Yôjû toshi

I wouldn't profess to be an anime "fan". I certainly watch it, and own a few British released videos, but I don't go to conventions or run down to Forbidden Planet every week looking for the latest import. The reason? Cultural differences mean a lot of high-end anime is perhaps confusing and a little boring for us westerners (see Akira and Ghost in the Shell). But not Wicked City. Just like Ninja Scroll, this dispenses with theological and spiritual issues in favour of gore, guns and shagging. Written and directed by the same guy, this is similar to Ninja Scroll, with the same superhuman themes and forbidden love interest. And I love it. Call me shallow, but I've been brought up on a diet of in-yer-face culture, and the Japanese prevalence to dwell on life and self-worth don't interest me in the slightest, at least not when I watch videos. Wicked City has the meanest gun IN THE WORLD, an amusing old man (a trademark of the director I fear) and people in smart black suits. O.K, the final battle is classically confusing, but not a day goes by when I don't yell "Fu**ing monsters!" at the top of my voice. An utterly enjoyable romp, and one that's always a pleasure to watch on the Sci-Fi Channel.

If you're a fan of classics like Ninja Scroll or Akira, you'll likely get a kick out of Wicked City. It's your typical extreme 80's anime. Twisted story, great action, tons of nudity and sex, and some memorable characters. The art style still holds up wonderfully.

Wicked City is one of my favorite anime movies of all time, and here's why: if this movie didn't have a solid plot, it'd be hentai. As it is, it's borderline hentai. But what makes it so radically different is that the adult content is weaved in with the plot - there's only one scene of sex that has no pertinence to the story. This movie was ingeniously done. Solid story, great eye candy.

'Wicked City' isn't the worst film that I have ever seen. It just wasn't enjoyable. For its director, Yoshiaka Kawajiri to now be considered a "visionary" anime director with his film 'Program' in the recent 'Animatrix' anthology, he can't be a total loss, his other films since 1989 maybe a lot better than 'Wicked City'.

But to the film. 'Wicked City' sees Taki, a member of the secret organization the Black Guards assigned to protect Dr. Mayart whose job it is to oversee the renewal of a treaty between Earth and the Demon World. As the mainstream movie-dom cliche tends to go, Taki who works alone is immediately paired with Mackie, a seductive Black Guard who hails from the mysterious Demon World. Together, Mackie and Taki protect Dr. Mayart from Demon World extremists (of course) out to stop the treaty from taking place.

In my experience, there are two types of anime. Really good anime and really bad anime. Unfortunately, 'Wicked City' falls into the latter category. In amongst the obligatory gratuitous violence which people have come to expect from action movies, the film has lingering scenes of gang rape and segments of the fights look like something out of a tentacle hentai movie which almost made me throw up.

'Wicked City' is not redeemed by what becomes the standard two-heroes-protecting-witness/diplomat storyline. Dr. Mayart, who is like Yoda with nymphomania is extremely dislikable, and the eye-rollingly bad sexual tension between Taki and Mackie seems only to be there to fill in time between cardboard sex scenes between the pair. The treaty sub-plot doesn't gel at least for me. Why is it that only people from the Demon World want to overthrow the treaty? So much for the political intrigue.

I don't get disgusted by a simple action film, but I do get disgusted by an overly simple action film that reeks of mysoginy and pervertedness. It was for those reasons that 'Wicked City' was so unenjoyable. I'll be able to forgive Yoshiaka Kawajiri for 'Wicked City' if his latest film 'Program' exceeds 'Wicked City' in quality. O *'s out of 5 from me.

Wicked City is a strange Japanese film that follows many of the same tropes of a standard issue biopunk anime. However, it's warped, graphic and unapologetically sexual, almost crossing the line into hentai territory. Many of the characters are contrived and stereotypical anime archetypes and the story is hardly memorable but the film itself has enough clever animation and action to make it watchable.

It was definitely a good time killer, especially since I knew nothing about it beforehand. If you've seen Akira and want something in that vain, you'll find this digestible. If you don't like things like that, stay far away.

B-