One of the manga to appear in Champion RED's debut October issue (monthly magazine issues tend to be two months ahead of their actual release dates) was Ken Ishikawa's Shinsetsu Majuu Sensen/True Theory Demonic Beast Front, the sequel to his manga from the 70s... that is NOT the subject of this re-review, however!
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| No eyecatch for this show, but the post-ED AT-X website promo was kept for each episode! |
Still, the subject of this re-review likely wouldn't exist if this sequel manga never happened, so let's just quickly bring it up for a moment. Shinsetsu Majuu Sensen took place an entire decade after where the original manga left off, with the world now devastated by an "Ikusagami/War God" named Eve Adam (again, Ishikawa had no subtlety when it came to the biblical references) & its "13 Apostles" (i.e. Dr. Genzou Kuruma & his buddies), with Shinichi having been revived to deal with them once & for all, as well as a force known only as "Jitenkuu"; like "Jikuu/Spacetime", only with "Ten/Heaven" smushed in between. Ishikawa would serialize this sequel in Champion RED for almost two full years before ending it in the August 2004 issue (a little over two years before his death in 2006) & totaling four volumes, finally bringing a finale to the series he started nearly 30 years prior. However, while the sequel was being serialized it was decided that Majuu Sensen would be also part of something anime-related, something that's been covered once in a while on this blog: The AT-X Famous Writer Series.
In other words... Akira Tsuburaya's Retro-Modern Anime Club Band!
Yes, we return once again to that bizarre little run of TV anime that the infamous third son of tokusatsu legend Eiji Tsuburaya helped produce during the early 00s that were either adapting from or simply inspired by classic manga of the past. However, most of these shows were executed in such a "Eh, it'll do" fashion that the resulting series that did actually manage to come out decent or even good seemed to do so despite themselves. Anyway, the penultimate entry in the Famous Writer Series would wind up being early 2003's Majuu Sensen: The Apocalypse, a 13-episode sequel to the original Majuu Sensen that was animated by Magic Bus, the studio founded by Satoshi Dezaki (older brother to the late, legendary Osamu Dezaki), & solely written by Junki Takegami, best known for being head writer for everything from various Super Sentai shows (namely Megaranger, Go Go Five, Gaoranger, & Go-Onger) to Dancouga to Guyver TV to Naruto to One Piece to even Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters & GX! Since Shinsetsu Majuu Sensen was still being made at this point, it was decided that this anime would be its own alternate universe sequel to Majuu Sensen, and once Enoki Films wound up with the master licensing rights to it, as it did with many (but not all) of Akira Tsuburaya's various anime, it started seeing some international airings & releases under the title Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse; fair play, because that's a good English name. When I first reviewed this anime back in August of 2011 (& rather poorly, at that) I did it solely off of memory from when I first watched it via bootleg DVDs with terrible Hong Kong-produced English subs from long ago, but thankfully this second time around I have a much better source. As part of its then-relationship with Enoki Films (which looks to be effectively done with now), Discotek Media actually licensed Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse for the first time in English, releasing it via DVD boxset back in mid-2018. So let's finish up the Majuu Sensen anime duology by revisiting this AU sequel with a proper English translation & see what it has to offer... as well as check if it is one of the better Akira Tsuburaya anime out there.
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| Yes, that's a man with a bear for a leg, a lion for a left hand, talons for a right hand, & wings... What of it? |
Ayaka Sanders is a high school girl who was on the verge of dying from heart disease but her father, a renown medical doctor, gave an experiment a try by taking "pluripotent cells" (i.e. stem cells) from her bone marrow & injecting them into her heart, which has miraculously cured her. One day when coming home from school Ayaka is suddenly attacked by a humanoid monster, only for a mysterious cloaked man to appear & rip out its heart, crushing it in front of Ayaka; naturally, she passes out from the experience. However, it doesn't take long for Ayaka to eventually (& accidentally) find out that her father, Dr. James Sanders, is actually Dr. Jacob of the 13 Doctors/Apostles, & that the pluripotent cells put into her heart to save her life actually came from Shinichi Kuruma, the beast-wielding young man who has continued to be on the hunt for the Apostles & their leader: Dr. Genzou Kuruma, Shinichi's father & the man who not only tried to kill his own son to "escape his humanity" but also experimented on his own wife, leading to her death. However, due to the experiment Ayaka & Shinichi now have a psychic link (as intended, as the Doctors want Shinichi to revive the God they follow), though Shinichi's long time ally Tomisaburou Tengai warns that his newly-burgeoning premonitions are telling him that staying around Ayaka will lead to trouble... just like how his older sister Maria (the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary that the Doctors originally hunted after) died in Shinichi's arms all those years ago, the result of which led to the "Great Destruction", a series of earthquakes that devastated Shinjuku (or, at least, that's what the official reports about it say).
