King of Bandit Jing
Publisher
ADV
Director
Hiroshi Watanabe
Production
Kodansha, Sony, Studio Deen
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
25 minutes, 13 episodes
Year
2002
King of Bandit Jing Volume 1
By John Huxley
19th May 04  The first episode of King of Bandit Jing serves as a good introduction to the premise of the series. Jing, a young, pale and spikey haired boy sporting a stylish long coat and rebellious demeanour makes his way to the infamous 'Capital of Thieves', a hideout for all kinds of lecherous scum and villainy. In a world of square-jawed, bearded, beer-swigging manly men Jing is the most unlikely candidate for the renowned title of 'King of Bandits', but that he is, along with his trusty sidekick Kir, a walking, talking albatross with a penchant for pretty (human) girls. Underestimated by almost everyone they meet, our formidable duo head for the high tower in which the mayor keeps his most precious jewel safely locked away from even the most skilful of bandits. Can Jing and Kir possibly succeed where so many have failed? The answer is, of course, yes. King of Bandit Jing is the kind of show where, despite all attempts at dramatic tension, the outcome is as inevitable as the setting of the sun. From the get-go it's obvious to all and sundry that Jing, the good-hearted thief, will overcome seemingly insurmountable odds with effortless style and panache, win the girl and set right the wrongs of evil-doers everywhere. Yet to criticise King of Bandit Jing for such shortcomings would be missing the bigger picture - this is a show, much like Fist of the North Star or Dirty Pair before it, that entertains because it is so simple, straightforward and wholly predictable. You know Kenshiro is going to pull out his very best Bruce Lee impression, you know the Dirty Pair will recklessly blow the whole place to smithereens and you know Jing will steal the jewel and save the day. You can't fault them for pampering to audience expectations when you're the audience and you're wanting them to deliver! A large part of what makes King of Bandit Jing so appealing is the character of Jing himself. Much like Vash the Stampede of Trigun fame, Jing's opponents constantly underestimate his abilities, unaware he is in actuality the famous Bandit King (also, incidently, with a price on his head). This leads to some very pleasing scenarios in which we see our smug, cocksure hero effortlessly dispense of the hapless and gob-smacked badguys with a little help from his partner Kir, who acts as a bizarre kind of weapon, attaching to Jing's arm and firing a green energy beam from his mouth. Rivetting though they are, these action sequences are sadly overly repetitive, being too heavily reliant upon an impressive but limited move set available to Jing and Kir. Things improve a little when more formidable opponents are introduced later in the volume, so it's entirely possible (and likely) that we'll see some more varied action in the future. King of Bandit Jing is not primarily an action show, however, so you'll be glad to know there's a lot more on offer than a few overly familiar action scenes. Humour is high on the agenda. From the outset we're treated to an enjoyable lighthearted atmosphere, with wonderfully cartoonish character designs and some very silly jokes and puns. Depending on your sense of humour, the comedy on offer here will either rise a smile and a few chuckles or leave you cold. Some viewers may find some of the jokes a little too abstract, such as a strange postman character who appears each and every episode to divulge important information and plot details to our heroes before departing on his motorbike. It's nothing as routinely bizarre as Excel Saga, though it's clear the writers share the same slightly skewed sense of humour. One of the most impressive and unique aspects of King of Bandit Jing is the imaginatively designed locations and characters that inhabit them. Being a fantasy based anime with a tendency for the ridiculous, there's plenty of fantastically exotic places for Jing to visit, including a tower of Babylon look-a-like, a giant ghostship with a talking anchor and a gothic citadel full of towering, crooked spires that wouldn't look out of place in a Tim Burton film. To inhabit these surreal landscapes we're treated a wide range of fabulous beasts, monsters, pirates and townsfolk, all suitably attired in period costume. Some of these veer to the wrong side of ridiculous (it's hard feel threatened by a pop-pirate wannabee) but the ingenuity and effort in design is always on display. In many ways King of Bandit Jing reminded me of those Sunday morning cartoons I used to watch as kid; lighthearted, wholesome (for the most part) entertainment that whisked you away on a magical adventure in which you could indulge your imagination. Of course, production values are infinitely higher than they were fifteen years ago and King of Bandit Jing isn't exactly comparable to The Moomins. It is, however, an adventure that everyone can enjoy. Especially recommended for anyone who likes Yu-Gi-Oh or shows of its ilk.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English and Japanese 2.0 audio, English 5.1 audio, English subtitles, production sketches, clean open/close, ADV previews.
Notes: The disc menus are clear and concise with some neat and unobtrusive presentation. Image quality can't be faulted, and the audio was crisp and loud, if a little inconsistent from one audio track to the next. The extra features are nothing extraordinary, though the inclusion of a few production sketches and a clean open/close is appreciated nonetheless.
-- John Huxley 19th May 04
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