature a Dopant from the DVD volume in a completely different role than it had in the series proper. These are then followed by members of the cast discussing their favorite parts of the episodes included on the DVD volume.
Volume titles
Planetarium show
At several
planetariaA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
throughout Japan, Toei had produced a show called to teach children about
global warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
(with narration by
Hirohiko Kakegawais a Japanese actor. He has starred in a number of anime series, such as Transformers and Turn A Gundam. He enjoys softball, ice-skating and tennis.-Appearances:*Saint Seiya *Transformers: The Headmasters...
). Shotaro Hidari (portrayed by
Kiriyamais a Japanese stage and television actor from Yokohama. His debut role was as Bunta Marui in The Prince of Tennis musical Absolute King Rikkai feat. Rokkaku ~ First Service. Kiriyama is also known for his role in Shotaro Hidari, the male lead and half of the eponymous hero of the television series...
) and Philip (portrayed by
Sudais a Japanese actor from Osaka Prefecture. Before being signed onto the Top Coat talent agency, Suda tried out for both Amuse, Inc.'s 30th anniversary contest and the Junon Superboy Contest. His debut role is as Philip, the male lead and half of the eponymous hero of the 2009/2010 television series...
) who transform into Kamen Rider Double, alongside
Kamen Rider 1is a fictional character and main superhero or henshin character featured in Japanese tokusatsu. He first appeared in the television series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous Kamen Rider franchise of tokusatsu programmes. The primary protagonist of the series, Kamen Rider 1 is a motorcycle-riding...
(voiced by
Tetsu Inada' is a seiyū who works for Aoni Production.-TV:*Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales *Bakugan Battle Brawlers *Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia *Bamboo Blade...
),
Kamen Rider 2is a fictional character and secondary protagonist from the Japanese tokusatsu television series Kamen Rider, the first in the famous Kamen Rider franchise of tokusatsu programmes. Like Kamen Rider 1, he is a motorcycle-riding superhero modelled upon a grasshopper. In the original series, he is...
(voiced by Takahiro Fujimoto), and the ten previous Heisei Riders, fight Shocker led by its President (
Hidekatsu Shibatais a Japanese voice actor from Asakusa, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He was a classmate of Yasuo Fukuda at Azabu High School. He is married to voice actress Akiko Sekine....
) and Gel-Shocker's Hiruchameleon (voiced by
Yasuhiro Takatois a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production.-Film and television:*Saruo in Dōbutsu no Mori , the film adaptation of the Animal Crossing video game series.*Mesopotamion Guy and Haou in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo*Jean in Captain Tsubasa...
) who plan on destroying the Earth by having it succumb to global warming. Airings first began at the
FukuokaFukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
Science Museum on June 5, 2010, and later at
Kagawa Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.- History :Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.-Battle of Yashima:...
's Sanuki Kid's Land,
Chūō, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
's Time Dome Akashi, the
Sekiis a city located in Gifu, Japan.The city was founded on October 15, 1950.On February 7, 2005, the municipalities of Horado, Itadori, Kaminoho, Mugegawa and Mugi, all part of Mugi District, were merged into the present-day city...
Manabi Center, the Kagoshima Municipal Science Center, the Tondabayashi Subaru Hall, and the Sendai Astronomical Observatory in
Aoba-kuis one of five wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.28 km² and had a population of 282,903 as of August 1, 2005.-Infrastructure:...
, with shows starting later in the year at the
Kobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
Science Museum in
Chūō-ku, Kobeis one of 9 wards of Kobe City in Japan. It has an area of 28.37 km², and a population of 119,768 .The Consulate-General of Panama in Kobe is located on the eighth floor of the Moriyama Building in Chūō-ku.-Related matters:*Port of Kobe*Port Island...
, and the
Saitama' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
Municipal Youth's Astronomical Science Museum in
Urawa-ku, Saitamais a ward of Saitama City, Japan. It is surrounded by Midori-ku , Minami-ku , Chūō-ku , Ōmiya-ku , and Minuma-ku of Saitama city....
.
Televi-Kunis a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting in May 1976. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
DVDs
The Hyper Battle DVD for
W is titled . It features a cooking contest between Ryu Terui, Akiko Narumi, and Shotaro Hidari, in order to best figure out what the contents of the evil Donburi Dopant are, to eventually discover that he is the Oyakodon Dopant. The Hyper Battle DVD features guest stars
Hiroshi, real name , is a Japanese comedian famous for his dismal stand-up act.Originally a member of a kombi called Babies , he started working as a host in Tokyo under the host name Ken Saegami when Babies dissolved...
as the
OmuriOmurice, sometimes spelled , is an example of contemporary Japanese fusion cuisine consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and usually topped with ketchup. Omu and raisu being contractions of the words omelette and rice, the name is a wasei-eigo...
