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New Fist of the North Star Vol. 2: The Forbidden Fist
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I wasn't sure that the OVA, the New Fist
of the North Star, was going to be something that I was terribly
impressed with at first. It was a bit different than the Fist that I was
so familiar with, and I can honestly say that my wife, who grew up
watching the series on Japanese television, was even less pleased with
what had been done to Kenshiro. However, after watching the first volume,
we discovered that even though there were some minor things that we didn't
care for, it really wasn't as bad as we had thought that it was. Much like
the television series, the second volume of the series, "The Forbidden
Fist," continues with the story that was introduced previously.
In case you missed the first however, the producers took that into
consideration and you'll find a brief recap of what has already happened.
Kenshiro finds himself in Last Land, an area that was once ruler by the
devious Sango, and true to form, Kenshiro has managed to free the citizens
of the land from his oppression and tyranny. If you're familiar with how
Fist of the North Star works however, then you already know that
Kenshiro's victory doesn't mean that the problems are over.
Bista, how the citizens of Last Land believed was the God Lord Doha, has
an illness that is life threatening, and has very little time left to
live. Sara, another of the city's "gods" and another practitioner of
Hokuto Shinken, knows that there is a medicine that will cure him; the
location is too far away, although there is a possible solution. The
mountain pass will get to the destination quicker, and Kenshiro volunteers
to make the journey, but the one thing that he must be wary of the
Clifflanders, a mysterious group of people that have a deadly martial art
of their own.
While Kenshiro is away though, Seiji has been waiting for the right time
to take Last Land as his own. Sango was his father, but it isn't revenge
for his father's death that he wants. He actually had intended on doing
the job himself, and that's thanks to the training that he received from
the Clifflanders after being abandoned by his father. Ironically enough,
Kenshiro learns that the Clifflander fist, Hokuto Tenkiken or Hokumon, is
an offshoot of Hokuto Shinken. But, this is going to ultimately put his up
against a deadly foe as Seiji is now in full control of Last Land with no
one to oppose him, save for the rebellion that Tobi has started.
Much of this episode is set up, but it's very well done. In fact, I
actually am starting to think that the New Fist has a much better and
thought out story than the original series did and I hope that this
becomes an on-going series, either as an OVA or even as a new television
series. It's more than just action this time, and the characters are much
more likable most of the time. Even Kenshiro seems to have much more
personality instead of simply being a cardboard hero who fights at the
drop of a hat. We even see a bit of compassion from him in this episode,
sparring the life of an opponent instead of using the standard "you're
already dead" line and following up with an exploding head. It's an
evolution with the character in my opinion, and one that was definitely
needed.
It's important to note as well that Fist of the North Star, for
those that will be watching this in Japanese, marks the debut of Gackt, a
former member of the Japanese band Malice Mizer. I'm going to be upfront
that I'm not a fan of Gackt in the least, and have found him to be
somewhat annoying, but as a voice actor, he does a fantastic job for his
first time. There have been quite a few musicians though that have turned
to voice acting, or the other way around, and I'm sure this won't be the
last time that we see his name appear in the credits beyond just song
credit.
And, if can't get enough of Gackt, then you'll be happy to know that
there's an interview with his included in the extras regarding this first
appearance in an anime. It's fairly informative and gives a look behind
the scenes, but I'm still not impressed with him as far as personality
goes. Speaking of behind the scenes, you fans of the dubbed versions of
anime will find another look at things at ADV for the production of the
English version of the series. It's not necessarily something that I'm
inclined to watch, but fans will enjoy it I'm sure. An interesting
addition here though is an interview with Michael Zang from the Jai Yen
Yen School of Martial Arts. Michael shows us some of the techniques of the
school, but there's also an interview talking about the art of
self-defense itself. It's rather unexpected, but it does make perfect
sense to have here. Lastly, you will find character bios for all of the
important figures in this volume.
The New Fist of the North Star is certainly a change from the
original 1980's version, but I think that fans of the old are going to
appreciate the new. I also am very aware that there are some that have
hated the series, having only seen the first series, but this really might
be the thing to make you think otherwise. It's not nearly as repetitive,
and with the fanfare around other series such as Dragonball Z or
Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya for you Japanese only fans)
the New Fist of the North Star is the type of series that fits in
very well for fans of the fighting genre. At least give it a half a
chance. I'm sure many of you will be quite pleased with what you see.
-mike-
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Genre:
Action
Directed by:
Takashi Watanabe
Written by:
Nobuhiko Horie & Hiroshi Toda
Based Upon the Manga by:
Buronson & Tetsuo Hara
Original Japanese Title:
Shin
Hokuto No Ken
Voice Cast:
Takehito Koyasu (Kenshiro)
Yurika Hino (Sara)
Akimitsu Takase (Tobi)
Unshou Ishizuka (Sanga)
Gackt (Seji)
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DVD
Features:
Dual Language
Japanese/English
English
Subtitles
Behind the Anime - Voice Actor Interviews
Interview with Gackt
Interview with Michael
Zang
Character Bios
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