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BioHunter (Special Edition) Director: Yuzo Sato Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Animated, Dolby Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 60 minutes Studio: Urban Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2001-01-30 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 25 Average rating: 3.5 "Disappointing." Regardless of what I have read here, I think this movie is not on the same technical or artistic merit as Akira or Ghost in the shell are. The graphic art is very poor, the story telling is also very badly done. Any one that is not a japanimation fan but does like pictures like the above mention, will find it as disappointing as I have. I do not recommend this title. don't waste your money . "Watch Wicked City instead" There's good hooror anime, and there's bad horror anime, there's no in between. I'm not a huge fan of horror anime, but most anime has a horror touch in it. I'm also not a fan of the "kiddie" anime that's taking over our airwaves. I can't really say what I do like because there is a chance I'll like anything. I go by my first impression, I give any anime a chance. With that in mind I watched Biohunter. The cover box is very misleading, it makes you think this film was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll and Wicked City) when it really isn't. However, Kawajiri did write this flop of a film. I do like Kawajiri's earlier work like Ninja Scroll and Wicked City, he always has a horror like story in his films. But Biohunter felt like an updated version of Wicked City, and a bad one at that! Wicked City is a great 80s Anime film, it's very graphic, but it was groundbreaking along with Akira and Vampire Hunter D. Biohunter is similar to Wicked City in many aspects. What made Wicked City so good was it's originality. Originality is something Biohunter doesn't offer. It's story is simple: People are being mutated by a virus known as the "demon virus" (there's some originality!) The virus causes them to turn into monster who must kill humans. So these college professors become biohunters- and hunt down the mutants. To make the story more complicated one of the biohunters is a mutant himself. And a man with power, who I will not reveal is going around eating people's livers. The story is overused and the concept of monsters running loose in a city needs to be trashed. It was cool in 1987 when Wicked City came out, not to mention Wicked City had a much better plot and was made with precision. Biohunter is just a scar on Anime and should be easily forgotten. Biohunter isn't the worst Anime film, but it's one of the worst Iv'e seen in a while. The only reason I gave the film two stars is because Kawajiri was a part of it. If you want to see good Kawajiri, which he also directed, rent Ninja Scroll and Wicked City. Unlike Biohunter, you will not be dissapointed. "wack." downright wack. i was thinking of leaving it at that, but i guess i should elaborate. IIRC, it was decently animated (better than i'd imagine your average kitty or anime 18 title to be), but nothing to write home about. if you must delve into the realm of the Late Night Skinemax (naughty tentacle sub-category) category of Anime, i'd suggest you start off with something that has a more noteable studio behind it (and feature-length) like Wicked City (still not a fave of mine, but a better place to start off in *this* category) which has more time to dig into its characters and less of a manga-packed-into-1-hour-drama feel to it. or i guess Ninja Scroll. if you're less of a sex than violence fan (but still into the horror vein), and just getting into anime (and this was suggested by some pimply anime nerd at a video store), i'd suggest starting out with the gothic classic Vampire Hunter D (80s-ish, but it's what got a lot of us into horror anime!), Demon City Shinjuku, Judge (maybe?), Perfect Blue (well, LESS gratuitous-type sex), and perhaps Blood: The Last Vampire "very good" I personally thought this movie was very good. Some people might find the beginning scene sickening and taste less but i think it shows what the virus does by her eating his arm. Basicaly there are 2 men that are trying to combat the demon virus. In the proccess of one of there devirusings one of them gets bit my some one who has it, and gets it himself but he has a incredible will and immune system so he can control his changes. Then there is a chain of murders of young women which have there livers eaten which continues through the movie. And for the record there are no rape scenes. After one of the main characters meets the grand daughter of a very famous fortune teller who is being chased by hired thugs, he brings her back to there place and they have a talk. After this they going looking for her grand father at water falls. Then they are attacked by the prime ministers hired thugs and one of the main characters who was infected with the virus (not the narrater)(the narrater also does the voice of Tenchi Masaki on Tenchi Muyo) turns into a horrific beast and saves all of them. Then the girl wakes up and she hears a water fall, naturaly she goes toward it and she see's a temple. they go to it and find the grand father. Then the hired thugs kidnapp the girl and the grand father and go to the ocean. also the demon virus infected character gets his hand blown off when the thugs drop a bomb and the hand grabs onto the helicopter which ends up guiding them. they finnaly get there. the prime minister is the one who is "demon possed" and was eating the womens livers as explained by the fortune teller. this is where some one might think there is atempted rape when he (the prime minister) gets very hungrey for he needs livers to preserve himself since he is already dead. he rips some of her clothes and is about ready to eat her liver when is hired thug calls him. Then he goes to see the old fortune teller they have a breif conversation and while this is hapening the hand unlocks the hand cuffs and insimulates with the girl. the good guys come theres some fighting but basically the demon possed gets killed and the demon virus infected man controls it and then the movie ends with them going into the night to try to control the virus. "Modern Devilman?" I really liked this one but its storyline was reminiscent of the Devilman series.