Garou Densetsu

Yes, the inspiration for this anime movie was a video game that was basically a "Street Fighter" clone that for me was not the most entertaining fighting game ever made. Here you have character from that game in a fight with a madman that is after the armor of mars, which of course makes its wearer very strong. During the course of the adventure you get to see the fighters display their various moves and even have an appearance by a character in a castle whose part in the movie makes him nearly pointless. You get to see two of the characters fall in love and you get a somewhat bittersweet ending. They do a bunch of moves to where they yell out their special attack which is sort of like a Dragonball Z show which also helped me enjoy this one more even though I was not particularly fond of the game. The character are rather interesting too, as they add much needed depth to the characters as opposed to just a bunch of dudes fighting in tournaments. So all in all a nice anime based on a not so nice video game.

I admit that it's hard for me to judge this seeing as how I'm not into the "Fatal Fury" series that much. Of course, when you know as much about pop culture as me, you can't help but recognize a couple characters. I at least know Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui. There were some cameos by characters who unfortunately didn't have much relevance to the story, like Duck King. Of course, it's hard to have a character with that name being taken seriously. I actually do like the romance in this movie. It does come off as pretty believable and a lot of it ends up pretty tragically.

Maybe this was in fact in the actual games, but you don't really see much romance in fighting games. Yeah, I'm such a sucker for that stuff. I admit that the animation does look pretty bad at some points. I guess old anime doesn't hold up that well. I still found the cast to be pretty likable, especially Mai Shiranui. She seriously steals every scene she's in and yeah, that is kind of because she's so amazingly beautiful. The story could have been better but as far as movies based on video games go, it was certainly better than most. ***

This one is the best of the three so far (Fatal fury 1 & 2). The story is more touching and the character interactions are good. As for the plot, Terry has to face a new battle and this time, the enemy is not human! There is also new love for Terry, a girl who seek help from him. Another high about the movie, Mai, the cute ninja girl plays a more important role here. It was good to see her around.

"Fatal Fury: the Motion Picture" has become a timeless classic in the world of Japanese Animation! With a little of everything, it's become even bigger (as difficult as it is for me to admit) than "Street Fighter II: the Movie", and I am a Street Fighter II fan! Seeing as it may be shot up there with other successful animation pieces as Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis and the classical "Sea Prince & the Fire Child", Fatal Fury has come a long way. What's next? We'll wait & see!

Garou Densetsu (***1/2 out of ****) Director: Masami Obari Legendary prize fighter (Terry Bogard) and company are hired by mysterious (and beautiful) young woman to prevent her hot-headed twin brother from capturing the "Armor of Mars" and becoming a god. A stunning portrayel of character emotion that is sparkled to imaginable (if barely credible) vitality. Fine and colorful production designs, unique character development, and director Obari's visual finese (not to mention a story well told) will assist the viewer to look past hokey dialogue and contrivances. Obari's theatrical debut is a spectacular achievement in every way!