Baki the Grappler Vol-6: King Hanma (2001)
Released by: Funimation
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Over the past several weeks I have been watching lots of great anime shows and writing down notes for reviews for the different DVD’s I covered, but just haven’t been able to get to the Japan Hero command desk to get cracking out the content that’s sitting inside my head. Today I decided to stick to something familiar and review a DVD that I have been waiting for eagerly since the moment the last volume ended with its” more-evil-than-Cobra-and-the-Decepticons-combined” cliffhanger! And you know when I say that I mean real business!

The title I refer to is Baki the Grappler, one of several tournament/fighting anime shows that we have followed with great interest here in the site. Personally this is my favorite (alongside with Dragonball-Z of course!) series in the genre currently being released as each collection of episodes engages me more and more into the world they present and the characters that live in it. But enough of that let’s just go right into volume 6 of Funimation’s release of this series and let’s see what it’s all about.

Story

"The King goes underground! When Yujiro appears in the underground arena and quickly humbles his champion son, he accepts a vigorous challenge from the patient Doppo. Doppo's secret ten-year vendetta is exposed to the younger generation's champion - as well as his tremendous abilities as a grappler. But Baki must remain focused. With his burgeoning friendship with Doppo on the line, he can't help agonizing over the possibilities of the elder warrior's bout with Yujiro. However, his own fate is in question as he awaits his match with a unique foe more concerned with nutrition and exercise than fighting. Kureha battles for the chance to prove the merit of years of research and seal his destiny as the supreme being on the planet." -- DVD Box

Review

The sixth volume in Funimation' s release of Baki the Grappler features episodes twenty one through twenty four in the series, which include:

Episode 21: An Unlikely Challenger
Having won his latest match Baki stands victorious, but a surprise visit by his father quickly puts a stop to the festivities. Having taken out his son in a matter of seconds, Yujiro is quickly challenged by one of his old opponents, Doppo Orochi and a dream match is set!

Episode 22: Head-On Collision
It’s time for Doppo to take on Yujiro! Can he pay him back for what the Ogre did to him ten years ago?

Episode 23: Medical Miracle
The Ogre finally shows his true powers and Doppo pays the price! Meanwhile a new fighter enters the ring ready to take on Baki. This opponent is unlike any other Baki has experience before, will his expertise in the human body prove fatal to Baki?

Episode 24: The King’s Ransom
Who will win? The Doctor or the fighter? Whoever wins, the goal remains the same, to defeat the Ogre by all necessary means. Can Baki avenge his mother?

Over the past couple of DVD’s we have followed Baki’s rise to fame in the ultimate fighting tournament under Tokyo Dome, where the world’s strongest gather together, not for money or fame, but to test each other out in the purest fighting arena available anywhere. Here Baki has encountered a wide assortment of opponents, each with their own techniques or specialties, which have allowed Baki to adapt to a greater range of situations and dangers.

With this set of episodes we see the re-introduction of Yujiro into the mix, functioning as a measurable rod by which we can size up Baki’s fighting prowess, but as he all to easily demonstrates, his son is nowhere near to being able to take him head on in a fight yet. This does open the door for another seasoned contender to take the Ogre on in the form of Doppo, who has held a vendetta against the Yujiro for over 10 years after he was ruthlessly attacked by him at a party. More than a simple rematch though this match-up is designed mostly to remind me us of just how powerful Yujiro is and how Baki, even though he seems to at the top of his game is not even a blip on the radar when contrasted against his old man.

In addition to Yujiro’s comeback we also get to meet another interesting fighter in this DVD, one whose daytime job happens to be medical science. His name is Kureha, and he’s the brother of cord fighter we met on the last DVD. Interestingly he comes into the fighting tournament not looking to avenge his brother, but to test out a theory he’s been working on and his body, which he continually refers to as the most perfectly build body in the world, thanks to its fusion of various body-types into one. His bout against our young hero proves interesting mostly due to the approach that he takes to it, which is rather clinical as he explains with great details exactly what it is that he is doing and how each attack interacts with Baki’s body structure.

Nothing really major happens in these episodes as they keep (generally speaking) to the format that has been established since Baki joined the tournament, but despite this they are still greatly enjoyable! I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the way the battles are choreographed and Baki’s interactions with the other characters all add up to something that is a real blast to watch from beginning to end. The most exciting part by far here is that as soon as episode 24 ends the big battle story arch is announced! So while the DVD didn’t end with a cliffhanger it does leave you wanting a lot more as we are promised the next stage in Baki’s quest! Can’t wait to see how that unfolds!

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 I continue to not be impressed by are 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 director/actor commentary for episode 21, episode summaries, clean copies of the opening and ending themes, character profiles, an art gallery 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

This is a powerhouse anime for fans of fighting/martial arts shows. Make sure this one is on your radar screen next time you head out to your favorite anime shop!

Highly recommended.

Jeffrey Couto