Rise of the Legend

A new legend begins.

The year is 1868. In the aftermath of the Second Opium War, China continues to sink into chaos as the Qing Dynasty has proven themselves unable to fight Western influence and the influx of drugs and slave labor clinging to the underbelly of capitalism. In the city of Guangzhou, two factions control the Huangpu Port: the Black Tiger gang and the North Sea gang. The two gangs are in a stalemate until a brash young fighter named Wong Fei Hung appears on the scene. In an era where wicked men profit on the misery of the less fortunate, one man will rise up to change history forever. This is the rise of a new era. This is the Rise of the Legend.

 

A reckless youth.

Directed by Roy Chow and written by Christine To, Rise of the Legend was released by Edko Films (Hong Kong) in 2014, and picked up by American distributors Well Go USA in 2016. A wuxia in the same vein as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Rise of the Legend follows the early life of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung. Martial arts fans know that Wong Fei Hung's life has spawned numerous media including television shows, comics, and more than 100 films, most notably Jet Li's "Once Upon a Time In China" series and Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master I & II." When I first heard of Rise of the Legend my immediate reaction was "Omg not another Wong Fei Hung movie." Retreading old ground doesn't do anything for this reviewer so I was put-off from the film at the outset. However, Well Go USA only picks up the finest movies for American distribution. Given that this is the same company who brought us badass films like Wolf Warriors and Police Story: Lockdown, I had a feeling this movie would be something special.

 

Eddie Peng delivers his finest performance yet!

Rise of the Legend presents Wong Fei Hung as a cocky, vengeful, and borderline ruthless Wong Fei Hung. Overtime, we see Wong Fei Hung mature and become the hero China needs him to be. Eddie Peng does a superb as leading man and he absolutely owned the scenes. I've seen countless Wong Fei Hung films and Eddie Peng's performance is right up there with Jackie Chan's and Jet Li's. Eddie Peng's performance was gripping, but he wasn't alone in that regard.

 

BIG SAM!

The film has a great cast including Angelababy, Wang Luodan, and the legendary Sammo Hung who plays the villainous Master Lui, leader of the Black Tiger gang. I was pleasantry surprised by Hung's performance who typically plays the good guy, was intimidating and almost scary as Master Lui. Sammo Hung has a commanding presence and brings a completely different atmosphere to each scene.

 

FALCON PUNCH!!!

Industry veteran Corey Yuen is on board as the film's action director and his expertise really shows. Rise of the Legend has some spectacular fight sequences that do a great job of balancing brutality and style. The choreography is very well done and the hits feel like they have impact. While I felt there was a bit too much wire-work at times, I understand that's something of a mainstay of wuxia.

Must see!

The film has its flaws. It shows us an aggressive, hot-blooded Wong Fei-Hung which I thought was an interesting change of pace from the patient and wise folk hero. However, we're never given a reason for why he is the way he is. Even as a child the Wong Fei-Hung we see is violent and short-tempered, but we're neither shown nor told as to why that it is. It would make sense if it occurred later on after tragedy struck, but it seems he was always a wild child in this film. The film's score - while good wasn't memorable and I felt that a good 20 to 30 minutes of the film should've been cut because it took too long getting to the climax which was a bit rushed. Overall Rise of the Legend is a great martial arts movie and a must own for anyone into historical fiction or action movies.

Crows Zero 2

The boys are back for their final fight.

Two years ago Suzuran - the School of Crows waged a war with Housen Academy. When the battle pushes Suzuran to the brink of defeat, Suzuran's leader Kawanishi Noboru (Shinnosuke Abe) broke the rules of combat and used a knife to murder Housen's leader Makio Bitō (played by Kamen Rider Kabuto's Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi). Because of this tragic incident Suzuran and Housen created a non-aggression pact and both schools vowed to leave each other alone. Sometime later a student named Genji Takiya transferred to Suzuran.

Suzuran vs Housen

Heir to the Ryuseikai Yakuza, Genji set out to be the first person to conquer Suzuran and earn the right to lead his father's organization. With the help of his mentor Ken, Genji forged many alliances but also made a number of enemies along the way. These enemies included a motorcycle gang called the Armored Front, the force of nature known as Rindaman, and the man closest to conquering Suzuran Tamao Serizawa. After many hard fought battles, Genji's faction was able to defeat Serizawa and his forces. However, while Genji won the battle the war was far from over. Many students still doubt Genji's strength and even those who acknowledge his power refuse to accept his leadership. Suzuran is on the brink of an internal war. To make matters worse, when Kawanishi is released from prison he is attacked by forces from Housen looking for revenge and he flees to Suzuran for asylum. When Genji attacks students from Housen he accidentally breaks the non-aggression pact and the war is on. Will Genji be able to quell Suzuran's internal strife and bring down Housen Academy? Or will he become a casualty in the war he created?

 

Shun Oguri returns as Genji Takiya.

Directed by Takashi Miike, Crows Zero 2 is the 2009 sequel to Crows Zero (2007) which is based on the manga Crows written by Hiroshi Takahashi. If you've read my review of Crows Zero you're probably aware it's one of my favorite Japanese movies. It has great action, a lot of attitude, memorable characters and some minor issues aside is the total package in my book. Crows Zero is the reason I got into this genre and similar titles like Bad Boys J, Sugarless, and HiGH & LOW. So when I heard there was a sequel I couldn't wait to see it, but given how high the bar was set by the original I was skeptical if Crows Zero 2 could live up to it. While it did fall short in several areas, I still came away from the movie having felt it was a great experience and firmly establishes why Crows is one of the best properties in this genre. Sans the Armored Front, the entire cast from the first movie returns most notably Shun Oguri (Genji), Kyōsuke Yabe (Ken), Meisa Kuroki (Ruka) and Takayuki Yamada (Tamao). Joined by newcomers Nobuaki Kaneko, Gou Ayano, and Haruma Miura the movie has a massive cast of characters that weave together one badass film filled with action and attitude, while telling a fascinating coming of age story about courage and loyalty.

