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Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend is the defining classic of all erotic anime.

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Urotsukidoji

Legend of the Overfiend

Review by Maria Lujuria

3 OVA series

Company: Anime18

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Region: All

Rating: NC-17 (Scenes of graphic violence, gore, nudity, graphic sex, and rape)

This DVD is preset at Parental Control Level NC-17

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS ONE OF AN ADULT NATURE. PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

EXTERNAL EXAM

Within the present day world, there are three dimensions that surround each other; the Human world, the Man-Beast world, and the Demon world. It is believed that every 3,000 years an ultra God, a God of all Gods, will awaken. The Chojin, or Overfiend, will use its awesome power to unite the three worlds in order to create a new world of peace. The Overfiend will appear in the body of a human, so no one knows exactly who the ultra God is. The Man-beasts have sent their most powerful warriors, Amano Jacku, his sister Megumi, and their servant Kuroko to the Human world to find the Overfiend.

It is up to Amano to find and protect the human ultra God, but can he find him in time? Can be believe in the power of the Overfiend, or believe that the Demons’ prophecy of the God of Gods utterly destroying the three worlds will come true.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Originally produced in 1992, Overfiend does have a dated style but all of the elements from line work to color show brilliantly on the DVD. There are times in the beginning where the layers from an occasional bended cel can be caught and during the nighttime scenes were it can be a little hard to see from slight blurriness. However, those mistakes do not take away from the entire experience of the film.

AUDIO: Dolby Digital Stereo is used and for both English and Japanese track. Surprisingly, the Japanese track is vibrant but does sound flat in certain areas, especially with the demons. On the other hand, the English dubbed track provides a more complete sound that it really emphasized during the conflict and destruction scenes.

EDITS: There are minor edits particularly with the demon rape scenes but nothing too overt. The first demon rape scene is cut by just a few seconds, and it’s nothing more than a quick position change.

I would also like to note that there is no Japanese language/ English subtitled version included in this DVD; only the English dubbed and raw Japanese versions. This is the same for the entire “Hell on Earth” collection. For fans who want to see the English subtitled versions, the Urotsukidoji: Perfect Collection offers this selection as well the early VHS version of this movie.

EXTRAS: There is WebConnex, an interactive activity associated with the main Anime 18 website, DVD sneak peaks of other Anime 18 titles, promotional trailers, and a mini-catalog with a few Manga 18 selections.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: This anime is based on the manga created by Toshio Meada, who is one of the most influential icons of erotic manga and anime and of all “tentacle porn.”

Screenwriter Noboru Aikawa did an excellent job of translating a very complicated manga series into a slightly less complicated movie. There are many story twists, and lots of graphic violence and sex, yet all are justified in the Overfiend universe. Surprisingly, the movie is softer than the extremely brutal scenes in the manga!

ACTING: As with many hentai titles, the Japanese cast is not given; possibly because the voice actors refuse to be associated with the title. They still deserve credit since the Japanese track provides a rougher edge to the characters. The voice actor for Amano really creates a raw, tough street kid persona with nothing to believe in but a being that may or may not fulfill its promises.

The English voice actors provide excellent performances that make me want to watch their version too. Amano, played by Christopher Courage, presents a smoother character compared to his Japanese counterpart. He is more collective in attitude, but when questions are being thrown around and the crap hits the fan, it definitely shows in the voice. Magumo’s voice actor, Danny Bush, also gives a good performance with just enough lightness in his voice to show how much of a buffoon his character is. The entire English cast performance is superb and it’s probably the best English Dubbed hentai out there.

SEX SCENES: Tentacles squirm in this title with monster sex being the chosen sex theme. As far as sex between humans, there is missionary, doggie-style, cowgirl, oral, masturbation, and one foursome.

