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!
It's the early twenty-first century and Tokyo is no longer the throbbing metropolis it once was. Destroyed by an earthquake, it has now become a domain controlled by crime lords where every day is a struggle to survive. And into this city Takateru Suga has come, searching for his sister, who came to Tokyo to work but who has disappeared from sight. Now Takateru must face down the forces of darkness that are rallying in Tokyo in preparation for a reenactment of the battle of Ryozanpaka, where the forces of good triumphed over evil, but only for a time.
Now Takateru's heading head-long down the path to a confrontation with the Koryukai, Tokyo's largest criminal organization that has even succeeded in buying high-ranking police officials. And rumor has it that the president of the Koryukai, Masaru Oshita, has built himself a temple or shrine to some deity of his own. Now the Koryukai is buying up ruined properties all around the Shinjuku area, ostensibly to build itself a large business center that it will control. But to do so requires the eviction of a Catholic church caring for orphans in the middle of that district. Not that Takateru knows about all this when he first arrives in Tokyo. But now, as the criminal organization figures more and more largely into his sister's disappearance, he realizes that if he wants to rescue his sister, his only chance is to utterly destroy the Koryukai.
Fortunately, he isn't alone. He's collected an odd assortment of allies, but they are all united in their determination to topple the Koryukai. There is the cross-dresser, Miyuki Mamiya, with his long, sharp nails and vicious fighting style. There is the formery mercenary, Ryo Hamura, as skilled with a knife as with a gun. There is the Catholic priest, Father Mike Owen, who was once Mike O'Brien who--like Hamura, who he knows--was also a mercenary. There is Sister Saeko, whose nun's habit hides a nasty secret, which two of the Koryukai's thugs find out to their dismay. There is the police chief, Takayuki Kurihara, who knows of the corruption in the police department--no thanks to the Koryukai--and is determined to eliminate at least one of its causes at the root. Together these are the first of the forces of good that will stand against the evil. But why is Takateru the focus of it all? Is it because he's the reincarnation of that long ago battle's leader of good, Kohogi Soko? Is it because it's his sister that was kidnapped? Or is it just because he's the best fighter of them all?
Suikoden Demon Century is a fairly short anime feature, only 45 minutes maximum. But don't let the short length dissuade you. A lot can happen in 45 minutes, and believe me, it does! For example, in a fight between a fighter and a swordsman, who would win? Or a fight between a fighter and a knife man? See what I mean?
There's a lot of violence in this anime, with a lot of guns and explosions, spattering blood, decapitations, and more. But there are other things that counter these possible (though not in my book) detractors. Key among these would be the concern the good guys show about the children being cared for by Father Owen and Sister Saeko. It's really difficult to separate these two from their roles as child-care providers, and it's really odd when they aren't actually with the children. But they aren't the only ones who care about the children. Takateru and Miyuki come to the aid of two of the orphans who have come into the city to sell flowers but are accosted by members of the Koryukai (another reason to hate that criminal organization). There is a suitably justified fight with (naturally) Takateru and Miyuki emerging as the victors.
Suikoden Demon Century has a terrific vocal cast that I've encountered in other places. The voice for Ryo Hamura is one Koichi Yamadera, who also does the voice of Shogo Yamadera in Special Duty Combat Unit Shinesman and Jubei in Ninja Scroll. And doing the voice for Takayuki Kurihara is Hideyuki Hori, who I first encountered as the voice of Kyoya Izayoi from Demon City Shinjuku. Nozomu Sasaki, who also appeared in Shinesman as well as Poltergeist Report and Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie but who I best associate with Kazuya Hasukawa from Here is Greenwood, is the voice of Miyuki Mamiya. I'll be honest: when I first saw Suikoden, I didn't make the connection, his performance was that convincing. But the biggest surprise for me was actually hearing something other than calm competence and mild amusement coming from the voice of Toshihiko Seki. To my knowledge I've only encountered him two times before, in Shinesman as Sasaki's (both the character and the voice actor) compatriot and as Shinobu Tezuka in Here is Greenwood, where he plays mentor to Sasaki's character. In both anime his characters speak with quiet competence, and understated humor. The only emotion to really appear in his voice is amusement and sympathy: no anger, no sadness, no fear, no emotion at all except what I mentioned before. In Suikoden, however, I got to hear him actually shouting and screaming! This was way cool, because once again I didn't make the connection. Surprise!
A.D.V. Films is the American distributor of Suikoden Demon Century. They warn that it contains "graphic violence and mature language" and they're right. And of course, there are certain situations that probably should be kept from younger viewers' eyes, and possibly older viewers' as well. Overall, though, it's an excellent feature. I've seen both versions, subtitled and dubbed, and the quality isn't affected over much by the dubbing. A minor problem with a Koryukai thug talking with surfer inflections, but other than that it's compatible. So take your pick of which version you want and enjoy!
You can likely purchase Suikoden Demon Century on videotape at any video store that sells Japanese anime. You can also contact A.D.V. Films directly to find out how to order it from them.
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the link to order the English subtitled VHS version or the English dubbed VHS version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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