Enemies make the worst friends.

While Genji and Tamao are no longer enemies (at least not outright) they're still not on the same page. Tamao is still bitter about his loss to Genji in Crows Zero and while the rules of Suzuran state that Tamao's faction is supposed to fall in line under Genji, he refuses because he believes he wouldn't have lost if Genji didn't have outside help. Tamao's refusal to work with Genji sets a bad example which many students emulate and refuse to obey Genji as well. Of course let it be said that Genji doesn't respect Tamao either and when Housen threatens to bring their full force on Suzuran and wipe out the crows for good, the two rivals must decide if they'll unite or watch Suzuran burn.

Housen's Finest

Nobuaki Kaneko portrays Housen's current leader Narumi Taiga (pictured right). Kaneko hasn't forgotten what Suzuran did to the previous head and he's ordered his men to take Kawanishi Noboru's life. When Genji breaks the non-aggression pact that's all the reason Kanenko needs to up the stakes and set out to destroy Suzuran altogether. He's a character driven by revenge, but he does have his own honor code: preferring to fight the strongest students one-on-one and firmly opposed to the use of weapons. Similar to Suzuran, Housen does have some dissension among the ranks. Played by Haruma Miura, Tatsuya Bitō (pictured left) is the leader of Housen's freshmen class and the younger brother of the deceased Makio Bitō. However, he doesn't seek revenge for the death of his brother because in his view crushing Suzuran won't bring his brother back. He'll strike at Suzuran when he feels he's strong enough to honor his brother, not avenge him. His refusal to allow the freshmen to join Kaneko causes tension among Housen's seniors.

T.I. wrote a song about this.

Crows Zero 2 is complex. The story is familiar and I felt a personal connection to it. Genji is in a place where he's worked hard to achieve his goal, but found out it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. He's in that uncomfortable, crippling place that only a few people find themselves in. Given his situation and the goal in front of him, he did the right thing and made all the right moves, but it ended up hurting him in the long run. Victory has defeated him and he's not sure what to do anymore. He's getting close to graduation and has yet to bring Suzuran under his flag. On top of that, his mentor Ken is no longer there to guide him. There's a real sense of hopelessness throughout the movie and Genji is under so much pressure he can barely stand on his own feet let alone fly. Even so he keeps going. He keeps fighting his way because that's what a man does.

 

It's going down.

Crows Zero 2 is a fantastic film, but it's not perfect. As mentioned the cast is massive and while some characters receive a generous amount of screen-time, many don't. While Housen's top brass isn't as stacked as Suzuran's the amount of characters here warranted a short-film or at least a TV special to give them the introduction they deserve. Sure Narumi Taiga gets plenty of screen-time given that he's the main antagonist, but we know next to nothing about his enforcer Ryo Urushibara (played by Gou Ayano). Also, while Tatsuya Bitō is a unique character he's barely in the film. The subplot involving two Yakuza syndicates does continue from the first film and although I can't put my finger on it, it just seemed like it didn't fit with the rest of what was going on. It seemed like it was only there to give Genji more adversity to overcome.

Suzuran Strong

Some of the fight scenes were a little choppy and while the enormous battle at the end of the film was quite the spectacle, the large number of people fighting in the school led to some really crowded scenes where I couldn't always tell who got hit and who was fighting who. The battles outside the school were great, but it's when they take the fight inside that a lot of problems with the camera work shows up. There is a way to cram 30 people into a tight corridor and make them fight and make it look good. HiGH & LOW was able to do it, Crows Zero 2 not so much.

"There's nothing wrong with being a crow."

Crows Zero is known for its great music, and legendary Japanese rock group the Street Beats return. Your favorites from the first film are here (I Wanna Change) along with a new ending theme "Sasurai no Uta" (Song of Wandering) which was a fitting and emotional send off for the film and these characters.

Suzuran High class of 09'. Thanks for the memories.

Crows Zero 2 had its negatives, but its positives far outweighed them. It had everything the first Crows Zero had and despite some flawed execution in certain areas, told a captivating and inspirational story with plenty of BADASSERY throughout. Crows Zero 2 reminded me why I enjoy this genre so much and while not a perfect movie, was a perfect bookend to Crows Zero. There is a movie called Crows Explode, but because it follows a completely new cast of characters this is the last we'll see of Genji and the gang. I will miss these characters, but I'll never forget their stories.

A Company Man

This is going to be a heavy one.

Ji Hyeong-Do (So Ji-Sub) is a seemingly ordinary salary man; he starts his day with a balanced breakfast, he carries a briefcase and wears a suit to work. Everything about him from his hairstyle to his manner of walking makes him indistinguishable from the average Korean working man. However, Hyeong-Do's job is anything but ordinary. Working as a hit-man for a company specializing in assassinations Hyeong-Do has been with the company for a long-time. Having never failed a mission and always completing his assignments without question, his boss Representative Jeon (Jeon Guk-hwan) plans to leave the company in Hyeong-Do's hands. That is until Hyeong-Do falls in love with a woman named Su-Yeon (Lee Mi-Yeon), a single mom who is also the mother of Hyeong-Do's most recent target. Hyeong-Do is forced to choose between his duty and his heart. When he chooses wrong he finds himself hunted by the very same organization that trained him.

 

He was a model employee.

