Publisher: ADV Films (USA)Format: Region 1 DVD, NTSC, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles
Length: 87 minutes
Production Date: 2004
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes (Funimation re-release)
In a land much like feudal Korea, a man named Munsu crosses the desert. Down to his last drop of water, he is saved by a young man named Monryo. He tells Munsu that he wishes to become an Amen Osa, a king of champion of justice. However a group of cannibalistic goblins attack them both with Monryo dying when hit by a spear. Munsu makes a deal with the goblins to eat the corpse of Monryo in order to save himself. However as he leaves he sets off an explosive charge he has hidden inside Monryo’s body, killing all of the goblins. Munsu then travels to Monryo’s homeland, which is ruled by an evil lord. Munsu fights off his army by summoning his battalion of solider spirits, and in doing so the lord is defeated. However a young girl with amazing fighting skills is sent out in a last ditch effort to defeat him. The girl is Chun-Hyang, Monryo’s former sweetheart. She has been hypnotised into fighting, but regains her senses when she sees Monryo’s headband which Munsu is wearing. Upon hearing that Monryo is dead, Chun-Hyang takes it upon herself to become Munsu’s Sando, an Amen Osa’s bodyguard. Munsu practically ignores her as he travels, but soon accepts her offer reluctantly.
Munsu is not wandering the countryside aimlessly. His home country, Jushin, has been destroyed and he is out to wreak revenge on the man who killed the king of that country, who was also a dear friend. On their travels, Munsu and Sando come across a young man called Jyun. He has swum from his island home to the mainland asking for help. Against his better judgment, Munsu travels to the island with Sando and the boy. There the village elders explain that Jyun is suffering from shock because his family was killed by pirates which had attacked the island. Munsu decides to stay on the island for a few days at the instance of the elders. But he soon discovers that something is not quite right with the village and it seems to centre on a priest named Yuite who can seemingly preform miracles such as bringing the dead back to life.
This Korean and Japanese co-production is based on a bestselling manhwa by Youn In-wan and Yang Kyung-il. It seems to be based on stories from feudal Korea including several historical figures. As far as I can figure out, most of the movie seems to be based upon the events in the 11th volume of the manhwa. I really didn’t know what to expect and had some quite low expectations. Unfortunately not even those low expectations were met. For starters the looks of the film feels like faux anime. It’s a copy of anime and manga, shonnen manga in particular, let’s be honest. This is the show’s major hurdle and not one that is confined to this film. The history of Korean animation back to the early 1970’s clearly shows a direct influence (some would say completely rip off in many cases) from Japanese animation. This film is no different. Sure it looks and feels like anime, but there’s just something a bit wrong about it. Things like Monryo’s pet desert bat for instance. It’s a rather silly and out of place element stuck in what is a highly nihilistic and ultimately depressing shonnen anime. And that’s the second thing wrong with this film; Munsu is a real prick. There’s nothing in his character at all which I could sympathise with.
There are some issues with other characters too, in particular Chun-Hyang/Sando. There’s this one scene where she nervously decides not to follow Munsu over a rope bridge. It’s not explained at all in the film but she is afraid of heights. Her actions in this scene weren’t explained at all and not elaborated later on in the film either. It’s like the makers of the film expected the audience to be familiar with the characters. The pacing plot also leave a lot be desired. It’s like two separate films; the first half where we are introduced to Munsu and Chun-Hyang/Sando, and the second half with Jyun and his island home. I really don’t think this works well at all. You also have long stretches where nothing particular is happening. The film at times struggles to fill its 87 minute runtime. The saving grace is the action scenes. They are very well choreographed, especially towards the end of the film. Overall the film looks and feels like a generic shonnen action piece. It’s all very ho-hum and a bit of a downer with its nihilistic lead character. The action scenes where brilliant and for mostly that, I’ll give it 5 out of 10.
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