areaseven Posted January 30, 2004 Posted January 30, 2004 (edited) Battle Fighters Garou Densetsu ( バトルファイターズ餓狼伝説 ) Battle Fighters Garou Densetsu 2 ( バトルファイターズ餓狼伝説2 ) SNK/Fuji TV/King Records, 1993-1994 Viz Video, 1995; Pioneer Entertainment, 2002 Directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi (Battle Angel) and Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni Kenshin, You're Under Arrest). Rated 13-Up for graphic martial arts violence, mature situations and strong language. "OKAY!!!" - Terry Bogard In 1991, video game giant SNK (now known as Playmore) gave CAPCOM stiff competition with their fighting game Fatal Fury (known in Japan as Garou Densetsu). Unlike Street Fighter II, Fatal Fury concentrated on a single storyline instead of multiple subplots. Fans worldwide lined up at arcade stands to play brothers Terry and Andy Bogard or kickboxing champion Joe Higashi in a fighting tournament to face crime lord Geese Howard. A couple of years later, SNK and King Records produced two animated TV specials in Japan adapting Fatal Fury and Fatal Fury 2. In Fatal Fury, Terry and Andy team up with Joe to extract revenge from Geese after the death of their father 10 years ago. Fatal Fury 2 picks up from the events of the first feature and has Terry struggling with his fears after suffering defeat at the hands of German warrior Wolfgang Krauser. SNK may not be the same company it used to be, but the spirit of the Hungry Wolves still burns on. Story: C+ Both features feel like your typical B-grade martial arts flick - cliché and formulaic. But unlike most other anime adaptations of fighting games, Fatal Fury has more character development and an actual plot. Animation: B+ Both features benefit from slick animation provided by animation director/character designer Masami Obari (Dangaizer-3, Virus), who would later on direct the groundbreaking theatrical version. Obari even made Terry's chrome-plated hat a popular fashion trend in the mid-1990s (even though Janet Jackson came up with it earlier). Soundtrack: B It's a rather mixed bag. Fatal Fury's score by Toshiro Masuda (Naruto, Jubei-chan) is J-Rock that sounds rather generic, while Fatal Fury 2's score by Toshihiko Sahashi (The Big-O, Full Metal Panic!) is a full orchestral assault that would later be used in the theatrical release. Sub vs. Dub Fatal Fury features Kazukiyo Nishikiori as Terry, Keiichi Nanba (Shunichi in Blue Seed, Seiji in Kimagure Orange Road) as Andy, Masaaki Satake (a well-known kickboxer in Japan) as Joe, Hidekatsu Shibata (Degwin Zabi in Mobile Suit Gundam, Baron Ashura (male) in Mazinger Z) as Geese Howard, Daiki Nakamura (Seiji in Ronin Warriors, Prof. Sadler in Street Fighter Alpha) as Billy Kane, Kouji Yada (Dr. Gero in Dragon Ball Z, Zeff in One Piece) as Tung Fu Rue, Unshou Ishizuka (Guld in Macross Plus, Jet Black in Cowboy Bebop) as Jeff Bogard, and Kikuko Inoue (Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess, Mizuho in Please Teacher!) as Lily. For Fatal Fury 2, Noboyuki Hiyama (Yushiro in Gasaraki, Shiro in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) takes over as Joe, while other roles are played by Kotono Mitsuishi (Excel Saga, Misato in Neon Genesis Evangelion) as Mai, Hirotaka Suzuoki (Bright Noah in Mobile Suit Gundam, Kuno in Ranma 1/2) as Krauser, Daiki Nakamura (see other roles above) as Kim Kaphwan, Johji Yanami (Professor Yumi in Mazinkaiser, King of Meta-Rikana in Bastard!!) as Jubei Yamada, Kouji Totani (Mohican in Dominion Tank Police) as Laurence Blood, Hirohiko Kakegawa (Goto in Kishin