Customer Reviews

Fist of the North Star: The Series - Vol. 1 [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the popular TV-series based on the manga by Buronson (story) and Tetsuo Hara (art). The story follows the manga very, very closely. Each chapter has been turned into one episode and partly it seems as if the manga was actually used as the storyboard for the animators. The animation quality is not that good since this is, after all, a TV series from 1984. There are more quiet, even thoughtful moments and beautiful depictions of post-apokalyptic rural life than in the theatrical movie (which was released in 1986). NOTE: Everything I have written so far is based on the ORIGINAL VERSION and not on the one released by Manga Entertainment. Manga Ent. replaced the complete soundtrack (on both the dubbed AND the subtitled versions!) with material from underground "musicians" like 4Hero, Tek9, Sonar Circle, Seiji, Alpha Omega and DJ Stretch! - the cover of this video credits Reinforced Records for the music which is simply the record label all these artists have contracts with! In addition to that they cut the entire opening sequence and replaced it with a crude "rock video" that shows numerous images of exploding heads etc. probably to attract those who liked the movie only because of its over-the-top violence. The ending sequence was also altered: They replaced the original Japanese song with a newly composed, US-produced "song" with differt Japanese lyrics. To tell you the truth, I kicked this video into the garbage can right after viewing it. It might still be acceptable if you have never seen the original, unadulterated version but I nonetheless recommend you avoid this one at all costs!

This is the popular TV-series based on the manga by Buronson (story) and Tetsuo Hara (art). The story follows the manga very, very closely. Each chapter has been turned into one episode and partly it seems as if the manga was actually used as the storyboard for the animators. The animation quality is not that good since this is, after all, a TV series from 1984. There are more quiet, even thoughtful moments and beautiful depictions of post-apokalyptic rural life than in the theatrical movie (which was released in 1986). NOTE: Everything I have written so far is based on the ORIGINAL VERSION and not on the one released by Manga Entertainment. Manga Ent. replaced the complete soundtrack (on both the dubbed AND the subtitled versions!) with material from underground "musicians" like 4Hero, Tek9, Sonar Circle, Seiji, Alpha Omega and DJ Stretch! - the cover of this video credits Reinforced Records for the music which is simply the record label all these artists have contracts with! In addition to that they cut the entire opening sequence and replaced it with a crude "rock video" that shows numerous images of exploding heads etc. probably to attract those who liked the movie only because of its over-the-top violence. The ending sequence was also altered: They replaced the original Japanese song with a newly composed, US-produced "song" with differt Japanese lyrics. To tell you the truth, I kicked this video into the garbage can right after viewing it. It might still be acceptable if you have never seen the original, unadulterated version but I nonetheless recommend you avoid this one at all costs!

These reviews are for the Motion Picture. I don't know what they are doing on here. This tape isn't even a film; it's a set of episodes, and some good ones at that.

This series is excellent. I highly recommend the Japanese Subtitled version as it contains the orginal soundtrack and the original voices which are excellent. The art is showing age, but it is indeed one of the best anime series around. The story really provokes emotion.

This is a tale of a post-apocolyptic time where the Fists of the North and South riegn supreme. Kenshiro, Fist of the North is defeated by long time friend, the Fist of the South. After Kenshiro loses his battle, his brother Rao takes his ultimate power and begins conquring the world. After a short time, Kenshiro raises his power level enough so that he is able to battle his brother. This film takes a dark and gritty look at what the world could hold in store for us if a nuclear holocaust were to happen. Rivals the live action "Mad Max" series.

This martial arts series, made almost 20 years ago, is still one of the most popular anime in Japan, and for good reason. The soundtrack, voice acting, and action are all top-notch. It follows the story of Kenshiro, the inheritor of the Hokuto Shinken martial art, and the savior of the post-apocalyptic world the story takes place in. Hokuto Shinken is an art that shatters the opponent from within, causing their body to explode. Needless to say, the anime is ultra-violent. All fans of anime and action should buy this, but don't buy the dubbed version.

Any fan of martial arts needs this anime. Since it first aired in 1984, the artwork is showing its age, but this series is regarded as a classic, and still widely popular in Japan, even after almost 20 years. The opening sequence is completely scrapped and replaced with some Americanized garbage, all the music is changed in the dub, and the "next episode" previews at the end of each episode are taken out. The dubbing is good, but when compared to the original Japanese version, a lot worse. Get the subtitled version by all means.

This is an extremelly good anime which contains a great story line and tons of blood. This story starts out with the main character taking a beating. Later in the movie he gains his revenge on several people and does so in a gory way. Your guaranteed to like this one.

The animation is great, the story andthe fights are awesome BUT the movie is better. There isn't as much blood as in the movie of the 80's. The background colors become dark and the blood white. In each fighting movement there's a stop and a voice shouting the name of it, it's like an advertisement of each punch, kick, etc. All they tell is true about the series, BUT the movie is better.

"An Anime Classic" - Yes, it's old. And the animation isn't exactly state of the art. The characters change porportions from one scene to the next. That is permissable, even amusing, but the story line is not. It's predictable and stupid - evil vs. good with not so subtle pro christian overtones. It's freaky really, but the dialog is so banal and the gore so ungratifying that suffering through the whole thing is really like a trip to hell!