FINAL EXAM

In the world of Hentai, there exist two dimensions. The first are movies that serve to give sexual release to the viewers. The second are movies where the content and subject matter is so far from mainstream anime that it’s defined as hentai. The term “Hentai” does mean “twisted” or “perverse.” This means that anything out of mainstream anime can be defined as Hentai. This film is a combination of both.

Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend is the defining classic of all erotic anime. Produced in 1992, when an OVA explosion was occurring in Japan, Overfiend broke ground with its extreme depictions of violence and sex, intertwined with a heavy but entertaining storyline. It combines the best of all elements of hentai and the result is an overwhelming, but satisfying, endurance test for the emotions and the mind.

In the present day world, there are three dimensions, the Human World (Earth), the Man-Beast world, and the Demon World (it’s mentioned later that the Demon world is not the same place as Hell). Between the man-beasts and the demons, it is believed that every 3,000 years, an ultra God will arrive to unite the three worlds. This God of all Gods is called the Chojin or Overfiend, the most powerful being within all three worlds. The conflict begins with the search for the Overfiend.

According to mystic lore, the ultra God will come in the form of a human. However, no one knows what he looks like or where he is. To find him, the most powerful man-Beast, Amano Jyaku, has been sent to Earth with his sister, Megumi, and servant, Kuroko. The demons are also looking for the Overfiend. Sui-Kaku-Jyu, one of the most powerful demon rulers, goes to Earth afterwards. To Amano, the Overfiend is righteous figure who will bring a better world of peace and prosperity. To Sui-Kaku-Jyu, the Overfiend is the destroyer of all worlds who needs to be stopped.

Amidst all of the battles between the man-beasts and demons are the humans. Magumo Tesu is an ordinary college student with a huge libido. The object of his lust and affection is Akemi, the most popular and pretty girl in the college. With a little help from an oversexed demon and Amano, the two become an item. However, he has heavy competition in the likes of Ozaki, the most popular boy in his class, and Miki, a very jealous rival who wants Akemi to himself. The guesses and evidence between the three on who is the God of all Gods goes both left and right. There is nothing sure until the very end.

Despite the dated style (1990s) of Overfiend, this title never fails to not look daring and appealing. The humans are designed every simple and with good reason. Compared to their dimensional counterparts, they look so pretty and innocent. The man-beasts look like humans that have been done with a rougher edge while the demons are placed on a level all of their own. I have never seen such inventiveness in the creativity of how the demons are designed. They all are grotesque in an artistic way and all of them seem to have multiple working parts (not surprisingly, look like penises) that cause chaos and destruction. Even after multiple viewings, watching some of those demons still give me chills to my spine. The backgrounds are superb, especially the cityscapes before and after the destruction. Finally, the lighting is done extremely well. There is soft light during the love scenes, dark sharp contrast in light and shadow during the conflicts, and an overall extremely light haze for the later part of the picture.

No matter what conflicts exist, in the Overfiend universe everything is resolved (somehow) by mass rape, gallons of blood, and destruction beyond belief. Every human activity that we think is normal is completely twisted. Sex is more than just sex. The violence is translated from raw emotion by creatures that actually want to express goodness or something to benefit the rest of the world. They just don’t know how else to do it. Death is life and love is death. Try this kind of philosophic thinking in any other hentai title. Of course, this arrives after all of the good stuff. The women in the sex scenes are attractive and appealing, the sex is hot (until the monsters have their way), and the violence fulfills more than any action fans’ desires. Hands down, there is something here for every hardcore hentai fan.

It is deliciously wicked to watch how everything unfolds. This film is not for the squeamish or those who want a happy film. The mood established at the very beginning remains there for the rest of the time. This creepy, eerie, dreadful feeling arises whenever a conflict starts and I know it’s not going to end peacefully. All of the twists and turns changed my points of view many times, and the finale just left me breathless. To move the viewer’s emotions is what places this anime in the masterpiece isles of film. Without a shadow of a doubt “Urotsukidoji” has succeeded in making a place for itself in both anime and hentai history.

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