Fist of the North Star, Vol. 4 DVD: Review By stevegibbs

Wandering a blasted nuclear wasteland, Ken continues his quest to find his kidnapped lover, and take revenge on Shin, his evil half-brother. The seven episodes on this disk are:

Julia Forever... As Well As Shin

Ken finally arrives in the city of Southern Cross to confront his enemy, Shin. The two square off amidst the ruins of the burning city. But only one will emerge from the deadly hand-to-hand duel.

Is Battle All That Awaits Me?

Shin may be out of the picture, but a devastated world still remains. Ken must now protect a local village from a gang of mutant bandits. To complicate matters, a new threat appears on the scene in the form of Rei, who is searching for 'the man with seven scars'.

Nanto Suichoken

Rei brings his Nanto Suichoken fighting style to the village. Is he working for the Fang Clan bandits, or will he betray them to achieve his own agenda?

Sinners! Thy Name Is Fang!

The Fang Clan retaliate for their terrible beating by killing the brother of Mamiya, the beautiful village leader. Rei and Ken avenge the murder, and Rei reveals the reasons behind his quest for 'the man with seven scars'.

Tremble & Die, Villains Of Night Fog Valley

The Fang Clan's battle with Ken and Rei turns personal after the death of the clan chief's son.

Only Villains Can Smile! How I Hate This Age!

Rei finds his lost sister is in the hands of the Fang Clan. He attempts to rescue her, but it may cost him his life.

Rei, I'll Wipe Your Tears Away With My Fists

Ken and Rei are forced to fight one another in order to spare the lives of Mamiya and Rei's sister. But can the promise of the Fang Clan chief be trusted?

Character Bios

A brief background of the new characters appearing in the episodes on this disk.

Photo Gallery

Prologue

A 6-minute introduction to the series. If you haven't seen North Star from the beginning, this will get you up to speed.

Japanese Credit Sequence

The original end theme song from the Japanese version.

Anime DVD Previews

An extended ad for more anime series from the Manga company, including many titles you might recognize, such as Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Machine.

While the artwork and animation style in this fullscreen presentation may look somewhat dated, it is, nevertheless, a piece of anime history that shouldn't be lightly dismissed. The film has been cleaned up and remastered. Much of the artwork is very clear; contrast is good and colors are bright, with a minimum of artifacts. Overall, a good piece restored to near original quality.

You can enjoy North Star in 2.0 stereo, either in the original Japanese with subtitles, or in a fairly decent English translation. Not too bad, but they do tend to overuse the old martial arts kicking and punching sound effects - Hee-ya!

Fist of the North Star is a somewhat violent story; most of the battles end up with flying limbs, decapitations or exploding bodies. Having said that, the animators were careful not to get too graphic with the gore (at least, compared to some of the more hardcore anime). While each episode focuses on one or two specific showdowns, each one builds a little more into the overall story mythology. We gradually get a complete picture of the major characters as their backstories and motives unfold.

Since disk 4 ends abruptly with a number of plot points still unresolved, I think we can assume there will be more DVDs to look forward to in this series.

If you're looking for something interesting in the packed anime shelves at the video store; if you're curious about the history of the genre; or if you simply want to take a trip down anime memory lane, Fist of the North Star is worth a place on your viewing list.