Corps., Minamoto in Gasaraki) as Axel Hawk, and Kikuko Inoue (Aina in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Kasumi in Ranma 1/2) as Elza. The English dub, produced by The Ocean Group, is actually pretty good. Featured voices include Mark Hildreth (Heero in Gundam Wing, Issei in Please Save My Earth) as Terry, Peter Wilds as Andy, Jason Grey-Stanford (Yuta in Mermaid's Scar, Onikirimaru in Ogre Slayer) as Joe, Sarah Sawatsky as Mai, Ward Perry (Ryu Jose in Mobile Suit Gundam, Keith in Project ARMS) as Geese Howard and Laurence Blood, Paul Dobson (Folken in Escaflowne, Happosai in Ranma 1/2) as Krauser and Billy Kane, David Kaye (Soun Tendo in Ranma 1/2, Bolt Crank in Eat-Man '98) as Jeff Bogard and Kim Kaphwan, Mina Mina as Tung Fu Rue, French Tickner (Dozle Zabi in Mobile Suit Gundam) as Jubei Yamada, Robert O. Smith (Genma in Ranma 1/2, D in Project A-Ko 2-4) as Raiden and Cheng Sinzan, Michael Dobson (Fuse in Jin-Roh, Dekim Barton in Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz) as Ripper and Axel Hawk, Christopher Turner (Green Legend Ran, Rin in Please Save My Earth) as young Terry, Tony Sampson (Jinpachi in Please Save My Earth, Fred in Transformers Armada) as Tony and young Andy, Lynda Boyd (Miss Ayumi in Project A-Ko 2-4, Monlon in Ranma 1/2 Movie 1) as Elza, and Willow Johnson (Kasumi in Ranma 1/2, Kikyo in Inu-Yasha) as Lily. DVD Extras Currently, I don't own the DVD, but I will add it to my collection later this year. The Bottom Line Despite some rather cheesy moments, Fatal Fury 1-2 are still better than most videogame adaptations. This DVD set is worth a look, especially before viewing Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture. "Yo-SHAA!!!" - Joe Higashi Reference Anime News Network Edited August 6, 2004 by areaseven Quote
areaseven Posted January 30, 2004 Author Posted January 30, 2004 (edited) Garou Densetsu: The Motion Picture ( 餓狼伝説 ) SNK/Shochiku Film/Pony Canyon, 1994 Viz Video, 1995; Pioneer Entertainment, 1999 Directed by Masami Obari (Gravion, Virus Buster Serge). Rated 16-Up for graphic martial arts violence, nudity, mature situations and strong language. "The Hungry Wolf" Terry Bogard is back in an all-new, all-original adventure of epic proportions. Young millionaire Laocorn Gaudeamus is on a crusade to recover six pieces of armor said to give the user the powers of Mars, the legendary God of War. Fearing that her twin brother is slowly losing his sanity with every armor piece he collects, Sulia runs to Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai to form their own global crusade to stop Laocorn from opening a potential Pandora's Box and releasing an uncontrollable form of destruction. Story: B+ This movie works as a stand-alone feature, but it does help to watch Fatal Fury 1-2 first to get to know the main characters. Despite not being as dynamic as Street Fighter II: The Movie, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, has a deeper plot and better character development. Unlike most fighting-oriented anime, you really get into these characters. Hell, I even know a few people who cried at the end of the movie. Animation: A Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture is loaded with colossal fight scenes and awesome animation. The finishing maneuvers by most of the characters are perfectly executed. This is, by far, Obari's single best work as a director and character designer. Soundtrack: A Toshihiko Sahashi (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Steel Angel Kurumi) supplies a powerful orchestral score that