World Famous Comics: New Fist of the North Star (Vol. 1)
New Fist of the North Star (Vol. 1)
Starring: Fist of the North Star Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Adv Films Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 21, 2004 Running Time: 55 minutes Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Description: A twist to the classic favorite that begins in the aftermath of the great apocalypse, across a barren Earth, chaos is the rule, and order the exception with bandits and enterprising overlords terrorizing the survivors of the holocaust. Will a hero rise from the ashes and cut a swath of justice across the Earth's ruined landscape? In the aftermath of Kenshiro’s attack on the citadel of Last Land, the boy known as Lord Doha falls deathly ill. Sara’s prognosis is dire: only a few days before death takes him. The serum to save his life is a two days’ drive each way. When pressed by Kenshiro, Sara admits there is a shorter path… but it runs through Cliffland, a land haunted by demons who practice a mysterious killing technique. Fates collide as Kenshiro takes up the quest and departs for Cliffland. Suddenly, another mysterious martial artist arrives in Last Land, pursued by two of the dreaded Clifflanders. The fighter gives his name as Seiji and vows to take all that Sanga has owned. The balance of power is once again thrown into chaos as fist is pitted against fist in a struggle to see whose justice will prevail. Meanwhile, Sara anxiously waits for Kenshiro to return… if he returns at all.
Amazon.com: Twenty years after the initial program debuted, a new team is continuing the long-running series, Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken, literally Ken the Great Bear Fist, 1984). Except for the computer-generated motorcycles and special effects, the new Fist of the North Star is very close to the original. Stallone look-alike Kenshiro, the heir to the Hokuto Shinken school of martial arts, wanders the post-apocalyptic Earth, righting wrongs and making villains' heads explode. His new sidekicks are Tobi, an information dealer; Tobi's mute, amnesiac younger brother, Bista; and Sara, a woman who uses Hokuto Shinken techniques to heal the sick. Ken protects settlers from petty despots and Mad Max-style gangs of motorcycle-riding bodybuilders: The world may have been devastated by a nuclear holocaust, but there are still ample supplies of gasoline, tires, and steroids. (Rated 17 and older: graphic violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon
Kenshiro is back! and also something special for Gackt fans! I remember over a decade ago, when I first watched the "Hokuto no Ken" (Fist of the Northstar) film. It was definitely one of the coolest, darkest and violent anime I have ever seen. And through reading the manga on "Shonen Jump", many of my friends during those old school days couldn't get enough of the series.
Definitely a staple in the history of Japanese anime and manga, the series has captivated audiences in different parts of the world.
In the early 1980's, the manga sold 60 million copies in five languages, worldwide.
The manga series created by Buronson (writer) and Hara Tetsuo (artists) spawned two hit television series, two animated feature films and one live action movie.
It's been a very long time but Kenshiro is back!
The series returns with a three volume original animation DVD release from ADV Films based on a novel by Buronson which takes place after the last series and films were done. Buronson wanted fans to know what has happened with Kenshiro since the TV/manga series.
In the first volume titled "The Cursed City", the focus is on the "Lost Land". Continuing the theme of a land devastated by war, water is very difficult to come by that many men trade their wives or daughters for water with Sanga, the merciless lord of the City of Lost Land.
Of course, there are a group who are rebellious against Sanga and his minions and they live in the "Village of Freedom".
This is where two of the lead characters are from. Tobi who sells information (like where to find good water) to villagers, always wonders if his little brother Bista ever survived the war and the woman he loves, Sara, the healer of the village uses pressure point techniques similar to Kenshiro's "Hokuto Shinken" techniques.
As for our main protagonist, Kenshiro, the heir of the The Fist of the North Star has had enough of Sanga and his minions and what they have done with the Lost Land by murdering, enslaving and causing fear to the villagers.
Let's just say that the last thing anyone wants to do is mess with Kenshiro, so to say the least, volume 1 of the new series makes up one exciting story line that leads up to an awesome battle between Kenshiro and Sanga.
