Ranked #3832

Ikkitousen

Ikkitousen is by no means a good anime. Though, that's not to say that it wasn't rather enjoyable, and I must admit that I was surprised that I was able to finish it, and still feel a sliver of satisfaction after watching it. There were many things that could have been done much better-- that would have made this a better series-- but if you leave your expectations and occasionally your sense of decency behind, this is not a terrible watch.

Story: A good concept gone to waste most of the time, and slightly silly to boot. A plot lightly touching on pre-destination and the inevitability of fate is often overshadowed by minor squabbles or situations clearly designed to pander to more base tastes. That said, there are some moments of inspired story-telling, but these are very, very few and far between. After watching the entire story through to the finish, I must admit that I am left a little confused as to the point of the whole thing. Is destiny inescapable, or can it be overcome with sheer willpower? Even though this should be a thought-provoking ending, I found it felt rather lazy and incomplete.

Art: Some nice character designs, restricted by outdated animation and again pandering to lusty teens. Big-breasted characters, multitudes of up-skirt shots, and clothes apparently the consistency of tissue-paper tell you exactly the demographic this series is aimed at. The background art is so-so, and the fighting sequences are nicely executed-- have seen better though.

Sound: Again, there is nothing particularly outstanding about the OP or ED for this series. In fact, the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with the series as a whole, and feel decidedly out of place. Seiyuu performances aren't terrible, and despite being a rather annoying character, Asano Masumi's performance as Hakufu fits with the feel of the character. Other characters of note are Kaida Yuko as Ryoumou and Watanabe Akeno as Ryoufu.

Character: With a slew of characters from different schools all introduced in thirteen episodes, it can get very difficult to place who is from what school, what their relationships are to one another, and what their motives are for fighting. Often inconsistent characters (see Ryoumou from the first few episodes to the rest of the season), at times shallow personalities and changeable alliances, make it somewhat difficult to empathise with particular characters. Some of the female characters are fleshed out a bit -- not a lot -- but significantly more so than the male characters, who all seem to be suffering from two-dimensional personalities. That's not to say the female characters fare much better. Some moments of character growth shine like diamonds in this series, but again they are very few and far between.

Enjoyment: As a female watching this series, I probably can't rate it as highly as some might, as I found the fan service a little too distracting, and the situations a little too laughable to rate this a 'good' series. Despite multiple 'roll-eyes' scenarios, this series was rather enjoyable. The fights were interesting enough, the characters dilemmas were occasionally interesting and while it wasn't expanded on nearly enough, the whole pre-destination/pre-determination concept was really what kept me hooked throughout the thirteen episodes. Enjoyable in parts, and rather cringe-worthy in parts, I still found myself smiling by the time it was all over.

Overall: Could have been much better than it was. Perhaps toning down some of the fan service and focussing on building a more substantial plot may have made me rate this series a little higher. If story and character development don't matter much to you, and you're looking for a little fan service, this will probably be your thing. If you can't handle a hefty serve of the aforementioned, I think it might be better to give this series a miss. I enjoyed it, but I didn't like it, though I was never expecting it to be a particularly deep or thought-provoking series. So if you are able to lower your expectations and enjoy it for what it is you might find yourself enjoying this series. read more

Ikkitousen is loosely based on the infamous Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms which is set around 200 AD. As a person who knows quite a bit of the history during that period, I find easy to understand the relationships between characters and what the anime is trying to bring out. But I must admit it will be quite difficult for an average person with no background to try to understand what is going on in the story.

So before any further rating of the show, I would like to give a bit of advice to those who plan to watch this. IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN CHINESE HISTORY (though rather twisted if you ask me), AND IF YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO DIG OUT SOME HEAVY FAN SERVICING ANIME, THEN THIS IS NOT FOR YOU! You might as well go watch hentai instead.

Yes, I agree that the fan service is very abundant (ridiculous is the term I would use), but I don't see the point in watching this if fan service is all you are looking for.

Story:
Trying to make a modernized version of the ancient war in China was a good idea to begin with. Though trying to retell it (even a small portion of it) in 13 episodes is just too much a task. The concept of the story is simple enough if you know the history.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the government became corrupted and the local governors and warlords took over and began building up their power. Which in our case, the local governors and warlords are nothing but the seven schools. At the end, three overlords eventual dominated China resulting in the period of the Three Kingdom (which was explained at the end of the anime). Here are some links if you are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Dynasty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms

I rate it 7 because I don't find it very original, and messing up the genders of the characters in the Romance of Three Kingdom is just...wrong. Oh, and I really don't see much point in all those street fights.


Art:
Nothing too fancy...don't expect too much from it, after all it is made in 2003. But it is still decent for its time. Note that I am rating it based on the year of its production, NOT by current standard.


Sound:
I like the OP but everything else is just what one would call "standard" in the anime industry.


Character:
I can understand that the producer tried to build up some character introduction/developments but mostly ended in failure. That is not to say that they did poorly, but rather it was just too much for 13 episodes. (One got to understand that the actual cast for the Romance of Three Kingdom is ENORMOUS, the producer handpicked a very few exceptional ones only)


Enjoyment/Overall:
I don't recommend Ikkitousen to people looking for fan service. It is better for you to watch hentai. Seriously, there are more than enough scenes in Ikkitousen that are on par to hentai. However I do recommend this to fellows who might want to see how the story of Romance of the Three Kingdom can be turned into in a modern day Japan. Overall, I enjoyed the anime and had no regret watching it. In fact I might rewatch it after finishing Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny and Great Guardians. read more