I bought the 3 DVD set of Shin Hokuto no Ken and I liked what I saw. when I was young I was hooked on the fist of the north star after seeing the animated movie. I managed to get my hands on a few of the original series, but alas not all. So I was pleasantly surprised that there was a new series out. After watching all three DVD's back to back. I felt like just eating a great 3 course meal but my hunger wasn't stilled. The new series just lacks all of the spices the Animated movie and series had, although nothing was wrong with the graphics, some of the 3d animation were great to see but didn't really add something to the story or the overall of the new series.The story was just not that great, it was mediocre to say the least. It would be really great if they could get some great writers for this new series or guest-writers for each 3 series story. Lets just hope they don't mess this up.
6 Reviews
The third chapter that should have never been made
david-rf20 January 2004
I'm a huge fan of Hokuto no Ken series since the early 80s and I was very disappointed when I saw this "Shin hokuto no ken". Everything seems made to be a mere marketing operation. The 3D scenes don't always match correctly with 2D, the animation is not so good, the plot is a bit boring and the new voice of Kenshiro is much worse than the original one by Akira Kamiya. And, the last but not the least, what's that horrible part of a samurai armor in Kenshiro's right shoulder? That's crap I say!
Less violent, More bloody
sgbdestroyer12 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
New Fist of the North star is another entry in the series. It is hard to say when it takes place, but it doesn't matter. The series delivers the same action just cleaner and not silhouetted or blurred. All the deaths are shown in full gory detail. However, few of Kenshiro's head explosions are here.
The story this time around follows Kenshiro trying to save a village from a tyrannical ruler. After defeating him, he goes to get medicine for an ill child the ruler used to control the citizens. The son of the ruler comes and takes over while Ken is gone. Kenshiro returns and must defeat the son. Kenshiro defeats him the same way he beat Raoh and Kaoh from the series. Fight a little then talk a little, etc. Bad guy then kills himself after coming to a realization. Even worse, the cause of the realization comes from nowhere, and it isn't even good enough to justify suicide. Basically, the story is bad, but everyone is here for the violence.
Two changes that I like are the animation and theme music. The animation is lot cleaner due to the time. The theme music, done by Japanese superstar Gackt, is now more rock, not that terrible 80s pop stuff.
In the end, I give this a 6/10 for what little violence there is. I only recommend this series to Fist of the North Star fans. Other people should just watch the movie or original series.
The story this time around follows Kenshiro trying to save a village from a tyrannical ruler. After defeating him, he goes to get medicine for an ill child the ruler used to control the citizens. The son of the ruler comes and takes over while Ken is gone. Kenshiro returns and must defeat the son. Kenshiro defeats him the same way he beat Raoh and Kaoh from the series. Fight a little then talk a little, etc. Bad guy then kills himself after coming to a realization. Even worse, the cause of the realization comes from nowhere, and it isn't even good enough to justify suicide. Basically, the story is bad, but everyone is here for the violence.
Two changes that I like are the animation and theme music. The animation is lot cleaner due to the time. The theme music, done by Japanese superstar Gackt, is now more rock, not that terrible 80s pop stuff.
In the end, I give this a 6/10 for what little violence there is. I only recommend this series to Fist of the North Star fans. Other people should just watch the movie or original series.
Kenshiro is back, so you'd better come correct!
kumanoken28 August 2003
Warning: Spoilers
If you're reading this review you are probably a fan of Fist of the North Star. Having run for two TV series (totaling 148 episodes) in the 1980's, and three feature films (one animated, two live-action; trust me and skip the little-seen Taiwanese version) it has had a strong cult following for quite some time, and a resurgence was inevitable. Shin Hokuto No Ken Chapter 1: The Cursed Street is part one of a three-part direct to DVD series that continues the adventures of Kenshiro, successor to the super-humanly lethal martial art of Hokuto Shinken. He's still wandering the post-apocalyptic wastelands and handing out ass-whuppings to evildoers while helping the downtrodden. It's anyone's guess as to how soon this is going to become readily available in an American edition (although you can find it subtitled on the Web), so without further ado: SPOILER WARNING!!! Kenshiro comes across a group of villagers who are being wiped out by the requisite biker scum who populate the series. After swiftly dispatching the bad guys (in extra-gory fashion that -unlike the animated feature-is not blurred out), he takes the lone survivor to "Miracle Village" for treatment by a beautiful healer named Sara. She can heal even the most dire of wounds using a technique similar to the healing techniques of Kenshiro's discipline, and this leads to her kidnapping by the villains from "Lastland". The ruler of Lastland, Sanga, claims that a god lives there, and the god can create uncontaminated water with a mere gesture, so having a healer of Sara's ability only puts icing on the proverbial cake. Sadly, if you want any of the holy water, you have to willing to utterly subjugate yourself to a lifetime of slavery. Needless to say, Ken decides to rescue Sara and the alleged god (a kid who is more than he seems), and more ass-whuppin' ensues. TO BE CONTINUED. Overall, not a bad first installment, but one plot point depends on the viewer's familiarity with the original comic series since it deals with material not covered in any of the previous adaptations. This has to do with the son of Kenshiro's brother/arch-rival, a boy named Ruu. Long story short: the kid may some day grow up to be the new Hokuto Shinken successor. Other than a mention of this in flashback, Ruu is nowhere to be seen in this installment, but will hopefully pop up in the subsequent chapters. The animation is better than that of the TV series (but not the animated feature), and as previously stated it delivers the gory goods in the two fight scenes.
