Great Hero, Great Villains, & Rescuing the Girl & Planet I love this movie because of the story. Sure the animation is good, but this is a classic about saving the woman and the Earth. It shows how humans become barbarians when civilization breaks down, and takes things to the extreme, even owning flowers becomes a crime. There are many types of real evil in this movie, and also many types of pure nobleness, and even though the ending is kind of an abrupt change, once that music kicks in it kills me everytime.
memories arent always fond when i watched this as a kid i thought it was such an awesome animated movie then i grew up and seen it online and thought i had to have it and bought it and it turned out to be kinda boring or not as good as it was when i was younger-strange how that is.
Takin' it waaay back Fist of the Northstar is one of the very first anime that I saw. And it's one of the biggest reasons I'm into anime today. This is a great start for anyone new to anime who cherishs blood and guts with a cheesy story.
It has a decent enough story but it's the over the top violence that sells this one. Nobody I know even cares to remember the story. The battles were the bloodiest I ever seen at that time and up to today there's few that can match this one. The main character Ken practices a martial art that completely obliterates his enemies and there's others like him. The fights are furious and vicious. Most action buffs will eat this up. I will admit that this movie needs to be remastered.
This anime came out at the perfect time. The old style gritty animation and soundtrack fits this movie perfectly. This is still one of the most talked about action anime ever. This isn't for the types looking for a very deep thought driven story. Don't come into this looking for Miyazaki. Expect Ninja Scroll type killin's. But not the small bit of fan service. It's non existent here.
were there still steroids after the apocolypse? a long time ago two movies got me hooked on anime. vampire hunter D was the first and this was the second. some fifteen years later i still enjoy watching them both. don't make the mistake of thinking older anime isn't as good as the newer titles. a lot of the time they are better.
"You're already dead!" This post apocalyptic story is amazing and like the reviewer above, was the first Anime I had ever seen and what got me into them in the first place.
First off, Kenshiro is an awesome character. He is tough as nails, goes through the villains in the story like a knife through butter, but is full of wisdom while still managing to entertain with his tag line, "You're already dead!".
The story, in a shorthand, mankind uses nuclear power to destroy ourselves on our own planet. The remaining people are in a constant struggle where money and such has no value, yet food and water are better than gold. The world now is in a scarred and dying state, and the people who remain are in a constant state of "The weak will die and the strong shall survive and take from the weak."
Ken, who was betrayed by his best friend, left for dead and his love Julia taken from him, is thrown off a cliff and thought to be dead.
A girl who is a mute thanks to watching her family get burned alive, summons Ken through a link she has with him and he brings hell to his enemies. That is just a shorthand of the plot not to spoil it for those who want to see it. Plus, you can read above more about the story if you so desire.
It is VERY gory, lots of limbs getting ripped off, eyeballs flying, heads exploding, and blood that rains down all over the place. But, even with the fairly familiar plot (ala Mad Max) and the violence, the film manages to capture not only human weaknesses and strengths, it also captures a believable new world where constant remains of the world are seen. In one seen, a group of thugs kill a group of people who are traveling, and you see them stealing the food and water and throwing the money and jewelery aside, showing that they are no longer valuable unlike the world of today. The extremely violent scenes are shown in a bright, blurry fashion, which a lot of people complain about, but you still know what happens and you can still see it. I think the creators did this for two reasons, one because it's violent enough, and two because the deaths are supposed to be symbolic not a gore showcase. Probably it's both!
The animation quality is pretty good, seen better and much worse. The fight scenes can range from great, to short, to just plain hilarious. But, Ken is an awesome character and you would not want to be one of those who are against him. This is a must see, whether you are a fan of the comics, the original TV series, or the newer series.
The bad parts are some of the cheesy lines, and most importantly the end. It's a big cliff hanger, it just shows Ken walking around trying to find Julia all over the world while he keeps imagining glimpses of her picking apples from a tree and such. The biggest problem is not everything makes sense, especially translated in English. You miss a big part where Ken goes from being left for dead to where he comes back and is summoned by the little girl.
Could have ended much better but if you like action, gore, or just want to see a great Anime, look no further!
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
