Mazinkaiser Anime Review

Mazinkaiser
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 2 discs
200 mins. - 7 episodes
$26.98 (2009) w/Shuten Doji
$29.98 (2003) Vol. 1
$29.98 (2003) Vol. 2
ISBN 702727206221
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Masahiko Murata
Studio - Dynamic Planning/Bandai Visual

Synopsis: Dr. Hell sends his army of mechanical monsters led by Baron Ashura to subjugate the world, but they are opposed by Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Aphrodite A, and Boss Borot.  The combined onslaught of robot monsters proves too much for our heroes and they are defeated.  Mazinger Z is captured and its pilot Kouji Kabuto goes missing.  Capitalizing on the weakness of the Mazinger team, Dr. Hell retrofits the stolen Mazinger Z into the Ashura Mazinger and sends it to destroy the Photon Power Lab.

Kouji Kabuto stares up at the imposing figure of Mazinkaiser!

All seems lost as the weakened Great Mazinger falls to the Ashura Mazinger's attacks.  Out of nowhere comes an incredibly powerful new robot who stops the attacking monsters with ease, but then begins attacking the lab.  The robot is Mazinkaiser piloted by the missing Kouji Kabuto!  Originally built by Kouji's grandfather as the third in the Mazinger series, Mazinkaiser is the perfect Mazinger, but contains so much power it can overwhelm or even kill its pilot.  Kouji must become even stronger in order to pilot Mazinkaiser or risk losing himself.

Mazinkaiser prepares to charge forward with Boss Borot (left)
and Venus A (right) backing him up

Dr. Hell and Baron Ashura (who is a creepy half man/half woman person) are furious with their defeat and attempt to capture/defeat Mazinkaiser by any means possible.  Ashura sends his three daughters to assassinate Kouji, but things go awry when they mistake Boss for him.  Two new additions are brought to the Photon Lab to assist Dr. Yumi, Lori and Loru are hot American twins.

Baron Ashura's daughters - deadly robot assassins!

The Mazinger team take a day for R&R at the beach (with the two hot twins' skimpy bikinis causing quite a stir between Kouji and his 'girlfriend' Sayaka), but they can never truly escape the perils of being Mazinger pilots as Baron Ashura's forces attack them from the ocean depths.

Dr. Hell unleashes a new wave of mechanical monsters

Its a final, all-out assault by Dr. Hell on the Photon Lab with a new set of even more powerful mechanical monsters.  This time they have been fused together into bigger, stronger forms.  Can even the might of Mazinkaiser prevail against these titans or will Dr. Hell finally win?

Mazinkaiser and Great Mazinger stand ready for the
next battle with Dr. Hell's monsters

Pros: Hardcore super robot action, opening theme song is awesome - reminded me of hair metal bands from the 1980s, Boss Borot is great comedy relief, the beach episode had awesome fan-service

Lori and Loru's ridiculously skimpy swimwear

Cons: Super robot genre is over-the-top and silly, animation is highly stylized (not very realistic although holds close to look of the original manga), Baron Ashura's character is super creepy (especially the shower scene!?), mechanical monsters get slagged pretty easily (unless they're the freaky combined monsters), the original Mazingers (Z and Great) were kind of wussy, predictable - no surprises

Boss (piloting Boss Borot) and Sayaka (piloting Venus A)
gather their thoughts during a battle

Mike Tells It Straight: Mazinkaiser is a pure adrenaline thrill-ride of giant robot-smashing action!  What else would you expect from a show based on Go Nagai's (Getter Robo, Demon Lord Dante, Devilman, and a score of others) Mazinger Z?  The protagonist, Kouji Kobuto, is a hot-head who uses his fists to solve his problems, but it always seems to work out.

Side by side comparison on Mazinger Z, Great
Mazinger and Mazinkaiser

I think fans of the original Mazinger Z will enjoy seeing all of the old heroes and villains brought back for another adventure.   No real character development and the ending is predictable.  The super robot genre is pretty much played out in its original form.  Great for folks seeking the nostalgia factor (along with a killer/cheesy opening theme song) and early anime fans, but nothing new or unique for seasoned viewers (unlike Neon Genesis Evangelion which turned the super robot genre on its ear).  

