After that kind of massive success, it's only understandable that Yudetamago were seemingly never able to follow it up with another hit manga, though not for a lack of trying... until a decade later.
Following the end of Gourmand-kun in Kadokawa Shoten's Weekly Shonen Ace, which ran from 1994 to 1996 for just four volumes, Yudetamago made a 60-page one-shot called Muscle Returns that appeared in Fighting Ace magazine. This was actually a sequel to Kinnikuman, and astonishingly enough Shueisha simply allowed Kadokawa Shoten to publish it, apparently not caring about any potential royalties, as it had published the wideban edition of the original series back in 1994; times were different, people. Kadokawa would publish the one-shot with some new bonus Kinnikuman stories as its own book, & it might actually also be included in Volume 37 of Kinnikuman itself, which was the first new volume released by Shueisha when the manga returned to serialization in 2010/2011; it's currently now at 79 volumes, literally 2.19x the length it originally was in 1987! However, Muscle Returns still had a great response to it, so in 1997 Shueisha allowed Yudetamago to create another sequel one-shot in adult magazine Weekly Playboy (no relation to America's Playboy; that was the now-defunct Monthly Playboy), a solid decade after Kinnikuman had originally ended. This second one-shot, Kinnikuman II-Sei (as in "Nisei/Second Generation"), introduced a new generation of "Chojin/Superhumen" & was the first of a five-part "Legendary Prologue" that would then lead to a proper serialized run in Weekly Playboy from mid-1998 to mid-2004, totaling 29 volumes. The success of Kinnikuman II-Sei also resulted in a "Revival Manga Boom", where old classics were brought back with "next generation" sequels, like Akatsuki!! Otokojuku, Ginga Legend Weed, & Ring ni Kakero 2. Despite being made precisely for adults who more than likely read the original Kinnikuman as children back in the day, there was definitely an appeal to Kinnikuman II-Sei that could be marketed to younger audiences as well, & this included Toei, which obviously would be all for recapturing the success that the original manga's anime had.
So, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the 2002 TV anime adaptation of Kinnikuman II-Sei, better known abroad as Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, let's start a four-part series of anime reviews with a theatrical "Double Feature"!
Alongside the debuting manga Kinnikuman II-Sei: All Chojin Daishingeki/All Chojin Great Attack (a kids-oriented re-imaging that Yudetamago made for V Jump from 2001 to 2007 across four volumes), Toei decided to first dip its toes into the anime water with a half-hour theatrical film, simply titled Kinnikuman II-Sei: Second Generations (i.e. the full Japanese title), that debuted on July 14, 2001. This was part of Toei Anime Fair Summer 2001, where it ran alongside Digimon Tamers: The Adventurers' Battle (which was pretty much the "main attraction") & Motto! Ojamajo Doremi: The Secret of the Frog Stone as a triple-billing. As for the plot... During a meet up event with the public at the Tokyo Dome, the Justice Chojin of the New Generation are suddenly attacked by an armor-clad Chojin calling himself "The Saiborg", who wants to fight "Kinnikuman the Second", who in reality is Mantaro Kinniku, son of the legendary hero Suguru Kinniku, a.k.a. Kinnikuman. While Mantaro runs off unwilling to fight (& literally wetting his pants at the sight of this foe), his friends & compatriots stay to fight The Saiborg. Alexandria Meat, Mantaro's trainer who had previously trained his father Suguru, hunts after Mantaro & eventually manages to force him to return to the Tokyo Dome... only to see The Saiborg trounce all of his allies. After seeing his best friends Terry the Kid, Gazelleman, & Seiuchin fall last, Mantaro finally accepts The Saiborg's challenge, especially after Meat allows himself to be taken hostage in place of a child. With Tokyo Tower transformed into a venue for a wrestling ring, & Meat left on a girder he could be blown off of by the winds, Mantaro takes on The Saiborg.