If you follow me on Twitter you're probably aware that I'm a huge fan of Asian cinema - Korean cinema and shows in particular. Undoubtedly my favorite Korean film (and one of my favorite movies of all-time) is 2010's The Man From Nowhere which has since become the standard by which I judge these films. While 'A Company Man' won't be taking the crown I'd put it right next to 'The Man From Nowhere' as one of the all-time greats given that this movie was filled with drama, suspense, action and very deep characters that made me care about them. The story hooked me in from the word go and I was captivated by this world and the very real sense of pain and loneliness that was felt throughout.

It's hard out here for a killer.

Actor/rapper So Ji-sub plays our lead Ji Hyeong-Do. With 20 years of acting experience under his belt he's no slouch and he does a fantastic job portraying Hyeong-Do. When we first meet Hyeong-Do he appears to be a ruthless assassin, even going so far as to kill an underling with no remorse despite the fact said underling has a family. Orders are orders after all. He is both feared and respected in his organization and his boss likens him to a perfect killer. He's almost mechanical in nature. However this is only on the surface. Beneath that Hyeong-Do is a very lonely man who feels isolated even when he's surrounded by other human beings and it seems his only human contact involves the people he's sent to kill. As time goes on and his missions become more and more complex, we see and understand why he's had enough of this life and wants to move on. He's a quiet character, but the nuances in his body language speak volumes about what he's thinking. Verbally or non-verbally, So Ji-sub commands these scenes.

Learning to be human.

Actress Lee Mi-Yeon plays Su-Yeon a single mother struggling to raise two children on a tailor's salary. Caught between a rebellious, teenage daughter who'd rather make a career out of running the streets and a son whose super secret job happens to be contract killing similar to our main character and Su-Yeon has a lot on her plate. When she meets Hyeong-Do, his support and quiet understanding eases her financial hardships, but more importantly the emotional weight she's carrying. He helps her rediscover what it means to dream again and even brings her closer to fulfilling said dreams. Su-Yeon in-turn helps Hyeong-Do rediscover his humanity and live for something other than killing.

 

Don't cross the boss.

Any corporate structure is bound to have a completed hierarchy and this one is no different. A Company Man has a large assortment of characters connected with the organization - some good, some bad. Jeon Guk-hwan (above right) plays Representative Jeon, the leader of the organization. He's easy-going and friendly, but don't let that fool you. It takes a special kind of crazy to operate a business where the main product is murder. He's the mastermind behind everything and there's no line he won't cross to keep the organization's existence a secret. Serving directly under him is his stooge Kwon Jong-tae played by Kwak Do-won. Do-won does a great job portraying Jong-tae as this character you love to hate. He's scheming, double-crossing, woefully inept, and is basically an amalgam of every bad boss you've ever had. Yoo Ha-bok plays Jin Chae-gook, who was Hyeong-Do's handler before tragic events force him to turn rogue and place him into direct conflict with our lead. There are other characters including Ban Ji-hoon (played by Lee Geung-young) who is a washed-up, old assassin who has nothing in his life but money with no one to spend it on and a fancy car with no one to drive around in. Ban Ji-hoon is particularly interesting because he is in many ways an uncomfortable picture of Hyeong-Do's future. The lives of these characters all intertwine to create a compelling crime drama told through tears, bullets, and bloodshed.

 

Giving one HELL of a two weeks notice!

Any Korean crime drama worth its salt better have some good action and 'A Company Man' is no slouch. The film does an excellent job of having fights play out in very close quarters which makes the action more visceral. Hyeong-Do knows how to throwdown and whether he's up against multiple opponents or people older and more experienced than himself he knows how to bring them down all the same. The fight scenes also have an emotional weight because many of Hyeong-Do's enemies are people he's known for years and in some cases decades. There are times when he asks them to stop fighting for their own sake and when they don't he has to put them down. In addition, there's an office shootout that will make fans of Max Payne 3 proud.

The film's impressive score is composed by Mowg whose resume consists of films from east and west including The Last Stand, I Saw the Devil, Memories of the Sword, The Fatal Encounter, and more than a dozen others. His music perfectly captures the tone of each scene and the ending track carries with it this real sense of finality.

What lay at the end of his road?

A Company Man weaves a powerful tale, but it's certainly not a light-hearted one. This isn't your typical bang, shoot em up action movie. It's a gritty romp through the dark world of contract killing where innocent lives are lost in a war between men who can only find peace at the end of a gun. From the opening hit to the final moment when the last shell casing drops, A Company Man gripped me from beginning to end and I highly recommend it.

Shuriken to Pleats

Growing through pain.

The Meiji Restoration was the start of a new age for Japan as the country changed from a feudal society to one driven by a market economy and heavily influenced by the West. This lead to a sharp rise in industrialization which strengthened Japan's military power. Unfortunately for the warrior class, the Meiji Restoration abolished the samurai system and many were faced with unemployment and poverty, while ninja were forced underground or abandoned their lifestyles completely. However, some managed to find a living by travelling overseas and becoming bodyguards or assassins for the rich and powerful. "Shuriken to Pleats" centers on Kirio Mikage - a young girl who is descended from one such clan and is currently under the employ of James G. Rodd. A kind and loving humanitarian, James treats Mikage more like a daughter than a shinobi and plans to adopt her officially. Before this can happen, he's assassinated by unknown assailants and Mikage finds herself alone in the world. To honor the wishes of her fallen master, Mikage tries to live life as a normal girl, but sinister forces at work will make that impossible.

