Fist of the North Star’s narrative is fast paced to the point that it’s incomprehensible. Bad guys stole your mega hot doctor, and Kenshiro – protagonist and epitome of pure manliness – needs to utilize his ultra-secret-martial-art to blow up their heads in a messy, brain-filled explosion. There’s also something to do with water, the worlds one recyclable resource, being in critically scarce supply. A gripping narrative, however, is not why you watch Fist of the North Star.
While the show has become a compilation of clichés, Fist still remains entertaining in its newest rendition, from the aforementioned exploding heads to the combative climax. Fist fights and kung-fu kicks are aplenty, making the story and most of the characters completely forgettable, and the snoozefest story – though it progresses at lightspeed – will have you anxious to see some more craniums turn to TNT in this ultra-violent and crazy fun OVA DVD.
It’s a shallow series so far, but there are few things more enjoyable than watching gigantic muscle-men beat the living crap out of each other – well, there’s really one muscle-man crushing every idiot who looks his way - for 60 minutes. The art isn’t wholly original and the post-apocalyptic world is the same stereotype you’ve known for decades, but the visual upgrade gives the ancient anime a lovable new style for its rabid fanbase to salivate over as a shirtless Kenshiro dominates raping-and-pillaging motorcycle gangs.