Fu Shop's Master , Reina Fujie of
AKB48AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto.The group has achieved enormous popularity in Japan. Its ten latest consecutive singles topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart...
as his daughter , and Shinichirō Ōta of
Iron Chefis a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...
fame as the voice of the Frog Pod who comments throughout the cooking contest (Ōta also served as the narrator in
GoGo Sentai Boukengeris the 30th series in Toei's Super Sentai series, a franchise of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the first installment to be broadcast in HDTV. It premiered on February 19, 2006 at 7:30 a.m. on TV Asahi...
).
The is a DVD packaged with the August 2010 issue of
Televi-Kunis a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting in May 1976. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
magazine. The issue also comes with a short book with the information described in the DVD. The DVD is set shortly after the Hyper Battle DVD, and features the content normally found in the Hyper Battle DVD (explaining the powers and weapons of the Kamen Riders), explained as Philip having come down with temporary
amnesiaAmnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
after slipping on an egg shell and hitting his head.
W Returns
is a set of two
V-CinemaJapanese is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. In Japan the term used is...
releases that focus on side stories of Ryu Terui as Kamen Rider Accel and Katsumi Daido as Kamen Rider Eternal. Both releases are named after their primary character.
Playback
For
Ws
S.I.CSuper Imaginative Chogokin is one of Bandai's popular line-up based on the Kamen Rider franchise and other characters created by Shotaro Ishinomori and his production company. The figures are usually modified and differ from its counterpart as seen in the series...
Hero Saga side story
Kamen Rider W: Playback commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series with Shotaro Hidari and Philip leading
Shotaro Ishinomoriwas a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...
through the events following his creation of the television series in 1971. The first episode was published in
Hobby Japan, July 2011. Each episode is named after a different story written by
Raymond ChandlerRaymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
.
Cast
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
Guest stars
- /: : : : : : : KOJI: : : : : : : : : : ,
- TAKUYA
, known better by his mononymous stage name TAKUYA, is a Japanese guitarist and record producer. He was formerly the second guitarist of Judy and Mary. He currently works as a solo artist under the name TAKUYA and also had a solo project called ROBOTS which was dissolved in 2009. He was previously...
(23-24):
- DJ Hurry Kenn (voice, 23-24): : : : : : : : : : :
Suit actors
- Kamen Rider Double, Kamen Rider Joker: ,
- Kamen Rider Accel:
- Terror Dopant:
- Taboo Dopant, Shroud:
- Weather Dopant:
- ClayDoll Dopant, ClayDoll Xtreme, Other Dopants:
- Nasca Dopant, Weather Dopant(Sub), Utopia Dopant, R Nasca Dopant, Other Dopants:
- Smilodon Dopant, Utopia Dopant(Sub), Other Dopants:
Songs
Opening theme
- "W-B-X ~W-Boiled Extreme~"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
is a Japanese lyricist who has written the lyrics for several tokusatsu television series' theme songs. Most recently, Fujibayashi has worked with Shuhei Naruse on the soundtracks of Kamen Rider Den-O, Kamen Rider Kiva, and their films...
- Composition: Shuhei Naruse
is a Japanese musician, composer, and music arranger from Kyoto Prefecture. Naruse attended Ritsumeikan University and his major debut as a musician was in the rock band DEVELOP=FRAME where he played keyboards. He has since worked on the composition and arrangement for various Avex Trax musical...
- Arrangement: TAKUYA, Shuhei Naruse
- Artist:
- Read as "Double-B-X ~Double Boiled Extreme~", the song written by Fujibayashi and Naruse, who have contributed to the production of the highest peaking Heisei Kamen Rider Series theme songs "Climax Jump
"Climax Jump" is the 13th single by the Japanese group AAA, released by Avex Mode on March 21, 2007. The song was composed by Shuhei Naruse with the lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi. The song is the first opening theme for the 2007 tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Den-O...
" (#2), "Break the Chain" (#3), and "Journey through the Decade"Journey Through the Decade" is the thirtieth single by Japanese musical artist Gackt, released on March 25, 2009. It is his first song performed for Kamen Rider Decade, used as the television series' theme song.-Summary:...
" (#2) on the Oricon, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts, and performed by Kamiki and TAKUYA was released on November 11, 2009. In its first week of release, it peaked at #8 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.
- Episodes 28 and 49 used the song as the ending theme.
Ending themes
- "Cyclone Effect"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
- Arrangement: Labor Day
- Artist: Labor Day
- Episodes: 3-6, 9, 21, 23, 24, 25, 45
- The first of the Kamen Rider Double ending themes "Cyclone Effect" was released on November 25, 2009, on a maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
. While the song is intended to be the theme for Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker, the song is also played during other forms' fight scenes. The vocalist is of Utayacco with AYANO of FULL AHEAD on guitar.