 Kirio Mikage

Written by "Vampire Knight" mangaka Matsuri Hino, "Shuriken to Pleats" is a shoujo (girl's) comic with elements of action and romance. While I enjoy manga where the ladies take center stage, I typically stay away from shoujo as romance and friendship are themes I rarely find captivating. However, I was drawn to this manga because while those themes are still in play, they're not the major focus of the story. Shuriken to Pleats's major highlight are its characters and how they interact with one another. There isn't much of an emphasis on romantic interactions, but the nuances in human relationships and the dynamics thereof. Kirio Mikage is on a personal journey to find her place in a world that doesn't really need her while trying to find her own identity.

Promise ~

Mikage is a shinobi and only knows how to live in the darkness. Her clients have always treated her with fear or loathing, but this never bothered her because she sealed her emotions. She wasn't prepared when she became James' bodyguard and not only did he see her as a human being, but he grew to love her. Mikage herself couldn't help loving James in a way she couldn't really describe. After James was assassinated she was forced into a new, unfamiliar life, but it was one of emptiness and loneliness. Romance is the furthest thing from her mind as she's juggling an existential crisis that few would understand. Worse yet is that trouble seems to find her wherever she goes.

She will protect this life.

Mikage later encounters Wakashimatsu Mahito - a seemingly sinister individual with a sarcastic wit, pompous attitude, and stubborn streak. Despite being an abrasive individual, Mikage finds herself helping him because she remembers that her master would never leave a person in need. The plot thickens when the same assassins who are after Mahito may have been responsible for the death of James which forces Mikage to choose between pursuing her new life or blaze a trail towards vengeance. These are complicated situations for equally complicated characters and building these complex dramas is something that Matsuri Hino handles quite well.

Fighting for her future.

Fans of Matsuri Hino are familiar with her art style and several characters look like they walked out of Vampire Knight. The environments don't sport a whole lot of detail, but this is because each panel is drawn to emphasize the characters and the story unfolding between them not just in dialogue, but in their non-verbals such as their eyes. There is a painful story etched onto the faces of these characters.

Breathe

This is a manga that took me by surprise. As I mentioned I don't like shoujo, but this isn't a traditional shoujo-style manga. The characters struggle with deeper issues such as tragedy, family turmoil and self-perception. Matsuri Hino's artwork and writing are captivating. "Shuriken to Pleats" may not appeal to everyone, but I find it to be an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Bad Boys J (2013)

Whatcha goin to do?

Bad Boys J is a 2013 Japanese drama series based on the manga "BADBOYS" by Hiroshi Tanaka which ran from 1988 to 1996 in Young King magazine. The manga was quite popular and was later turned into a five episode OVA, a drama series, and a full-length movie. Bad Boys J follows Yōji, Hisao, and Eiji - a young group of friends who are members of the Gokurakuchou on their quest to become the number one gang in Hiroshima. Unfortunately, whether it's due to bad leadership, poor planning, scarce resources, or overwhelming competition the Gokurakuchou have had a run of bad luck and one more defeat could lead to the entire gang dissolving. Their luck changes when a transfer student by the name of Tsukasa Kiriki shows up in their town. To the gang and pretty much everyone else, Tsukasa looks like a textbook errand boy and his passive nature doesn't help that image. However, when he gets serious he's a force to be reckoned with. After KOing the leader of the Gokurakuchou over a misunderstanding, Tsukasa becomes its new leader, but the fight to the top of Hiroshima won't be easy. Gokurakuchou will have to contend with the Nights - Hiroshima's gang of vanity-obsessed pretty boys who sent more than a few gangs to the hospital, and Hiroshima's number one gang BEAST which has 3,000 members.

 Strap in kids. This gets complicated.

As you can see from the relationship chart, Bad Boys J has a huge cast of characters that the series utilizes remarkably well. Despite having a large cast, every gang gets a few episodes in the limelight and character development is consistent. Some members of Gokurakuchou have a history with the other gangs and often times this history stems from old friendships and rivalries. While it's inevitable that these gangs would face off, every conflict stems from a different reason so the encounters remain fresh and the outcomes are mostly unpredictable.

 

Shiro of Nights, Tsukasa of Gokurakuchou, and Danno of BEAST

Another point in the show's favor is that it constantly defies convention where tropes and story-telling are concerned and this is due in no small part to the great writing and equally great acting. Kento Nakajima (Sexy Zone) plays our main character Tsukasa Kiriki and delivers a passionate performance with a lot of emotional range. Tsukasa is essentially a fish out of water in Hiroshima's underworld and we see this in Tsukasa's compassion towards friend and foe alike and his desire to seek a common ground. Ryosuke Hashimoto (A.B.C-Z) who plays Nights leader Hiro comes off as a shallow pretty boy, but he clearly cares for his gang and follows a strict code of honor. Despite his host club good looks he's surprisingly strong, but prefers partying over fighting. My favorite character was BEAST leader Hidenori Danno. Played by Takashi Nikaido (Kis-My-Ft2), Danno is a stoic character who radiates power. At the same-time he quietly commands respect from all of BEAST's 3000 members. Since becoming the number one gang in Hiroshima, Danno seems bored almost disenchanted with the yanki life, but the arrival of Tsukasa seems to breathe new life into him. It says a lot about our cast as several of them are singers from boy bands, but also have some acting chops to boot.

Shiro defeated?!

As mentioned, the show does a good job of avoiding tropes where character development and story-telling are concerned. It would have been easy to make Tsukasa another boring invincible main character, but he isn't. Not only that, but defeat doesn't mean friendship in this show partially because there are some guys so tough that even Tsukasa just cannot beat them. Alliances - when made are mostly temporary. The top of Hiroshima is a position that only one gang can hold and it doesn't look like BEAST is giving it away anytime soon. The show deals with universal themes such as growing up and leaving one's past behind, whether or not a person should do the right thing if it hurts someone close to them, upholding duty or friendship, and even dilemma's specific to yanki or delinquents such as if society labels you a thug or criminal you don't have to wear that label just because someone assigned it to you. The show does get fairly dark which is the norm for this genre, but it inserts comedy at just the right times so it doesn't become too much.

