Chôjin densetsu Urotsukidôji: Hôrô hen

Urotsukidoji, what happened? You used to be so cool back in the day! Ugly, perverted demons invading our world to find a human who would eventually become the biggest, most perverted demon of them all--way kewl! The first five OAVs (called Perfect Collection here in the US) were among the most imaginative, vile, grisly, sexual and breathtaking animated features I have ever seen--second only to the almighty "Akira"! I didn't even mind the fact that the episodes comprising the final two OAVs (Legend of the Demon Womb/Battle at the Shinjuku Skyskrapers) totally screwed up the continuity of the first three episodes. The animation was descent and the story, which has to do with an Nazi sorceror trying to harness the secret of the Overfiend was so delectably bizarre and undeniably weird that I had no choice but to let myself be caught up in the debauched charms of the Urotsukidoji saga. Then Urotsukidoji III: Return of the Overfiend came along and almost destroyed everything--granted I didn't mind the plethora of new demons and sub-humans that were added to the roster of the series' depraved characters. However, after the engrossing story of the first series, part III seemed forced, overblown and under-developed. The animation sucked and even though the DVD I purchased from Anime 18 has a Japanese dub it has no English subtitles. Why is this a problem? The dub is bad, really really bad (let's just say American porn stars aren't great at delivering ex positional dialogue). Still reeling from the catastrophe of Return of the Overfiend, I popped in Urotsukidoji IV: Inferno Road. This humongous waste of time and effort is probably one of the most disappointing conclusions of any series or film I have ever see ever. A couple of days before viewing this piece of trite garbage, my friend had been telling me how he hates movies that end with the main character waking up and coming to the realization that everything was just a dream. Now while it is never suggested that anything is a dream in Inferno Road, at the end of the film the main character Amano Jaku, comes to after being consumed by a powerful blast emanating from Overfiend. However, once Amano regains consciousness he realizes that he is back in 1988 Osaka on the exact same day that the whole Overfiend Saga begins. He looks to the heavens and shouts "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!", which is exactly the same reaction I had when I realized I paid $30 for this piece of dreck.

This is the final chapter of the infamous Urotsukidoji series. And I must say it was not worth it. Parts 1 and 2 are what writer Toshio Maeda described as a "vestigial meander" in the overall plot. These episodes were baned in the UK for their pornographic nature and the depiction of a world run by children who enslaved adults and forced them to hold orgies to reproduce more children. The children-rulers also tortured any of their number who became adults, which usually involved the usual tentacled monsters engaging in multi-orifice rapes. Part 3 continues were Urotsukidoji III left off and sees the Kyo-O finally meet the Chojin. The newly designed character animation is poor (even the voice-over actors are different), the storyline confusing and the sex and violence is ugly and unecessary, far removed from the adrenalin-pumping anarchic mayhem of earlier Urotsukidoji adventures that made such scenes seem acceptable. Here, they are dull, laboured and gratuitous. A sad end to a great series that always seemed like much more than Hentai. In this one, everything that's bad about Hentai is presented in it's repulsiveness.

Even die-hard Urotsukidoji fans will be hard pressed to find anything noteworthy in this one. The series has gone on too long.

While the content of the story, and the depictions represented in the video may not be suitable for many audiences; those of us who have seen this particular series progress from its' inception are deeply impressed with the fine voice-acting portrayed in this particular episode.

And given the credentials of the cast and the Director, it is no wonder that this dub stands out as a shinning example of what great voice-acting talent can do for an animation project.

Did you know that two of the cast members are currently starring on Broadway? This episode is not only worth renting, it is totally a collector's item for purchase. Go get it, if you can find it.