- "Free your Heat"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition & Arrangement: Ryo (of defspiral
Defspiral is a Japanese visual kei rock band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, most of the group was signed to Avex Mode to perform songs for the Kamen Rider Series...
)
- Artist: Galveston 19
- Episodes: 10, 11, 13, 19, 20, 21
- This theme for Kamen Rider Double HeatMetal was first played on the Wind Wave radio show. It later entered circulation as one of the three ending themes, released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of the members of the band everset, with on vocals, tatsuo on guitar, and on bass.
- "Finger on the Trigger"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi & Otoko Usagi
- Composition & Arrangement: Junichi "IGAO" Igarashi
- Artist: Florida Keys
- Episodes: 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 23, 30, 39
- This theme for Kamen Rider Double LunaTrigger was featured briefly on the Wind Wave internet radio shows shortly before premiering in the series. This song was released on CD on December 16, 2009. The band is composed of members of the band , featuring vocals by Yosh and U-Sagi with IGAO on keyboard.
- "Naturally"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition & Arrangement: Shuhei Naruse
is a Japanese musician, composer, and music arranger from Kyoto Prefecture. Naruse attended Ritsumeikan University and his major debut as a musician was in the rock band DEVELOP=FRAME where he played keyboards. He has since worked on the composition and arrangement for various Avex Trax musical...
- Artist: Wakana Sonozaki (Rin Asuka
is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture represented by Stardust Promotion. Her debut role was in the film Tenshi ga Kureta Mono, and was later cast in the film adaptations of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for several episodes of K-tai Investigator 7...
)
- Episodes: 13, 14, 17
- Wakana Sonozaki (Rin Asuka
is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture represented by Stardust Promotion. Her debut role was in the film Tenshi ga Kureta Mono, and was later cast in the film adaptations of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for several episodes of K-tai Investigator 7...
) also has her own single titled "Naturally" that debuted during her talk show. It was later featured in the television series during a story arc that focused on her (Shotaro and Philip, as fans of her show, know all the lyrics and the accompanying dance). "Naturally" was released on CD on January 27, 2010.
- "Leave all Behind"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: Ryo (of defspiral
Defspiral is a Japanese visual kei rock band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, most of the group was signed to Avex Mode to perform songs for the Kamen Rider Series...
)
- Arrangement: Wilma-Sidr
- Artist: Wilma-Sidr
Defspiral is a Japanese visual kei rock band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, most of the group was signed to Avex Mode to perform songs for the Kamen Rider Series...
- Episodes: 22, 44
- This new song premiered on the FU-TO HIT on GROOVE show the day of Kamen Rider Accel
is a fictional character in the 2009–2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W, and is the series second Kamen Rider after the titlular Kamen Rider Double. The name comes from the English word "acceleration" and his motif is that of the letter A as well as a motorcycle.-Ryu Terui: is a superintendent...
's appearance in the series. In episode 22, it is first used as Kamen Rider Accel's ending theme. It was released on CD on April 28, 2010. The members of Wilma-Sidr are the current line up of defspiralDefspiral is a Japanese visual kei rock band composed of most of the former members of the Underneath. When the Underneath disbanded in 2010, most of the group was signed to Avex Mode to perform songs for the Kamen Rider Series...
, previously known as Transtic Nerve and the Underneath.
- "LoveWars"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition & Arrangement: Shuhei Naruse
- Artist: Queen & Elizabeth (Tomomi Itano
is a member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, as well as a soloist.- Biography :In 2005, she joined the all-female Japanese idol group AKB48. After becoming a model for the popular woman's fashion magazine Cawaii!, she released her first photo book titled T.O.M.O.row in April 2009. In early 2010...
& Tomomi Kasai, born November 16, 1991 in Tokyo, Japan, is a singer, actress, footsal player and a member of idol group AKB48 under Team B. She had a recurring role on Kamen Rider W as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano...
)
- Episodes: 23, 24
- As part of their involvement in the Kamen Rider Double production, Tomomi Itano
is a member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, as well as a soloist.- Biography :In 2005, she joined the all-female Japanese idol group AKB48. After becoming a model for the popular woman's fashion magazine Cawaii!, she released her first photo book titled T.O.M.O.row in April 2009. In early 2010...
and Tomomi Kasai, born November 16, 1991 in Tokyo, Japan, is a singer, actress, footsal player and a member of idol group AKB48 under Team B. She had a recurring role on Kamen Rider W as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano...
of AKB48AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto.The group has achieved enormous popularity in Japan. Its ten latest consecutive singles topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart...
released the song "LoveWars" on March 31, 2010, as four different CDs, three of which contain DVDs with a music video, trading cards, and a special bonus track. The fourth is a CD-only release without the bonus track(s) available on the other three discs. The song debuted in the show during episodes 23 & 24 in which their characters Queen & Elizabeth are performing in a competition akin to Pop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
to get a major release. In its first week of release it sold over 21,000 copies, reaching #4 on the Oricon, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Weekly Rankings.
