kt3234-1
I grew up with the Super Nintendo. As such, one of the most beloved games I remember playing was Street Fighter II. I love Street Fighter. i have been a fan for a long time. When this show came out, I was pretty young at the time. Now, thanks to the modern technology of the DVD, I can enjoy them all over again.It's funny that when you look at something from your childhood, it has a profound difference now than it did then. This comes into play with Street Fighter II V. First, this show is pretty violent. I mean, really violent for a kids television show. it is also very mature, and that may put off some viewers. Some examples would be when Ryu is falsely convicted for drug smuggling. he is beaten by the prison warden who repeatedly screams for Ryu to scream. Viewers 14 and up will realize that he gets some kind of sex thrill out of this, but younger viewers will not. Also, there are some mild swearing issues, but this shouldn't put off parents.The story is a major diversion from the actual video game. Ryu gets a letter from Ken to come to America, and he does. During his first night, they both get thrashed by Guile, and so they decide to travel the world in search of new fighting techniques. They first stop in Hong Kong, where they meet Chun Li, who will be their tour guide. After some fights and some escaping and more fighting, Ryu, Ken, and Chun Li discover the evil Shadowlaw organization and it's leader, M. Bison.Okay. Not exactly the video game, but a pretty straight-forward concept.All the characters you know and love, with a few alterations to their character profiles, and with the exception of a small few, are present. Ryu and Ken battle and defeat them all.It should be pointed out that while the concept is incredibly simple, the story lines are uniformly well done. Each episode packs enough interest and action to keep you entertained well into the 29th episode. I found myself so enthralled with the Vega vs. Ken episode that I was unable to believe a whole half hour had passed by. But that's where we come to a major complaint.The opening credits. While the opening cinematic is nice, and you get a great feel of the show and the kick-ass soundtrack in place, it is overly long. As well as the closing credits. Together, I would estimate that they take up around 5 to 6 minutes. Not to gripe, but that is pretty long. Plus, you also have to count in the lengthy "in our last show" and "in our next show" segments.Another small complaint are the characters. Not to poke fun at Japanese anime, but some of these characters are of different nationalities than just Japanese, so they shouldn't look Japanese. Also, some may have a small complaint about the way each character was handled. this is a small complaint (Such as the lack of an eye patch on a certain fighter. You all know who I'm talking about), and shouldn't detract from the overall quality of the show.Finally, my last major concern. But it's not with the show. It's with the viewers. Yes, Ryu and Ken can come off as being somewhat homosexual. Before you go and spread your wild accusations that they were intentionally created this way, listen.In Japanese anime or manga, it is NOT unusual to find stories about male homosexuality. In fact, some Japanese women find these kinds of stories entertaining. I believe this was intentionally created to appeal to both male and female viewers. Women can take delight in the fact that Ryu and Ken appear homosexual. Men can take delight in the fact that the show filled with both action and violence.All in all. Yes, the show is for children, and naturally filled with clichéd antics and cheesy dialogue. But most can take pride in the fact that the franchise is handled so well in this anime show, and not torn through the ground like so many other tie-ins (I'm looking at you Super Mario Bros: the Movie).
David Milward
* Spoilers ahead * I was a fan of the Street Fighter series as well, and I found this series to be a sheer delight to watch. Sure, it had the occasional spot of campiness. But hey, they had the time to put together an engaging and coherent story.However, that story involves a deliberate departure from the official Street Fighter canon of Capcom. But hey, it worked wonderfully. They basically played around with some of the characters' personalities both to give them some much appreciated character development, and to tie them into the overall story in a believable way. For example, Chun Li goes from Interpol agent on a mission to an innocent wide eyed doe. Dhalsim becomes a mystic spiritualist who gives Ken and Ryu some much needed lessons for their development, and not just martial. Sagat as a Muay Thai champion who befriends Ryu as a kindred spirit. Vega as a vain matador who becomes obsessed with possessing Chun Li.And of course ... everything leads to the exciting and titanic confrontation with Bison, who was extremely well done in my opinion. Now ... I hope they pick where this left off and use Akuma somehow. Anyway, the ending was somewhat disappointing since ... what about Chun Li and her father? Oh well. Maybe for a resumption.
Shawn Watson
I bought all 4 of DVDs of this show some time ago and only started to watch them now. I liked the Street Fighter II animated movie but I was put off watching this one as I wasn't too keen on Street Fighter Zero, even if this series is directed by Gisaburo Sugii who did Street Fighter II (as well as the brilliant Night on the Galactic Railroad). How is that for confusing? What makes this better than the rather dour Street Fighter Zero is that it has a pretty good sense of humor, great fight scenes, interesting plots and the occasional moment of cartoonish goofiness. Each episode is made up of a brand new adventure as Ken and Ryu travel the world, getting into mischief. A simple formula, but it works.Since the show is from the mid-nineties the animation isn't as smooth as more recent stuff, but you shouldn't let that ruin your enjoyment. The only thing I can complain about is the opening credit sequence, which just takes too long.
Marco Pantanella
That's basically the only flaw of this anime series, the plot is fairly slow to develop, I guess by choice, since it's a series made of several episodes, but aside from that, it's a great view. Very nice artwork, and cool fighting scenes.