I could go on all day about why you should watch this series. It oozes style, has good music, excellent pacing, and some really badass fight scenes. The show is about manly men doing manly men things. It's not afraid to wear its machismo on its designer sleeves and it's very refreshing in that regard. Bad Boys J is a must-see especially if you're a fan of Crows Zero or just looking for a badass show different from the norm.

Wolf Warriors (2015)

The most 'MERICA Chinese movie ever made.

Directed by Wu Jing and released in theaters in April 2015, Wolf Warriors is a war/martial-arts film that takes place in modern China. Seargant Leng Feng (Wu Jing) is a marksman with the Chinese special forces. During an operation to take down a drug lord, Leng Feng disobeys an order to cease fire. While he saved the day, he endangered the lives of his comrades and is facing a possible court-martial. Colonel Long Xiaoyun recognizes Leng Feng gets results even if he doesn't play by the rules, so she recruits him to join the Wolf Warriors - the elite of the elite in the PLA. During this time, kingpin Ming Deng learns that his brother has been killed by Leng Feng and so he hires Tomcat (Scott Adkins) - a brutal mercenary with an appetite for destruction and a 100% success rate to help him seek revenge. Hunted by Tomcat, Leng Feng's first mission with the Wolf Warriors may be his last. I enjoyed "Wolf Warriors" for a number of reasons. Although the film is Chinese, it's something of a love letter to American action movies of the 1980s right down to the plot, action scenes, and characters. There's some particularly bad CG in this film which is contrasted with superb practical effects, big explosions, and spectacular action sequences. Ten minutes in and the movie probably has a higher body-count than most of the films you've seen in 2015.

 

Wu Jing

Another point in the film's favor is that it stars two of the world's best action stars Wu Jing (Invisible Target, Fatal Contact, SPL-2) and Scott Adkins (Undisputed 2, Undisputed 3, Expendables 2). Not only are both really badass martial artists, but they have acting chops to boot. Leng Feng is your typical 80's action hero - a loose canon who knows how to get things done and feels that bureaucracy gets in the way of taking down the bad guys. His higher-ups tend to paint him as untrustworthy, but he has the guts to do what no one else is willing to do in order to save the day. He's loyal to his country and his fellow soldiers, and he won't hesitate to sacrifice his life for the greater good if the situation calls for it.

Scott Adkins

Opposite of Leng Feng is Tomcat - a mercenary who fights only for money and who feels patriotism is a joke. In typical 80s action movie fashion, the villain is the complete antithesis of the hero and unlike in today's movie industry where film tries to humanize an evil foe and get us to empathize with him, Wolf Warriors does a superb job of portraying Tomcat as unquestionably evil. It's not the fact that he's a mercenary that makes him inherently so, but Tomcat by his own admission is willing to kill innocent people, start a war, and throw China into chaos just as long as he's getting paid. Not only are Wu Jing and Scott Adkins incredible martial artists, but they're great actors and they do a fantastic job playing off each other's character traits during their fight scenes.

The film has a large cast and there are a lot of great characters. It has shades of Predator (1987) in that there are a number of characters you get attached to because of their personalities and dynamics and you really feel it when someone gets killed - especially if they die while sacrificing themselves for a comrade. The film's score really drives home the epic manliness of many of these scenes. Two of my favorite scenes are when Leng Feng carries a fallen comrade over his shoulders as he dodges a hail of gunfire and when Leng Feng faces down an entire guerrilla army and dares them to cross the Chinese border.

The film has its flaws. The first 30 minutes can be a bit confusing as there are a number of characters and plot points introduced back-to-back-to-back. The movie does a good job of ironing out those wrinkles, but I was scratching my head quite a bit early on. There is a CG fight that pits the Wolf Warriors against actual wolves and it's so bad it's good. If you're not into war movies the film might not be to your liking. For me the film had everything I was looking for: great 1980s-style action, two of the world's best throwing down in a fight to the death, and epic manliness that American movies have been missing for a long-time. Wolf Warriors is available now and makes an excellent gift for action movie fans.

Darksiders 2 (2012)

"He has always been there. He has shaped our beliefs."

Developed by Vigil Games (now defunct) and published by THQ (ditto), Darksiders 2 is a 2012 action/adventure/RPG that takes place during the events of the original Darksiders. In Darksiders, the End of Days had come to mankind and War rode forth to usher in the Apocalypse but to his dismay the other Horsemen did not ride with him. The Charred Council, given the role of protecting the balance between heaven and hell by the Creator, accuse War of starting the Apocalypse on his own and dooming all mankind. War is given a chance to prove his innocence and finds himself being used as a pawn in a conspiracy that threatens to tip the balance. Death learns of these developments and immediately deduces something is wrong. War is the most honorable of the Four Horsemen and Death knows he would not ride before his appointed time. Darksiders 2 follows Death on his quest to prove War's innocence and bring mankind back from extinction. Unbeknownst to Death he too is being used in a celestial game of chess, but to save War the Pale Rider will reap all of creation if he must.

Darksiders 2 takes a fascinating approach to story-telling which while not inherently new on its own, is something not often done with video games. The narrative in Darksiders 2 is told concurrently with the narrative in Darksiders and this creates a very ambitious story arc for this world which has many implications both thematically and artistically. 

"Death will be our savior."

