Wicked City
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Movie Reviews of Wicked City
Movie Review: An anime classic, now outclassed but still good
Summary: 3 Stars
When Wicked City (also called Supernatural Monster City) was new, it was very impressive for its time. As anime evolves, a lot of what once made this anime stand out -- its adult theme, strange demons, and plot twists -- have become stereotypical standbys of the genre. While not as classic as such seminal movies as Akira, Wicked City still had a lot to offer anime fans.
The biggest flaw this movie has is its absolutely dreadful English dubbing, which manage to flatten out all interesting charactization, lose important plot details, mangle other plot details, and criminally distort much of the dialogue's actual meaning. (The English dubbed version of Wicked City drops the rating to one star.) If you insist on hearing it in English, at least turn on the English subtitles as well so you can see what you're not hearing. Better yet, just leave it in Japanese with English subtitles.
Be warned, this is an adult movie. There's sex, violence, rape, and at least one monster that will make male viewers gulp and cross their legs. Some of it's gratuitous (and some of it's tame in comparison to films like Urotsukidoji), but viewers who are okay with these kinds of topics will find much to enjoy.
Movie Review: Interesting Chapter In the Development of Anime
Summary: 3 Stars
I was surprised when I found out about this movie. I hadn't realized the director of Ninja Scroll had any other credits involving animated movies previous to Ninja Scroll.
The storyline is reasonably engaging. I watched it in Japanese with English subtitles, since bad dubbing or voice-acting can ruin a movie for me. I must admit that the animation is a bit primitive by today's standards--even when compared only to cell-drawn animation--but it wasn't really a big enough problem to detract from the movie. There are a few instances in which presumably contemporary (to the movie's production) pop music intrudes upon the soundtrack; the music sounds dated and awkward in such a context but it only happens two or three times and fortunately only lasts thirty seconds or so. The movie does suffer somewhat from some of the common problems found in anime such as ambiguous plot and vague action scenes and resolution. Despite these minor flaws, I think this movie was definitely worth watching.
Movie Review: Not really what I had in mind...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was expecting more of a monster/action movie, instead I got a monster/hentai movie. It wasn't bad, but I wish there were more monster's, more fighting, and less smut. But like I said it wasn't a bad movie, had a few funny parts, the romance was interesting, the monsters were interesting, the few fighting parts were well animated, I thought the American voice actors did a good job, and at least the hentai parts weren't in super bad taste. Definitely for 18+ audience.Movie Review: A bizaar story...
Summary: 2 Stars
Cops meets Demon City in a world vividly recreated by some fine artists in this anime. The story is a little dry really but interesting. For the most part it is a worthy purchase but many will find it too dull if they expect another Demon City. The movie never quite harnesses it's opening eerie environment, and then loses its hold on you as the story drags on. The themes are mature and there is nudity and graphic violence. Basically a cop must fight demons before they come and take over the dimension in which humans live. A dirty old man is the secret to stopping them and he is hired to protect him. A few laughs involving the old mans ruthless desires to the demon woman who was sent to also protect him. The cop falls for the demon girl in text book format and the story progresses until you wake up.Movie Review: Obsoleted by modern anime
Summary: 1 Stars
If you are looking for a graphically outdated movie with dull action scenes, a loose plot, and many rape/relations scenes, this movie might be for you. However, don't get too excited just yet, almost all of the adult scenes really don't show anything graphic, but rather use grunts/moans and implied movements instead.
As for alternatives, if you are looking for a good horror flick, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a good option. If you wish to see a horror flick with great visuals, Blood the Last Vampire is a good option. If you are looking for a horror flick with gratuitous gore and female nudity, Ninja Scroll is a good choice. Lastly, if you are looking for an action/horror series, Hellsing is a great pick.
Bottom line: there are many better anime movies out there then Wicked City regardless of what you are looking for in a horror movie. Let this old dog sleep.