Demon City Shinjuku

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Matthew D Dreary atmosphere and visceral sword combat for this dark hero's journey. Japanese director Yoshiaki Kawajiri's dark fantasy adventure Demon City Shinjuku (1988) is outstanding. The creative hand drawn animation is so fluid and exciting. The endearing characters and crazy demons are as enjoyable as the massive explosions and chaotic fire and beam effects. I have to say it's a standard hero's journey. I kept thinking about Star Wars and Highlander. Demon City is almost a darker Yu Yu Hakusho. Yoshiaki Kawajiri took everything he learned directing the more perverted Wicked City and applied his skillful direction to Demon City Shinjuku's riveting odyssey of bravery and hope. The neo-noir aesthetic matches the lovable 80's synth score nicely alongside the blazing action. Demon City Shinjuku is marvelous! I should mention the ideas about hope in a ruined world made me think Demon City Shinjuku is a metaphor for post-war Japan like the other 1988 anime films Akira or Grave of the Fireflies, coincidentally. There's even a little girl's soul searching for her mother in the aftermath of a demon earthquake that caused a massive explosion in a Japanese city. She's left to spew hate and flames at the heroes as she's unable to find her dead mother. It's all interesting on several levels including the heroic swordsman taking up his father's wooden blade to slay a demonic sorcerer in order to save what's left of Tokyo. Screenwriter Kaori Okamura comes up with funny jokes, endearing characters, and an intriguing story adapted from original author Hideyuki Kikuchi. The story is basically Highlander meets Star Wars, but with demons in anime form. I love the themes of bravery, sacrifice, love, perseverance, and responsibility. Standing by your friends and loved ones gives the hero courage to grow as a warrior from a wooden sword user to actually gaining a glowing blue beam sword when his heart is in defending the president's daughter. Mephisto is an awesome side character besides the demon lord, old master, young heroine, and youthful raging hero. Art director Yuji Ikeda's beautiful blue and black cityscapes of Tokyo all lit in haunting blue lighting looks so stunning. Demon City has an iconic 80's appeal, including the sinister 80's synth pop score. The dark silhouettes are breathtaking like the crazy special effects for blown off body parts or the Earth breaking apart from special effects animator Kaoru Tanifuji. The swordplay duels are exhilarating. Sound designer Yukio Fukushima captures blistering sword hits, huge screams, ambient city noises, and clear voice recordings. In short, Demon City Shinjuku is a fantastically animated picture with brutal violence and serious adult maturity for an 80's anime film. It's a briskly paced 80 minutes and never wastes a second. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Good story, good animation. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member A very beautifully drawn anime that has an interesting concept. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Demon anime madness in this early 90's classic. Plenty of swordplay and mystical action blend with creepy demons and evil in a parallel Shinjuku... Great fun!! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member The plot can put aside,since it's thin and empty.All the main focus is to observe the skill of this virtuoso,Yoshiaki Kawajiri on top form drawing, directing and the mood of atmosphere,also a 80s ear-catchy soundtracks.But,just a glance for it is enough, not much serious stuff like his "Ninja Scroll".A fun ride,anyway. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member good anime film, the bad guy got beat very easy. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Demon City Shinjuku

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