At a total time of just 25 minutes, the Kinnikuman II-Sei movie is a very straightforward film that wastes absolutely no time in getting straight to the point of it all. We get a short introduction establishing Mantaro as Kinnikuman's son by receiving his signature mask as a baby, establishing the idea of the Justice Chojin & how they're celebrities who fight by way of wrestling (as seen with a exhibition match between Terry & Gazelleman), & showcasing Mantaro as a lewd & semi-cocky lead who initially has no qualms with running away from fighting. While that sounds odd for the main character of a series like this, and Meat does essentially have to browbeat him into fighting by preventing him from having a meal multiple times, Mantaro is also quickly established as accepting that he has to fight when things look to be at their worst, as he accepts The Saiborg's challenge within the first 10 minutes. The remainder of the movie is pretty much the introduction of the match, followed by the match itself, and just as with the start we also get the general tone & style of humor one can expect from Kinnikuman II-Sei. This is a series that is simultaneously comical & serious, where Mantaro is shown to be "springing a leak" upon first sight of The Saiborg, yet has a very serious face while doing it. Not just that, but The Saiborg's name is a massive pun, as he's a cyborg with a rhinoceros motif, since "Sai" is the Japanese word for the animal, while the kanji used for his name can be translated literally as "The Stupidly Violent Rhino"; this is also why I sent with "Saiborg", instead of "Cyborg". Then, for even more puns, Mantaro's walk to the ring for his match sees him parody The Saiborg by decking himself out with various stationery equipment (triangle, pencil bag, colored pencil)... because the Japanese word for that stuff is "Bunbougu", which sounds like "Saibougu". However, the action itself is generally very seriously handled, and while what we see here wouldn't be considered a 5-star match, it is a quick & enjoyable little fight; I mean, The Saiborg has literal rocket punches, so I can't help but like him.
As for the staff & cast, the Kinnikuman II-Sei movie is notable in that the large majority of the major players would go on to retain their roles for the later TV series, which wasn't always guaranteed in situations like this (see: some the various Jump pilots I've covered on the blog in the past). This film would wind up being only the second anime ever directed by Toshiaki Komura, & the first that wasn't a hentai (though that was six years prior), who would go on to direct all of the later Kinnikuman II-Sei anime productions, while screenwriter Hiroyuki Kawasaki (Gundam X, Sorcerer Hunters) would go on to be one of the three writers for the later TV anime. The same is true of character designer Masaki Sato, who did a great job adapting Yoshinori Nakai's art style to the animated screen, though for this movie he shares that credit with animation director Ken Ueno, a respected animator who's been around since the 80s & is still doing work to this day; this film would be Ueno's sole involvement with this series. However, it's with the music where we do get something different from later productions, as this film has a score done by Motoyoshi Iwasaki (Heaven's Lost Property, Wave, Listen to Me!), which is fine enough & matches the tone well when needed, but overall isn't anything really remarkable. The end credits do give us a unique theme song, though, in the form of "Muscle Beat" by Nobuaki "The Bushido Bulldozer" Kakuda, a bodybuilder/karateka/kickboxer who also occasionally acts & sings; you actually might be familiar with him, as he sung on the 1st OP to Sgt. Frog! Composed & arranged by Iwasaki and written & performed by Kakuda, "Muscle Beat" is an appropriately enjoyable little song that knows to not take itself 100% seriously, but also works well for Kinnikuman, in general; it certainly can't hold a candle to the later theme songs heard in the TV series, but is still fun in its own way.
As for the voice cast, all of them would go on to return for the TV series, so I want to hold off on covering them for when I get to going over the TV series next time. Therefore, I'll only really cover the late Ginzo Matsuo (Harebare in Hareluya II BØY, Smoker in One Piece), who played Seiuchin. While not getting a lot to work with, Matsuo absolutely nailed the character's lovable nature, & his devotion to Mantaro (treating him like an older brother), and I wouldn't be surprised if Matsuo was in the initial plans to reprise his role for the TV series. Unfortunately, Ginzo Matsuo would sadly pass away at age 49 from an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage just over a month following this movie's debut in theaters (as well as the Digimon Tamers movie it ran with, which he also voiced a role in), making it one of his final roles. In another "replaced for the TV series" situation, this movie is the only time the legendary Akira Kamiya reprises his role as Kinnikuman himself for a Kinnikuman II-Sei anime production, likely as a cost-cutting measure; his role here is admittedly just a pair of cameos, though. Also of note is Nobuaki Kokuda once again, as he voiced the narrator heard at the start of the film. Unfortunately, while Yudetamago themselves do technically make a cameo in the movie as part of the crowd for Mantaro vs. The Saiborg, Shimada & Nakai don't actually voice themselves, instead being voiced by Keiichirou Yamamoto & Hirofumi Tanaka, respectively.
