Youjuu Toshi

Wicked City combines horror with a film noir style, and is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Those whom are familiar with this name are also likely to be aware of his later project Ninja Scroll. Ironically, Wicked City and Ninja Scroll are very similar.

Those whom have seen Ninja Scroll first may feel as if they're watching it twice to a certain degree. For the reasons that the female lead Makie does serve a purpose, but she appears to be nothing more than a plot device to drive one rape scene after another despite her toughness. This is very similar to Kagero of Ninja Scroll. This also ... goes for the male lead Taki. Like Jubei from Ninja Scroll, as strong as he is, his enemies are far tougher and he mainly requires assistance to win. As a matter of fact, most of these characters features were reused for the aforementioned film.

Despite the similarities concerning characters. The two films are quite different. I will also mention early that Wicked City is one of the few anime films that I can think of, which actually meshes sex and extreme violence with a coherent plot. The anime is bathed in style, it is very atmospheric, and it takes place in a dark city environment; where shades of dark blue are used as the dominant color scheme to create that dark, moody, and sinister ambiance. Almost the entire film takes place at night. Also adding to the creepy tone, there are creatures posing as humans attempting to take men to bed, then reveal their true forms at this time. This is actually some of what works its horror edge.

Wicked City is very imaginative and creative. The demons are definitely unique and boast some wild abilities; it's something that should be seen, and spoilers should be kept low to non existent. The action scenes are brutal and at times over the top. The sex and rape scenes are graphic, but not on the level of Legend of the Overfiend which is a very, very, graphic hentai anime. Now, I don't find the scenes bad due to the graphic nature. Instead, I find them bad because they're nothing more than an excuse for random sex, and the scenes aren't really needed to push the plot.

I have about the same mixed feelings for the comedy. I found the comedy to be funny at times. However, I find it to be slightly out of place. The comedy clashes with the dark and horrific tone which was set so well in the beginning, thus removing the sense of uneasiness and terror. The comedy clearly knocks the film down a few notches for me. The plot twist that takes place towards the end is out of nowhere, yet it's effective and I doubt anyone saw that coming.

Wicked City has a very good soundtrack that does fit well with the mood of the film and several scenes. The animation is pretty fluid, and most of the battles were cool to watch. The artwork also fits the personality of the film delivering some freakish character designs. At least one character has always stuck in my mind after seeing a Kawajiri film, with this being no exception.

The backgrounds are also very good. Every thing visually seemed to blend very well and had the right feel. I don't really have any issues with the voice acting for either language; but I enjoyed the English dub a lot more. Then again, I almost always enjoy it more.

Wicked City is an anime film that took a very long time to grow on me. I'm not a fan of hentai at all, in fact I hate it. Still, I feel this film is a decent watch. If you loved Ninja Scroll then I feel this may be good for you, but once again in closing, this anime contains graphic sexual content and violence that will not appeal to many. I recommend skipping it if that's not your thing. This is for those whom love violence, fan service, and porn in their anime.

Highs: Very good action, stylish, imaginative & creative characters

Lows: Easy to misjudge as mindless porn, some scenes just an excuse for porn

“It is very difficult to make one's way in this world without being wicked at one time or another, when the world's way is so wicked to being with" - Lemony Snicket


Preface:

Names such as Tetusuro Araki, Hiroyuki Imaishi, and Hayao Miyazaki come up often when people speak of great and visionary directors. The name Yoshiaki Kawajiri is not often mentioned, but his work is definitely among the influential.
While Araki and Imaishi are fairly new to the scene, Kawajiri has been at it since the 80s, and has a credit list that should be familiar to anyone who enjoys classic and quality horror/violent anime. ... With directorial duties in titles such as Ninja Scroll, X, Vampire Hunter D and key animator in a pair of other well knowns- Redline and the anime version of Fritz Lang's 1927 classic Metropolis, Kawajiri has certainly left his mark on the industry.