The Darksiders games have always been good at characterizing a concept or idea and with the first game we saw in War a character motivated by revenge but also possessing a strong sense of honor and adherence to order. The tagline of Darksiders 2 is "Death will be our savior" and this is something the game explores remarkably well without shoehorning in this aspect of Death's character. His quest shows that he will go to any lengths to save his brother and resurrect mankind even if it means going against heaven, hell, and the Charred Council. He's a force of nature who doesn't take sides, and reaping the living is his job. It also helps that Death is given a very different personality from what you might expect given his name and purpose.

Death and his boys coming to collect.

Michael Wincott, best known for playing the role of Top Dollar in The Crow voices Death and he does an absolutely fantastic job at nailing each and every nuance of this character. Death is presented as being an affably neutral party. He doesn't get involved in the battles between heaven and hell and seems content with just doing his job. He has a dry wit and is pretty sarcastic especially when talking to someone who annoys him. He's not big on trash talking but he won't back down from anyone and he can return any verbal or physical offense with more than equal favor. Some of his banter with the other characters is quite amusing particularly when some take jabs at Death despite the grim fact that Death doesn't have to negotiate or really talk to anyone when he can just kill them. 

Death and an Old One.

But there is an honorable and to a certain extent compassionate aspect of his nature which the game explores really well. When Death arrives in the Forge Lands he helps the people there almost unconditionally and with the exception of some snide remarks Death is known for he doesn't really complain. Some of the characters even question if he's as bad as legends claim. What makes this work is that the game doesn't de-fang Death so to speak but merely touches upon various sides of him as a character because make no mistake, Death is the baddest mofo in this game.

Just chilling.

Darksiders 2 has action/adventure/RPG elements. Similar to Zelda or Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver where you travel across enormous worlds fighting monsters, interacting with different characters, and there are numerous side-quests sprinkled across the game as you advance the story and traverse the realms. Some of the environments in the game are stunning and every world you visit has a different feel to it. The Forge Lands have a similar feel to World of Warcraft, while Earth is a literal wasteland thanks to the apocalypse. The game has complex puzzles to solve which really do require some thought and practical thinking and some very fun platforming segments which is something I never thought I'd say in this generation. Death is almost catlike as he jumps across planks, wall runs across lava pits, and jumps from wall-to-wall. It's very Prince of Persia-esque and it's done with like quality.

"Got some rare things on sale stranger."

Death is able to equip different weapons, subweapons, and armor that you find in various dungeons and locales throughout the world. Weapons, equipment, and gold are often found within treasure chests but sometimes enemies drop them upon being killed. You can purchase new weapons and armor in towns or from a travelling merchant who seems to know his way around the realms. Death can use scythes (obviously), but also axes, hammers, gauntlets, spears, and other weapons. He's Death so it makes sense that he's intimately familiar with any weapon he picks up. Scythes are your main weapon and is mapped to the square button while any subweapon is mapped to the triangle button and Death can switch weapons on the fly even during combos. The weapons get better as you go further into the game and you eventually come across elemental weapons that can electrocute your enemies, freeze them, or set them on fire.

Comprehensive inventory information.

You will also come across at least a couple of possessed weapons during the course of your journey. Possessed weapons actually have the power to EAT your other weapons and equipment and take on their attributes. You can feed your scythes to axes or axes to scythes and the devoured weapon passes on its stats to the other weapon. So you can have a weapon that hits an enemy with two or even three types of elemental type damage instead of just one. You can also feed your possessed weapons to other possessed weapons to make them ridiculously overpowered. Not only does this allow you to change the look of said weapons but you can even name them. I named one monstrously OP scythe DEATHBANE and another one Kinslayer. I would've gone with Mittens and Big Rhonda but that would have been silly. 

Death is rarely the biggest character but he's always the baddest.

Death has a dozen or so different stats including offense, defense, resistance to elemental attacks, exp gain, money gain, critical hits, and others that are all affected by his equipment. This is similar to Diablo and proves equally effective here as it allows you to customize Death in a way you typically can't with characters in a game of this kind. This allows you to change the way Death plays depending on what stats you focus on such as offense, defense, or magic. During my playthrough I gave Death a balance of physical and magical techniques but someone else might go entirely in one direction or another.  Death will get stronger depending on his equipment but his stats also increase when he levels up similar to an RPG. 

Tremunt Malleo

Whenever Death levels up he also gets a skill point which can be used for physical arts or spells. Death can learn various skills such as teleport stabs, defense buffs, offense buffs, and he can even summon crows and ghouls to attack his enemies but it doesn't stop there. Whenever you unlock a new skill, that skill can be further enhanced. Let's say you choose to summon the undead. Initially you can only summon two but you can increase that number to four eventually. You can also make those ghouls stronger by leveling up that skill so they have more health, more offense, and more defense. You can increase their power further by giving them a fire attribute where not only do they do damage with regular attacks but they'll set your enemies on fire as well. And you can even add another attribute to them where they self-destruct upon being defeated to give your enemies a nasty surprise. It might appear to be daunting at first but the menus are very user-friendly. The weapons and equipment all look different depending on their affinity (warrior or warlock) and even your threads will ensure Death looks like he stepped out of a thousand nightmares. 

Death's True Form

Speaking of nightmares, Death also has a Reaper form. Similar to War's Chaos form from the first game, Death is able to take his true form for a short-time by activating Reaper Mode. When Death takes damage and inflicts damage, his Reaper energy accumulates and once it's at maximum you can transform. All stats including offense, defense, and speed increase allowing Death to make quick work of any foe so the form is best saved for boss battles. Death will also transform during some of his finishing moves which is another point for the game's combat and presentation. Death is agile, very quick, and the combat is fast and smooth. Death executes all manner of stylish poses, back flips, spins, and is quite the dance battler which makes every fight an exercise in elegant badassery. Regular enemies aside, Death never kills his foes in the same ways and the battles show that not only is he creative but he knows how to adapt.

