ShootFighter Tekken: The Tough Anime Review

ShootFighter Tekken - The Tough
Koko Tekken-den Tafu
Central Park Media/U.S. Manga Corps
Complete Collection - 3 discs
135 mins. - 3 episodes
$29.95 (2004)
$19.99 (2004) Vol. 1-3/ea.
ISBN 719987244122
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Yukio Nishimoto
Studio - AIC

Synopsis: Kiichi Miyazawa is heir to the Nanshin Shadow Style of martial arts and is put through grueling training by his father.  The style is brutal and ruthless, intended for efficient assassination.  Despite his incredible skills and training Kiichi is a regular high school student and has an easy-going nature.  He keeps his deadly skills in check and uses them to defend others.  His father is a stoic man, but appears to have a good heart (which has rubbed off on Kiichi).  He's diminutive in stature, but an adept fighter with a fearless attitude.  Every night he trains to surpass even his father's prowess at Nanshin Shadow Style!

Kiichi is a goofy high school kid despite being skilled at a deadly martial art

Many years ago the greatest pro wrestler, Iron Kiba, sought to fight the best martial artists and prove pro wrestlers were the toughest in the world.  One by one he defeated them all in no-holds-barred underground matches.  The only fighter to defeat him was Seiko Miyazawa, Kiichi's father, using the Nanshin Shadow Style.  Not only did Kiba suffer defeat, but he also lost his left eye in the match.  He forever bears the mark of his defeat and relives the horrific battle before every subsequent wrestling match.  Then he destroys his next opponent in the ring!

Iron Kiba is the world's greatest wrestler and a fearsome opponent in the ring

Kiba harbors an intense hatred and desire to destroy Nanshin Shadow Style.  When Kiichi and his father inadvertently run afoul of a pro wrestler, Kiba is waiting for his chance to ensnare them.  Seiko is careful not to enter fights carelessly because he knows what his own devastating power can do.  Kiichi is not so hesitant and his brash youthfulness causes him to rush headlong into any challenge.  Kiba wants to goad Seiko into fighting him again to the death and he'll use Kiichi's inexperience to get what he wants.

Years ago Kiba and Seiko had a vicious match which left Kiba scarred

Kiichi must fight grueling battles as Kiba sends wrestlers, brawlers, and martial artists after both he and Seiko.  Kiichi's training continues under Seiko and becomes tougher than ever.  Will the father and son survive the revenge of Iron Kiba?  Can Kiichi's never-say-die and positive attitude win out over impossible odds?

Nanshin Shadow Style targets vital organs to incapacitate enemies

Pros: Some cool fight scenes (especially the grappling moves), menacing villains, wrestling drama, Kiichi has a good attitude and his father seems like a good man (while being the master of an assassination-focused martial art is questionable), some funny moments too

Iron Kiba sets up his revenge match with Seiko

Cons: Kiichi is ridiculously small compared to some of the fighters - no way he could handle them, character designs are pretty bland (so are their personalities), pro wrestling as the ultimate fighting style is highly dubious, Kiichi is a total goof and his plucky attitude can get annoying

Kiichi executes a flying grapple move

Mike Tells It Straight: No, this short anime OVA is not related to Tekken the video game franchise.  It's based on a long-running manga series by Tetsuya Saruwatari which has highly detailed art.  The anime in comparison is not as detailed (although the DVD covers are by the author).  The covers are what attracted me to the series in the first place.  I was a little disappointed that the animation and character designs were so simple.  The story is really simple too with Kiichi the young heir to a martial arts legacy.  He retains his youthful exuberance and is good-hearted.  His father remains caring even as he puts his son through brutal training each night.

The original manga for Shootfighter Tekken: The Tough

Kiichi is this tiny kid compared to his opponents and especially Iron Kiba.  It's ridiculous that he could take them on with his diminutive stature (seriously, he's like half their size).  Seems implausible.  The characters and dialogue are bland with no real personalities.  The plot was pretty weak, but I did like how Kiba and Kiichi's opponents had decent backstories.  I must say Kiichi's positive attitude and consideration towards his enemies were silly, but mildly endearing.  There were a few decent fight scenes and some okay comedy (to offset the serious fights).  I haven't seen Baki the Grappler and can't say how similar these two series are (been meaning to watch that series for years).  Overall this short anime doesn't do justice to the elaborate manga it's based on.  It's too simple and the animation is weak.  Despite it's many flaws I did find some good moments and okay fight scenes.  It's mediocre at best, but you can find a copy for fairly cheap.

Kiichi throws a flying kick - check out how small he is compared to the wrestler!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Big Wars Anime Movie Review

Big Wars
Central Park Media
Movie - 70 min. - 1 disc
$9.95 (2003)
$29.99 (1998)
ISBN 014381441024
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Issei Kume/Toshifumi Takizawa
Studio - Magic Bus

Synopsis: In the early 25th century the human race is losing a war with an alien race called 'The Gods'.  These beings seek to halt human expansion and the primary battleground is the previously terraformed planet Mars.  Humanity had colonized the Red Planet several hundred years earlier, but the Gods superior technology and mental subversion tactics were slowly winning the war.

