Search - New Fist of the North Star/Neo Tokyo on DVD

A little something for everyone

Daniel J. Zelter | L.A. | 03/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whether you like brainy or brawny styles of entertainment, you won't be disappointed with this collection.

Neo Tokyo is a classic anthology from the (then) emerging talent of Yoshiaki Kawajiri[Ninja Scroll, X: TV, Highlander: Search for Vengeance], the accomplished director Rin Taro [Metropolis, Galaxy Express 999, Harlock, Dagger of Kamui, X: The Movie], and the hit manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo [Akira, Memories, Spriggan]. Rin Taro starts off the film with "Labyrinth", which features a gothic and psychedelic take on Alice in Wonderland in the vein of Coraline. It's mysterious, but charming, in its somber but whimsical explorations of a curious girl. Kawajiri takes the series into a darker direction with his cyberpunk-inspired "Running Man" segment. It features a race-car driver who can't seem to quit his addiction to his car, what with him literally physically connected to it as it he were a computer terminal. An unusually different directorial approach from Kawajiri, Running Man depicts the demise of a proud competitor at the top of his game. The races themselves are also unusual in that they're shown at night with only neon signs to guide the drivers-clearly a race-track the Wachowskis "borrowed" for their take on Speed Racer. Finally, the last segment from Otomo, "The Order to Stop Construction", tries to go back to more lighter fare, although still in the black comedy vein of entertainment. It features a bureaucrat who has to shut down a Latin American-based building project in the middle of the swamp. The problem is that it's so automated that a Terry Gilliam "Brazil"-like automated machine is the only one available to answer to him, and he can't even find it in the mess of tangled wires and parts. A truly wicked throwback to the utopic-inspired visions of the future, it's a short which has more significance in the Internet age than it did when it was first release.

New Fist of the North Star is a sequel/reboot to the series about a wandering martial artist in a post-apocalyptic world who is able to fight back against tougher enemies by tapping into their pressure points and blowing them up. This installment is about a dictator who uses the "healing" powers of a child to prop himself as the priest to a god. As a result, the people of that region are more willing to submit to his brutal regime. Kenshiro manages to overthrow him, but has to contend with his stronger and more vindictive son. If you want more from the "tough guy" genre after Rambo and 300, this OVA series gives you plenty of action for your buck. It features quite a few "ouch" moments, as well. It's definitely not something for the children, but then they have enough anime for themselves nowadays.

Overall, this is a damn good deal, and it might not last forever, so go for it soon."