Search - New Fist of the North Star - The Complete Collection on DVD

Really bad characterization...

Leanne M. Shaw | La Plata, MD USA | 10/26/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed the anime TV series and despite its various shortcomings, I liked story and concept elements of the reworked story in the anime movie... but New Fist of the North Star OVA parts 1-3 left me with a really bad taste. I'm no FOTNS buff, but whether this OVA is based upon an original novel or not, the characterization and actions are unbelievable.
The characters of Sara, Toby, Sanga and Seigi (sp?) all twist and change by the end and through flashbacks to become (at least for me) very hard to like. Sara is your typical wimpy anime woman, crying and going on about moral guff even in defense of someone who raped her and brutally murdered dozens of innocents by his own hand, and gave orders that led to the death of countless more. Toby goes completely insane, and the transition to insanity is not given enough time to be a believable jump. Sanga's insanity and treatment of his son is somehow acceptable at the end by everyone, when conveniently the Aunt of Seigi (sp?) shows up. Everything is contrived by the end and nothing is satisfactorily concluded.
This story is a waste of Kenshiro (the star character) who normally is one of the few characters out there in any anime/show/manga, that will deliver final justice to those that truly deserve it. I eagerly look forward to his death dealing to those villains that the story builds up, as very few other shows allow their star to step out of the politically correct 'life-sparing' frame of mind. The end of this OVA robs the viewer of seeing a despicable villain being killed at Kenshiro's hands, and leaves us with his own rape victim in tears mourning him.
Overall the whole thing, melodramatic and violent as Fist of the North Star is, could not be upheld by the characterization. I wasted my money on this. If you really want to see Fist of the North Star, I advise finding the original series. For me, my whole interest in Fist of the North Star has been destroyed."

Your better off buying this complete set

Keith A. Jones | Philadelphia PA | 01/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This box set is perfect for any fan of this series. This show is pretty good but lacking a couple of things you can't really put your finger on but you can just tell is missing. Besides that this is a very exciting and edgy anime box set. If you've seen the series on the anime network and you enjoyed and want to watch it over and over again then this is a smart box to get.

You save about 80 bucks for a series that isn't really worth that much. The style of animation goes together very well with this type of fighting because it shows the ruggedness that is trying to be put across. The violence is a bit crazy but after a while it gets old and you get use to it. The only thing terribly wrong here is that the main character kills everyone the same way, nothing ever changes so you know what's going to happen before it happens. You think since he is skilled with the knowledge of a pressure point fighting technique he would do some different moves to defeat his opponents.

This is a good series but this box makes it worth getting because you save so much you might get tired of some things before the story ends but it's still worth some time. Maybe if this becomes a series they'll think of fixing their mistakes cause New Fist has a lot of potential."

Completely missed the point.

A. Park | 09/26/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I don't own this boxed set, though I've seen this series, and as a Fist of the North Star fan, I became angry and sad after watching it. If you're a fan, you'll probably react the same way. Note that this review contains SPOILERS, but considering how terrible this series is, I'm probably doing you a favor by giving you the high points so that you can move on to something better.

To begin with, the creators of this new series totally missed the point(s) of the original. While the original (and "real") Hokuto No Ken was about how one man with godlike power acts as a force for justice in a chaotic world, the new series includes "extreme" close-ups of realistic blood and guts (which were always blurred or off-color in the original TV series, not just because they were meant for younger viewers, but also because the villains' deaths were meant to be symbolic, rather than gruesome and terrifying). The new series has several gratuitous close-ups of brains flying out of nostrils and other ridiculous garbage. It's also shamelessly exploitative and features a totally unrealistic, brainless ninny of a female lead who, aside from serving the purpose of pandering with her nearly-naked body shown from every theoretically titillating angle, exists only to be taken advantage of in every sense (including physically). Otherwise, the characterization is extremely weak and the plot and pacing are all over the place. About the only thing they got right is that this Kenshiro guy is really strong, and people are scared of him.

The new series' primary "villain" is totally uncharismatic and is also a thinly-veiled ripoff of the equally unlikeable Shachi character from the Hokuto No Ken 2 TV series. For the sake of the new series' story, he's pitted against Kenshiro as some kind of equal, even though Kenshiro should, by all rights, completely annihilate him.

The series makes a few feeble attempts to tie into the original story--in the first 5 minutes or so of the first OVA, it's revealed that Raoh had a biological son whom Kenshiro makes his successor. This mysterious child then hurries off into the wasteland, never to be seen again, and that's about it. From then on, we see even more "new" scions of the Hokuto style (a fighting style that the original TV series suggested was highly secret and inimitable--but which led to offshoots in the second TV series, which was not-coincidentally when the Hokuto series and license unequivocally jumped the shark), unsympathetic civilian victims, the aforementioned unrealistically exploited female lead (who, against all reason, forgives the "villain" the trespass of sexual assault), and a limp and meaningless final battle. If you're a Fist of the North Star fan, or even if you're not, do yourself a favor and steer clear of this garbage."

Over the top extreme violence... and nostalgia.

Matthew Last | Mclean, VA | 10/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been watching the various Fist of the North Star animes that have come out over the years. TV series.. a movie...
This not only takes me back, but it just rocks. It's less campy than the 80s television series, and the animation is topnotch.
Badass to the extreme!! A+ for fans of this genre."