Welcome to Astral Animations, where we'll examine the imports of Japanese animation currently available in the United States.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
Ranmaru Samejima was on his way to becoming the fencing champion of the world when an accident ruined his hopes of continuing a sports career. The attack was originally aimed at his best friend and lover, Enjoji, who just happened to be the illegitimate son of the mafia don of Osaka. Having endured the long struggle of rehabilitation with Enjoji's loving help and support, Ranmaru has restored his life to a semblance of normalcy. No more fencing for him, unfortunately, but he has what's important to him: his life, and Enjoji. And that's really all he really wants or needs to be happy. Now he lives with Enjoji in Tokyo and they go to the same college.
Handsome Ranmaru, however, soon catches the eye of the professor he's working for. One night this professor happens to invite Ranmaru out to a bar with him. Ranmaru protests that he doesn't drink--can't drink, really--but the professor insists that he come just to keep him company. Ranmaru agrees. What he isn't ready for, however, is the exclusively male clientele of the club, or the eyes that attention that's paid to him. Because he can't drink, he orders and iced Oolong tea. But while he's in the restroom, the professor slips something into his drink that immediately dissolves. When he returns, Ranmaru prepares to leave, but the professor insists that he drink his tea at least. Ranmaru does, and immediately feels ill. The professor moves in to take advantage of the situation, but someone from Ranmaru's past comes to his rescue. Someone who Ranmaru remembers fairly well, and who has his own reasons for being in Tokyo.
Ranmaru isn't ready for it, but his mysterious savior, Sagano, just happens to be Enjoji's half-brother, who was two or three years behind them in school. Sagano idolized Ranmaru and entered into fencing to be around him, eventually realizing that what he felt for Ranmaru wasn't simply awe and hero-worship, but love. That, unfortunately, sets him on a headlong course with his half-brother, who isn't very pleased to have a rival for Ranmaru's heart, even though Ranmaru has told him plainly that he only likes Sagano but loves Enjoji. But things take an interesting twist as the two brothers set aside their differences to deal with a gang of thugs sent--naturally enough--by one very angry college professor. Can they fend off the gang before they're torn to pieces, or will they tear each other into shreds before the gang can lay a blow?
Kizuna is a 30-minute anime feature that weaves a compelling tale about love, lust, and friendship. I have no idea what part of the manga this anime follows, but I really don't care. There is enough detail about the events of the past (namely the accident that cost Ranmaru his sports career) that I didn't feel completely confused by the story as it opened up. In my tradition of being "obstinately open-minded" I'm naturally going to give this anime a fair treatment, so here goes.
As with Fake, there are intimate scenes that involve two males, but seeing Enjoji and Ranmaru kissing and Enjoji groping at Ranmaru didn't bother me--I've seen lots worse on cable television. What bothered me was seeing the professor slipping that drug into Ranmaru's drink. Having hear a lot recently about the date-rape drug, this was really a very provocative scene: yeah, like sheer outrage and disgust! I'd assume that the professor knew what he was doing, but does anybody really know what they're doing when they drug someone's drink? Especially when there's no way of knowing what kind of reaction that person will have to the drug? What if the drug--mixed with tea, no less--had some sort of toxic effect on Ranmaru, making him more than just sick? Or what if Ranmaru had some sort of allergic reaction to the drug? It could have killed him! When you think about it, in this day and age watching two guys making out is a lot less controversial than watching as some one drugs another person's drink.
I watched Fake a punishment for forcing a friend to watch Dragon Knight; I actively sought this anime out. What else could I do when I had people asking if I would? And it couldn't be so bad if there were so many people--male and female--writing to ask me about it, right? And it wasn't all that bad. There were scenes in Ninja Scroll and Biohunter that were much more shocking (even for me) like Tessai's total domination of Kagero or the opening scenes of Biohunter. By comparison anything that occurred in Kizuna was startlingly tame.
What I liked most about this anime is how Sagano came to Ranmaru's rescue and later how Ranmaru thanks Sagano for his help. This provided a nice sense of closure to that one incident and set the stage for future events. Of course, Sagano ended up confessing how he felt about Ranmaru and kissing his hero, and Ranmaru was forced to shove Sagano away, but it provided a nice segue into the conflicts between Enjoji and Sagano that date back to Sagano's mother's death and the revelation of Enjoji's existence to the younger boy. I also liked the way Ranmaru admits to remembering Sagano from high school, and seeing in him a potential champion. This, of course, made it easier for me to understand when Enjoji belittles his younger brother for quitting fencing just because Ranmaru was no longer there. And those, of course, are "fightin' words" if I ever heard them, and that paves the way for an interesting fight between the two brothers, one that lasted for all of two (relative) seconds.
Aside from some kissing and groping, there is really little here to offend anyone but the most narrow-minded individuals. While Ranmaru and Enjoji's relationship is at the very center of everything, it really takes a back seat to the situations between Sagano and Ranmaru and Sagano and Enjoji (namely, a love-like-with-a-little-gratitude relationship and a hate-hate relationship). And while this anime is a bit more detailed about Ranmaru and Enjoji's relationship than Dee and Ryo's one in Fake, it's still a lot less graphic than other more "acceptable" anime like Ninja Scroll. So give it a chance and watch it!
You should be able to purchase Kizuna on videotape at any video store that sells Japanese anime. Otherwise, you can also order it at the Right Stuf International website.
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the link to order the English subtitled VHS version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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