Take Dragonball Z. Now take away the character development, the humor,the heroic quests, and the plot. Increase the amount of violence so that the graphics are stomach churning. What you have is Fist of the North Star, currently available from Streamline Pictures.
Fist of the North Star is the film version of a manga and anime series that is currently popular in Italy. In fact, the lead character Ken strongly resembles Sylvester Stallone's Rambo. I haven't read any of the original stories, so I can't claim to be an expert on the series, or how the film compares to it. But from what I've seen, I'm not impressed. What passes for a plot is a loose thread line of the Death Wish variety: a troubled loner wanders a hostile landscape battling troubled evil people. In this case, Ken has vaguely psychic powers and the baddies he battles are giant-sized warlords as musclebound as an Image Comics superhero. A sermon on the senselessness of violence is meaninglessly tacked on near the end; the preaching rings hollow since absolutely none of the film's villains seem to be able to reason rationally.
Still, the film is extremely well-animated, and the story is written well enough for us to empathize with Ken as he wanders in search of revenge. The gore animation owes a debt to live-action horror flicks like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scanners. If you aren't squeamish, you might find some of this stuff fascinating. While the level of violence is disturbing, the deaths portrayed are seldom distressing partly due to the fact that none of the victims are fleshed out enough for us to consider them true characters. After the first few explosions of body parts, the violence is so exaggerated as to be ludicrous. Oddly enough (given the lack of character development or gripping plot), the film succeeds in establishing a hypnotic rhythm and this may be part of its appeal.
Fist of the North Star isn't for children. Nor is it for people who prefer more sophisticated science fiction adventures. It is perhaps best appreciated by those who enjoy fast-paced, ultra-violent, quasi-martial arts movies. There certainly is a large market for films like Fist of the North Star, and if you like the sound of what's been described you'll probably enjoy the movie. I can't really recommend it, however.
Get your ownFree Home Page |
Other Anime Reviews Dragonball Z:The Movie Review* Fushigi Yuugi Review* Galaxy Express 999:Eternal Fantasy Review* My Neighbor Totoro Review* Neon Genesis Evangelion Review |