Released way back in 1992 by Go Nagai, and dubbed in 2005 by ADV Films (Rest in peace), Kekko Kamen tells it's story among it's 4-episode length of the innocent Mayumi Takahashi. At the Spartan Institute of Higher Education, the Great Toenail of Satan (Yes, that's his name) and his assistant Teacher Ben prey upon the innocent schoolgirls of the facility, and dear Mayumi is a frequent target. After a torture session run by Miss Gestapoko (Don't ask. You'll just have to watch the first episode to find.) goes wrong, the Great Toenail & Teacher Ben plot to find out the intruder that ruined their fun time. The entire student body is gathered into the auditorium, and Gestapoko's minions grab Mayumi from the crowd, and strap her onto a giant swastika (Like I said, watch the first episode, and you'll understand). From there you can imagine what might happen, when all of a sudden, Kekko Kamen appears!
Now, before I go on, let me describe how Kekko Kamen looks. She's wearing nothing...wait, that's not exactly true. She's wearing red boots, red gloves, a red mask with long bunny ears and a small white scarf, and holds a pair of nunchucks. Other than that, she is wearing not an ounce of clothing, but I digress.
Kekko Kamen jumps down from the rafters, and states that she bears her body for "Love and Justice!" She sizes down the Great Toenail of Satan, and then performs a flying crotch tackle, causing Toenail to suffocate and fall unconscious. Teacher Ben, in a moment of pervertness, asks for what happened to his boss to happen to him (yes, he's that desperate). All he gets is a hit to the head, and he falls to the ground. After they were taken out of the picture, Kekko Kamen turns her attention to Miss Gestapoko. They have a small debate about their actions, and proceed to beat the snot out of each other. I can't describe the fight, as it would ruin the magic. As I've already said, watch episode 1, and all will be revealed.
Many of you are already thinking, this show might not be worth. For some of you (I'll explain this later) are right. However, if any of you are still reading, then thanks.
Despite being an Anime from 92, Kekko Kamen looks good. There is a lot of attention payed to the girls of the show, as each of them look completely different from one another. Mayumi is perhaps the most detailed of the girls in the show, besides her friend Yuka Chigusa. The guys in the show, while given some detail, aren't as good looking, given the point of the show. The Great Toenail looks sinister and comical, despite his creepy jester getup. Doctor Ben looks just like a normal doctor should, complete with a surgical mask that hides the lower half of his face, hiding his intentions. In regards to Kekko Kamen herself...(nearly) naked women always look good to me. As for the look of the school and the surrounding area, they look nice.
The sounds aren't that bad either. The punches, kicks, and the various other physical noises sound old-school, yet they don't sound broken or fixed. Voice acting can go either way in this show. The men (excluding the main villains) don't talk at all. The only girls that are given any significant voices are Mayumi, Yuka, and Kekko Kamen. As far as they sound, it's quite reasonable.
Now I'm onto the part I've been waiting for: the characters! For an old series, the characters are quite memorable. Mayumi is kind, sweet, and just a little naive. Yuka is strong, collected, yet still has a lot of looks to her. Kekko Kamen is very much like Yuka, only less clothed, and can get embarrassed somewhat easily. Both The Great Toenail of Satan and Doctor Ben are horrible, despicable people who somehow manage to become likable in a sense. As for the punishment counselors on each episode...watch them. They each have their own character and personality, and describing each of them would take up more space than needed. Suffice it to say, they're evil, yet enjoyable to watch (especially episode 3).
To sum up the positives of Kekko Kamen: It's dirty to the 10th degree (maybe beyond that for some people), it's early 90s feel may create a sense of nostalgia in older anime fans, the humor in it will make you laugh no matter what, and Kekko Kamen's lack of clothing will stick in your head for all time, even when you go to the grave.
Despite it's positives, Kekko Kamen does have a few blemishes that keep it from being a 10 out of 10. There are only a few scraps for extra features. There's the standard DvD previews, and a few early drawings, but that it. For the more politically correct Anime fan, there is too much fan service and other (possibly) offensive things that will more than likely turn you off to this show.
Also, there are only 4 episodes on the DvD. Like Gunsmith Cats, there were supposed to be more, but due to a lack of support and sales, Go Nagai only did the 4. On top of that, the DvD can be somewhat difficult to locate. Although it's only 6 years old in this country, with ADV Films (rest in peace) out of business, no new copies have been made. Only places like Amazon, Ebay, and perhaps some Anime websites will have copies. I bought my at a convention, where I think it was about 20 dollars. Amazon has a few new & used copies with reasonable prices, so it isn't expensive to buy one.
Kekko Kamen gets a 8 out of 10. It's dirty, funny, nostalgic, and the main heroine is easily memorable, but it's lack of special features, politically incorrect content, 4 episodes, and semi-difficulty in finding a copy will push some people away.
Until next time, stay Otaku!
Update: I haven't gotten a response back from Jon St. John about an interview. I'll send him another message, but I have a nasty suspicion that he won't respond back. If that is the case, expect to see a review of Duke Nukem Forever sometime.
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