Hokuto no Ken (1986 movie)

File:FotNS02.jpg

A promotional illustration of the Fist of the North Star animated movie.

An animated feature film version of Fist of the North Star was produced by Toei Animation, which premiered in Japan on March 8, 1986.() The movie was intended to be a big-screen treatment of the manga, and avoid the watering-down of violence that came with the TV series. An English-dubbed version produced by Streamline Pictures was first released in 1991 in the USA and 1994 in the UK and Australia by Manga Entertainment. A New Zealand release was never scheduled by Manga Entertainment so it never had an official release there.

Plot differences from the manga and TV series
In a notable deviation from the series, the film finds time to begin with a detailed peek at the Earth as it was before and during the fabled nuclear devastation. Starting with a calm, surreal look at various points of Mother Nature, a brief on-screen message then informs the audience of the imminent calamity, followed by unsettling Barefoot Gen-esque scenes of human life consumed in flame.

The film follows the storyline of the manga from Kenshiro's defeat at the hands of Shin to the first battle with Raoh, although certain liberties were taken to tell the story in a condensed form. For example, Toki, the second of the four Hokuto Brothers, is never seen nor mentioned, while Shin and Rei are the only Nanto Seiken masters to appear in the film. Although Yuria's Nanto heritage is mentioned through out the movie in the Japanese version, her role as the last Nanto General is downplayed. Her fate has also been altered from the original story, wherein this time she is kidnapped by Raoh instead of jumping off Shin's palace to resurface later as the Last Nanto General. She disappears during the final battle and her survival remains ambiguous at the conclusion of the film. Mamiya, Rei's love interest, is never seen, partly because Yuria is the heroine in her place. Raoh serves as the main antagonist, with Jagi and Shin as the other two major villains. Many other villains from the manga and anime such as the Colonel and Jackal only make cameo appearances as minor henchmen with some of the notable fight scenes involving Zeed, Heart, the Fang King and Uighur. All together the order and occurrences of the original story were almost completely rewritten.

There were two endings produced for the film. The original theatrical ending in Japan showed Raoh emerging victorious over Kenshiro, but sparing his life, leaving him to protect Lin. An alternate ending was produced that shows the fight ending in a draw, which was the ending featured in the VHS and Laserdisc release of the film in Japan. The English dub version by Streamline Pictures is based on the theatrical version and thus features the original ending. Many Western fans believe that the "draw ending" was the original ending, but this is a common misconception due to the fact that the original ending where Raoh wins is not featured in any of the official home video releases in Japan. The upcoming Region 2 DVD release of the film will feature both endings.

Reception
The English dub version of the movie was the first animated incarnation of Fist of the North Star to be released in English, and has had mixed reviews among casual viewers and anime fandom. A review from Akemi's Anime World calls it "so bad it's good, and the original in the genre" and calls quality of the dub "cheesy", but "suitable". Richard Harrington of the Washington Post criticized the violent nature of the movie and quality of the animation, saying that "watching it you'll feel as comfortable as a hemophiliac in a razor blade factory". Stephen Nolden of the New York Times expresses that "in its carelessly translated and poorly dubbed English adaptation, the characters express themselves in diction so stiff that they seem ludicrously prissy".

Noteworthy criticism by Charles Solomon, proclaims that Kenshiro "looks like a caricature of Sylvester Stallone drawn for an American Saturday morning cartoon show. " He further states that 'The relatively simple story is burdened with many subplots involving evil brothers, betrayals, kidnappings, and murders, all needing endless expository scenes. "He is also quick to point out its blatant similarities with films of western culture such as Mad Max. He makes a bold claim that "Fist of the North probably ranks as the most violent film in animation history" also commenting that the abundance of violence is unintentionally comedic. + - Reviews from Flixster.com as recent as 2007 state "This is hands-down the best animated movie I've ever seen." ,and boast that the soundtrack is brilliant at times, furthermore one such fan, proclaims proudly "Kung Fu enthusiasts rejoice, for this is your anthem.".