Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995)

If this peace is fictitious I shall destroy it.

In a distant future, war has reduced human civilization to an irradiated wasteland. For many decades people struggled to survive in a world where Man lives by his base instincts. Until a being named Gurjev (Yasuaki Honda) descended to Jerusalem. Seraphim in appearance, but with a nature belying something else entirely, Gurjev along with his android disciple Michael (Kazuhiko Inoue) ushered in a utopia with advanced technology and equality. This angelic socialist renamed Jerusalem to Jesus Town and brought all mankind together. All seems right in the world until adventurers uncover a prison confining a terrible menace. Hakaider (Dai Matsumoto), the one who destroys to bring justice has awakened. Blazing a trail of unspeakable carnage he heads toward Jesus Town to burn it to ash. What is Hakaider seeking? What is the reason behind this violence? Who is to say there is one?

 

90s Japanese box art!!!!

Created by Bandai and Toei, and directed by Keita Amemiya (GARO, Kamen Rider, Onimusha), Mechanical Violator Hakaider was released in Japan in 1995 and is a spin-off of the Android Kikaider series created by the father of Kamen Rider Shotaro Ishinomori. In the original Kikaider series, Hakaider is actually the villain and is something of the Cain to Kikaider's Abel. However, Hakaider became so popular in his own right that he earned his own toy line and movie. And what a BADASS movie it is. Normally I shy away from live-action adaptations and re-imaginings, but let me tell you that Mechanical Violator Hakaider is one of the best. True the movie doesn't tie into the Kikaider series and in fact, Hakaider is the only commonality between this film and the source material. Everything else from the setting to the tone, to the action and characterization are quite different. This is a post apocalypse, but while most of the world has been destroyed, there's an unsettling sense of routine, of easiness about the whole affair. The people of Jesus Town are happy and everyone is equal in that "this is not what nature intended" way that only happens in a dystopia. The people feed on Gurjev's every word and regardless of race or gender everyone behaves like sheep and are even dressed in white. Gurjev even refers to the people as his children and even his arc android worships him. The set-up is so disturbing it's fantastic.

 

A look that will make your blood run cold.

Who is to say we're better off with our "hero?" Hakaider is not one of the good guys. On his best day he's an anti-hero, but he seems closer to a villain protagonist. Hakaider was sealed away for a reason and when he's unleashed you better hide or get the hell out of his way. Hakaider leaves a pile of bodies wherever he goes and he's almost unstoppable. Everything about him from the way he moves to the way he fights is very imposing and while his human guise isn't as overtly unsettling, you can still feel something powerful behind it. Maybe Hakaider's backstory indicates there's more to him than murder. Maybe he's just a ruthless killing machine and the future is filled with people who need killing. Even after watching the film I can't really say for sure.

 

Motorcycles are forever.

If you're at all familiar with Keita Amemiya's work (GARO, Kiba Gaiden, etc.) you know he's a fantastic director that makes superb use of practical effects and minimalist acting. There's only one brief scene where computer animation is used, but the entirety of the action scenes use old school movie magic: pyro, blanks, dummies, stop motion, hotblooded stuntmen, camera tricks and so forth to draw you in. It's a different experience from today's CG fests. You really feel like you're screeching down a highway in a race of life or death or staring down Gurjev's robosapien minions in a dark, decrepit alleyway. There's so much 90s badassery that even Hakaider's motorcycle looks ominous. There is a rebel group (isn't there always) that seek to bring down Gurjev and while they're mostly here for exposition, they all had different personalities and habits that defined them.

 

Gorgeous cinematography.

Kaoru (Mai Hosho) the leader of the rebels is a particularly interesting character who has visions of the future. The message behind these visions are open to interpretation. These scenes are short, but there is a lot of fantastic imagery here including chains, crosses, wings, and an enigmatic black knight. This is the part of the review where I tell you the film isn't perfect.

 

Not perfect, but close enough.

The film isn't perfect. Some of the techniques are dated. The film is more than 20 years old after all and if 90s movies aren't your thing this one probably won't win you over. The last-last battle does feel unnecessary in that BvS kind of way, and Kaoru's visions while interesting often appear out of nowhere. Distribution wise I should note the film is a bit difficult to find, curious as four different versions were released. There's a Japanese VHS, an English VHS, a Japanese DVD Director's Cut, and an English DVD Director's Cut. From what I've found the only way to get Mechanical Violator Hakaider is in a set. The film is only 80 minutes long which is fine for an action movie. It doesn't make any big promises it can't keep, it gets you in and out, and it leaves you wanting more in a good way. You won't find a perfect action movie, but you'll find a very entertaining and often overlooked toku classic.

Mechanical Violator Hakaider on Amazon.

Sky High (2003)

From the Director of VERSUS. Aww yeah!

Detective Kanzaki has been investigating a series of bizarre murders in which the victims have had their hearts cut out. These murders take on a gruesome new dimension when it hits too close to home as Mina Saeki, Kanzaki's fiance is killed - on their wedding day. After dying, Mina finds herself before Ikuzo, Guardian of the Gate of Rage who presents her with three choices.  To haunt the Earth forever as a ghost, to pass on to the afterlife and await reincarnation, or to curse one person and spend an eternity in hell. Unable to deal with these choices nor come to grips with her death, Mina is given twelve days to decide her final fate and is allowed to walk the earth as a spirit. At the same-time however, Kanzaki is obsessed with finding the killer and swears vengeance. Knowing that killing another human being will cause Kanzaki to go to hell, Mina must somehow stop his quest for revenge, uncover the mystery of her murder, and make the choice that will determine her fate and the fate of her dearest loved one.  