Death hands the Archon ultimate power. And no, Death isn't worried.

Death meets numerous characters throughout his adventure including those from the original Darksiders and some new faces as well. What's great is that many of these characters aren't just dropped into the world for the sake of being there. Each of them have some connection to the events that affected War even if it was in some small way. Some also have deeper connections to Death and the universe as a whole. Even if you haven't played Darksiders the game does a good job of making sure the gamer knows what's going on and what's at stake.

Someone is about to have a bad day.

Darksiders 2 isn't entirely flawless. The gameplay is loads of fun but the game occasionally crashes. These aren't the game-breaking bugs we've seen in Arkham Origins mind you. The game autosaves frequently and you can save at any time but it still breaks the momentum when it happens. When you enter a dungeon the game isn't always clear about where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do. This was a big problem in the first game and so Death's crow Dust is supposed to be a helper of sorts by giving you hints, similar to the Watcher from the first game. However, Dust does little but prove he's just as inept helping Death as the Watcher was at helping War. It's frustrating at times especially when you get to the larger dungeons which have different objectives for each floor. 

War vs Death

And while this next thing isn't so much as a con I feel that I should address the difficulty. The game is quite challenging in the early goings and I've also heard some gamers say the end sections are brutal. However, aside from the first few hours and some powerful hidden bosses I didn't have that many problems. I completed a number of side-quests and collected some rare equipment and so by the time I made it to the end boss Death was so OP it literally only took two or three minutes (tops) to put down the final boss. Bear in mind it probably depends on your play style too and how you customize Death but it's because of those outliers it's hard for me to say which demographics might find it too difficult or too easy. 

"Is he the end of the all things? Or the beginning?"

Overall Darksiders 2 is a spectacular game and undoubtedly one of the best titles released this generation. It has its flaws but nothing that really detracts from the game. The music, voice acting, boss fights, and gameplay are all solid, and it has one of the best characterizations of death I've ever seen in fiction. If you're looking for a great adventure and you have an Xbox 360 or PS3 this is one game you need to have in your collection.

Claymore (2001 - Ongoing)

Claymore

Created in 2001, Claymore is a dark fantasy manga written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi. Taking place in an unnamed world, creatures called yoma prey on humans and people live in fear. In response to this fear and the threat the yoma possess, a mysterious group known as The Organization has created half-human half-yoma hybrids to combat yoma. Often called silver eyed witches on account of their appearance, or Claymores because of the large swords they carry on their backs, these women warriors are the only thing that stand between yoma and the extinction of the human race. However, because Claymores are half yoma themselves, not only are they seen as objects of fear by normal humans, but Claymores run the risk of awakening and turning into a creature consumed by their own demonic power. Once they become Awakened Beings, they are relentlessly pursued by their own organization until they are destroyed.

Clare turning monsters into cold cuts.

Claymore opens with a young recruit slaying a yoma effortlessly, and then the scene switches to a village where its inhabits discover the body of a person who had been killed by a yoma. The increasing body count has the villagers worried and they put in a request to the Organization who sends in the recruit we saw earlier. Raki, a young boy from the village is curious about this warrior and after much insistence on learning more about her we learn that her name is Clare. It is soon discovered that the yoma Clare is hunting was masquerading as Raki's brother and while Clare makes short work of the creature, Raki is now alone and is cast out by the village. Eventually the two reunite and Clare agrees to take Raki on her journey, a journey wrought with peril.

Claymore is a difficult title for me to review not because the material is challenging but because Claymore has some very stand-out qualities early on that gradually and noticeably disappeared as time went on to the point where - at least to this reviewer - it barely resembles its original premise or even its own setting and narrative structure.

Priscilla, The Dreaded

Claymore does a good job of setting up Clare's motivation early on which - predictably enough is a revenge tale which involves her trying to take down a renegade warrior named Priscilla who after having awakened is now the most powerful being on the planet. Clare's retainer Rubel tries to dissuade Clare from going after Priscilla who is far beyond her level, and much stronger than any other awakened being but because Clare is persistent, Rubel sends her on an awakened being hunt so she can learn firsthand the difference in power. While on this quest Clare meets up with other Claymore who have been given the same assignment and this works rather well because at this time Yagi isn't just dropping in characters with no explanation, but carefully introducing them in a logical fashion.

Phantom Miria

In addition, he establishes the different personalities of our starter team in a very short-time with Helen being the hothead, Deneve being the calm one, and Miria being no-nonsense team leader. While these character traits are more akin to tropes rather than anything else, they start to flesh out a bit more evenly after a few chapters. Another aspect of the narrative takes shape and that's the hidden nature of the Organization which Miria aims to investigate. There is an added element of suspense, even horror when the characters start to question the nature of yoma, Claymore, and the nature of the Organization itself. When you think about it the Organization is making biological weapons and while it is for the protection of the human race, is that really the ultimate goal? It is the need to answer these and other questions that broaden the narratives focus and Clare's story expands from there. Over-time, Clare and her friends come across Awakened Beings who - while not being as powerful as Priscilla - are highly dangerous in their own right.

Isley, King of the Northern Lands

As these and other questions slowly but surely creep their way closer and closer to the forefront of the narrative and puts Clare in a very complicated position on three fronts: 1) Clare has to work for the organization because given what she is she can't live a normal life 2) Working for the Organization is the only way to get Clare what she wants i.e. Priscilla's death and 3) Desertion isn't something the Organization takes lightly. It also has the added advantage of justifying why the Organization keeps dangerous and unstable Claymore in their ranks and also makes the story bigger than Clare's revenge tale. Another positive that Claymore has in the early goings are Yagi's character designs.

