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Wicked City Review

In a world of humans which we live in and a dimension called The Black World run by bizarre shape-shifting beings whom have been secretly living with each other's sides for a thousand years. There has been peace between the two worlds yet it has been broken as a group of shapeshifting cretins called The Radicals from the opposite side start to make bizarre murders, there has been an assigned treaty for inter-dimensional peace between both worlds yet The Radicals wants to prevent that from happening. Top agent Taki whom happens to be your basic human agent is joined with beautiul black world agent Makie who can make amazing laser-like claws at will for weapons have a duty to protect a 200 year old peacekeeper named Giuseppi Mayart from assassins. Only one problem, Mayart is just a stubborn old sex crazed dude and he is the only one that can make peace between both worlds but how can can both Makie and Taki protect this man from the Radicals?

Bizarre and exciting 1987 Japanese animated horror/sci-fi/fantasy flick from the director of "Ninja Scroll" known as Yoshiaki Kawajiri is one of the most unusual and overlooked anime movies around. The animation is very good, the storyline is kind of complicated and is loaded with nudity, sex, gory violence and some humor as well. Makie is simply a gorgeous anime character guaranteed to arouse some anime fanboys, it's nowhere as excellent as Kawajiri's "Ninja Scroll" or "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" for that matter but it's still an enjoyable and nasty bit of Japanese animation.

This DVD has good picture and sound quuality with both English language and Japanese language with English Subtitle audio. The extras include trailers to this and other Urban Vision anime, biographies of the characters, interview with the director and Weblink.

Also recommended: "Ninja Scroll", "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend", "Ichi The Killer", "Akira", "Ghost in The Shell", "The Professional: Golgo 13", "Grindhouse", "Kite", "Lifeforce", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Vampire Hunter D", "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", "Fist of the North Star", "X The Movie", "Sin City", "Re-Animator", "The X-Files: Fight the Future", "Men in Black", "Heavy Metal" and "Perfect Blue".

Wicked City Overview

There is Earth, our familiar world, and then there is the Black World, a parallel dimension that very few are aware of. For centuries, a pact between the two worlds has been observed to maintain peace, but terms must be renegotiated to continue the relative harmony. Taki of the human world and Makie of the Black World, two agents of the elite organization known as the Black Guards, defenders of the balance between the two worlds, are charged with insuring the success of the treaty against all threats.

Wicked City Specifications

The premise of Wicked City has been used in a number of other anime features, including Legend of the Overfiend: Earth is linked to a parallel world of demons, whose inhabitants can cross the barrier separating the planets. Dashing Taki Renzaburo, a secret agent assigned to handle invaders from the "Black World," finds himself partnered with Makie, a gorgeous Black World woman. Their assignment: to protect Giuseppe Mayart, a bigwig coming to Tokyo to sign a 500-year peace treaty between the worlds. Mayart, who typifies the sniggering, diminutive lechers who often turn up in anime, hardly seems to warrant all this bother. Protecting him draws Taki and Makie into a series of exceedingly violent encounters with "radicals" from the Black World who oppose the treaty, including their shape-shifting, unkillable leader and a spider-woman with fanged genitalia. Blood and gore fly amid scenes of rape, torture, shootings, slashings, and exploding bodies. Yoshiaki Kawajiri directs skillfully, although the simian Mayart never blends into the realistic world of the film. Wicked City was a landmark work when it was released in 1987, and it retains a cult following. But many subsequent features--notably Mamoru Oshii's darkly brilliant Ghost in the Shell--have eclipsed it. Not rated; suitable for ages 18 and up for nudity, sexual situations, profanity, rape, violence, grotesque imagery, and violence against women. --Charles Solomon

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Customer Reviews

Truly Wicked....Not for the Timid - Justice For Humanity -
Wicked City is an animated film aimed at ADULTS with a MATURE MINDSET. Do not come into this movie expecting "Sponge Bob", "Pokemon", "Mickey Mouse" or even "Justice League animation with Superman & Batman".

Here's a break down of my ratings for the movie:

ANIMATION: 9/10

STORY: 6/10

CHARACTER DESIGN: 9/10

IMAGINATION & VISUALS: 8/10

So, OVERALL: 8/10

If you're already familiar Japanese Animation then the elements in this movie may be nothing new to you. But if you are a new comer then this movie may surprise you, shock you, or even offend you. But thank God for "Freedom of Speech" and "Freedom of Expression" because that is what WICKED CITY excels at with its presentations of horror, imaginative visuals, and story telling.

I first watched this film back in the mid-1990's when Japanese Animation was just getting its over due recognition in the United States. One of the great things about Japanese animation is that there are literally all Genre's within the realm of animation. There exist comedies, love stories, action, science fiction, mecha, dramas, martial arts....etc. This film happens to be an adult-themed horror/science fiction movie. If you like variety in the movies and animated films that you watch then this will be an interesting film for you.

But be warned, it lives up to its title of being TRULY WICKED. (For Open-Minded Viewers Only)

AMAZON'S REVIEW RE 'FANGED GENITALIA' WASN'T OVERSTATEMENT - Roy Clark - Edge of Toiyabe Nat'l Forest, NV
. . . it was just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing graphic, or objectionably too-realistic (pornographic) but prurient in an adolescent way. The dated but still good animation cuts down an X-rating to a light R. Dubbing, which one reviewer dinged, seemed fine to me; actually the inflection and 'acting' was pretty good. I was entertained, with not a few smirks throughout.

One of the better animes within this soft-porn/action genre. Could've been a pretty good movie; the CGI treatment would be interesting to see. If anyone wants to see a Japanese movie of this sort, see ICHI THE KILLER or FUDOH.

Wicked City --- It's totally wicked!!!!!!! - Marco Gallardo - Sacramento, CA
This anime is great. I first saw it on pay-per-view years ago and got the vhs format. I finally upgraded my colletion & all I needed was "Wicked City". Now it is complete. It is worth the $$$$$$. Go see it. This is "NOT" a kids moive.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 24, 2010 17:33:04

Animation

Tuesday, August 24, 2010