With Mini Month completed the 28th of February, not to mention my review for Genericon 32 a few days before, it was time to get back to normal for a little bit.....but something was itching at the back of my mind. True, my 10th ever Genericon passed, but I’ve never actually review the anime I purchased on that fateful weekend. It’s wacky, it’s dirty up to the 9s, and it could only come from the mind of one of Japan’s iconic & infamous creators......Go Nagai.
That’s right, Go Nagai. Creator of many classic anime & manga, the man has earned a reputation for being one of the most prolific individuals in the industry, while at the same time earning a reputation for being one of the most shocking content anime/manga providers out there. Crafting the first ever Ecchi manga & anime, he was the target of protests & potential cancellations due to how shocking & over the line some of his works were. None the less, Nagai never ever once catered to the PC crowd, and continued to have creations spill forth from his mind, & the subject of today’s review was an idea that just started out as a joke! So get out your pencils, be wary of the thoughts of your teachers & principles, and enjoy my review for the naughty Kekko Kamen. Let’s begin!
Story/Setup
Taken from the back of the DVD case:
“Fighting for justice! Freedom! And the naked truth!
No, that’s not a skin-tight pink costume
It’s her skin!
She’s Kekko Kamen, the dynamic denuded damsel who fights injustice in the altogether.
Her mission?
To expose rampant classroom corruption at Big Toenail of Satan’s Spartan Institute of Higher Education-all the while repeatedly rescuing everyone’s favorite victim, the beautiful (and often naked) Mayumi Takahashi, from the institute’s terrifying torture chamber. And if battling a perverted principle and treacherous teacher weren’t enough, the well-endowed Kekko Kamen must bare it all as she goes up against a Nazi dominatrix Punishment Counselor; a manically musclebound superstud; the electrically charged tentacles of a gorgeous exchange student from hell; and a super-sleazy, snapshot-taking samurai who’s bent on capturing naughty photos of every girl on campus. Will Mayumi make it out alive? (Or at least with her school uniform?) Will our skin-clad crusader be able to straddle the line between indecent exposure and her desire to win decent treatment for the school’s succulent student bodies?
Keep your eyes peeled-you’ll have to watch to find out!”
I’m just going to get this out of the way......Kekko Kamen is a trash anime of the highest degree! I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s at the top of Trash Anime Mountain, but it’s definitely near the peak. Hands down this is one of the sleaziest, exploitive OVAs that’s ever been made. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the ADV Films trailer right below!
Kekko Kamen Trailer
That being said, it’s actually tamer than the manga that it’s based on. Make no mistake: Kekko Kamen can be incredibly offensive to many, but......it’s actually a lot of fun! I laugh frequently, the villains are over the top & goofy, the titular heroine & her target of rescue are really likable, and the whole premise of the show is so absurd.....it’s hard to not enjoy in an odd sense. Despite how hard it is to find (More on that below), I genuinely recommend finding this online, or by getting a physical copy.
Animation
If you couldn’t tell that this was a Go Nagai show by it’s story, then you might be able to tell due to it’s animation style. Go always had a distinct look & feel to everything he makes, but Kekko Kamen.....isn’t one of his best. It’s not exactly ugly, but you can tell that it’s a 90s anime. An early 90s anime in fact (It first aired on August the 1st of 1991, and the last episode was released on March the 1st in 92). Things look fine enough, but there’s little things all over the place that are just baffling. One of them is in the first episode, where we get a brief shot of Kekko’s crotch, and there’s no sign of a hoo-haa. Another is in the 3rd episode, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but something about it makes it look better than everything else. I’m not exactly sure, but it’s entirely possible that I could be seeing things.
Voice Acting
I think it’s safe to say that ADV Films series certainly has the more.....colorful dubbing during it’s existence, and even today some dubs from the defunct company carry it’s reputation thanks to re-releases under a variety of other groups. Some were good, some were bad, and despite all of the jokes they got (You can still find a joke about the voice acting on rare occasions in various anime forums), it was all entertaining in the end. Kekko Kamen is one of those shows that’s surprisingly good. Granted there are some voice actors that maybe try a little too hard (The voice actor that played the Nazi Dominatrix sounded a little too stereotypical with her German voice), but it’s actually amazing at how well the dub is. Taking the Ghost Stories route (Don’t worry. I’ll get to that show......eventually), the entire cast basically goes off the rails with their lines, but at the same time keep it within the realm of the show they’re dubbing. Surprisingly, it works very well, as the entire cast put in a great amount of effort. This definitely isn’t a show to watch in it’s original Japanese, as that would ruin some of the humor it possesses.
Characters
Despite my praise for the characters in an earlier point, at the same time they’re the weakest thing in Kekko Kamen. The lead heroine is a stereotypical symbol of the people (Apart from the nekidness), the fan-service damsel in distress is the stereotypical fan-service damsel in distress, her helpful friend is the stereotypical helpful friend, the over-the-top villains are the stereotypical over-the-top villains, etc. Nobody changes over the course of the 4-episode run of this OVA, and the other villains that come in to help Toenail are disposable to the 10th degree. That being said, there’s a weird charm to the cast. Mayumi, despite being something of a klutz & target, is also rather likable & you kinda do feel bad for her. Kekko is goofy in her pursuit of justice, but it’s unique to say the least. Toenail & Teacher Ben (His assistant) are ridiculous, and their plans are just absurd....but they somehow make me snicker. Again, Kekko Kamen’s cast isn’t the greatest, but it’s hard not to laugh at or with them.
Availability & Pricing
Given that Kekko Kamen was an ADV Films title, finding a copy is rather difficult. Given that it’s a mid 2000s ADV Films title, it is a tiny bit easier to find. I bought my first copy at Genericon 2009 (A few months before ADV Films’s closing, ironically enough), and the seller in question had it at I believe 15 to 20 dollars. In November of 2014, I purchased a new copy for a friend for Christmas, and it was about 28 dollars. A new copy now on Amazon starts at nearly 69 dollars, while a used copy starts at 44 dollars. For a trash anime that’s pretty expensive, but there are those who will pony up the cash for it.
Overall Impression & Rating
Kekko Kamen is certainly something. What with it’s offensive & exploitive nature, it’s easy to see why the PC crowd (Here & abroad) would all have a brain aneurysm! However, that’s what Go Nagai has always been good at. Barring a few titles, he’s always managed to walk the tightrope between tasteless & entertaining, and in the process makes for some surprisingly enjoyable series. For devotees of fan-service anime that leans a little more on the politically incorrect side of things, Kekko Kamen is definitely one to see out. Even if you don’t like it, you can at least say to your friends that’s you have one of the most out-there anime that’s ever been made.
Kekko Kamen gets a 10 out of 10 due to emotions & memories for me, but if I’m being realistic......a 7.5 out of 10.
Certainly an interesting start to March, isn’t it? Anyways, I got some random posts for this month, as this coming April sees the return of one of the oddest themes in the history of this blog comes back for a second time in the spotlight. In the meantime, enjoyed the dirty side of yourself....but just a little!
***
Yes, I know that there are live actions movies. No, I won’t be reviewing any. Also, if you’re even remotely curious about the manga in which the show is based off of, then check out the manga below:
Kekko Kamen (Manga)
Also also, if you’d like an alternate look at the show, then check out Bennett The Sage’s view on it:
Kekko Kamen (Bennett The Sage Review)
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