Erekutorikku Doragon 80000 V

The entire point of comic books was that their art was ragged, untrimmed, spontaneous; artists were usually paid by the page, worked for daily strips, or monthly publications, Superman and Batman were launched in this way. As with the very means, a comic was about a gripping story quicky sketched. So the Hollywood craze with superheroes, bulky, sprawling films shooting for months while a small army of SFX experts are tinkering away at the designs, has directly negated what was so vital about these things in the first place. The apogee of this is the latest Batman films, no longer a product of pulp fiction, but of the most serious aesthetic and drama.

This beats with that primitive heart of comic-books; the DIY ethos, here especially channeled through a scrapyard punk rock aesthetic, and so like punk, the fast, hard-edged rhythms, the stripped-down instrumentation. The teenage energy.

If all this recalls Shunya Tsukamoto, it's because Sogo Ishii was the inspiration. He fathered the No Wave we find in Tetsuo.

Story-wise it's about these two man-technology hybrids, Dragon Eye Morrison and Thunderbolt Buddha, battling for control of the neon skies of Tokyo, for the privilege of harnessing the energies into seeing.

Dragon Eye is unbridled animal desire, pure violent instinct awakened by childhood abuse. Every night he sits down on his bed for shock treatment. He channels the energies back into the world with his electric guitar. The other guy is more intriguing, with the all-encompassing eye of the Buddha that permeates the veils of existence recast as a contemporary, technological eye that eavesdrops everywhere. Wired with industrial gadgetry, he monitors everything from his rooftop. His face is an amazing two-face design; half human, half a metal mask of the Buddha.

When they clash the movie erupts in white-hot blistering chaos, convulsing from the sheer power of the energies unleashed. Anime, punk rock, New Wave cinema, cold cityscapes, the anarchic edge of youth; at 55 minutes it's barely a full movie, but it's a melting pot of awesome.

This is an aggressive Tour de Force in the vein of the early works of Shinya Tsukamoto, while nor sharing the intense body horror of those films or the extreme stand toward sexuality. Two electrified superheros battle for domination in this short (55 min) b/w feature film by Sogo Ishii. Electric Dragon Eye who was superempowered by an accident is capable of communicating with reptiles and releases his amphetamine stridden electronic energy by playing electric guitar on the streets. He is provoked by another stud the Thunderbold Buddha that is wearing a split mask over his head. Superfast cut Comic action combined with the sound of Ishiis own band Mach.167 culminates in a furious battle on the rooftop of a japanese megalopolis. Its Cyberpunk and definitely related to digital hardcore music or Alec Empire.

Waauu... you gotta love this visual stunning,loud and berserk jewel of a movie. Sogo Ishii has created a masterpiece with obviosly influences from

Shinya Tsukamoto's "Tetsuo" spiced with a bit of "Wild Zero"

Tadanobu Asano last seen in "ichi the killer". plays the hero "Dragon eye morrison", a punk with a mad history of violence.He was heavily overdosed with electro-shock therapy throughout most of his life to try and eliminate his over-agressive kickass animalistic tendencies,which has now left him with a charged 80,000 volts of electricity body!! And when he gets p***ed... His only outlets for his violent frustrations are his guitar..

Masatoshi Nagase is the villain "Thundebolt Buddha"who as a kid was struck by lightning whilst climbing a pylon... He got charged up with 20 million volts of electricity,and half of his body is now encased in gold/metal to earth him. For some reason "Thundebolt Buddha" decides to pick a fight with

"Dragon eye morrison" and starts winding him up to the max of the voltmeter, wich leads to the big clash of electric power on top of tokyo. Electric Dragon 80.000 V is a hillarious,intense very loud and visually flawless piece of work.And it seems theese two guys are tailermade for the role's....It comes highly recommended and in my opinion an instant modern cult classic!

Tadanobu Asano's middle name is COOL.

This one's a visual treat. If you've seen Tetsuo: Iron Man, you'll be familiar with the breakneck cuts, but there's less of the "biting down on aluminum foil" effect you get from Tetsuo. Asano just flows into his character who's has one of the best morning routines I've ever seen. I don't even want to describe his scenes, but they're a hoot to watch. The black and white definitely gives the movie a more gritty, almost kinetic feel. Effects are great without overkill and there's so much style onscreen giving ED8V its unique energy. Just watch the quick dialogue flashes and you feel the adrenaline laced coaster ride.

ED8V definitely flows and the movie pretty much keeps you glued throughout. Definitely rewatchable as there's a lot to pick up on that you have missed the first time.

A 55-minute hyperkinetic descent into electro-charged madness, Electric Dragon 80.000 V is a virtually plotless, overly-extended music video playing like a punk rock shock to the brain. Championing kinetic anarchy and raw aggression, the film's underground visual style with its high contrast black and white cinematography and bizarre imagery set to an overwhelming eardrum-shattering industrial noise soundtrack will certainly have its fans. I can't deny that the film is a wildly unique piece of eye candy, often with fast-cutting sequences filled with flashes of electricity and surging power within our characters, not to mention the wild guitar-playing sequences. Having that high contrast crisp monochrome look, Electric Dragon plays like a manga come to its fullest realisation, a visual and aural marvel, shot and edited with boundless energy and style, and yet I'm still left wanting more.