Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Kengan Ashura’ on Netflix, a Martial Arts Anime Series Promising Violence, Violence and Probably More Violence

Netflix continues to build its anime library with Kengan Ashura, a new series based on a popular martial-arts manga by writer Sandrovich Yabako and artist Daromeon. Kengan‘s debut illustrates the streaming service’s continued courtship of a large international anime fanbase, who might get a (wait for it) kick (I’m sorry) out of this new series.

KENGAN ASHURA: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A metropolis glows red and yellow neon; skyscrapers tower over a street bustling with pedestrians.

The Gist: We hear Kazuo Yamashita’s (voice of Cho) interior monologue in hyperventilating voiceover as he glumly trudges down the street. Suddenly, he’s drawn to a dim back alley, where he witnesses a secret, underground gladiator martial arts battle — to the death, of course! Ohma Tokita (Tatsuhisa Suzuki) seems several tons lighter and a couple redwoods shorter than his hulking man-mountain opponent. But Ohma soon dislocates the giant’s elbow and shoulder — cue a nifty X-ray freeze-frame on his physical damage — then dispatches him with a kick in the face that, one presumes, would send a Toyota Celica to the moon.

Kazuo can only watch with mouth agape, but bearing witness to such brutal manliness inspires him to have sex for the first time in 15 years. “Because of this overwhelming emotion, he is prompted to preserve his genes as expediently as possible!” screams a narrator, atop imagery of wiggly lil’ sperm fertilizing a glowing planetoid egg. Neat!

The next day, Kazuo, who I assume has gills so he can survive routinely falling into his endless pools of flop sweat, reports to his crappy salesman job at Nogi Incorporated. A routine ass-chewing by his boss is interrupted when he’s unexpectedly summoned to the posh office of Chairman Nogi (Jouji Nakata), who regales him with the centuries-long secret history of Japan’s competitive corporate gladiator battles. Nogi then gives the jittery Kazuo an assignment: act as caretaker for the new punchy-kicky-killy Nogi Inc. ass-kicking representative — Ohma Tokita. Kapow!

We’re regaled with a brief Kazuo biography — wife left him, two hopeless sons, sad crappy house, etc. — before he tackles his new gig. He ventures to the dilapidated Project Mayhem hovel-headquarters where Ohma lives. If you don’t think Ohma kills giant hogs with his bare hands for dinner, you’ve got another think coming. Kazuo stands in cowardly awe of this very handsome and mysterious slab of muscle! Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door: two men stand ready to challenge Ohma to fight. Cliffhanger!

Our Take: I’m tempted to end every sentence describing Kengan Ashura with an exclamation point! Because this is one of those Very Extreme anime series! Where exaggeration is omnipresent! And one must properly reflect its tone via punctuation!

Come for the violence, stay for the, um, violence. It’s telling that the series’ opening salvo ties its cliffhanger not to a purely dramatic element, but an impending fight in which blood will splatter on the scenery and skulls will be smashed, and all that. There’s little doubt Ohma will be victorious in this confrontation; it’s just a matter of how. Will he shatter some femurs or sever some spines? Will his opponents even land a single blow? Will he make soap from the fat of his enemies? The suspense is unbearable.

Since our point-of-view is inextricably tied to the pathetic milksop Kazuo, it seems like a matter of time until he stops being annoying and fulfills a de-emasculation arc. Ohma is set up as a man of mystery whose past and the full extent of his fighting capabilities are begging to be revealed. And the surely amoral corporate-competition context stirs some curiosity. All this makes for a reasonably compelling dynamic — although basic research on the source material (which I haven’t read) reveals that Kengan Ashura is all about fighting, more fighting, and even more fighting.

Sex and Skin: Nothing graphic, although the insemination animation is rather striking.

Parting Shot: Ohma stands calm and smug in front of a Russian kickboxer who has stated his intention: put Ohma in the hospital. Violence pending.

Sleeper Star: Here’s hoping Kazuo’s sperm is a recurring character — it gets the most memorable scene in the pilot. As long as we only see it in microscopic form, thank you.

Most Pilot-y Line: Chairman Nogi bluntly reveals the series’ central motif: “There are countless words that express a means of resolution: arbitration, negotiation, persuasion. One that’s especially effective” — pause for dramatic effect — “is violence.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Frankly, the screaming extremity of the whole endeavor isn’t unexpected — grotesque overstatement can be a key component of anime. I fully expect Kengan Ashura to satisfy any base desires for minimal plot and maximum brutal savage tumult!

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Kengan Ashura on Netflix