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!
Hibio doesn't have a whole lot going for him. His mother left him and his father a while back, seeking the secret of using Monyo power by researching an ancient, mysterious tribe. His father is a broken man after her departure, forcing Hibio to take over the chores, which makes him angry, irritable, and a completely unreasonable woman-hater. He'd sooner die than go through what he and his father have been going through ever since his mother disappeared from their lives. No one in school could ever imagine him having a girlfriend, let alone a wife. So imagine their surprise--not to mention his--when a girl appears out of nowhere, marks him with a strange symbol on his forehead, and announces that they are husband and wife! Who knew? Certainly not Hibio!
The truth is, Hibio's mother--whom Hibio had convinced himself was dead--has succeeded in her mission of studying that ancient tribe of mystics who could use the Monyo power. The price, however, was the sacrificing of her own son to the high priestess of that strange tribe after the priestess had seen a photograph of Hibio's family, Hibio included. But there are sacrifices and there are sacrifices, and this sacrifice was promising her son to be the husband of the high priestess, who turns out to be a fairly young-looking woman--if not teenaged girl--who would make just about any boy's head whip around faster than you could say "kirei." The girl, Nima, has eyes only for Hibio, though, and she's determined to win his heart.
But there are obstacles in her path. First there's Hibio who, thanks to his mother's disappearance, isn't about to accept Nima as his wife or even willingly put up with her. Then, there's the class president, Fujimatsu, a girl with her own designs on Hibio who just happens to carry around a longbow and a quiver filled with arrows as she patrols the school. And this is one girl who isn't about to let an upstart come between her and the boy she loves. Now it's a duel between two very different girls, with very different abilities. Who will win? Who will get to keep Hibio? And will Hibio allow himself to be kept at all?
Tattoon Master is an hour-long two part anime feature that throws an unlikely pair together and leads them through a comedy-filled adventure of love triangles and magical powers. Believe me, this is definitely not Romeo and Juliet! It's more like Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing instead.
One of the best parts of this anime is the way Hibio comes across. He's definitely not interested in girls, courtesy of his mother's disappearance. He refuses to be cowed by anyone, and he's perfectly happy being a loner. And yet, he goes out of his way--or doesn't, if you believe what he says--to help those in need, like the time he saved his two soon-to-be followers and friends from getting completely bashed in by upperclassmen. And despite everything, he's worried about Nima and does his best to take care of her, even though it goes against his character.
Nima is a good character, too. Coming as she does from a mysterious, isolated tribe, it's not so surprising that she's very naive about life in the outside century world. In many ways, though, it's because she is so naive that allows Hibio to shine as a reluctant but definite hero. Of course, after a while such naivete could easily become boring and trite, but that never happens because Nima is also the high priestess of her tribe and very, very powerful. This produces a mix that is both frustrating and endearing to behold. Certainly Hibio finds her frustrating and considers her a nuisance, but even he's forced to admit that she can take care of herself.
Perhaps one of the best scenes in either part of the anime would be the one where Nima and Fujimatsu square off, ready to go to battle against one another for Hibio's hand in...well, friendship in Fujimatsu's case and marriage in Nima's. Here we have two strong-willed young women, each determined to win Hibio over. It's amazing how Nima refrains from using her full power, or how Fujimatsu is out for blood. The whole thing is just to plausible to be denied out of hand.
Tattoon Master is available in either an English dubbed or English subtitled format. Whether it eventually comes out in DVD remains to be seen, but that's a matter for the future. What matters right now is whether or not you should get it in the first place. My answer? Definitely!
You should be able to purchase Tattoon Master at any video store. Otherwise, you can contact A.D.V Films or The Right Stuf International to find out how to order it.
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the links to order the subtitled or dubbed VHS versions. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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