mixes perfectly with every punch. The ending theme, "Yoake no Legend" by Kazukiyo Nishikiori, sounds a lot better than the English version ("Oh Angel" by Warren Stanyer). Sub vs. Dub Reprising their roles are Kazukiyo Nishikiori as Terry, Keiichi Nanba (Shunichi in Blue Seed, Seiji in Kimagure Orange Road) as Andy, Noboyuki Hiyama (Guy in King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Chenshin in Planetes) as Joe, Kotono Mitsuishi (Sailor Moon, Mireille in NOIR) as Mai, Daiki Nakamura (Seiji in Ronin Warriors, Prof. Sadler in Street Fighter Alpha) as Kim Kaphwan, Hidekatsu Shibata (Degwin Zabi in Mobile Suit Gundam, Baron Ashura (male) in Mazinger Z) as Geese Howard, Johji Yanami (Totosai in Inu-Yasha, Buaku in Dominion Tank Police) as Jubei Yamada, Kouji Totani (Mohican in Dominion Tank Police) as Laurence Blood, and Kikuko Inoue (Chitose in Chobits, Yayoi in Happy Lesson) as Lily. Joining the cast in this theatrical feature are Shinichiro Miki (Allen in Escaflowne, Kurz in Full Metal Panic!) as Laocorn, Tomo Sakurai (Mylene in Macross 7, Shayla-Shayla in El-Hazard) as Sulia, Sho Hayami (Max in Macross and Macross 7, Wolfwood in Trigun) as Hauer, the late Yo Inoue (Sayla in Mobile Suit Gundam, Kanuka in Mobile Police Patlabor) as Panni, Kenji Utsumi (Millard in Macross Plus, Duuz in Outlaw Star and Angel Links) as Jamin, Tomohiro Nishimura (Yang in Macross Plus, Amano Jyaku in Urotsukidoji) as Billy Kane, Yuji Mitsuya (Dr. Tofu in Ranma 1/2, Kaioushin in Dragon Ball Z) as Duck King, and Chafurin (Monsha in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Mole Man in Escaflowne) as Cheng Sinzan. Next to Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture is one of The Ocean Groups best English dubs ever recorded. Reprising their roles are Mark Hildreth (Heero in Gundam Wing, Issei in Please Save My Earth) as Terry, Peter Wilds as Andy, Jason Grey-Stanford (Yuta in Mermaid's Scar, Onikirimaru in Ogre Slayer) as Joe, Ward Perry (Ryu Jose in Mobile Suit Gundam, Keith in Project ARMS) as Geese Howard/Laurence Blood/Richard Meyer, Paul Dobson (Myoga in Inu-Yasha, Happosai in Ranma 1/2) as Hauer and Billy Kane, David Kaye (Treize in Gundam Wing, Megatron in Transformers Armada) as Kim Kaphwan, French Tickner (Ikkaku in The Hakkenden) as Jubei Yamada, Robert O. Smith (Genma in Ranma 1/2, D in Project A-Ko 2-4) as Big Bear and Cheng Sinzan, and Willow Johnson (Lalah Sune in Mobile Suit Gundam, Toyoko in Key the Metal Idol) as Lily. Lisa Ann Beley (Relena in Gundam Wing, Melvina in Melty Lancer) takes over as Mai. Joining the cast are Matt Hill (Ryo in Ronin Warriors, Carlos in Transformers Armada) as Laocorn and Duck King, Miriam Sirois (Akane in Ranma 1/2) as Sulia, Janyse Jaud (Hinako in Ranma 1/2, Kagura in Inu-Yasha) as Panni, John Payne (Prince Kirin in Ranma 1/2 Movie 1, Ranba Ral in Mobile Suit Gundam) as Jamin, and Trish Ledoux (Animerica magazine senior editor) as Reiko. DVD Extras: D+ Really skimpy on the extras, as all you get are the Japanese and US trailers. The Bottom Line Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture is arguably one of the best martial arts anime movies ever made. Go buy it now. Reference Anime News Network Edited June 21, 2004 by areaseven Quote
Hoptimus Posted January 31, 2004 Posted January 31, 2004 The movie is awesome but I still love the OVAs also. Especially FF2. Really great stuff. SNK rocks and its too bad their other properties(Samurai Shodown,Art of Fighting) were mangled when turned to anime. Quote
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