Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great deal in price for all episodes, September 9, 2005
I gave this dvd 5 stars because it has all 3 one hour long episodes for the price of 1.
This dvd has no special features except previews (because how else would they fit all 3 hours worth of episodes on 1 dvd, wasting more space for more features would sacrifce dvd quality.
The 5.1 digital surround on this dvd is the best that I have ever seen.
The picture quality is the best i've ever seen too!
The dvd also runs in 16:9 wide screen format with japanese 5.1 digital surround too.
This dvd is given a TV-MA VSL rateing for the heavy violence, the moderate curseing, and the nudity.
Overall running time is 175 minutes
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Completely missed the point., September 25, 2006
I don't own this boxed set, though I've seen this series, and as a Fist of the North Star fan, I became angry and sad after watching it. If you're a fan, you'll probably react the same way. Note that this review contains SPOILERS, but considering how terrible this series is, I'm probably doing you a favor by giving you the high points so that you can move on to something better.
To begin with, the creators of this new series totally missed the point(s) of the original. While the original (and "real") Hokuto No Ken was about how one man with godlike power acts as a force for justice in a chaotic world, the new series includes "extreme" close-ups of realistic blood and guts (which were always blurred or off-color in the original TV series, not just because they were meant for younger viewers, but also because the villains' deaths were meant to be symbolic, rather than gruesome and terrifying). The new series has several gratuitous close-ups of brains flying out of nostrils and other ridiculous garbage. It's also shamelessly exploitative and features a totally unrealistic, brainless ninny of a female lead who, aside from serving the purpose of pandering with her nearly-naked body shown from every theoretically titillating angle, exists only to be taken advantage of in every sense (including physically). Otherwise, the characterization is extremely weak and the plot and pacing are all over the place. About the only thing they got right is that this Kenshiro guy is really strong, and people are scared of him.
The new series' primary "villain" is totally uncharismatic and is also a thinly-veiled ripoff of the equally unlikeable Shachi character from the Hokuto No Ken 2 TV series. For the sake of the new series' story, he's pitted against Kenshiro as some kind of equal, even though Kenshiro should, by all rights, completely annihilate him.
The series makes a few feeble attempts to tie into the original story--in the first 5 minutes or so of the first OVA, it's revealed that Raoh had a biological son whom Kenshiro makes his successor. This mysterious child then hurries off into the wasteland, never to be seen again, and that's about it. From then on, we see even more "new" scions of the Hokuto style (a fighting style that the original TV series suggested was highly secret and inimitable--but which led to offshoots in the second TV series, which was not-coincidentally when the Hokuto series and license unequivocally jumped the shark), unsympathetic civilian victims, the aforementioned unrealistically exploited female lead (who, against all reason, forgives the "villain" the trespass of sexual assault), and a limp and meaningless final battle. If you're a Fist of the North Star fan, or even if you're not, do yourself a favor and steer clear of this garbage.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Your better off buying this complete set, January 2, 2006
This box set is perfect for any fan of this series. This show is pretty good but lacking a couple of things you can't really put your finger on but you can just tell is missing. Besides that this is a very exciting and edgy anime box set. If you've seen the series on the anime network and you enjoyed and want to watch it over and over again then this is a smart box to get.
You save about 80 bucks for a series that isn't really worth that much. The style of animation goes together very well with this type of fighting because it shows the ruggedness that is trying to be put across. The violence is a bit crazy but after a while it gets old and you get use to it. The only thing terribly wrong here is that the main character kills everyone the same way, nothing ever changes so you know what's going to happen before it happens. You think since he is skilled with the knowledge of a pressure point fighting technique he would do some different moves to defeat his opponents.
This is a good series but this box makes it worth getting because you save so much you might get tired of some things before the story ends but it's still worth some time. Maybe if this becomes a series they'll think of fixing their mistakes cause New Fist has a lot of potential.
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