Overall, the Kinnikuman II-Sei movie is definitely one of those usual types of films based on long-running manga, i.e. it has no real relevance to the overall plot & you know what to expect out of it, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth a watch. Instead, it knows what it is from the very first frame, has a lot of fun doing just that, acts as a very straightforward introduction to Kinnikuman II-Sei, and at the length of a single episode of anime doesn't waste your time whatsoever. The fact that it's also very obviously done in the old hand-drawn style instead of digital (with only a smattering of CG here & there) also gives it an admittedly unique visual feel from the productions meant for TV; it just has that "warmth" to it that you don't get from digital animation.
Half a year later, Toei would debut a proper Kinnikuman II-Sei TV anime series on January 9, 2002, and in the week-long interim between Episodes 28 & 29, on July 20, a second movie adaptation would debut in Japanese theaters, as part of Toei Anime Fair Summer 2002, the last of Toei's biannual movie festivals. Running alongside Crush Gear Turbo: Caesarvern's Challenge & Digimon Frontier: Island of Lost Digimon, Kinnikuman II-Sei: Muscle Ninjin Sodatsu! Chojin Daisensou/Scramble for the Muscle Carrot! The Great Chojin War still predates 4Kids' English adaptation of the TV series, which wouldn't debut for another two months. In that regard, it's kind of surprising that 4Kids never bothered to license & dub either of these two films, though I guess them both being made in widescreen likely complicated matters for potential TV airings. So now that we know that the first film is a fun little romp, is the second film another production that we missed out on abroad?
While doing some fishing out in the open sea, Seiuchin winds up with an unexpected catch: A young boy. After awakening, the boy asks to be brought to Mantaro Kinniku, and when everyone (Mantaro, Meat, Seiuchin, Gazellaman, Terry the Kid, & Mantaro's kind-of-maybe-not-really girlfriend Rinko Nikaido) gathers together, the boy tells his story. His name is Arenanda, and he was on a giant cruise ship with Princess Darenanda of the Anywhere Republic as her aide. Immediately after setting off, however, the ship is attacked by a large group of Brutal Chojin lead by Baron Maximillian, who wants the Muscle Carrot, a legendary piece of food that can grant anyone power rivaling even the strongest Chojin & is apparently held by Darenanda. Arenanda manages to escape off the ship, which lead to Seiuchin finding him. Requesting the help of the New Generation of Justice Chojin, Mantaro & the others head off for the ship to rescue Princes Darenanda.
Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, Chojin Daisensou is definitely a more "full" watching experience compared to the first film. We get to see Mantaro's friends show off a little bit, including Rinko, the humor of the main series is showcased a bit more (including the catchy beef bowl song Mantaro sings whenever he's about to eat one), and overall the plot is allowed to breathe a bit more with close to twice the time. Obviously, the puns are still in effect, with Arenanda & Darenanda's name getting the obvious "Are nanda?/What's that?" & "Dare nanda?/Who's that?" gags (plus, "Anywhere" is literally written in katakana in plot descriptions for the Republic), and Mantaro's mix of being meek & afraid before becoming strong & confident is a common occurrence. He doesn't even agree to help until he sees what Darenanda looks like, despite Rinko agreeing to help before him. Not just that, but while Rinko's overall contributions don't amount to much, she does get a pretty badass moment where, while everyone's hanging above the enemies in a hallway, she deftly catches Terry's sweat drop his her foot, before it alerts their enemies of their presence; just badass.
However, the actual contributions of Terry, Gazelleman, & Seiuchin really don't get much time to be showcased, as their fights are barely shown, outside of the initial set up, the "all looks lost" moment, & then their respective victories. Meanwhile, Mantaro's fight against Baron, though having lots of drama (& taking place in Zozo Chiba Marine Stadium, home of the Chiba Lotte Marines, after Baron crashes the ship into the stadium during a baseball game for the final fight), is a rather lopsided affair, essentially amounting to Mantaro getting his ass handed to him, before eventually powering up from the cheer of the crowd and his friends & winning with a Kinniku Buster. The end result is that Mantaro's fellow Chojin feel like they have little to no real importance in the grand scheme of things (instant fan favorite Kevin Mask even appears for the climax, though only in what's essentially a cameo), and it even hampers Baron's three main lackeys (Dazzle, El Kaerun, & The Protector), who get to showcase pretty much nothing in battle outside of literally just one or two blows. Luckily, Baron Maximillian, Dazzle, El Kaerun, The Protector, & even The Saiborg would all later get re-introduced in the Kinnikuman II-Sei TV anime for the short filler arc that ended the original run of that series, where they'd be better known in English as part of the "Poison Six Pack", so that's neat.