THE GODAWFUL FINAL CHAPTER
kumanoken14 November 2004
The third and final chapter of the new Hokuto No Ken is a crushing bore and a staggering disappointment for fans. The one thing that you could always depend on the '80's original for was a ton of ultra-violent martial arts action in each installment, and those responsible for the current version have completely forgotten forgotten that golden rule. The final hour-long segment is virtually nothing but a festival of talking heads engaged in uninvolving and boring dialogue, and the raison d'etre of the series, the fighting, does not turn up until the last five minutes, by which time the audience has lost both patience and interest. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the battle that is supposed to offer a satisfying climax is a stone-cold dud in which the villain is no challenge for Kenshiro whatsoever.
The bottom line on this one is that even if you, like me, are a hardcore North Star fan you should avoid this DVD at all costs; by the end of this installment my eyes were fighting to stay open (a far more compelling fight than anything found in the story) and when it was over I napped out for a couple of hours despite having had a full night of sleep. If this crap is what may await fans in future entries, I sincerely hope that just let Kenshiro stay dormant until someone has a decent idea for any continuations.
Seriously, folks, SHIN HOKUTO NO KEN is a massive failure all around; from the ugly character designs and dearth of action to the awful soundtrack and sheer boredom of the plot, this just plain sucks. Next to the obscure Chinese live action version from the late 1980's (not the version where Gary Daniels plays Kenshiro and Malcolm McDowell whores himself out yet again), this is the darkest chapter in the history of HOKUTO NO KEN adaptations. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
The bottom line on this one is that even if you, like me, are a hardcore North Star fan you should avoid this DVD at all costs; by the end of this installment my eyes were fighting to stay open (a far more compelling fight than anything found in the story) and when it was over I napped out for a couple of hours despite having had a full night of sleep. If this crap is what may await fans in future entries, I sincerely hope that just let Kenshiro stay dormant until someone has a decent idea for any continuations.
Seriously, folks, SHIN HOKUTO NO KEN is a massive failure all around; from the ugly character designs and dearth of action to the awful soundtrack and sheer boredom of the plot, this just plain sucks. Next to the obscure Chinese live action version from the late 1980's (not the version where Gary Daniels plays Kenshiro and Malcolm McDowell whores himself out yet again), this is the darkest chapter in the history of HOKUTO NO KEN adaptations. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
The second chapter isn't all that.
kumanoken30 October 2003
After a brief recap of chapter one, Kenshiro's latest adventure continues: Ken must get medical supplies to save the young water-maker from death within two days, but he must take on the deadly dwellers of a forbidden mountain to get what is needed. The cliffdwellers fight with a style similar to Ken's, and they prove to be guardians of a grave secret...
Back at the city of Lastland the vanquished dictator Sanga is replaced by the bitter Seiji, a man whose evil is rooted in his tragic childhood. Sara the healer looks to be the target of rape by Seiji; will she escape his lustful clutches? And what will happen to the people of Lastland when Seiji orders his army to kill all who oppose him, in other words the entire population? TO BE CONTINUED (if you bother to stay awake.
Back at the city of Lastland the vanquished dictator Sanga is replaced by the bitter Seiji, a man whose evil is rooted in his tragic childhood. Sara the healer looks to be the target of rape by Seiji; will she escape his lustful clutches? And what will happen to the people of Lastland when Seiji orders his army to kill all who oppose him, in other words the entire population? TO BE CONTINUED (if you bother to stay awake.
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