- "Nobody's Perfect"
- Lyrics: Gorō Matsui
is a Japanese lyricist born 11 December 1957 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, though he considers Tokyo to be his hometown. Beginning with participation in the Yamaha Popular Song Contests, he made his debut writing the lyrics for the 1981 Chage and Aska album ....
- Composition: Sokichi Narumi (Koji Kikkawa
is a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...
)
- Arrangement: Hiroaki Sugawara
- Artist: Sokichi Narumi (Koji Kikkawa
is a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...
)
- Episodes: 32, 38, 41, 42
- Koji Kikkawa
is a Japanese musician. His most recent album is 2009's Double-Edged Sword.Kōji was supposed to represent Japan in water polo in the coming Olympics but chose to be a singer. His music career began on February 1, 1984 with "Monica" and he won 8 music awards in the same year...
recorded "Nobody's Perfect" as Kamen Rider Skullis a fictional character who appears in the films of the 2009-2010 Kamen Rider Series Kamen Rider W. Kamen Rider Skull first appears in the film Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade: Movie War 2010 in the portion Kamen Rider W: Begins Night, and then makes appearances in the Movie War 2010 portion,...
's theme song. A single (as a CD single and a CD+DVD version) is to be released on June 30, 2010. Although it is not used as an ending theme, the song is featured in several episodes and was used as the instrumental theme for the final episode preview. The song's music video, directed by Ryuta Tasaki, tells a side story with Philip finding a book entitled "Nobody's Perfect". He views a number of flashbacks involving Sokichi Narumi and his past as Kamen Rider Skull, taking on a case with Shotaro.
- "Extreme Dream"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
- Arrangement: Labor Day
- Artist: Labor Day
- Episodes: 46, 48
- On the June 13, 2010, episode of FU-TO HIT on GROOVE, Labor Day debuted their newest song for the series: "Extreme Dream". The song was not featured in the television series until 2 months later.
- "Cyclone Effect (acoustic edit.)"
- Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
- Composition: AYANO (of FULL AHEAD)
- Arrangement: Labor Day
- Artist: Labor Day
- Episodes: 48
- This variation of "Cyclone Effect" is first heard in the background of episode 21. The song is later used as the ending theme for episode 48.
During the events of episode 8, the song by Florida Keys was played within the show by a character. During episodes 23 and 24, the character Jimmy Nakata performed an original song titled ; this song was included as a bonus track on the standard DVD release version of the "LoveWars" single. During episode 23, Shotaro and Philip cover "Finger on the Trigger" in the
Fuuuuuutic Idol contest. In addition to these songs,
Head Wind One-Game Match!! DJs have written and performed the song "WIND WAVE" as a theme song for the fictional radio station. This song, as well as "Glorious Street (Eikō no Michi)", and "Extreme Dream" will be included on the complete CD box set.
The bands that perform the series ending themes are also featured in the programs as being local bands in the fictional city of Futo:
crossoverCrossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Labor Day's "Cyclone Effect",
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/
hard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Galveston 19's "Free Your Heat", and hip-hop group Florida Keys' "Finger on the Trigger". Each of these bands is named after a major early 20th century hurricane: the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and the
1919 Florida Keys hurricaneThe Florida Keys Hurricane or Atlantic Gulf Hurricane of 1919 was an intense Atlantic hurricane, killing 772 people as it moved through the Florida Keys and Texas. The second tropical cyclone of the 1919 hurricane season, it moved in the proximity of the eastern Greater Antilles and Bahamas...
. The newest group, the
visual keiis a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock, with its...
band Wilma-Sidr, is named after
Hurricane WilmaHurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...
and
Cyclone SidrCyclone Sidr was the strongest named cyclone in the Bay of Bengal...
.
Parodies
Episode 295-A of
Sgt. FrogSgt. Frog, known in Japan as , is a manga series by Mine Yoshizaki. It was later serialized into a TV anime series directed by Junichi Sato. Both the anime and manga are comedies that follow the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to conquer Earth...
titled features the members of the Keroro Platoon finding an artifact that allows two of them to combine into a single Keroro, each with new powers. The episode title is based on
Kamen Rider Ws catchphrase and the resultant transformation resembles that of Kamen Rider Double (the characters appear to be split down the middle, with one side being, for example, Keroro and the other Tamama).
External links
- Kamen Rider W at TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
- Kamen Rider W at Toei TV
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
- Kamen Rider W at Avex Group
- Wind Wave official website