In the review of the Majuu Sensen OVA I said this: "Majuu Sensen doesn't have as much restraint". In many ways, Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse is best described with that same exact line, because despite some lackluster animation (which we'll get to, eventually) this anime continues to show no remorse in being pretty wild, insane, & unrelenting in the stuff it shows at points, even with the limited animation. For example, Episode 1 shows Shinichi pulling out a Majuu's heart (i.e. there's a shot of him thrusting his hand into the chest, followed by a shot of the heart in his hand), followed by him crushing it (& blood spraying in front of Ayaka), wile Episode 2 literally has two innocent children killed off (one legit gored!) to get at Shinichi, so right away the show knows what exactly it's acting as an alternate sequel to. Hell, Shinichi didn't simply absorb Maria's corpse into his body, but rather he ate her(!); truly, Beast Fighter has absolutely "no chill". Not just that, but this series goes ever further with the biblical references, right down to having each & every episode title be a literal quote of a book from the Bible (Romans, Job, Matthew, Genesis, Revelations, etc.) & a line from said book, like "The Lord Taketh, The Lord Giveth Away", "My Name is Legion, for We are Many", & "I Am the Alpha & the Omega".
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| It can't be a proper Majuu Sensen review without some sort of unholy fusion being shown... right? |
Being designed to be a TV series from the start, though, Beast Fighter is able to be a bit more naturally segmented than the Majuu Sensen OVA was (which did seem to skip around, at least in the transition from Ep 1 to Ep 2), so this results in the show seeing Shinichi deal with a variety of wild foes, who each get their own chunk of episodes to be the main focus for, before moving on to the next. Episodes 2 & 3 see Shinichi deal with a trio of dinosaur "New Humans/Newmen" (which the series now uses exclusively, while only Shinichi is directly called a "Majuu/Demonic Beast") created by Dr. Jacob; a neat touch is that all of the Newmen here can take their original human forms now, ala Shinichi. Eps 4 & 5 feature a group of bug-themed Newmen created by Dr. Peter Rockwell, all while the gang head over to Tomisaburou's home town for refuge. Eps 6 & 7 then see the Minister of Defense going mad with power after being turned into a godlike (& very rat-like) Newman & deciding to kill Shinichi himself, caring little about things like bombing a train or even a small city if he's in it! Finally, Eps 8 & 9 see Shinichi having to deal with marine-themed Newmen concocted by Dr. Fisherman, including a literal island-sized turtle, after they kidnap Ayaka. Episode 7, though, also sees the introduction of Noah, a literal clone of God created by Genzou Kuruma & infused with the blood of Maria Tengai (isolated from Shinichi's blood) with a third eye who has no hesitation in punishing "foolish" sinners... and, of course, Genzou winds up creating more than one "God clone", so one's a more benevolent being while the other is more "Wrath of God" indulgent. Though introduced during the focus on taking on various Newmen, Naoh winds up being the biggest antagonist of them all. In other words, Beast Fighter eventually follows the most RPG of concepts: Attack & Dethrone (a Literal Clone of) God.
