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 3 & 4
By John Huxley
12th Sep 04  NB: because both King of Bandit Jing volumes three and four are out in the shops right now, I thought I'd take this opportunity to review both volumes. They're three episodes to a disc, with 8-10 on volume three and 11-14 on volume four. If you only took a cursory glance through King of Bandit Jing's credentials you might think you're on to a real winner. We've got, amongst other attributes; a solid concept backed up by some highly entertaining storylines, a suitably energetic soundtrack, imaginative and colourful character designs and plenty of pretty girls to boot. Unfortunately all these pieces don't quite fit together and we end up with a final product that's something of a disappointment. An anime that's weaker than the sum of its parts. That's not to say that King of Bandit Jing isn't worth a second look. Its wonderfully realised world is an inviting place to spend a half hour, and if you're willing to overlook the odd flaw here and there you might find yourself having more fun that you would have first imagined. Jing's first adventure takes him to an old west style town where he finds temporary employment as a courier. Granted, his new found occupation may not sound particularly exciting or dangerous, but when you consider that his package is the cute-yet-highly-explosive Por Voras, you'll come to appreciate the high risks involved. The Por Voras look not unlike that neglected old Nintendo character Kirby, albeit with bigger, cuter eyes and a penchant for chocolate bars. Their inclusion is not out of character for King of Bandit Jing, but it does have a faint whiff of a cynical attempt to flog a few plush toys. As if to cement their status as the official King of Bandit Jing mascot, the Por Voras are once again the centre of attention in the third episode of the third volume, a story which gives us the opportunity to learn a little more about these loveable yet deadly creatures. Neither episode is particularly notable for any reason bar the cute little critters' appearances, so you're unlikely to harbour fond memories despite the directors best efforts to persuade you otherwise. The episode that's unharmoniously sandwiched in-between all that fluffy light cuteness is every bit as colourful and inventive as you'd come to expect from King of Bandit Jing. Set in and around an island where not only the inhabitants are obsessed with everything musical, but the very trees and rocks themselves whistle a tune as the wind blows by, this episode gives Kir a chance in the limelight as he guides a young love-struck girl through her first tentative romance. Even if it does lack a little in the way subtlety and originality, it's a lovingly created tale that rescues this third volume from the depth of sickly sweet hell. Thankfully the fourth volume ups the ante considerably, with a mammoth (by King of Bandit Jing standards, anyway) three part story to finish off the series, which sees Jing set his sights on the precious Vintage Smile, a mask that belongs to the powerful yet emotionally silted queen of ZaZa, Madame Earl. Each year the queen holds a competition in which the worlds finest combatants battle it out in a test of strength, agility and cunning, the final victor earning the right to the throne and the Vintage Smile with it. Jing enters the competition as an underdog but soon rises through the ranks and catches the attention of Madame Earl's neglected daughter, as well as few of his more acrimonious rivals along the way. This three-part story goes on to prove two things. Firstly, that a lengthier running time is undoubtedly beneficial to King of Bandit Jing. And secondly, without the burden of the ‘Kir Royale', the action sequences are improved ten fold. If you're not too familiar with King of Bandit Jing, the Kir Royale is a powerful attack which Jing used to dispatch almost all of his opponents, inevitably accompanied by the same piece of animation and the same music each and every episode. This obviously resulted in repetitive, sterile action scenes that were generally not much fun to watch. However, when Jing Enters this tournament without Kir and their combined attack, we're gifted an altogether different class of action. Whilst the direction is distinctly average in comparison to the likes of Samurai X or Street Fighter II, the variety and momentum of these fights is streets ahead of the standards we'd become accustomed to. It's surprising what a big difference a few decent action sequences can make to a series like King of Bandit Jing; they just add that little dash of excitement that lifts the whole tone. The lengthier running time (the three episodes totalling around 70 or so minutes) also gives this particular set of characters a chance to really shine. Previous stories, which have mostly been contained within isolated episodes, introduced us to new characters that left as quickly as they came, never giving us the opportunity to really appreciate their charms. Sure, they all looked fantastic thanks to some great designs, but their beauty was rarely anything other than skin deep. As these three episodes use the same cast of characters throughout it succeeds in feeling like a whole new experience, with more time allocated to each individual character allowing us to appreciate them all the better. Admittedly they're not exactly the most interesting bunch you're ever likely to see in a Japanese animation, but at least they're not the soulless puppets that have peppered the series up until this point. There's no doubt that this fourth volume is a vast improvement over previous installments of King of Bandit Jing. Unfortunately it's a clear cut case of too little too late, with a whole ten lacklustre episodes to endure before you get around to the ZaZa story that addresses the majority of the series' shortcomings. True, you could go and buy the fourth volume and skip the rest (it's not like you'll be missing much) but it just wouldn't feel right...you'd probably be itching to find out about their earlier adventures by the time you're through. Besides, it's not like the rest of the series is terrible, it's just not as good as it might have been. No, should have been. A shame, really.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: Volume 3: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, original artwork, clean open/close, ADV previews. Volume 4: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, original artwork, clean open/close, ADV previews
Release information: UK volume 3: 17th May 2004, ADV. UK volume 4: 19th July 2004, ADV
Notes: Both volumes feature some typically stylish artwork that's expertly amalgamated in to a beautiful collage. Perhaps the style of the artwork isn't to everyone's taste, but you can't deny that the designs are unusual and imaginative. The single sheet leaflets included inside the boxes are a repeat of the front covers, albeit without the various logos. Menus are cleanly presented and generally suit the atmosphere of the show, with that catchy soundtrack playing in the background that will have you humming the tune to yourself for days. Extras on both discs are unspectacular, the clean open close and the production artwork galleries being the only features of note.
-- John Huxley 12th Sep 04
King of Bandit Jing Images  
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