According to an interview in New-Type USA, Kitamura’s idea going into this was to ask, “How far would one go for love?”  In Sky High, some of the characters are willing to do just about anything from condemning themselves to damning the entire world. This provides a layered narrative for several reasons. Kitamura is exploring human relationships and using this movie to really delve into terms like acceptance, love, redemption, and other concepts which other movies treat as mere words. Kitamura's approach takes deep and at times uncomfortable subject matter (man vs God) and uses them as the main ideas of the film. He is able to incorporate these complex themes because he doesn't allow himself to be confined by the limitations of a typical action/suspense film.

Mina facing down her destiny.

There are few cliches to be found in Sky High because in keeping with Kitamura's unique tradition, he's breaking from the confines of typical film making. The most immediate example is that this isn't a case where a cop's fiance is kidnapped or his family is threatened, rather the female lead dies before the title card even hits. Not only is this a jarring departure from what the average viewer was expecting, but immediately out of the gate Sky High forces us to experience the movie on its own narrative rather than try to predict it or regard it as a genre film. Also, Sky High does not present us with a damsel in distress who needs saving because not only is Mina already dead, but she's actually trying to save Kanzaki, rather than the other way around.

There is a subplot that follows multi-billionaire Tatsuya Kudo who stacks so much paper he can literally buy Japan if he wants to. However, the man who has all the money in the world wants the one thing money can't buy and that's the health and well-being of his wife who currently lay comatose because of a debilitating brain condition that is slowly killing her. Despite advances in medicine, technology, and genetics, many of which came from Kudo's own corporation, he isn't any closer to finding a cure for his wife than when he first started and it quickly becomes clear that he'll do absolutely anything to save her.

This is no mere cat fight.

Kitamura is known for his incredibly deep movies and omni-directional symbolism and Sky High is a prime example of this. The dichotomy among our characters exists in sets. This becomes apparent as our protagonists and antagonists are all working towards the same ends but are employing largely different means - to a degree. Kohei Kanzaki is a cop willing to damn himself if it means avenging his fiancé while Tatsuya Kudo is willing to do very much the same in order to restore his wife's health.  In some way our male protagonist and antagonist are inverses of one another. The same is true of our female protagonist and antagonist. 

Rei Miwa AKA The last thing you'll ever see.

Rei Miwa is Tatsuya Kudo's secretary and bodyguard. Deadly though she is, she isn't exactly silent as her verbal and non-verbal cues clue us in to the fact that her motivation in working for Kudo is largely personal rather than professional. While she has an adoration for him, she respects his commitment to his wife and she is actually helping him do whatever is necessary to restore her health. However, her love and admiration towards Kudo is almost mutually destructive as, contrary to Mina who tries to stop Kanzaki from committing atrocious acts, Rei not only helps Kudo but is an integral part of machinations. 

Even ghosts need help sometimes.

Mina is in an interesting position because the only thing keeping her fiance going is his quest for revenge. This makes Mina's dilemma one of profound difficulty because to some extent she finds herself preventing the death of the man who killed her in order to protect the man who loves her. At the same-time she is trying to uncover why Kudo murdered her to begin with all while coming to terms with her death and trying to decide her destiny in only twelve days, and not only does she hold herself together while all of this is happening but she even finds time to guide another spirit while dealing with her own troubles. To say Mina is the strongest character in this film would be quite the understatement. Not only that, but both the male protagonist and antagonist are both so focused on one singule temporal goal that Mina's character becomes all the more intriguing as she is looking at these events from an eternal perspective and the existential implications that comes with it.

The setting is a futuristic Japan which works surprisingly well as the future isn't portrayed in a hard science fiction kind of way so there are no flying cars, laser guns or spaceships, rather it is simply a realistic interpretation of a period some years from now. In essence it appears to be mostly modern but with certain futuristic edifices.  For example, Kudo has a cryochamber in his house where his wife is frozen while Kanzaki’s car radio uses a 3D touchscreen. The Gate of Rage is ancient and imposing and almost feels like a character in its own right.

The acting in Sky High is quite good. Yumiko Shaku (Mina Saeki) did a wonderful job as Mina. Shaku brought out Mina's innocence and devotion to her loved one. She also showed how Mina was compassionate, not just towards one person but people in general to some extent. Through Shaku's performance we see Mina evolve from victim to hero in a very believable fashion. Shosuke Tanihara (Kohei Kanzaki) really gave off that tortured cop vibe and the way his character changed so dramatically and so quickly early on was both impressive and understandable. 

Point a gun at Tatsuya Kudo. You're gonna have a bad time.

Takao Osawa (Tatsuya Kudo) has come a long way from his role in Aragami.  No longer is Osawa fresh faced to Kitamura’s world but he seems to have been here awhile.  Although Osawa is not used to playing bad guys, he almost stole the show as Tatsuya Kudo.  Osawa also has that certain talent about him where he can portray his character’s hidden emotion with little effort.  Kanae Uotani (Rei Miwa) is used to playing more subdued characters as we've seen in Aragami and this is her strength as she's very good at the non-verbals. You can feel that there is more to her motivation for helping Kudo besides the fact that she is his secretary. She also has a deceptively fragile appearance and temperament which work well for her character because even though Rei looks harmless, she's much more dangerous than Kudo himself.

Told you I got HYDE on the track.

While it is true that Sky High received mixed reviews, I found that it was thought-provoking and entertaining. In addition, I was surprised that I could empathize with the characters to varying degrees. The set pieces were very well designed, the acting was top notch, and the writing kept me intrigued. It wouldn't be a Kitamura movie without a fight scene and while it wasn't as pulse pounding as what we've seen in VERSUS, it was done well enough. The movie's ending theme, Horizon by Hyde was the tear jerking icing on the cake. I'm very glad to have seen this movie and I highly recommend it.