Anime

GOLGO 13 EXCLUSIVE PRE-RELEASE REVIEW!

By AnimeEv 1 year, 10 months ago

UPDATED JULY 5, 2010

Title: GOLGO 13 COLLECTION 1

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 7/13/2010

Format: DVD

SRP: $59.98

Ready for some brave, bold, and raunchy bloodlust amongst a miasma of creepers, crawlers, and craven corporate clowns?* Well load up on guns and bring your friends, because ladies and gentleman we have a party to go to.

Golgo 13’s return to the US anime market can only be described as an exciting development. Let’s face it, good adult-oriented action shows in the US are becoming a rare commodity, and no matter how many lippy young girls with good hearts and “I think I can!” ninja types exist, at the end of the day we all need a good old-fashioned cruel sociopath with an undeniable willingness to put some hot shit into somebody at the behest of some other party to make our week just a bit more tolerable.

In the two preview episodes that I received from Sentai (after giving up a kidney and my first born), Golgo has the task of both eliminating an intelligence broker who’s hijacked an airplane and a connected mafia figure threatening to cut in on the big boy’s financial action. His employers for the respective episodes are the US government and some financial bigwigs. Thus the salient point: if you have somebody who needs a good deep-sixing, and you have a mountain of cash, you call Duke Togo, no matter your affiliation.

That is, if you can find him.

Golgo moves fast and steady through each episode but belies its adult nature not only in the sex scenes (yes, there is hilarious dubbing in them), but in the mood of the show itself. Golgo 13 has the air of deliberate certainty that you usually have when you wait in line at the bank. This is actually a lion’s share of the show’s charm because it allows the characters to establish the pace and flow of the episode while Golgo does whatever he does until the time to strike is right. Needless to say, this probably involves lots of weightlifting and hookers, as Golgo famously likes to “relax” before an assignment.

If I could describe the Golgo 13 series in one word it would be 'suave.’ There is an economic fluidity to the animation that keeps the story as the first priority while not forsaking the visuals nor playing them up in a cheap attempt to keep us engaged with gimmicks or tricks, which is deftly handled by the show’s tight scripting. Is it the prettiest show? Nope, but the animation most certainly wasn’t phoned in and is not uneven or rushed, and the cohesive effect is one of an actualized world united by the grim reality that you can be wiped out if somebody has both a massive dislike of you and a checkbook weighty enough to place that burden on a guy with a suit and a gun.

I know you’re all wondering about the dub. Golgo in English is a dicey proposition, and since Golgo barely ever utters a word it’s up to the support cast to deliver the timbre and tone of the series voice-wise. You might get a warning from Duke Togo (his “real” name), but you’ll certainly get a questioning gaze, a baleful stare, or a show of unwavering resolve emanating from him. Detective Conan he ain’t. Sentai’s dub plays up the exploitation aspect of the show by keeping a passive and “real” take on the voice acting, most of which is suitably dry and measured. There are a few hilarious moments (a bum being asked to move on in episode 2 sounds like somebody trying a Richard Pryor impersonation at a water cooler) and some “gar garrrr!” over-zealous performances, but for the most part it’s played deftly and clean down the line. It will be interesting to see how the dub changes with each episode and each locale, since the show is like a tapestry, but nothing grated on my ears so far.

With respect to music, Golgo 13 uses an interesting mix of J-rock openers, smooth poignant closers, and moody tension-building BGM. OP number 1, “Take the Wave” by Naifu isn’t a bad tune, and the ending theme “Glass Highway” is a nice wrap-up for the show. Sometimes I found the bed music to be a bit over-bearing, but otherwise the show would possibly be too quiet and too foreboding.

Overall, it’s a good time for Golgo to make a comeback in the states, and you could go much worse than this show as a vehicle for it. Golgo 13 is going for a grim and realistic niche that hasn’t been serviced by most of the recent cerebral seinen properties available state-side, but at the same time it never forgets to own up to its harsh and dystopian grindhouse-before-grindhouse roots. There are a few things I miss from the comic, specifically the “real life” adventures and tales of collusion with “names you know!”, but libel laws are libel laws, and there’s enough gunplay, duplicity, and inveigling knaves here to keep you glued to your seat while Duke does his best to keep the morgue full.

All and all you could do a lot worse if you’re a fan of adult-oriented cloak and dagger intrigue. A cool, charismatic, and satisfying slice-of-death tale for those who are beyond good and evil.

* = Yep. Went there. How’s it taste?

AnimeEv is the content director of ani.me. He weighs less now than he did in junior high, loves 80’s mecha anime and noisy post-hardcore music, and charms old people with his baby Japanese. You can write him… if you can find him.

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