Artwork and Animation: 8

It's somewhat unusual to see an anime shot like a film, with much thought being placed into framing and camera angles, but in Wicked City, Yoshiaki Kawajiri really pulls out the stops. With a flair for camera placement and lighting, Wicked City shines- ironic for a movie that takes place entirely at night. One of the most striking things was the use of shadow and reflection. In 1987, a full 10 years before a computer was ever used to make animation, a lot of effort was put into drawing out a scene with both idle and background animation, along with people speaking and their reflections also animated.
Lots of good city scape, and the scene with the shadow projecting one of the sexual scenes onto the street with the characters animated on top of it was very cool to see as well.

The vast majority of the movie is rendered in a bluescale style, and it works excellently with the film noir style that they're going for. The eye animation is also unusually good here, where many other anime have outrageously large puppy eyes or beady slits, the character design is very human... when appropriate. The demons in Wicked City are memorably grotesque, particularly one of the later female ones. Anyone who's seen it knows exactly which one I'm referring to.


Sound and Voice Acting: 6

Nothing major to report, Toshiko Fujita and Yusaku Yara perform well as Makie and Taki, the soundtrack is effectively dark and dramatic.


Characters and Story: 5

Wicked City's story is fairly straightforward, but at the same time rather convoluted. We're never exactly told why or how these peace talks are happening between the humans and demons, or how the demons ever appeared in the first place, only that they're there, and they've been fighting humans for hundreds of years. The plot is straightforward enough though, and has a definite goal that only gets sidetracked when we need to see some skin. And there's definitely skin in this movie.

Perhaps it was included in the movie to make it more gritty and edgy, as it was in "Kite"- something to add shock value. While the sexual content definitely steps over the boundary into gratuitous, some of it does lead to some darkly comedic results, which lessens the blow. There is a role for it to play though, and it ties up later in the movie, but certain parts are definitely unnecessary.


Enjoyment and Overall: 7, 6

While the original Birdy the Mighty was my introduction to Yoshiaki Kawajiri, I have to say that the tone and eye for action and setpieces that Kawajiri brings are definitely the mark of a great director. The action is excellent, and the gore effects are pretty killer too. Where Birdy was a more lighthearted but violent romp, Wicked City is a nightmare of what there is to be afraid of in the dark of night.

I don't want to meet any women from Wicked City, that's for sure.


Recommended?

If you like old school anime that are dark and violent, with some sex thrown in for filthy measure, but with a coherent story and tight camera work- Wicked City is for you.

"Wicked City" is nonsensical in its premise and story as a whole, but it's still a well-made film. In many ways the story plays out like "Ninja Scroll", not to mention the director being the same. The story though is of a hero and heroine fighting beasts who have different abilities to try and slay the heroes. The finale is the only difference in how things play out, but sadly that is also the part that makes it clear "Ninja Scroll" is the better of the two. Reason for me saying that is that the ending makes the goal of the characters and a lot ... of the character's actions they take completely nonsensical. There isn't a buildup to the ending which makes it feel like a baseless twist that, while it does fit the change in tone of the film in some ways, seems to completely forget what went on in the first half. It's also a shame because the second half drops the noir charms of the first with it's change in tone, leaving the crumbling plot at the focus.

The first half is definitely the best part of the movie, the opening scene being quite striking. The film has a lot of great cinematography and some impressive animation, but there certainly is a number of scenes that feel uninspired that even drag on at times.

I watched the film with the “Manga UK” dubbing job, and I got to say they didn't disappoint. They put on a great performance with only some hiccups, and the translation-work went beyond accuracy to more creativity which I always appreciate. I also couldn't help getting giddy near the start to a clear reference to one of my all-time favorite films “The Thing (1982)”, which is the identical design of one of the creatures.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, while I started getting bored around the end. I'll likely never watch the entire film again, but it was a fun watch that might serve memorable.

