Anime Rebirth

Review - Hokuto no Ken (1986)

Review by Roriconfan

Story: 4
[i] This review compares the movie to the series. If you want a full report about what this title is all about, please redirect to my Hokuto no Ken review of the series. [i]

This is more of a retelling and less of a summary to the first Hokuto no Ken series. Compressing 109 episodes into 100 minutes meant taking out a looooot of story, characters and dialogues. The basic events in it remain the same but it will feel like they took out most of the already simple story and replaced it with flashier battles.

Animation: 9
A lot better than in the series. The only reason I didn’t give it a 10 is because I fancy those 3D shadowing effect in recent series (just check the latest Hokuto no Ken OVAs and you’ll know what I mean).

-The graphic novel detail to body figures and fighting stance realism is still top-notch, despite their age.
-Very good motion fluidity and visual effects.
-The cloths and the backgrounds have a lot more colors and variety.
-The violence and the gore are depicted a lot more graphically as well. No more cardboard chopping! People bleed and blow up better than the real thing. Of course, it still feels utterly fake if you try to reason it. But then again, this title never tried to be educational on human anatomy. People explode in a flashy way; not a realistic one. If you fancy gore, it’s awesome. If you fancy physic realism, it’s ridiculous.

Sound: 8
Pretty much of the same quality. Nothing more, nothing less.

Characters: 6
Fewer in numbers, with less backdrop story but with a lot more cool demeanor. You will like them only if you liked the series, as the movie doesn’t give you the time to bind with them. If you haven’t watched the series, be warned that they will feel quite fake and stupid.

Value: 9
A very distinctive and memorable anime title. I know it feels like an awful Hollywood b-movie, but then again it turned an awful number of teenagers into otakus with its premise.

-The movie Akira converted those who liked conspiracy and supernatural stories with problematic teenagers.
-The movie Ghost in the Shell converted the technology freaks.
-Hideo Miyazaki converted the family-oriented ones with his movies.
-Hokuto no Ken converted the less sophisticated, who loved violence and heavy-dudes. It’s not as famous as the above titles but it done its part nicely.

Enjoyment: 9
Faster plot, no fillers, no stunts. Thus, a lot more enjoyable. Be warned that it aims at Shonen fans. If you prefer Shojo or Seinen series, you will like it a lot less.

Verdict
The accused is found … NOT GUILTY! … He is repetitive and shallow but in a very cool way.