Director: Kôichi Ôhata
Starring: Veronica Taylor, Akeno Watanabe, Caitlin Glass, Masumi Asano, Wendee Lee
Running Time: 300 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is the most difficult anime series I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing for a number of reasons. The series focusses on a group of young scantly-clad women guided by the spirits of ancient warriors in order to become ultimate martial arts fighters. It should be stated now that this is by no means a complicated plot and it is also incredibly easy to follow. However what makes the series slightly confusing in terms of its quality, is the mixed bag of visual and narrative divergences. By this I am of course referring to the emphasis the show puts on provocative imagery, which can clearly be seen from the DVD’s marketing.
Some characters and storylines within the series’ 12 episode run may cause slight confusion to those (like me) that have not seen the shows previous two seasons. Although it will quickly become clear that Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is not an anime series reliant on story or long running character arcs. As previously mentioned, each episode contains frequent nudity and sexual innuendo to an incredibly distracting extent. The series’ operatic storylines resemble a bizarre combination of Dragonball Z and 90210, which is interesting but ultimately conflicted with its apparent visual agenda. Some female viewers may view the sexual liberty of the shows protagonists as empowering, however others may be offended at the potential misogyny that brings it extremely close to hentai territory. Having said that, the action within Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is both engaging and refreshing when compared to typical anime martial arts battles. The fact that every fight within the short series results in young women barely clothed, also conforms to its obvious male target audience (for better or worse). As a male viewer I will however admit that it’s hard not to become enticed by the visual allure of the suggestive anime.
Both the English and Japanese voice actors involved in the series clearly embrace its strange, frantic and overtly sexual nature, through their equally energetic performances. This gives Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians a unique and quirky edge that will make it oddly addictive for any viewer, especially with the iconic and ever-brilliant Veronica Taylor once again on fine form (Pokémon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). The animation on display is also incredibly gorgeous which doesn’t come as a huge surprise, given the large emphasis on nudity and visual pleasure. Overall, it’s very hard to recommend to show to anyone other than promiscuous male viewers due to the simplicity of it’s narrative and multitude of naked animated women. However teenage female viewers may find some rateability within the shows narrative exploration of puberty and sexual experimentation. Otherwise, this strange series can’t be described as anything other than fifty shades of anime, which may be attractive to some viewers but others may want something with a bit more of a substantial storyline.
[usr=3] Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians is available on DVD now!
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