Fist of the North Star, New Recommended

Publisher
ADV
Director
Takashi Watanabe
Production
New Fist of the North Star Production Committee, OB Planning
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
3 episodes
Year
2003

New Fist of the North Star vol 1: The Cursed City!

By John Huxley
26th Mar 05

In recent years there’s been a concerning tendency for older anime to be overlooked and ignored, locked away in a retirement home like so many unwanted (and probably senile) elderly relatives. To my eyes this is a real shame; while they may not be able to offer the rounded cinematic experiences that today's anime can (sometimes) boast, they are nevertheless valuable footnotes in anime history and enjoyable experiences in their own right. Yet a few of these golden oldies are finally receiving the recognition they deserve thanks to modern remakes; Mazinger Z was resurrected in the two-part OVA series Mazinkaiser, Cutey Honey returned as New Cutey Honey and now the classic Fist of the North Star has the chance to appeal to a whole new generation in this brand-new three-part animation, the cunningly titled New Fist of the North Star.

Having watched only the scant few Fist of the North Star anime released in the UK - that being the first TV series and the motion picture - it's really difficult to place this New Fist of the North Star in the series' timeline. I'd assume it takes place sometime after the movie as it makes reference to both Roah's son and Ken's brother, but I can't be entirely sure. What I am sure of, however, is that this new three-part adventure can be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of the franchise whatsoever. The story is a simplistic, mostly self-contained affair that trudges a familiar path.

The soul practitioner of a deadly martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro wanders the scorched earth in search of retribution. When he happens upon a small town in desperate need of the most precious commodity in this barren post-apocalyptic world - unpolluted water - Kenshiro is quick to act revenge upon the tyrannising crimelord responsible for monopolising the clean water supply. However, things become more complicated when the power-mad crimelord kidnaps the town's doctor they call 'the miracle woman' thanks to her ability to heal wounds with touch of a finger. Noticing the similarities between this woman's unusual gift and his own Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro sets about infiltrating the crimelord's palace in his own unique head-bursting fashion.

For anyone who's ever watched or read any Fist of the North Star, or even the Mad Max films that inspired it, I'm sure this story will seem awfully familiar. The champion of justice schmaltz wears very thin very fast, and to be honest there's little else here to distract you from the shockingly wafer-thin plot. Indeed, the characters are one-dimensional and so stereotypical it's almost embarrassing to watch them tirade through line after line of laughably cheese-filled dialogue. I could go on all day, I really could, but I'd be sorely missing the point here.

Even back when it was first published in 1983, Fist of the North Star was an unsubtle attempt to appeal to male teenagers who enjoyed cyberpunk, Bruce Lee films and extreme violence...and preferably all three at once, thanks. Combining these popular 'influences' into an easily digestible comic form proved so successful that the series would enjoy a lengthy run (not including the recently published prequel Fist of the Blue Sky which tells the story of Kenshiro's ancestors during the 1930's). Despite a potentially critical lack of redeeming qualities, readers and viewers kept returning to Fist of the North Star for their required dose of brainless ultra violence, eager to discover exactly how Ken would exact retribution on the latest goon foolhardy enough to underestimate him.

This New Fist of the North Star offers everything that made the original classic so appealing - exploding heads, excruciating deaths and Bruce Lee impressions included - and improves it with some impressively swish animation that really does put the original TV series to shame. In fact, so impressive is the animation that I'm sure many Fist of the North Star fans weened on the older series will be left in a state of disbelief. Long gone are the overused and abused animation cycles, the limited, gaudy colour pallette and hugely variable quality of artwork; all replaced with some of the most technically impressive and aesthetically pleasing animation around. The liberal use of impeccably rendered CG blends almost seamlessly with the smooth, detailed computer coloured artwork. Moreover, there's a real sense of artistry that lends the whole proceedings a touch of class lacking in almost every version of Fist of the North Star barring perhaps Tetsuo Hara and Buronson's original comic. Speaking of which, readers of the comic will recognise that the detailing and shading in Kenshiro's trademark blue leather jacket matches Tetsuo Hara's drawings almost line-for-line; an impressive feat indeed.

