After being slightly disappointed with the Battle Arena Toshinden anime, I thought I might want to watch something that had come a bit more recommended than that one, and that thought brought me to Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter, because this title came highly recommended by people who have opinions that I tend to trust. Wow, this is everything that I had hoped Battle Arena Toshinden would have been, and then some.
The story opens with a karate competition where a seventeen year old boy with nothing but a white belt and no school to represent, is wiping out all of the competitors. His name is Baki Hanma and he is eliminating most of his opponents with just one move. After defeating and humiliating all of the other competitors, Baki quietly returns to his humble residence, and prepares for the real challenge which will follow the next night.
The real challenge comes in the form of an illegally organized underground fight club. And, when I say underground, I do mean underground literally, as in six levels below a stadium in Tokyo. Baki is the toughest and youngest champion in the history of this sport, where there are no rules, no move is outlawed, and where every fight might just end in death.
This Original Video Animation (or OVA as anime fans like to call them) is incredibly violent and gory, but oddly not as dark as you might expect. Part of that lighter feel comes from the charmingly innocent and happy-go-lucky spirit that Baki himself seems to bring to even the most brutal of fights. The contrast of some of the more horrific elements matched with lighthearted characterizations is nothing short of astounding. Needless to say, despite the childlike nature of the hero, this film is definitely not suitable for younger viewers.
The program is based on a Japanese manga comic book series that I have never read, but I do hope that it has been translated into English, because I really want to read it now. I'm sure there is way more to Baki's story than what is seen in this film and I'm hungry to find out what all there is to be learned about this intriguing character.
Do I recommend it? Yes I do. But, only for those who find this sort of thing interesting. Be warned, it is violent, and gory.
-Jay
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