I cannot call myself a connoisseur of Anime or Manga comic books. I probably haven't tried a new Japanese animation film on for size since viewing the re-issue(?)of Princess Mononoke in 2000(a beautifully filmed movie,even if it's perhaps a cold and detached story,IMO BTW),but I was always struck by the complex characters,awesome graphics,unique(to the point of bizarre)storyline and the stunning attention to physical details of the human bodies in this film,among the other anime offerings I've seen.
The story of Yo,a Japnese artist who is kidnapped by the HOng KOng-based 108 Dragons and re-educated to become an assassin, has the twist that while he's an almost perfect killer,he still has enough conscience left in his otherwise re-programmed brain that he sheds tears whenever he kills. His encounter of Emu,a bright,sensitive yet lonely 29 year-old virgin becomes far too difficult of an assignment for him when his compassion for her(inspired by seeing a vision of himself coming to kill her that SHE'S painted)combines with his attraction for her. Soon,she becomes an unwitting and yet willing tag-along on his missions,as he seeks to un-fetter himself from his mental prison.
FAr too strong a material for kiddies,this movie is otherwise an enthralling crime drama/love story/action-adventure. Good luck trying to find this at a conventional video store,as enough years have passed and probably a limited amount of copies of this movie(has it even made it to DVD yet)have been circulating stateside.This film could even make believers out of non-Anime enthusiasts,like(I suppose)myself.