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Kekko Kamen Anime Review

Kekko Kamen
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 1 disc
90 mins. - 4 episodes
$29.98 (2005)
ISBN 702727114427
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Directors - Nobuhiro Kondo/ Kinji Yoshimoto
Studio - Dynamic Planning

Synopsis: There exists a secret prep school responsible for molding our most highly respected political leaders into the power-wielding titans we know and loathe - the Big Toenail of Satan's Spartan Institute of Higher Education!  Former alumni include George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton.

Poor Mayumi gets disciplined again

The teachers at the Spartan Institute (as it is commonly referred to) are experts at disciplining wayward students and bringing out the best results from their hapless wards through constant punishment.  The principal is known as the Toenail of Satan  and he employs only the most hardened instructors.  These include a former Nazi torture-woman, super-muscled physical education teacher, an exchange student from hell, and a voyeur samurai.

Kekko Kamen comes to Mayumi's aid

Mayumi Takahashi is bright, but lazy and a constant target of discipline usually involving her being tied up with her clothes torn off to reveal a young nubile body.  Rushing to her aid is the denuded damsel of justice - Kekko Kamen!  She fights for love and justice (you can only do this in the nude and expect to be successful after all).  KK employs a devastating finishing move and is the only resistance to the grotesquely perverted happenings at the Spartan Institute.

Kekko Kamen punishes the Nazi dominatrix counselor (I think she likes it)

Pros: Lots of nudity (KK's costume is 90% birthday-suit), KK's finishing move is body-slamming her muff onto her oppenents' willing faces, oddly compelling, better than the live-action movies


Cons: Low-quality animation, terrible character designs, plot is goofy and ridiculous, tacky/campy/you-name-it

The evil principal Toenail of Satan and his head instructor

Mike Tells It Straight: Kekko Kamen is campy and probably one of the most awful anime shows in existence.  Herein lies the drawback and the charm.  Originally produced in Japan in 1991-92, KK was a hybrid ecchi/hentai OVA laden with puns, parodies, and perversions.  The titular heroine literally bears her tits for justice.

Kekko Kamen has a rather unique finishing move

The plot is ludicrous and serves only to set up successive situations of bondage and nudity.  Mayumi always gets stuck in a sticky situation and KK comes to her naked rescue.  Each opponent falls to KK's muff-slam final move.  They seem to enjoy it and it's impossible to take this show seriously.

All of the villains are dumb, the plot sucks, the animation is totally weak, and it's a truly bad show.  Now typically this would turn most viewers off, but I see there are some real perverts in the crowd.  Well, this show is probably for you.  Us normal folks will just steer clear (oh wait, I watched this already - guess I'm a pervert too).

'Eat this Toenail of Satan!'

Seriously, I love most of Go Nagai's other works translated into anime (Demon Lord Dante, Getter Robo), but KK is just bad!  It reminds me of the (many, many) times I was so desperate to watch any type of anime (due to its scarcity during the '80s-'90s) - I would literally watch anything!  Good, bad, it didn't matter.  If you are in this frame of mind then it doesn't matter what I recommend here - you will watch KK without hesitation.  However, if you still have a choice (or a Netflix subscription) then heed my words - "do not succumb to the boobies, find a decent anime to watch!".




TO BUY and Recommendations:
    

Demon Lord Dante Anime Review

Demon Lord Dante
Geneon (Pioneer)
Complete Collection - 13 episodes
325 minutes - 4 discs
$99.99 (2005)
ISBN 013023254091
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kenichi Maejima
Studio - Dante Project - Dynamic Planning

Synopsis: A group of satanists are abducting women to perform sacrifices.  Ryo Utsugi is a normal high school student who suffers from horrific nightmares.  The cultists kidnap his sister, Saori, for their black mass to resurrect an ancient devil known as Demon Lord Dante.  Ryo's visions lead him to the ceremony where he attempts to free his sister.  Simultaneously a clandestine holy organization called "D" attack the satanists.  In the ensuing confusion Ryo manages to rescue Saori.

