Tekken: the Motion Picture is the latest in a trend of anime martial arts films based on video games. But you already know that. Any true video game fan keeps track of games like Street Fighter, and it's 'descendants', such as Virtual Fighter and Tekken. The video game craze provides an ample opportunity to bring anime over to America, but I wonder if the American companies are bringing down the standards of anime by promoting what I call "hack and slash" films, over more classic anime. While films like "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell" turned heads in America because of their content and subject matter, anime films like Street Fighter, and the above mentioned Tekken film catch viewer's attention because of the mindless violence.
Look at what the people who put Tekken out in America have done: they got an anime based on a fighting game, slapped an alternative/punkrock soundtrack on it, and released it into mainstream stores. You can't find Akira in your local Walmart, but you sure can find Tekken! I'm not against the violence or anything else portrayed in Tekken, I'm just against the way the companies promote things to make a buck.
But enough 'raging against the machine'. Like I said above: you already know all this. That's the reason you will want to see Tekken; it's the chance to see your favorite Tekken character kick some butt!
Tekken: the Motion Picture is a faithful adaption to the video game; the story uses the classic "tournament that turns into life or death struggle in a cold, harsh world" setting. It has been done before, but Tekken does do it quite nicely. The main character is Kazuya, the son of billionare Haihachi Mishima, who is the movie's main bad guy. Seems when Kazuya was a small child, Daddy threw him off a cliff just to see if Kazuya would survive and be strong enough to inherite the Mishima conglomorate. Haihachi is the typical "martial artist gone mad with power and ideas about world domination". He also believes that fighting and war are the only pure things in this world, and is building an army within his corporation, preparing for his own version of 'Judgement Day'. Kazuya of course want's revenge, and unbeknowest to him, that's exactly what Haihachi wants. He want's the hatred to flourish in his son so he will become truly the most ruthless man on the planet. Haihachi feels that only then the world will become as he sees fit: one huge warzone, with his son and army at the head of the battle.
That's where the other important character of Jun comes in; she's there to 'save Kazuya's soul' and to stop Mishima. As for the rest of the cast of characters in Tekken, only a select few get some time on the screen. Lei Long, the Hong Kong Policeman, becomes Jun's partner. Lee, the other adopted son of Haihachi wants the corporation all to himself. The two assasins Nina and Anna, the Robot Jack, and the Indian Michelle are the only other one's who get significant plot development, but not very much. As for you fans of other characters: sorry, they didn't have enough time to flesh those characters out.
That's one of the problems with fighter game animes: there is too many characters to concentrate on. There are other problems with the film such as the time limit. The "Motion Picture" is only one hour long, hardly enough time for it to tell it's story. To many questions are left unanswered, like why did Haihachi Mishima destroy Michelle's village? And was Kazuya speaking literally or figuratively when he said that he "sold his soul to the devil"? There seemed to be an even bigger bad guy waiting to come out, but nothing ever came of this "demonic" plot line. In fact, the film's ending was itself kinda weak, way to many plot lines are left open. But I guess that's what sequel's are for.
This film does feature some very nice animation though, and it's got some of the best combat in 'martial arts' anime yet. But you of course already knew that. That's what Tekken, the video game is all about: great animation and lots of punching people to a bloody pulp.
Look at what the people who put Tekken out in America have done: they got an anime based on a fighting game, slapped an alternative/punkrock soundtrack on it, and released it into mainstream stores. You can't find Akira in your local Walmart, but you sure can find Tekken! I'm not against the violence or anything else portrayed in Tekken, I'm just against the way the companies promote things to make a buck.
Tekken: the Motion Picture is a faithful adaption to the video game; the story uses the classic "tournament that turns into life or death struggle in a cold, harsh world" setting. It has been done before, but Tekken does do it quite nicely. The main character is Kazuya, the son of billionare Haihachi Mishima, who is the movie's main bad guy. Seems when Kazuya was a small child, Daddy threw him off a cliff just to see if Kazuya would survive and be strong enough to inherite the Mishima conglomorate. Haihachi is the typical "martial artist gone mad with power and ideas about world domination". He also believes that fighting and war are the only pure things in this world, and is building an army within his corporation, preparing for his own version of 'Judgement Day'. Kazuya of course want's revenge, and unbeknowest to him, that's exactly what Haihachi wants. He want's the hatred to flourish in his son so he will become truly the most ruthless man on the planet. Haihachi feels that only then the world will become as he sees fit: one huge warzone, with his son and army at the head of the battle.
That's where the other important character of Jun comes in; she's there to 'save Kazuya's soul' and to stop Mishima. As for the rest of the cast of characters in Tekken, only a select few get some time on the screen. Lei Long, the Hong Kong Policeman, becomes Jun's partner. Lee, the other adopted son of Haihachi wants the corporation all to himself. The two assasins Nina and Anna, the Robot Jack, and the Indian Michelle are the only other one's who get significant plot development, but not very much. As for you fans of other characters: sorry, they didn't have enough time to flesh those characters out.