Wicked City can't compete with Ninja Scroll and isn't even close to Vampire Hunter D, but it delivers on the qualities those other two did so well. Namely, despite all of these being best related as action-centric, they all excel in having a damp, dour atmosphere that makes all the events heavier than the light plots provide on their own. Wicked City takes place on an Earth that currently lives in peace with the hidden demon world. The time to renew the peace treaty draws near, and a human and demon guard are assigned to work together to protect a mystic who will sign the ... treaty from demon extremists. The entire movie takes place over the night before the treaty should be signed, and constant drapes of cool blues and violent reds cover the scenery.

The ratio of action scenes here is roughly equal to that of the two previously mentioned movies, and those scenes are similarly kept enjoyable through the downtime where the setting can be soaked and the characters made likable enough. Taki is a fairly typical secret agent stereotype, a womanizing loner who keeps his true emotions hidden. Makie is an icy badass demon woman who looks great in a suit and slices enemies with razor-sharp, long fingernails. The two serious types unfortunately have to guard a lecherous old man who's more interested in seeing the womanly sights of Tokyo than stay hidden from his assailants. The most concerning aspect of Wicked City isn't its graphic violence so much as the amount of sex in the movie and the way its used. A dash of erotic sounds like something that could be made appropriate for a neo-noir horror combo, but it crosses well over the line into exploitation for its own indulgent sake. Imagery of sex contrasting with distant things to provide a subconscious connection where there might not be normally can stir feelings of passion and discomfort in a unique way, but it takes a deft and tactful hand to pull off. When Wicked City's sexually charged scenes target a female character it's always particularly malicious and disgraceful. When Taki's taken advantage of he overcomes sex, but when Makie is targeted she's made helpless and gratuitously, literally raped to no benefit of the movie's narrative. It's very disappointing, since I loved her strong character but had to watch it be dismantled for no adequate reason. Therein is the biggest issue with Wicked City, because when the sex is simply exploitative it's not only possibly offensive - it's a straight up waste of our time to watch.

Though that's not a problem I can easily put aside, I do find a lot of other qualities to enjoy here in spite of that. Again, the general mood of Wicked City is the main reason to watch it, and when that's capable of drawing you in the movie's pace becomes a smooth ride. It's an entertaining, easy watch. Mostly. I did enjoy the first half or so more than the second. It gets brisker as it goes along, appropriate as it approaches a climax, but too soon for my taste. I missed the amount of dialogue and downtime of the beginning of the movie. The animation quality's mostly just adequate. The style is excellent, but when computer-assisted animation techniques are used in Wicked City they stick out like a sore thumb. The character drawings are often blurry, and the rare use of CG is obviously out of place. Movement looks fine, but anything slow is particularly hampered by these problems. There's some occasional poor scene composition with bad perspective, but nothing too frequent or egregious. The soundtrack is a bleeting synthetic symphony, but isn't abrasive and gains points for when it sounds like Castlevania music. This adaptation of a novel, the first in a series of six, was Kawajiri's solo directorial debut and it shows a fitting immaturity. Nonetheless, it tells a fun, self-contained story in a memorable and engrossing way. Emphasis on "gross".

After lazing about for 9 days, I’m back to write my review on Wicked City & finish this duology. In my last review, I went over how Demon City, although a bad movie, was a movie I rather enjoyed due to its atmosphere & visual design. I’m hoping this will be the same case for Wicked City.

Story: 5/10

The story in Wicked City is just as lackluster as it was in Demon City, however I give the nod to Wicked City because it somewhat tries to do more with its plot, there’s more going on this film, more to digest, more to think about. The plot ... about this movie is that a bodyguard from the human world, & a bodyguard from the demon world have to team up with each other in order to protect this guy from getting killed by a faction of the demon world that doesn’t want this peace treaty to be signed. Unlike Demon City, the plot is actually somewhat thought-out, & it has a potentially engaging narrative at its fingertips. Of course, this doesn’t really amount to too much. This movie just doesn’t explore how the treaty would effect either side, we’re largely confined to the human world, rarely, if ever getting to have a look inside the demon world. The plot is largely underplayed for this one, largely serving more as backdrop/an excuse for the action scenes to happen.