Ryo's nightmares worsen and infiltrate his daily life until he seemingly commits suicide by jumping from a cliff.  Instead of falling to his death he is transported to the mountain cavern where Demon Lord Dante has been imprisoned by God for 2000 years.  Dante tricks Ryo into freeing him and then summarily gobbles him up.  The trick is on Dante when Ryo usurps his former human host, Judas Iscariot, and assumes control of the vile monster. 

Now Ryo is in control of a 200-foot-tall beast of unimaginable power and a body made up of giant fangs, massive horns, bat-like wings, a gnashing tri-spiked tail, bird-like legs, and Ryo's face smack in the middle of its forehead.  Horrified, Ryo rages uncontrollably in the city with his merest gesture causing extreme death and destruction.  Ultimately he learns to control the power of Dante and returns to his normal form (able to transform back to Dante when necessary). 

The satanists bid for control of Dante by convincing Ryo to join their cause, while the organization D hunts him with genetic weapons.  Demons and angels from his past come to haunt Dante/Ryo and Saori becomes an unwitting pawn against them.  In true Go Nagai fashion this show is an action-packed thrill ride and the true nature of Dante will shatter everything you know about God, Satan, devils and humanity!!

Pros: Go Nagai, extras include press conference with Nagai (explaining he first drew Dante because he thought a big monster would fill up the comic panels and be easier to draw) and director Maejima (who is revealed to be a giant "Man-Baby"), unique story and ballsy concept by Nagai, the origin of Dante is hilariously absurd, the plight of humanity and influence of God is absurdly hilarious

Cons: Animation style is dated/low quality (although true to the original style of Nagai), absolutely not for children (which could also be a good thing), Nagai's original character designs are fairly hideous, Ryo has a creepy crush on his sister (a recurring theme in many anime)

Mike Tells It Straight: I can guarantee Go Nagai will burn in hell for creating Demon Lord Dante.  Taken at face value this show is incredibly bad, but it fits into that rare category of bad which ends up being really funny.  I grew up watching those low-budget, late-night horror anthology shows (like The Twilight Zone, Tales From the Darkside, and The Outer Limits) and developed a keen ability to find enjoyment in low-budget programming.  The plot twists here had me laughing for days, especially after trying to explain the story to my wife and some friends.  They just looked at me like I was crazy (well, crazier than usual).  Mostly awful and incredibly blasphemous, this show went somewhere I didn't expect. 

WARNING: IF YOU ARE A RIGHT-WING CHRISTIAN THEN WATCHING THIS SHOW IS LIKE BEING SPLASHED IN THE FACE WITH ACID.  I AM SERIOUS.  DO NOT READ THE NEXT SECTION OR ATTEMPT TO SUE ME.  I DID NOT CREATE THIS ANIME!!!

*SPOILER ALERT*

I usually avoid spoilers in my reviews, but just in case you're not planning to watch Dante and still want to know WTF I'm talking about...then read on.

 Three-quarters through the show we discover all sorts of disturbing facts:

1. God is a sentient ball of energy  travelling through space which descended to Earth in order to inhabit the bodies of others and experience their lives 
2. The original humans lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  They refused God's request at the behest of their leader Satan the Wise One
3. God was infuriated with the original humans declaring war and attempting to slaughter them.  He then evolved the next highest form of life - monkeys 'natch - into human forms and placed a fraction of his essence into them to replace their souls.  So the current "humans" on Earth are not the originals and have no souls
4. The original humans were then dubbed "demons" and God continued to wage war on them through his "humans" by twisting their perception through organized religion
5. During the original battle with God, Dante is flying a jet armed with a powerful weapon when he is hit by a stray energy bolt from God.  Careening into a nearby tyrannosaurus rex the bolt combines all the different parts into one massive creature -- Demon Lord Dante!!  Yes, that means Dante is a jet/weapon/T-Rex/humanoid demon hybrid which should make perfect sense to anyone reading this (right?)
6. Demons are good (like Satan and Zeil Zebub aka Beezlebub), God is evil, and humans are really soulless monkeys (surprise!)
7. Fortunately Ryo's sister is not actually related to him by blood (so his creepy crush is kinda less creepy).  I guess there's a happy ending for these two, but all of humanity buys it in the end

The individual discs (vol. 1-4) are relatively cheap these days compared to the uber-expensive box set (the original $99.99 MSRP was outrageous).

TO BUY: