Fist of the North Star, New Volume 1: The Cursed City - Active Anime.com
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- TeelaZain
- 11/29/04
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New Fist of the North Star Volume 1
New Fist of the North Star Volume 1: The Cursed City!OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION
A twist to the classic favorite that begins in the aftermath of the great apocalypse, across a barren Earth, where chaos is the rule, and order the exception with bandits and enterprising overlords terrorizing the survivors of the holocaust. Will a hero rise from the ashes and cut a swath of justice across the Earths ruined landscape?
REVIEW
Fist of the North Star has been regaled as one of the bloodiest anime movies of all time. This New Fist of the North Star does not disappoint. For those of you who are easily squeamish, I suggest having a few shots of Pepto ready before watching this DVD. It isn't necessary to have seen Fist of the North Star (1986) or the television series (1984); you can simply take this at face value. Think of Mad Max meets Kung Fu. It's a post-apocalyptic world where clean water is a cherished commodity. Ramshackle villages and towns sporadically dot the landscape.
Instead of giving a graphic play by play retelling of the anime, here are the basic characters.
Kenshiro is the enigmatic, wandering hero. He is the heir to the Hokuto Shin Ken, a style that employs the knowledge of the 361 pressure points on the body to defeat an opponent. He appears out of nowhere then fists start flying and blood is gushing everywhere. One thing that hasn't changed is the exploding head attack. You'll see the victim's head grotesquely mutate just to a massive blood and brain explosion. He still says 'you're already dead' to scum that was just on the receiving end of his attacks. We do get specks of Kenshiro's history through a few flashbacks. Families fight for the right to be the heir to the Hokuto Shin Ken (one per generation) and those that were defeated are forbidden to practice it.
Tobi is an information broker, with a missing younger brother (Bista) and in love with Sara. He's your basic sidekick. I suppose every stoic hero needs one but it wouldn't have bothered me he had been killed off in the first five minutes. Sara's character actually has a purpose but I wasn't crazy about the way she was portrayed. There's just something helpless and pathetic about her. However, she uses the Hokuto Shin Ken in the art of healing. She is the 'Woman of Miracles'. Sanga, an evil megalomaniac rules Last Land. He dominates the people with force, intimidation and control over fresh water. He believes subjugating the masses by force alone is not enough, he wants their souls as well. He has one 'god' Doha and seeks another in Sara.
I found this movie quite amusing. I don't know if that was intentional or if I have a perverse sense of humor. There are scenes where blood is spurting like a fountain.
For the most part the graphics were excellent. Some can say that the use of CGI was for the sake of it but I disagree. There were times when I think the sound effects were lacking but perhaps I'm nitpicking. One thing I noticed, quite a few characters have these steely gray eyes which I found completely beautiful.
EXTRAS
The lengthy extras are not to be ignored; especially the 'Behind the Scenes' segment with voice actor interviews and ADR. Also there's an informative interview with Phil Cardella (Jiu Jitsu Sensei) of Relson Gracie Austin Academy. There is footage from the Japanese press conference with Buronson, Tetsuo Hara and Gackt. Not to be overlooked are the short character bios but they are just that, short. ADV also includes previews of Get Backers, Aquarian Age, Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum, Yesterday, Gravion, and Lady Death.
SUMMARY
Not for the faint of heart, other than that, quite entertaining. This would be great for fans old and new. Whether you're just getting into the series or if you're an old die-hard from the 80's, this should prove enjoyable.
Posted on Monday, November 29, 2004 (Archive on Wednesday, December 29, 2004)