DVD Review: Tekken – Blood Vengence

The animation style and fight scenes are reminiscent of the Tekken games!

Tekken – Blood Vengeance is a CGI animated Sci-Fi Martial Arts action movie based on the Tekken series of video games and features all of the main characters that fans of the franchise will instantly recognise.

Rival Corporations Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation employ sisters and deadly rival professional assassins Nina and Anna Williams in the search for the carrier of the mysterious M Cell which has been developed through genetic experiments and is thought to bring great power and immortality to and is anyone who is infected with the gene.

It is discovered that all research into the M Cell development has been cancelled and all records of the work have been erased, after the disappearance of a whole class at the Mishima Polytechnic High School in Japan, however Shin Kimiya a survivor of the program is traced to a school in Kyoto.

(Image courtesy of Manga Entertainment)

Nina Williams working for the G Corporation recruits Chinese High school girl and martial arts expert Ling Xiaoyu studying at the Mishima Polytechnic High School and after being threatened with expulsion and transfer to another school for damage caused ito gym equipment is given the task of making contact with Shin at the school inKyoto.

Ling is sent to the Kyogoku Academy at theKyoto International School in Kyoto. On her arrival Ling meets a beautiful female student Alisa Bosconovitch and saves Shin from an apparent suicide attempt. Ling and Alisa become first friends then love rivals, enemies and finally allies in the fight to find and protect Shin from the attentions of Nina, Anna and the two shadowy corporations.

(Image courtesy of Manga Entertainment)

When Shin is kidnapped at a school festival and taken to Kyoto Castle Ling discovers that Alisa is a battle android sent by the Mishima Zaibatsu to him under surveillance for them. This then sets the scene for a dramatic show-down at the castle.

What follows is a series of Martial Arts action fight scenes between Shin and the three generations of  the male Mishima family blood line where grandfather, father and son, Heihachi, Kazuya and Jin fight to prove the supremacy of their own personal Devil Gene that they have all inherited which is the source of the M Cell that has been developed.

(Image courtesy of Manga Entertainment)

The final three way show-down and fight to the death between the three generations of the Mishima family results in the release of ancient spirits buried

deep under the castle and the destruction and transformation of the castle into a giant wood and fire mecha..!

The animation style and fight scenes are reminiscent of the Tekken games and there are some light comedic moments with the appearance of Lings’s pet and friend Panda,… an actual panda!

(Image courtesy of Manga Entertainment)

The film is fairly fast paced but doesn’t feel rushed and the characterisations and dialogue (Japanese dialogue and English subtitles viewed for review only) are very good. The animation of theKyotocastle mecha near the end of the film is particularly well executed.

The story follows a fairly familiar path of genetic experimentation, family rivalry and shadowy corporations but is an interesting and entertaining movie that will appeal to fans of both the Tekken games and anime in general.

Label: Manga Entertainment

Release date: 6th Februsry 2012

Certificate: 12

Running time: 92 mins

Genre: Anime/CGI

Director: Yoichi Mori

Stars: Akeno Watanabe, Atsuko Tanaka, Isshin Chiba

Author Profile:

Ian Rudd has always had a passion for films, music, art and comics. He also has an interest in Japanese traditional and contemporary culture, food, films, anime, manga and music as well as a general interest in the cultures of other Asian countries too. In recent years he has been involved in helping to organise various Japanese related events such as the Japanese Art Festival, Bunkasai, Aid For Japan and more recently CamCon http://thecamcon.com/ which covers a more varied range of contemporary cuture.

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