Characters: 5/10

The characters in this one are also lacking, like in Demon City, however I think they’yre slightly more charismatic & have just a pinch more of a personality than the characters from Demon City do. That being said, they’re still 1-dimensional ultimately, with the slight exception being Mayart, but him becoming the protector, someone actually competent on some level, from a pervert at the start of the movie is rather sudden, & nothing foreshadows that he’s more than what he may seem. The characters are ok overall, like the plot, they primarily serve to drive the action sequences, but credit where it’s due, they’re more memorable than they were in Demon City. The various Demons that Taki & Makie fight are completely 1-dimensional & uninteresting. They’re only personality trait is “I’ll kill you” & nothing more. Even their powers aren’t much to write about.

Art: 9/10

Without a doubt the strongest part of this film is the art. Wicked City is aesthetically gorgeous, it’s character designs are slick, the color design is (pardon the pun) wicked. It’s an all around strong effort. The animation is also fluid & flows very well. The action scenes are staged, choreographed, & directed well, & leave an impact. Some of the storyboarding & shot structure is also pretty cool. I remember a shot about 50 minutes into the movie that served as a transitional segment for an action segment. The minimalistic color design of this shot is what made it so memorable to me.

Sound: 7/10

The sound is about on par with Demon City, the mixing can be rather quiet & hard to hear some of the time, the voice acting is a solid effort, & the rest of the sound design, relying sometimes on ambiguity, sometimes on crunch, all sell the tone & atmosphere of the individual scenes about as well as Demon City did, so not too much more to comment on with this one.

Overall: 6/10

Wicked City is more-or-less on par with Demon City. Although I slightly prefer Wicked City because the plot & characters are somewhat more engaging in this one than they were in Demon City. Otherwise though they’re equally worth watching. The plot is underutilized, the characters aren’t super interesting, the art, atmosphere, & setting are fantastic, the animation is also fantastic. The sound is solid. It’s an ok movie, enjoyable schlock if you will. I’m giving this one a 6/10.

"Wicked City" is a gnarly body horror animated film. It's got it all: action, violence, horror, gore, monsters, sex, comedy, and romance. The body horror is really well done; with animation you can pull off the wildest things, and Wicked City does just that. I loved the monster designs and the art in general. The art and animation does not feel polished, I will say, but this gives the film a gritty look you just don't get anymore, especially in today's flash driven anime market. Much of the film preys on sexual imagery, creating something horrific out of something we desire. Unfortunately this fascination with ... sex comes with its drawbacks. There is definitely a heavy focus on sexual violence, some of it at times comes across as fetishization. These moments could have been suggested rather than depicted, and as such come across as if it's meant to titillate rather than horrify. Overall, the film feels too horny, and would've been better if it grew the fuck up a bit. Other than that, it was an enjoyable action-filled body horror film.

Listen. The best thing I can say for this movie is that the Art is really beautiful. The light, the spare scenery, simple animation, the limited blue/red palette, really nice. It oozes style.

Here's the thing. Its a trash movie. I love trash movies, but there was nothing I could find no matter how hard I tried that redeemed it. I tend to deal with bad or "underdeveloped" storylines especially at the expense of art or just a good original idea, or some interesting execution of it, but nah. I think the shitty dialogue and kind of ridiculous macho overtones are sort of fun as the ... movie starts, but just get boring as the movie goes on. The corny sounds... Part of me thinks it stands at the very least as an extremely 80s film, just like absolutely steeped in it, and if that's an era you really love or are curious about, this would be of value to you, maybe. But as for me, I'm giving it a big meh. Disappointing.

Oh, btw, it can be kinda sexy, which can be cool if you're in the mood for that, but the fucking old man really slices right through the mood/drama with a dull hatchet. Like, shards flying everywhere. I wish I could say I enjoyed that... Again, nah dude. And this is not mentioning the rape, which also kills some moments... And that dialogue... So bad... I really can't even recommend it as a nice lil cornball thing OR a nice lil hornball thing. Just a movie from a time.

