ANIME JEPANG

Promotion

Advertisements throughout the months of May, June, and July 2009 built up to the debut of Kamen Rider Double,^[2] who first appeared at the 10th Anniversary Project MASKED RIDER LIVE & SHOW event,^[3] and also featured in Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker.

Production and casting

The series' main writer is Riku Sanjo and the main director is Ryuta Tasaki. The theme song titled "W-B-X~W boiled extreme~" is to be performed by Aya Kamiki with former JUDY AND MARY guitarist TAKUYA as the unit "Aya Kamiki w TAKUYA" (上木彩矢 w TAKUYA, Kamiki Aya w TAKUYA).^[4][5][6] The creature designer is Katsuya Terada, previously the character designer for Blood: The Last Vampire, the designer of Monster X for Godzilla: Final Wars, the designer of Cutie Honey's costume for Cutie Honey, and the mechanic and character design refinement for Yatterman.

Newcomer Masaki Suda portrays the mysterious Philippe. Drama actor Renn Kiriyama, 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 Yamamoto, 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 Bullet, portrays Ryubee Sonozaki.

Story

In the ecologically-minded city of Futo (風都, Fūto^?, the "Windy City"), there are many windmills and the people live in harmony. However, the Sonozaki Family (園咲家, Sonozaki Ke^?) sell mysterious USB memory sticks called Gaia Memories to criminals who use them to become monsters called Dopants, committing crimes with the police force powerless to stop them. The hardboiled (or rather half-boiled) detective Shotaro Hidari works with the mysterious Philippe who possesses the true Gaia Memory. Using their own Gaia Memories, Shotaro and Philippe use the Double Driver belts to transform and combine into Kamen Rider Double to fight the Dopant menace.^[2][7]

Episodes

All episodes of Kamen Rider Double have two titles: the first indicates a story arc while the second indicates the episode's title. The letter of the Latin alphabet in the story arc title has a double meaning: it represents both a Kamen Rider or Dopant that is featured in the arc and another English word that indicates the theme of the arc. These double meanings can be found on the list of Kamen Rider Double episodes page.

1. W Search/Two Detectives in One (Ｗの検索／探偵は二人で一人, W no Kensaku/Tantei wa Futari de Hitori^?)
2. W Search/Those Who Make the City Grieve (Ｗの検索／街を泣かせるもの, W no Kensaku/Machi o Nakaseru Mono^?)
3. Don't Dabble with M/How to Get to Heaven (Ｍに手を出すな／天国への行き方, M ni Te o Dasu na/Tengoku e no Ikikata^?)
4. Don't Dabble with M/Play With a Joker (Ｍに手を出すな／ジョーカーで勝負, M ni Te o Dasu na/Jōkā de Shōbu^?)
5. Girl… A/Papa is a Kamen Rider (少女…Ａ／パパは仮面ライダー, Shōjo… A/Papa wa Kamen Raidā^?)
6. Girl… A/The Price of Lying (少女…Ａ／嘘の代償, Shōjo… A/Uso no Daishō^?)
7. Find the C/Philippe Can't Stand It (Ｃを探せ／フィリップはそれを我慢できない, C o Sagase/Firippu wa Sore o Gaman Dekinai^?)
8. Find the C/Dancing Hero (Ｃを探せ／ダンシングヒーロー, C o Sagase/Danshingu Hīrō^?)
9. S Terror/Look at the Maid Detective! (Ｓな戦慄／メイド探偵は見た！, S na Senritsu/Meido Tantei wa Mita!^?)

Begin's Night

As part of the Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Double & Decade: Movie War 2010 (仮面ライダー×仮面ライダー W（ダブル）＆ディケイド MOVIE大戦2010, Kamen Raidā tai Kamen Raidā: Daburu ando Dikeido Mūbī Taisen 2010^?)^[8] double feature, Double's film Kamen Rider Double: Begin's Night (劇場版　仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル）～ビギンズナイト～, Kamen Raidā Daburu ~Biginzu Naito~^?) opens in Japanese theaters on December 12, 2009. The film will expand on the origins of Kamen Rider Double, featuring guest star Koji Kikkawa as Sōkichi Narumi.^[9]

Video game

A port of Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes titled Kamen Rider: Climax Heroes W (仮面ライダー クライマックスヒーローズＷ, Kamen Raidā Kuraimakkusu Hīrōzu W^?) for the Wii is to be released on December 3, 2009.^[10] It features Kamen Rider Double as a playable character and also features Dopants and other kaijin as characters in the game.

