Baki the Grappler Vol-2: Grappler VS Gripper (2001)
Released by: Funimation
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

After watching Baki the Grappler volume one I immediately proceeded to the second DVD as the first one proved to be so addicting. I was hoping to see a lot more of the same story flow and even more intense fights as Baki finally confronts Kaoru Hanayama, a teenager whose sheer size is enough to scare most normal people away.

As expected these episodes delivered an explosive charge that blew everyone in the Japan Hero anime labs away with their sheer intensity and entertainment power. Let’s go right into it!

Story

"While studying up on his future competition, Baki soon discovers the true terror that is Kaoru Hanayama, a cold-blooded monster bent on the excrutiating end of all who stand before him. Hanayama dos not use weapons. He is a weapon! And now, events are set in motion that will bring the full might of the killer's colossal strength bearing down on Baki. However, what Baki doesn't realize is Hanayama means to fight this battle to the death! Finally, the answer to all of the build-up culminates in an epic battle between the two gladiators...waged on a very public battleground. Can even the best of Grapplers hope to withstand the flesh-ripping grip of an unstoppable titan like Hanayama? " -- DVD Box

Review

The second volume in Funimation' s release of Baki the Grappler features episodes five through eight in the series, which include:

Episode 5: A Warrior’s Heart
After his hard training in the forest against the Yasha Ape Baki has returned to his home only to realize that he no longer needed to fight against the world champion of Muay Thai boxing because he has surpassed this man’s power and speed.

Baki is only interested in fighting more powerful opponents that truly promise a fight that will go the distance. This he finds in Kaoru Hanayama, a teenager whose powers are legendary among those of the criminal underworld, but if Baki in over his head?

Episode 6: Spirit
After carrying out a first strike Baki becomes the sole focus of Hanayama’s anger and thirst for violence. When will this gigantic fighter strike? When he does will Baki be ready for him?

Episode 7: Gripper
It’s an all out war between Baki and Hanayama at a local disco! Who will end up being victorious? Will this be a battle to the end!?

Episode 8: Demon
As the fight beween the two combatants comes to an end we travel back in time and learn how Baki’s father and mother met and learn about their past. Finally the peace is shattered when Baki’s legendary father shows up to examine what remains of the two fighters.

I find myself amazed at how much I’m enjoying this show simply because of the sheer intensity of the violence depicted onscreen. It’s not bloody or even that graphic, but the concept behind of some of the attacks and the way they are depicted make you feel like you as a watcher need to shout out in pain alongside who ever was on the receiving end of it in the show. That’s how much power this series has to draw you in as a viewer and why it succeeds on so many levels.

In sharp contrast to other shows in the fighting/tournament genre Baki focuses almost exclusively on the violent elements and ignores anything that could detract from those, such as the heavy emphasis on fan service and raw sexuality that shows like Ikkitousen and Tenjho Tenge rely on for some of their appeal. This narrowed down focus and non-graphic approach is what in my very humble opinion is what makes this show the addictive experience that it is. Well that plus the story and characters, because let’s face it, all the coolest fighting scenes in the world wouldn’t add up to much if you didn’t have anything to support them dramatically.

With these episodes the story shifts away from Baki’s first training challenge in the series and into his 2nd main battle as he takes on the impossibly-large Hanayama and his explosive arm grip. This battle greatly benefits from a number of factors that were missing from Baki’s main battle in the first DVD against the Yasha Ape, namely a human opponent with whom he could exchange verbal attacks, a large number of fight spectators and various supporting characters to provide the necessary “look at his power”-type commentary. These elements as unimportant as they may sound really add a lot to the proceedings in this type of show and sure enough they pull them off flawlessly here.

Along with the story’s shift away from the woods and into a city disco battle arena the characters in these episodes start the process of evolving and moving in new directions as they come head to head in a battle to the death. Baki for his part starts growing up and moving away from a street tough to a refined fighter who will only do battle with those who are as strong or stronger than him in a path that seeks nothing more than new challenges to overcome. The characters around Baki, like his mother and even his opponent, Hanayama, also begin changing as Baki’s life moves away from what it was in episode one and into what it becomes here.

By the end of episode eight this second plotline in the series comes to an end and we see the beginning of what the next challenge for Baki will be as his father, the strongest and most feared fighter in the world, finally appears to observe Baki’s power and to demonstrate his own. What his sudden entrance and message to Baki entail leaves us wondering what is to come next without much certainty, but one thing is clear, as a watcher of this show you can’t afford not to see what coming up next (and after seeing volume 3 believe me, you want to see what’s coming up after this storyline!).

As with the previous episodes the productions values here were quite good with a solid frame rate, sharp looking visuals, a varied color palette and neat visual effects. The action scenes are depicted with a lot of kinetic energy and interesting angles that add to their explosiveness onscreen. The one thing that once more I wasn’t as blown away by were some of the character designs, especially Baki’s, which remind me a lot of hybrid anime drawings by people trained in more Marvel/DC-like comic art style.

As far as the audio component of goes I loved all aspects of it. The soundtrack in particular noteworthy with several good techno pieces that pump up the action and add another layer of energy to the fighting/training scenes (as if they weren’t energy-packed already). The voice acting was on-target with everyone putting in a solid performance on both the Japanese and English dubbed tracks.

The DVD itself is an all around well packaged product with a variety of extras that round off the episodes in this volume on a positive note. DVD extras include a small trivia section, anime stills, director/actor commentary for episode 5, clean copies of the theme song videos, character profiles, episode summaries and previews of other Funimation releases. Inside the DVD box there is also a small booklet with more info on the company’s other properties and releases as well as little cardboard cutout pieces with the characters from the show in them. Both the audio and video transfers are crystal clear with no real issues to speak of.

Final Thoughts

I loved Baki the Grappler the first time around and now I like it even more. Im still surprised by how addictive this one is and how it has managed to sneak inside the Japan Hero anime labs to cause such much commotion with out experts!

This show is highly recommended for all fans of action and fighting/tournament anime. Don’t miss it under any circumstances.

Jeffrey Couto