The animation, action scenes and English dub are all good (very good at times) with a cool noir atmosphere throughout. Unfortunately, the story and characters are very weak and uninteresting. None of the characters are given enough backstory or development and the OVA feels weirdly unfinished. Its like its intending to lead into something bigger that never happens, so its not wrapped up in a satisfying manner.

This probably would have worked better as a series instead of one film; at least then there would have been more opportunity for things like character development and a more fleshed out storyline. Worth a watch for the art ... and action scenes alone in my opinion, those hold up very well.

Sexually-charged supernatural erotica, less horror than it is an exploitation of the female body for no apparent reason besides lust. Rather inconsistent in that regard, more explicit in nonconsensual scenes compared to the rest. It makes the claim of visual metaphors in association with spiritual drivel supposedly forming a bond representing peace between two races. Taki and Makie are part of a secret service protecting an emissary needed to finalize a centennial non-aggression treaty, disguising other elaborate conspiracies of unknown nature. Such events pave the way for sadomasochistic escapades of gratuitous gore and sex, usually with demonic women. At one point, it's unashamedly tentacle pornography, ... not quite meshing against the backdrop of blue and red neo-noir. In the case of color coordination, Kawajiri's eye for complementary hues strikes a tension, high-speed drives as street lights zip past. The cinematography may be a single trick, but a pretty one nonetheless. Defined designs are drawn in thick lines, with characters living a rapid urban life, which happens to be the only reason it manages to be watchable, all missteps considered.

I'd argue the pressing counter to a linear narrative, one that is well-nigh impossible to ruin, is the political sphere remaining completely untouched. Acts of terrorism, even assassination attempts, come from a factional authority in the demon world. Wreaking havoc to this extent, yet retaining invisibility in the sense of diplomatic context is nonsensical. It's a product of some cyberpunk and body disfiguration elements, and Wicked City's linear clarity is its downfall. Kawajiri's standout key animation is present in a few action cuts, but unfortunately, the rest of the film suffers from bland panning shots in abundance. A shame seeing the uneven storyboarding being framed with imaginative live-action compositing, and tilted angles rarely used in commercial anime. It's a middling gimmick, not leaning towards the gruesome nor morally provocative extremes of the medium.

I got enjoyment out of Wicked City because at the core, I like the characters and the story and I like the premise, but it ultimately fails to deliver anything remarkable. Yet for all its faults, Wicked City is really enjoyable, especially the more I digest the film.

The story line to Wicked City is interesting, but lacks the depth to make it anything more than good. We have two worlds looking to renew a peace treaty and two lovers caught in the middle. Unfortunately, that's where it takes it's nose dive. While the world and premise are interesting, we never have a world or ... story line that feels properly fleshed out.

First, the world has an interesting premise, but much of the film seems to expect you to just take what they're offering at face value. While none of it seems too far fetched, there are a lot of things you need to infer on your own. A little more explanation would have been welcomed in my opinion.

Then the story line seems to do the same, while I don't always need things spoon fed to me, having a character say the opposite of what they are portraying on screen seems counter intuitive at best, poor direction at it's worst.

Further more, the character's never feel appropriate to who they're supposed to be. Makie and Taki are supposed to be the best agents from Earth and the Black World, but act more like a couple of screw ups throughout the film. Makie is caught more times than I can count and Taki seems to be beat at almost every turn.

The fight scenes are okay at best and don't really stand out.

Art is okay and slightly below average, given its age. Sound it rough. At times, acting (English) is total trash and at other times, it's actually not half bad. The actor who voiced Giuseppe sounds like he's swallowing the microphone for most of the film. He's incredible hard to understand.

Wicked City disappoints in that I think at it's core is a solid love story and solid premise, but it fails to deliver on a show that is anything but fair. Worth a watch, but don't expect anything incredible.