Cast

• Shotaro Hidari (左 翔太郎, Hidari Shōtarō^?): Renn Kiriyama (桐山 漣, Kiriyama Ren^?)
• Philippe (フィリップ, Firippu^?): Masaki Suda (菅田 将暉, Suda Masaki^?)^[11]
• Akiko Narumi (鳴海 亜樹子, Narumi Akiko^?): Hikaru Yamamoto (山本 ひかる, Yamamoto Hikaru^?)
• Mikio Jinno (刃野 幹夫, Jinno Mikio^?): Takeshi Nadagi (なだぎ 武, Nadagi Takeshi^?)
• Shun Makura (真倉 俊, Makura Shun^?): Shingo Nakagawa (中川 真吾, Nakagawa Shingo^?)
• Watcherman (ウォッチャマン, Wotchaman^?): Nasubi (なすび^?)
• Santa-chan (サンタちゃん, Santachan^?): Zennosuke Fukkin (腹筋 善之介, Fukkin Zennosuke^?)
• Queen (クイーン, Kuīn^?): Tomomi Itano (板野 友美, Itano Tomomi^?)
• Elizabeth (エリザベス, Erizabesu^?): Tomomi Kasai (河西 智美, Kasai Tomomi^?)
• Ryubee Sonozaki (園咲 琉兵衛, Sonozaki Ryūbee^?): Minori Terada (寺田 農, Terada Minori^?)
• Saeko Sonozaki (園咲 冴子, Sonozaki Saeko^?): Ami Namai (生井 亜実, Namai Ami^?)
• Wakana Sonozaki (園咲 若菜, Sonozaki Wakana^?): Rin Asuka (飛鳥 凛, Asuka Rin^?)
• Kirihiko Sonozaki (園咲 霧彦, Sonozaki Kirihiko^?): Yuki Kimisawa (君沢 ユウキ, Kimisawa Yūki^?)
• Smilodon Dopant (スミロドン・ドーパント, Sumirodon Dōpanto^?, Voice): Yasuhiro Takato (高戸 靖広, Takato Yasuhiro^?)
• Narration, Gaia Whisper (ナレーション、ガイアウィスパー, Narēshon, Gaia Wisupā^?, Voice): Fumihiko Tachiki (立木 文彦, Tachiki Fumihiko^?)

Guest stars

• Marina Tsumura (津村 真里奈, Tsumura Marina^?, 1-2): Meibi Yamanouchi (山内 明日, Yamanouchi Meibi^?)
• Taizo Kaga (加賀 泰造, Kaga Taizō^?, 3-4): Tatsuya Gashuin (我修院 達也, Gashūin Tatsuya^?)
• Chizuru Hoshino (星野 千鶴, Hoshino Chizuru^?, 7-8): Reina Fujii (藤井 玲奈, Fujii Reina^?)
• Ikari (伊刈^?, 7-8): Jin Katagiri (片桐 仁, Katagiri Jin^?)
• Teacher (教師, Kyōshi^?, 7-8): Hiroshi Watari (渡 洋史, Watari Hiroshi^?)

Suit actors

• Kamen Rider Double: Seiji Takaiwa (高岩 成二, Takaiwa Seiji^?)
• Taboo Dopant: Yūki Ono (小野 友紀, Ono Yūki^?)
• Nasca Dopant: Jun Watanabe (渡辺 淳, Watanabe Jun^?)

Songs

Opening theme

• "W-B-X ~W Boiled Extreme~"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: Shuhei Naruse
  • Arrangement: TAKUYA, Shuhei Naruse
  • Artist: Aya Kamiki w TAKUYA (上木彩矢ｗTAKUYA, Kamiki Aya w TAKUYA^?)

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" (#2), "Break the Chain" (#3), and "Journey through the Decade" (#2) on the Oricon charts, and performed by Kamiki and TAKUYA is to be released on November 11, 2009.

Ending theme

• "Cyclone Effect"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi
  • Composition: AYANO
  • Arrangement: Labor Day
  • Artist: Labor Day
  • Episodes: 3-6

The first of the Kamen Rider Double ending themes "Cyclone Effect" is to be released on November 25, 2009, on a maxi single. While the song is intended to be the theme for Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker, the song is also played during other forms' fight scenes.

• "Free Your Heat"
  • Artist: Galveston 19

This theme for Kamen Rider Double HeatMetal was first played on the Wind Wave radio show.

• "Finger on the Trigger"
  • Lyrics: Shoko Fujibayashi & Tsuzumi Usagito
  • Composition & Arrangement: Junichi "IGAO" Igarashi
  • Artist: Florida Keys
  • Episodes: 7-

This theme for Kamen Rider Double LunaTrigger was featured briefly on the Wind Wave internet radio shows shortly before premiering in the series.

To tie into the show, TV Asahi, Toei, and Avex Trax have produced the Wind Wave FM internet radio station, which features a series of radio shows that play the series' theme songs. Only one of the shows, Wakana's Healing Princess, also exists within the fiction of Kamen Rider Double. The other programs, DJ HURRY KENN's FU-TO Hit on Groove music show and Tsuyoshi and Ayano's Head Wind: One-Game Match!! (向い風 一本勝負!!, Mukaikaze Ipponshōbu!!^?) 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's "Climax Jump", and referred to it as the theme song for Kamen Rider Den-O).

The bands that perform the series ending themes are also featured in the programs as being local bands in the fictional city of Futo: crossover rock band Labor Day's "Cyclone Effect", heavy metal 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 hurricane. In addition to these groups, Wakana Sonozaki (Rin Asuka) also has her own single titled "Naturally" that debuted during her talk show.^[12]