For those familiar with the series, there is definitely enough violence and mayhem to definitely keep "Fist of the North Star" with its roots.
As for the voice acting, although there is a new Japanese voice actor for Kenshiro, the voice acting in my opinion is perfect. From Kenshiro's stoic voice to his trademark "yah-yah-yah-yah-yah".
For English dub fans, I can say that you won' t be disappointed because the voice acting is also very well done in this series.
As for sound, as always, the English track has a 5.1 mix but I was very stoked (and I must admit...a little shocked) to hear the Japanese track with a 5.1 mix. A definite plus for those who enjoy watching with the original Japanese dialogue. The audio and to hear explosions going from different directions via your home theater system is always a blast.
For J!-ENT fans, the special features include a treat for fans of Gackt.
The rock vocalist (former lead singer of visual kei band, Malice Mizer, now soloist) and popular television personality is featured in the press conference (along with Buronson and Hara) regarding his role as a voice actor of Seiji and singing the ending theme song for the anime series.
In interviews, Gackt is not exactly the most talkative, Japanese media knows that, so it's interesting how they try to extract as much from him as possible. Very interesting to say the least.
There is also an interview with the American dub voice actors regarding their feelings of the series and their characters.
Also, a very interesting addition to the special features is an interview with Relson Gracie of Jiu Jitsu Sensei regarding the martial arts of "New Fist of the North Star".
The martial arts pro discusses the usage of pressure points and a comparison with the anime and reality and answers questions such as "can pressure on those multiple pressure points cause someone's head to explode like in the anime?"
On the second volume titled "The Forbidden Fist" after what transpired on volume 1, the story continues with Lord Doha (Bista) who is near death and the only way to keep him alive is by getting a certain type of medication. Unfortunately, the only way to get that is going through the Clifflands, a land haunted by demons who practice a mysterious killing technique.
Only one man is tough enough to go through that challenge, so Kenshiro leaves the Lost Land while another mysterious man of power named Seiji tries to move in and take control.
This volume focuses on Kenshiro and the martial arts of Hokuto and Hokumen but also on Seiji and why he is such a bastard.
Obviously, this volume is the bridge setting up for the explosive final volume which leaves me highly anticipating a battle between Kenshiro and Seiji. I can't wait!
As for the special features on volume 2, fans will be happy to know that there is another interesting featurette at Gackt's first major voice acting role (Seiji) and the media's attempt to get him to talk about his role. And in case if you were wondering, they do succeed. Also, it was quite interesting to see Gackt go to the voice recording room with two bodyguards which prompted a question from media about that. Very interesting!
Also, a look at behind the scenes of the American voice actors during their recording and an interview with Michael Zang of Jai Yen Yen Street Combat & Self Defense System showing comparisons with the animation and reality.
Both volumes feature the character bios and ADV previews. The return of Kenshiro and the "Fist of the North Star" series was definitely a treat for many fans and so far, I have been enjoying the story line and the visuals of the anime.
You don't necessarily have to watch the previous TV series (released by Manga Entertainment), watch the animated or live version of the film or read the manga (released by Viz) to understand the story line of the new OAV's but if you did, it would help you understand Kenshiro's powers and also the scars on his chest. Also, I think you would enjoy this "New Fist of the North Star" even more. But on its own, without previous knowledge of the series, I have no doubt in my mind that you will enjoy the new series.
One thing I also want to bring up is that "New Fist of the North Star" is definitely not meant for youngsters and there are some gruesome fighting sequences as well as nude scenes, thus the 17+ rating.
As for those of you who were big fans of the original series or want to see watch a very well done anime action series, you won't be disappointed with "New Fist of the North Star".
A definite must have for the collection of anime action fans. It truly rocks!