In terms of staff, Chojin Daisensou was pretty much done by the staff of the TV series, which means that the only major change in staff from the first movie is in the music, which is now done by Cher Watanabe. I'll get into his musical contributions next time when we start covering the TV series, but the main difference to bring up here is a slightly more orchestral feel at points, which I think does help add to the drama of some moments, especially utilizing the TV series' OP theme as a very nice leitmotif. Said OP theme, "Hustle Muscle" by Yougo Konou, is used as the OP for this movie & I'll get into the song itself in more detail next time as well, but it truly is an excellent theme song for Kinnikuman II-Sei, to say the very least. Meanwhile, this movie uses the second TV ED, "Koi no My Chop" by Yumena Yokosuka, for its end credits, though it's set to unique footage showing everyone at a dance celebration for the Anywhere Republic, with Mantaro getting stood up by Rinko when she dances with Terry instead. Heading back to the other staff, Toshiaki Komura once again directs, with the writing this time being handled by Akatsuki Yamatoya (Gintama, Soul Eater), who wrote a more than decent number of episodes of the TV series. Meanwhile, Ken Ueno is replaced in the "character co-desinger/animation director" spot with Ken Ootsuka, another experienced animator in his own right, though Ootsuka at least did contribute something to the TV series, even if it's only the animation for the OP sequence. Watching this film is interesting, because it once again has that hand-drawn animation feel to it, like with the first film, and it's especially notable this time around because the TV series' OP sequence is used, and there's definitely a notable difference in "feel" when it switches over to that footage; seeing what looks to be digital animation but now with film grain is bizarre. There's also a lot more CG usage in this movie, though exclusively used for environments during pans & the like, as well as the water the cruise ship is on, even when our heroes are swimming in it.
As for the voice cast, it's the same cast as the TV series, so while I'll hold off on covering them until next time, let's go over the cast exclusive to this movie. Arenanda is voiced by Megumi Urawa (Yotaro Rindo in World Trigger), who does a good job with the child deuteragonist, and her delivery of saying her character's name, which is purposefully done to showcase the pun, is amusing. Meanwhile, Princess Darenanda is voiced by Akiko Nakagawa (Miyuki Nanase in Kindaichi Case Files), who matches the semi-aloof nature of our damsel in distress well. As for our villains, only Shinichiro Ota & Yashiro Takato would go on to reprise their respective Brutal Chojin in the TV series, in this case The Protector & El Kaerun. Meanwhile, Baron Maxillian is voiced in the movie by Hozumi Goda (Chirico Cuvie in Armored Trooper VOTOMS), who has a decent amount of variety for our main villain, who has three different looks to him as the story advances. As for Dazzle, he's voiced by the venerable Bin Shimada in the movie, and he does a good job, though he has very little to work with here. Finally, we actually do have a creator voice cameo in this movie, as Takashi Shimada voices a "Cannon Chojin" who shoots down the plane that our heroes were taking to get to the ship; sadly, Yoshinori Nakai does not voice the "Cannonball Chojin" that gets shot out.
Despite debuting in an adult magazine & aimed in its original manga form toward adults, especially those who loved the original Kinnikuman as kids, the Kinnikuman II-Sei movie duology is an excellent example of how Toei was able to adjust it into something that younger audiences can also enjoy as an anime. The first movie is a no-frills & lean little production that goes straight into delivering exactly what you want out a Kinnikuman II-Sei movie, and in that regard it's actually more enjoyable than you might think it'd be. Meanwhile, the second movie's longer length does allow for a little more "Meat" on the bone (ha!), but at the same time some of that extra content is squandered a bit, especially when it comes to Mantaro's friends; in all honesty, I kind of prefer the first movie. However, having now seen both films, I'm not really surprised that 4Kids never bothered to bring them over, seeing as the villains from both of them were reutilized in the TV series, making these movies kind of redundant, in that regard. Still, they are nothing if not enjoyable in their own ways.
With this "Double Feature" out of the way, we can now move on to our "main attraction": The 2002 Kinnikuman II-Sei TV anime. As I've done with some other longer anime, though, I will be splitting up this show across two reviews, and luckily part of that is due to how the first half was actually offered... in your local Chinatown, at least.
Anime © Yudetamago・Toei Animation
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