The Gods fighter craft battle a land ship

Massive anti-gravity land ships carrying squadrons of fighters are the primary offensive and defensive tools of the human military.  These giant ships roam the deserts of Mars fighting the Gods when they can find them.  The Gods possess an invincible stealth ship dubbed 'Hell' which travels under cover of an artificial sandstorm.  Nothing man-made can stop Hell and the military needs a counter-weapon to turn the tide of the war.

Captain Akuh arrives and runs into his girlfriend

The most insidious weapon of the Gods is their ability to psychologically subvert humans.  Subverted humans align themselves with the Gods and display a cult-like mentality.  One of the first symptoms of subversion is an enhanced libido or nymphomania.  Rampant terrorism has become a major concern.

It is revealed the Gods are humanoid

Captain Akuh returns to military duty after several months spent recovering from a devastating battle where his ship the Aoba was destroyed.  He is assigned to command a powerful new ship which is nearing completion of its construction.  This new ship is faster and tougher than any which has come before it. Akuh arrives in the city where the ship is being covertly built and reunites with his former girlfriend.  She is an intelligence officer who interrogated one of the Gods who was captured.

Akuh and his crew get a tour of the new Aoba with its designer

The ship's doctor has developed a detection device for subverted humans utilizing hypnosis.   As the new ship is almost complete, Akuh faces a dilemma - his girlfriend is really horny!  Will he be able to deal with her while trying to save humanity by discovering a weakness in Hell?  It's a battle to the finish on Mars!

Akuh's girlfriend reveals her alignment with the Gods

Pros: The Gods' fighter craft sound just like land-speeders from Star Wars, some interesting mechanical designs - particularly the land ships and power suits, some nudity and sexual situations, Captain Akuh's girlfriend is a nymphomaniac

The Aoba's doctor uses a hypno-ray to test for subversion

Cons: Animation is inconsistent with some sloppy/lazy shots (i.e. using camera panning instead of actual movement for characters), weak attempt to link biblical events with the Gods by showing a bunch of angels, plot resolution at the end was pretty weak

Captain Akuh starts having crazy visions

Mike Tells It Straight: I was expecting Big Wars to have more action based on the title, but it had a lot of science fiction setup and not much payoff.  The nymphomania by Captain Akuh's girlfriend was a thinly veiled attempt to gain attention by including nudity and a few sex scenes.  These were probably the best parts of the movie.  Not to say the premise wasn't good - aliens watching over humanity and attempting to halt us when we got too advanced is a neat idea.  I thought parts of the story and animation were actually pretty good.

Akuh and his crew prepare to infiltrate Hell!

The animation was inconsistent and the ending didn't finish the story adequately.  It seemed like there could have been more story to tell after the finale, but we'll never see it.  The Gods concept was interesting and could have been fleshed out much further.  Overall Big Wars was a decent movie, but neither compelling nor memorable.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Shadow Star Narutaru Anime Review

Shadow Star Narutaru
Central Park Media/U.S. Manga Corps
Complete Collection - 13 episodes
325 minutes
$49.98 (2006)
ISBN 719987245921
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Toshiaki Iino
Studio - Central Park Media

Synopsis: Shiina visits her grandparents for the summer and is rescued from drowning by an innocent-looking, star-shaped creature.  She names it Hoshimaru and takes it home to live with her and her father.  Hoshimaru transforms into a floating surfboard for Shiina to ride on or disguises itself as a backpack for her to wear in public.  Everything is fine until she meets a girl named Akira with her own creature.  Akira is profoundly depressed and suicidal due to the psychic link she shares with her creature, Ensof.  Shiina's bubbly personality wins over and the two become friends.

Both girls uncover a secret group of psychic teenagers bonded to similar creatures called Dragon's Children.  Each creature is different in appearance although display similar powers, but the level of control and focus varies greatly among the teens.  The teens are waging a silent war against the Japanese Self-Defense Army and plan to create a better society after the grown-ups have soiled the current one. 

Dragon's Children offer power to the inexperienced teens and an irresistible temptation to use it.  Shiina is an innocent caught up in an incredible situation where everything she holds dear is imperiled.  Can she possibly protect those she loves from the dangerous game these teens are playing? 

Pros: Captivating concept, shocking revelation of the true underlying story, the contrast of Hoshimaru's innocent appearance and actions completely blindsided me!

Cons: Ending felt abrupt and not enough explanations were given, soundtrack is forgettable, pacing was slow and then rushed at the end

Mike Tells It Straight: Deceptively cute at first and blindly malicious by the end, this story is definitely not for children.  I put this show on for my friend's 8-year-old daughter and quickly turned it off after the third episode.  Don't let the Pokemon-esque creatures fool you -- this is a dark series exploring the depths of human cruelty.  The teens are largely corrupted by the power of the Dragon's Children and I enjoyed this angle to the story.  It was all about contrast -- cute Shiina and Hoshimaru thrust into deadly confrontations with evil teens.  This series is based on a notoriously graphic/violent manga and only covers about half the full story (which is why the ending to the show felt abrupt).  Based solely on the anime I was disappointed and recommend checking out the manga instead for a more satisfying (if wholly twisted) experience.

TO BUY and Recommendations:
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne Hell Girl  Blue Gender