What makes Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse a joy to watch, though, really comes in the story that's told by Junki Takegami, who 100% understood the assignment he was given & delivers a story that fits the style of Majuu Sensen, & while it doesn't exactly work as a sequel the 1990 OVA (as Beast Fighter contradicts some elements of the OVA's climax) this series also works well enough for newcomers to jump right in with; Dynamic Planning was a supervisor for this series, which likely also helped. Though Shinichi is mostly the same wild beast of a man he always has been, though he's no longer literally bathing in the blood sprays of his mutilated foes, there is an element of a minor redemption arc for him here, namely in his feelings towards Ayaka growing more & more, giving our lead a bit more depth than he admittedly had in the OVA. Meanwhile, Tomisaburou remains a comic relief to some extent, but actually winds up being more of a thematic equivalent of the John who wrote the Book of Revelation, an onlooker who personally bears witness to everything that leads to the Apocalypse itself (plus the event itself, of course), but in turn is helpless to do anything about it, at least until the final moments of the series, when Tomisaburou plays the most important role of all. As for Ayaka, she is essentially the Maria replacement, right down to her non-violent views & hopefulness that all will wind up OK due to God's grace. That being said, it does get brought up a couple of times (even by her at least once) that due to her heart having been saved by Shinichi's pluripotent cells, somehow harvested after Maria's death, Ayaka does sometimes get (symbolically) taken over by Maria's influence once in a while, with both Shinichi & Tomisaburou even mistaking her for Maria once or twice, so that's an interesting little aspect to consider. Meanwhile, the Doctor's remain their usual mad scientists & the Newmen are humanoid monsters throughout, though Takegami does still add in little touches of depth here & there, like two of the dinosaur Newmen actually having romantic feelings for each other or one of the insect Newmen actually being vehemently against killing & the like, & despises her mutant form. All in all, while Beast Fighter is still filled with the blood, violence, & pure insanity that Majuu Sensen is known for, Junki Takegami gives this series some really neat little touches that help elevate things; even the finale, when you get past the surface level craziness, is really all about the grieving process.
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| The "warlike Eve & Adam", as the show says, which I imagine might be a call back to Shinsetsu Majuu Sensen. |
And, really, "elevating" is what this series can use, because (in true fashion for these kinds of Akira Tsuburaya-produced anime), the visuals aren't really anything to write home about. Directed by Kenichi Maejima (Cobra the Animation: Time Drive, Dragoon: Ryuki Densho), Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse is a perfect example of what "limited animation" can be in some of its least liked ways. Still frames for moments in place of actual animation, a variety of methods to cover mouths so as to not have to animate them while talking (most Newmen's mouths don't move when in their monster forms, while Shinichi keeps putting back on his face wraps for other reason), and all sorts of other "easy ways out" permeate every single episode of this series, so much so that it's admittedly kind of embarrassing; while Magic Bus has never been known for its lush animation, even this feels like its pushing things, at times. However, that's not to say that the show looks terrible in & of itself, as character designer/chief animation director Eiji Ishimoto does transfer over Ken Ishikawa's visual style very well here, the anime-exclusive cast feel like they fit in this wild world, & the visuals stay on point rather consistently; even the rare shot where something looks off model is only slightly so, & usually due to an odd angle. Similarly, the musical score by Hiroshi Motokura (Shin Seiki Den Mars, Ikki Tousen) isn't anything that's worth hunting down specific songs for, but there are a couple of catchy songs here & there while watching, and everything fits the scenes that they're used in. One of the songs is even a blatant knock off of Queen's "We Will Rock You", specifically the iconic guitar solo at the end, but you can't deny that the four times it's even used in the show all work excellently.
Another commonality with Akira Tsuburaya-produced anime seems to be having awesome OP themes, regardless of the actual quality of the anime itself, & Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse is no different. Said OP would be "Kaigenrei no Yoru" by 03 ("Zero-San"), a short-lived J-rock band from the first half of the 00s that, most interestingly, had American session musician T.M "Shaka Zulu" Stevens playing bass; Stevens does have a history of playing for Japanese artists, including Yoshiaki Masuo & even the late hide. Unsurprisingly for a band featuring a man known for "Heavy Metal Funk", the end result is "Kaigenrei no Yoru" having a decidedly & instantly memorable fusion of rock, jazz, & funk to its sound, and the lyrics about "Marshal/Martial Law Making the Happiness" & dealing with a "final revolution" of violence & propaganda that continually comes back around, hoping that one day a new morning will come from the forever ending "old night", absolutely fit the overall feel & aesthetic of Majuu Sensen perfectly. For the longest time the full version of this song was nowhere to be found online, but just last year people have managed to come across it & it's now easily found over on YouTube; definitely worth a listen to on its own. In comparison, the ED theme, "Kuuhaku no Toki" by Eri Hasegawa, almost feels ancillary to even talk about, but it is a nice, soothing little R&B song that does its job in being the needed calm after an episode of the insanity that this franchise can sometimes be like.
