Shootfighter Tekken: Round 1 (2001)
Animation Production: Tetsuya Saruwatari/Shueisha/Spike
Released by: U.S. Manga Corps
Official Website: Central Park Media
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Here at Japan Hero headquarters we are huge fans of martial arts films and anime. Seeing a young fighter move through the ranks from rookie to ultimate fighter via tragedy and hard training sessions involving unusual methods and techniques is some of the most fun we think there is to be had.

This is why we’re excited about the opportunity to take a closer look at Shootfighter Tekken Vol-1, which was recently released by Central Park Media. Let’s see what this one is all about.

Story

" High school student Kiichi is on the fast track to martial arts super-stardom. An expert in the deadly Nanshin Shadow Style, he faces the challenge of his life: the long-awaited grudge match with his father’s arch-nemesis, the champion of World Pro-Wrestling! Fists fly and blood spills as a new breed of fighter takes to the ring! " -- U.S. Manga Corps Shootfighter Tekken Website

Review

We open with a deadly martial arts/wrestling bout as two almost equally matched opponents take each other on in a fight to the finish. Blows are traded, holds are carried out, blood splatters throughout the ring’s surface. When both combatants seem to be ready to drop they summon together all of their energy for one final all out attack, which concludes with a tragic blow…

Several years later we meet a young man by the name of Kiichi, who is hard at work on his martial arts training as he makes his way back to his training grounds, where his father awaits. Upon arriving he enters into a light-hearted training fight with his father that ultimately results in a better understanding of what the Nanshin Shadow Style martial art means and why it must remain hidden from those whose lack of a pure heart would lead them to use it for evil purposes.

Shortly after this encounter the father-son duo runs into a pro-wrestler who is interested in taking them on as he thinks they may be worthy of fight, ultimately losing to them. Having lost to the two combatants the defeated wrestler makes their whereabouts known to his boss, who proceeds to make an appearance alongside one of his pupils; it would seem that the mysterious head of the Wrestling group is the combatant who was dealt a deadly blow by Kiichi’s father many years ago and now he wants a rematch. Will Kiichi be able to rise up to the occasion and protect the secrecy of his martial art?

I’ve seen a range of martial arts and fighting anime shows and movies and while I don’t typically search it out I do enjoy the genre tremendously when I do get the opportunity to sit down and check out a new series or movie. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Shootfighter Tekken prior to booting up the DVD, but was hopeful it would make for a fun watch and sure enough it did!

Now, while this OVA does conform to the typical rules that these shows seem to follow it does a nice job at bringing together all the elements that make up the story. From the initial fight, to the issuance of a fighting challenge and the training to develop new techniques to overcome a powerful adversary each element and character come together nicely to form a solid story.

I should also point out that while the show does follow closely on the footsteps of its predecessors it also adds a couple of new elements and improves on old ones. A great example of this is how certain special attacks are depicted and followed through as the person who gets hit by the offensive strike becomes transparent, allowing for a close-up and detailed view of their organs and how they are affected by the connecting hit. This view is much more detailed than any other such depiction I’ve seen in other shows and very much reminds me of the invisible man that used to be sold in Sears catalogs way back when, but that’s a whole other story.

The animation of Shootfighter Tekken is firm, holding at a nice constant frame rate. The character designs are rather unique and really stand out from those used in other titles as they tend to lean towards a more realistic and less rounded look, which gives them a slightly different and more grounded feel on-screen. The color palette is heavily skewed towards a darker range of colors, which is fitting for the story being told and adds an ominous atmosphere during certain battles.

The music, at least in this episode was surprisingly absent in its presence. Don’t get me wrong there is music accompanying the action on screen, it’s just that it doesn’t really do much to stand out and make itself heard and known. The promo for the second and third episodes had some nice fast moving music pieces so hopefully that’s an indication that the soundtrack will be picking up in the next two volumes.

The DVD for Shootfighter Tekken Round One includes the first chapter in this 3-episode series. Extras include previews for the other two forthcoming volumes, an art gallery, and previews for other products from Central Park Media. The packaging is simple featuring art work that seems to come straight from the manga the show is based on. It probably could have benefited from having actual still from the show in the back, but it gets the job done. Overall it’s a nice little DVD package.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy martial arts anime this is a must-see title. Featuring several fights and some neat training sequences this is the kind of anime show that is fun to watch with a bowl of popcorn. Keep in mind though, this title leans more towards realism than other shows that feature magic attacks and energy beam fights. You won’t see that here, but rather more realistic fights and their extremely bloody results.

All in all a great show!

Jeffrey Couto