Golgo 13

Queen Bee

Review by Matthew Anderson

1 Shot OVA

Company: Urban Vision

Running Time: 60 Minutes

Region: 1

Rated: R (Graphic Violence, Nudity)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Duke Togo: Golgo 13. Cool professional. A man of few words. An efficient killer. He kills with out remorse, care, or concern. He never fails to fulfill a contract.

This time Duke has been hired to kill a South American rebel leader, Queen Bee. She is a drug smuggler who has taken up the side hobby of threatening an American presidential candidate. What starts off as a simple job of assassination turns complicated. The deeper he digs into her past, the more he discovers the connection between Queen Bee and the candidate.

Now, with a psychopath also on her trail, Golgo 13 must assassinate her before he is caught in the crossfire between Queen Bee and the candidate.

How long can The Professional survive?

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Fantastic. Being a recent OVA, we would expect nothing less. From the darkness of the city to the dense rain forest of South America, the blacks are black, and the colors are true.

AUDIO: Great sound. Decent surround effects. The extensive gun play and extra background noise are blended well with the music and voices. The commentary track is nothing special. You don't hear any of the movie, so its just voices.

EDITS: The only edits that have been made was replacing the Japanese credits with English ones for both the opening and ending segments.

EXTRAS: Nothing great in the way of extras, but we do get a commentary track with director Osamu Dezaki and Producer Mataichiro Yamamoto with selectable subtitles. Credit to Urban Vision for changing the color of the subtitles for each speaker.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: This is better than a James Bond movie. Akihiro Tago and Matt Aichir (a gaijin?) are very familiar with the world Takao Saito has created. They (along with pulp animator Osamu Dezaki), have updated the professional to the 90's, while still giving him his 60's edge.

ACTING: A bit of a mixed bag. Since neither voice actor from The Professional: Golgo 13 (Streamline release) or the original "Golgo 13" (Pony Canyon release) movie were present, we had to get used to some new actors. John Dimaggio (Bender from Futurerama) does a decent job of playing the cold Golgo 13. A little too deep and slurred for my taste, but it is nothing to get upset over.

My favorite is Denise Porrier (Aeon Flux from Aeon Flux) as Queen Bee. Sexy, seductive, and passionate, exactly what the character is.

For the Japanese cast, they also do a decent job. However, something didn't quite feel right There seem to be a couple of places where the voices didn't match the mouths. The was probably due to the script being re written after the animation was made.

FAN SERVICE: Well, this is a Golgo 13 move. This man gets more play than JB gets in most of his recent movies. Plenty of kinky sex, naked bodies, and even sex with an old dude.......ewww!

FINAL EXAM

The return of Golgo 13. Oh how long have we waited. After a 12 year absence Osamu Tezuka has gone back to one of the characters that made him an international super star. While not as complex as "The Professional", it still an edgy thriller.

Still firmly rooted in the Taitao Saito lexicon, Golgo is still better than James Bond on a good day. Killing and getting laid all the time, makes him a man's man. This is one hard edge machine.

The story is very similar to "The Professional". You have a woman, wronged by the people who were supposed to care for her, out for revenge. You have the military man after Golgo 13 because he is in their way. Last but not least, you have the twist ending, that makes you go "what the hell happened?" While the movie took 90 minutes, this one satisfying resolves all conflicts in 60 minutes. This makes for a faster paced narrative, and more intense action.

Visually, it has the same style as the first movie. There are the well known sketchbook looking freeze frames, split screen shots, and strange angle shots that only anime can do. However, their technique has been refined, and the visual presentation has been updated. While the movie felt like a funky 70's spy thriller, this one looks and feels like a modern action flick.

If you enjoy the first Golgo 13 movie or Osamu Tezuka's work on Black Jack, you will love this one. Queen Bee will also appeal to the, James Bond, Aeon Flux, or Quentin Taritino fan. If you want to see a truly "adult" (not pornographic) anime, make sure you pick up a copy. Please keep it away from the kids. With lots of sex and violence, this is one for a late night.

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