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Legend of the Dog Warriors - Hakkenden Actor: Dog Warriors-Hakkenden Number of Items: 3 Picture Format: Academy Ratio Format: Color, Animated, Box set Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 420 minutes Studio: Pioneer Video Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2001-10-09 Buy from Amazon |
 "What a disappointment...."Even with such a great story, this animation series is barely adequate to tell the story. The story is presented in a very confused way and in some places inconsistent. The animation in the first 4 or 5 episodes, while interesting, appeared to be very inconsistent from scene to scene, as if done by three different animation teams. In the middle, the animation becomes more consistent within each episode yet the style changes completely, twice. These changes were not for the better. In episodes 8-10, the animation was very ugly. Even character personalities seemed to change throughout the series. There were so many characters, especially with the changes and inconsistencies with the animation, that sometimes it was be hard to keep track of each character. The plot timeline at times had inconsistencies, but I supposed that it went with the mystical nature of the story; yet, the confused telling of the story developed this aspect poorly. The animation and story telling in the last 3 episodes (11-13) was best of the entire series. I probably should have given more stars to this review. While the animation was not great, the story even if poorly presented held my attention through out the series. However, I didn't want potential buyers to feel as though they weren't warned about the failings of the series.  "Unbalanced, averages out"Watching this series made me think of the evolution of anime. You begin by watching akira style art of the 70's and 80's then watch as it changes from average animation, to absolutely horrifying, to good animation. I honestly can't remember the music because i was almost crying over how bad a few of the episodes' art and animation was. The storyline remained consistant, thank god. and the last three episodes were enjoyable.  "Amazing animation"I must say when I bought the first part of the series on VHS I was blown away and couldn't wait to see more....after several months of buying the parts on VHS I was more then satisfied with what I had done. This story is extremely well written you couldn't ask for a better Samurai story, the animation is breathtaking, fantastic special effects(you know the animated ones) compiled with the right amount of violence and swordplay and dead monsters. But I must say anyone who buys the box set is getting it easy. you don't need to wait as long as I did. Buy this.....you won't be disappointed, trust me.  "excellent story, unsteady production quality"Hakkenden is based on a 19th century Japanese novel, from back in the days when a "complex story" was par for the day. And Hakkenden the anime certainly doesn't disappoint; the story is excellent, though sometimes hard to follow without a proper perspective of Japanese culture. This thing is chock full of cultural symbology, like the ever-present pinwheels to represent the force of change. The anime itself is at times stunning and beautiful, with an excellent score. However, it also seems that at times the budget was in question -- there are places where the quality drops to non-existent (people take the form of indistinct blobs), only to return to top-notch 15 minutes later. This sort of inconsistency is the only reason for lacking a 5-star rating, though. This is likely the sort of series you'll find yourself rewatching, just to better understand the subtleties and analysis. I highly recommend looking up an analysis page once the main characters have all made their appearance. To do so earlier would be of little use, and may give away parts of the story. Not recommended for children. The plot will probably be way over a child's head, and there's also considerable violence and some adult themes -- "hakkenden" translates to "dog warrior(s)", as they are supposedly the offspring of a dog and a woman, a detail that is made pretty explicit in the anime. "finally found"I saw this movie 1st and 2nd vcd version of this title but wondering to find the next series.....it has an amazing story and good quality anime...not to mention the soundtrack A must for anime lover |