Better Animation but bad story The original didn't have the best animation or voice overs but at least it had an effective plot, original martial arts violence caught your attention, and it struck you with a deep philosophical premise- very Kurosawa- Put down the violence for a greater good. In this New version you find better animation and sequences such as fast moving camera shots and cleaner coloration and editing but the story is just flat out boring. You get Ken and we have all seen him in the first story die and rise with cool enemies like Shin and others. In this new one Volume 1- You get this big buff King who is just a big wuss- absolutely no match for him. The actual plot development is about as meaningless as it gets. The usual bad guy takes power and manipulates the public and kidnaps somebody, Ken must defeat him. Even the fighting is just what we've seen before- heads blowing up. Theres no deep philosophy about non-violence and its effective use in a greater good. The key for me in something new is the story, plot, or character development. There is nothing New in the New Fist of the North Star that you haven't seen before and the animation compared to some other films is just a joke. It really had to do with budget I'm sure I would advise people to check it out though if your a fan or go to the original.
Waist of time for eagar Kenshiro fans When I first heard about the new Fist series I was so excited. That excitement turned into extreme disappointment after watching the first and second episodes. It seems that Tetuso Hara and Brunson had absolutely nothing to do with this series. The animation is devoid of the heavy lines and shadowed figures that silently conveyed a sense of danger and despair in the original series and the movie. The Story is pure garbage, with all of the different story lines available this anime makes one question why it was produced in the first place.
In the original you cheer for kenshiro as he dishes out just deserts. You know Fist of the North Star is unbeatable but when a new technique is used on villains you get your emotional rewards 10 fold.
I read somewhere that not one but TWO new Fist of the North Star movies are being made, I hope they don't follow the path of this anime!
The third chapter that should have never made it I'm a huge fan of Hokuto no Ken series since the early 80's and I was very disappointed when I saw this series. Everything seems made to be a mere marketing operation. The 3D scenes don't always match match correctly with 2D, the animation is not so good, the plot is a bit boring and the new voice of Kenshiro is much worse than the original one by Akira Kamiya.
Not familiar but good I bought this in Japan and am now enjoying the view. Yes I agree that it was much better in terms of it's animation than the original, but it was made in the Slam Dunk era so you really can't say that the original had terrible animation. For it's time it was cutting edge. It's a problem I've been having when I try to show the original to friends. The story however seems to have lost a little of it's appeal. I mean the making of justice while using force to stop force was kinda the point. I kinda knew from the beginning that Fist would never be popular enough in the US because the message makes no sense to many Western minds. I was raised on the original series so it's kinda steeped deep into my thinking. Two things need to be known about the voice acting. First and foremost it was a creative decision to change Ken's voice actor. The director thought that his voice needed a bit more maturity than previous. Second Gackt doing the voice of Seiji is important. He was brought into the series to increase the popularity right off the bat. If you don't know who Gackt is you can always do a google search or watch Moon Child. This was only meant to be something to chew on for now. When I say that I mean that the most popular series only continue MANY years after they have originally "died" Saint Seiya just finished recently. I think it's been 10 years. Hellsing is continuing soon but not until the comic is finished. #7 just came out here. There are supposed to be 10. So in reality it's just something small for us to use for now. In that sense I'm happy with it. It's well done for it's era and acceptable as an off path to the story. Perhaps someday Ken will become like his father Ryuken and fall victim to another chaotic time... but that's one of the things about the philosophy. The circle only continues with each step forward. Ryu will someday be the successor and maybe he will be like his father or maybe more like his uncles. In either case Hokuto Shinken will live on and so will the idea that the series can be made again and again. Just look at the blue sky series or any series on martial arts. They all borrow something from Fist. So in short this is for those who are fans of Anime only. Especially those who love the computer generation Anime Style of Ghost in the Shell and such. It's not a very good introduction to the world of Anime but pick your viewers wisely and you never know what might happen. BTW... This is not the continuation of the end of the US released original. For the rest of that you'll need to get a knockoff off of the usual sites. Watch that first and your appreciation for this one will appear. If you're willing to fork out the $150 that is.
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