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| Not sure if it was intentional with Noah, but according to Talmudic lore who had 12 wings? Samael, a.k.a. Satan. |
Finally, we have the cast to go over, which is admittedly mostly carried by our three leads, similar to the Majuu Sensen OVA. At the top of the card is Kentaro Ito (Renji in Bleach, Shiraishi in Golden Kamuy), who is a perfect successor to Yasunori Matsumoto from the OVA with an excellently gruff & often angry performance for Shinichi, though also being able to deliver the moments where Shinichi does get more contemplative & soul searching. Ayaka is voiced by the venerable Nana Mizuki, who naturally gives our leading young woman a caring & constantly polite performance. Despite being very similar to her both in role & even looks (to a slight extent), though, Mizuki was not given double-duty by also voicing Maria, so instead we Shoko Kikuchi (Michelle Cheung in R.O.D. -The TV-) for Shinichi's dead girlfriend. Finally, for the primary cast, we have Taiki Matsuno (Hajime Kindaichi in Kindaichi Case Files, Koga in InuYasha) as Tomisaburou, who similarly does a very good job in this role, especially since the character arguably has more importance here than in the OVA. After them would be Katsuhia Houki (Ben Jackson in Tiger & Bunny) as Genzou Kuruma, as well the pair of Reiko Takagi (Cassandra in Soul Calibur) & Hiromi Sato (Rena Rune in Aquarion) as the two Noahs, who all deliver perfectly fine performances. While Houki is admittedly given more of a one-dimensional character to work with, Takagi & Sato definitely got more to work with, due to the various mental states the two Noahs find themselves in (benevolent, angered, psychotic, cocky, etc.). The rest of the notable cast is rounded out with the likes of Eiji Yanagisawa (Dr. Pete Rockwell), Hiroshi Naka (Dr. Fisherman), Takashi Nagasako (Dr. James Saders), and Wasabi Mizuta & Yuka Tokumitsu (Gon & Miyuki, two kid friends of Shinichi & Tomisaburou), among others.
As I said early on, I had reviewed Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse back in 2011, years before it had anything resembling a "good" translation, & it really showed, as I barely said anything of note, didn't really explain certain details well (I literally called Noah a "mysterious boy", when he's a clone of God), & even got Tomisaburou's name wrong, calling him "Tomizoro". Without a doubt, this was a title that absolutely needed a re-review on the blog, and watching it again well over a decade later (& now with some extra context via the OVA) I not only was able to give this a more detailed review than before but I also have a greater appreciation for it. Like I said, some of these Akira Tsuburaya-produced anime did wind up coming out good "despite themselves", and Beast Fighter: The Apocalypse is a perfect encapsulation of that idea. From a purely technical perspective the show is admittedly a bit below average, with "limited animation" that's only somewhat ahead of being a slide show by it actually animating more than you'd expect, and for many that alone will make them not want to check it out. However, from a storytelling & overall experience perspective the show surprisingly succeeds, though you have to be able to deal with the sheer insanity of the concept itself, but that's more or less true for just about anything Ken Ishikawa created; the man was just 200% intensity in everything he did. Still, once you either adjust or simply accept the sheer madness (& limited animation) you find a series that's a lot of fun to watch, and it does a very good job in showing why Majuu Sensen is now considered one of Ishikawa's most iconic works. It's still readily available for purchase as of this re-review, but since Discotek's no longer working with Enoki Films it'll pretty much become hard to get for a decent price once those are gone, and I imagine it's extremely unlikely that it'll ever get license rescued.
Happy Halloween!
Anime © 2003 Ken Ishikawa/Dynamic Planning・Majuu Sensen Production Committee
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