God Eye Galatea

The character designs in Claymore are Berserk-esque, well-drawn, and no two characters look alike. Even though all the Claymore wear the same uniform you can easily tell them apart due to the shape of their eyes, cheeks, chins, ears, and of course their hair styles. The Claymore themselves are hauntingly beautiful and there is an almost otherworldly air about them which in addition to being a minor element of the narrative comes across in the way the characters are drawn. There is an almost uncomfortable level of perfection in their appearance that is masterfully juxtaposed with their dangerous and at times monstrous nature.

Clare in the shadows.

The beauty of the Claymore not only works as a way to contrast the horror of their nature but also contributes to the aesthetics of the manga as a whole because while the world in which Claymore is set seems harmless enough, the yoma terrorizing the people and the death toll of the Claymore themselves make it apparent that this is not a romantic tale of swords and chivalry.

Alicia and Beth, The Black Ones

These warriors lead lonely, dangerous lives, and despite their untarnished beauty they are destined to die in the darkness. It's a mature read to be sure not only because of the nudity (which is used more sparingly than you think), and the gore (ditto), but because of the tone. Unfortunately, whether it was due to the demands of his editor or if Yagi wanted to shift his focus, there were extensive changes made to the narrative, character designs, aesthetics, and the overall tone of the manga and to this reviewer, these changes were not for the better.

If these characters all look alike your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.

As was popular at the time, Claymore went on hiatus when a major game-changing event took place in the manga. Predictably enough, as is also popular with manga, when Claymore returned it did so after a seven year time-skip which while moving the narrative forward and changing the players in this game, also brought with it a decidedly jarring shift in tone. After volume 11 or 12 Claymore no longer reads or looks like a dark fantasy manga but resembles a typical shonen title with all the cliches and tropes to boot. Yes it is true Claymore was shonen from the outset, but the dark tone, themes, settings, imagery, and narrative structure were much more mature and really made it stand out against other titles. After the time-skip however, it has lost most if not all of the qualities that made it unique. This is clearly apparent in the art style first and foremost, with the characters losing a lot of their definition and unique physical characteristics. It's no exaggeration to say many of the characters now look so much alike that I couldn't tell them apart on more than one occasion. And I've been with Claymore since the beginning.

I think Ridley Scott is going to sue someone over this.

Another problem caused by this shonen heavy tonal shift is that it removes a lot of the suspense of the conflicts because the characters aren't in any real danger. In the first part of Claymore, our cast didn't rush headfirst into any battle with reckless abandon because the tone was more serious and the stakes were high. There was an awareness that death wasn't just a possibility but a likelihood so the warriors always kept a certain level of maturity about them. After the time-skip however they're trash talking during fights, toying with their enemies, and basically act like frat boys. The fan argument would be "Well after the time-skip they were much stronger so they knew they could handle just about enemy", but the logical counter to that would be even on those occasions where the Claymore fought yoma who were far weaker than them, they still maintained an air of seriousness because bravado was not only showy but unnecessary. While character growth and even changes in personality are always welcome, our heroes seem somewhat immature after seven years.

Ah the good ole days.

The battles no longer have any tension or believability to them because the Claymore are never in any real danger of losing much less dying. Even when they're up against enemies that are many times more powerful than them and they manage to escape, the enemy in question never gives chase. And even when one enemy (Priscilla) does pursue them, said foe never kills anyone despite having entire volumes to do so. And when the characters do overcome their enemies it's never because they are more skilled, as was the case in earlier volumes, but because they believe in themselves and their friendship. Playing the friendship card to explain how and why characters have inexplicably gotten stronger in addition to defeating enemies which the Claymore themselves explain how and why said enemies are dozens of times more powerful than them, is a weak move on Yagi's part which is not only cliche but almost regressive.

The Resurrected Number Ones

Another issue I have is the nigh indestructible nature of the Claymore. Yagi was very good at establishing the rules for the Claymore's durability, healing factor, and explain what kinds of wounds they could and could not regenerate from. After the time-skip however, the Claymore regularly survive getting disemboweled, massive hemorrhaging, even multiple stab wounds in the exact same spot which we're told a Claymore would instantly die from. If they're not shredded like cheese rest assured you didn't put them down. This would be fine if 1) Yagi established this from the beginning 2) Yagi did not already establish specific rules and limitations to their survivability or 3) this nigh-unkillable nature was unique to our main character instead of shared among pretty much every Claymore we meet. Yagi tries to increase the tension when the Organization brings out the big guns but by that time it was far too late for me to believe these Super Claymore or any enemy for that matter posed any serious threat to our main characters. Especially when characters start returning from the dead and no, no I am not kidding.

The most epic battle you will never witness.

Another complaint I have is that when the Organization's darkest secret is revealed and Yagi never does anything with it.  We are given the smoking gun, the Roswell event of this manga, we see what everything has been leading to and just like that it's dropped the very next chapter and it's suddenly so not a big deal the characters don't even talk about. We're given the stinger and then the plot does a complete 180 and centers entirely on the conflict between Clare and Priscilla. Also, like most other shonen titles Claymore seems to jump from one big battle to the next because readers love action and heaven forbid you provide an above decent narrative or close up those plotholes.

These are the girls you don't take home to mama.

This review was painful for me to write because before the time-skip Claymore was in my top three favorite manga of all time. After the time-skip however it doesn't even break my top ten. To me this manga started as something fresh, something unique among the shonen titles out there and I waited on pins and needles for the latest release. Today is a different story entirely. Claymore will probably appeal to people who read shonen regularly but the second part will likely lose readers looking for a sophisticated story. The mainstream affect on this manga is apparent and for this reader that's not a positive, it's a detriment.