It could be argued that the crude animation of the original series gave it a certain charm, but in reality that's far from the truth. I'll admit that the chronic abuse of recycled frames and the occasionally lamentably poor artwork added to the comic value of the series, but when all said and done it's really a small loss in face of such great benefits.

And the benefits of these much improved visuals really begin to tell when we're treated to our first fight scene in which Kenshiro protects the townsmen from a group of bloodthirsty bikers. Using his patented Hokuto Shinken technique, Ken defeats each opponent with the deft touch of a single finger, causing his victim's head to explode in an almost comical fashion. This should be a familiar sight to Fist of the North Star fans, yet we're finally given the opportunity to appreciate this ultra-violence in all its uncensored glory. Where violent scenes such as this were previously hidden behind a silhouette, this New Fist of the North Star takes great pleasure in showing us every minute gory detail. I almost laughed out loud with joy when I first saw chunks of pink brain and blood splattered across the screen after a punk biker flailed wildly in vain, attempting to keep his dangling eyeball falling from its socket. Yes it's sick, yes it's gross, but it's so ridiculously overblown that it's really very difficult to take it all seriously. For the same reasons that Peter Jackson's Braindead slipped past the censors, Fist of the North Star should sidestep criticism. Enjoy it for what it is.

Aside from the animation and lack of censorship, New Fist of the North Star does make a few less obvious improvements to the original formula. For starters, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that Kenshiro's irritable sidekicks Bat and Lynn have been eliminated from this new iteration of Fist of the North Star, replaced with the much less punchable Tobi. A self-proclaimed 'information seller', he'll no doubt prove useful when Kenshiro's staunchly silent character fails to provide us with enough background information on the situation at hand. Still, the absence of that gormless harmonica playing imbecile and the vomit-inducing Lynn does help to improve Fist of the North Star somewhat. Let's hope they don't make an unwelcome return during the next two volumes!

With a running time just short of an hour, this new Fist of the North Star adventure feels more like a motion picture than an episode of the TV series. While the extra length allows the story to really develop at a more relaxed pace than usual, the action does appear to be more thinly spread than the average action-packed 25 minute TV episode. Regardless, the new format does suit Fist of the North Star, although time will tell if the full three volumes are enough to really satisfy.

The only area in which the original Fist of the North Star manages to surpass this new outing is the score. Although both feature passable j-rock anthems (this time from the typically bleach-blonde rocker Gackt), there's nothing here to challenge the classic Heart of Madness by the Komodo Band. Still, that aside, New Fist of the North Star is every bit a worthy successor to the throne. Of course, some would argue that isn't a particularly noteworthy claim, but what do they know? Fist of the North Star is well and truly back. God how I've missed it.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 and Japanese 5.1 audio, English subtitles, voice actor interviews, Reslson Gracie interview, character profiles, press conferences, ADV previews

Release information: UK: 18th April 2005, ADV

Notes: The cover is dominated by Kenshiro mid-Bruce Lee impression, a silver Fist of the North Star logo emblazoned across his midriff. To be honest the design is a little too busy for my liking and could have beneficed from a more striking centrepiece. The blood-splattered disc is a nice touch, though. Things improve slightly when we move on to the menus which for the most part mimic the cover design minus the clutter, although some may find the slanted menu selections difficult to navigate. Some surprisingly decent extras are provided in the form of a roundtable interview with the show's US cast, a press conference with the Japanese creators and an interesting interview with Jiu Jitsu expert Relson Gracie. The lengthy roundtable interview makes for a decent watch, although a few of the actors obviously feel a little uncomfortable talking about such a ridiculous animation as Fist of the North Star. Sadly the strangely wooden Japanese press conference doesn't fare much better, although it is nice to see Buronson talk about his creation. But the real icing on the cake here is the interview with Relson Gracie, a Jiu Jitsu expert from Texas. Whilst he's clearly never seen Fist of the North Star, his knowledge of pressure points and all things martial arts is mightily impressive if not entirely plausible, and his energetic demonstration makes for some entertaining viewing. All in all a pretty good showing for New Fist of the North Star. Let's hope ADV can maintain this level of quality throughout the next two volumes.

-- John Huxley 26th Mar 05

Fist of the North Star, New Images