So far, you’ve survived a beginning of the year rant on the 1-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, and a review for one of my number 1 albums of 2021. Today will be a bit interesting, as I’ll be taking a 2nd revised look at an OVA that I first reviewed all the way back in February of 2015. That’s right, today is a revised review from nearly 7 years ago, and one that perhaps is more fitting out our time than way back then. Has my view on this OVA changed since then, and perhaps more importantly, do I still like it as much as I did? With that said, here’s my revised look at the OVA bomb known as Crimson Wolf. Let’s begin.
Story/Setup
Taken from the DVD case:
“The fate of the world rests in the ability of these untested warriors to defeat an unearthly army of darkness. Sorcery, martial arts and unrequited love, spanning the centuries, explode in an epic battle at the gates of the forbidden city.
Mysterious deaths befall the members of an archeological expedition which uncover the ancient tomb of Genghis Khan.
These deaths are preceded by a bizarre prophecy which foretells the end of the world-unless three people with a Hong Lang (Crimson Wolf) birthmark are found and destroyed.
Amid a backdrop of international intrigue and contemporary political unrest, three unsuspecting heroes are forces to challenge destiny in a monumental struggle to keep the world from plunging into chaos.
Crimson Wolf is an unusual departure for the anime genre - rooted in real world reference, it makes the fantasy all the more believable.”
As I said in the original review, the story for this OVA actually sound pretty epic at first glace. Taking place shortly after the political upheaval in China in the late 1980s, it’s interesting to see real world politics mixed with martial arts & fantasy, but to be perfectly honest? It doesn’t use the politics of the time well. In fact, they’re actually used pretty poorly throughout the hour-long running time. The usage of said politics comes across more like window dressing than anything else. I should state that Crimson Wolf was actually based off of a manga, and one that as far as I know never had a worldwide release. Because of this, the OVA never really dives deep into it’s already established story, and instead dips it’s toes in the short end of the pool so to speak. It’s a shame, since there’s something genuinely intriguing here, as what little we get just makes the viewer hungry for more. If this was spread out over the course of a 3 to 4 episode OVA instead of just 1, I have a suspicion that things would be much more fleshed out than they were.
Animation
Like I said in the original review, Crimson Wolf’s animation is right from that early 90s period. A period where everything was done by drawing, and there wasn’t any computer in sight. There definitely was a lot of care put into the OVA, and you can definitely see that care throughout the whole thing. That said, it also shows it’s age as well. Coming in on almost 30 years old in 2022, you can definitely see the grey hairs that Crimson Wolf has on it’s head. Some of the character models aren’t that detailed (Especially background characters), and some of the backgrounds seem a little muted. The OVA isn’t hideous by any means, but you know you’re watching something from the 90s within the first few moments.
(Okay, so there technically is a hint of 3d in this OVA. However, that’s only in the few seconds in the logos)
Voice Acting
I realize in hindsight from my original review that, despite being a Streamline Pictures dub, Crimson Wolf’s voice acting is actually not half bad. It’s definitely not perfect, as plenty of the secondary/background characters have voices that are fine, but could definitely have been better. The primary characters on the other hand, have much better voices behind them. Dan Woren, who’s voice might be familiar if you’ve watched Bleach, is easily recognizable when he starts speaking, as is Barbara Goodson & Bob Bergan if you know their work. These 3 actors put in the most work when it comes to their character’s voices, and it shows.
Oh, and one other thing. Crimson Wolf has the distinction of have two of the most “WTF” lines I’ve ever heard spoken in an anime. Here’s the first one.....spoken during an orgy:
“Give me a second, I’m almost done.”
Here’s the second one.....spoken during the climax:
“The spirit of humanity cannot be crushed by armies or tanks, my fist is imbued with the spirit of all those who have been oppressed, from Tibet to Tiananmen Square!”
Characters
Much like the story, Crimson Wolf’s cast of characters aren’t that deep. Save for the main 3 characters and the villain at the end, practically everybody else that the viewer comes across is barebones & incredibly disposable. Hell, even the main 3 characters & villain aren’t all that impressive either. There’s hardly any back story for them, save for 2.....and you find out through what I can only describe as a sex vision. Much like when I talked about the story, I have a sneaking suspicion that the manga form of many of these characters have more to their personalities & backstory, and what we got here is really weak.
Availability & Pricing
Here’s what I said in my original 2015 review:
“If you thought looking for an ADV Films title was tough, prepare for the frustration that is looking for a release from Streamline Pictures. The only store I can think of that would even remotely have a copy would be FYE, and even then it would only be available as a used copy (If they had a new copy available, they made a deal with the devil for sure). Only Amazon has readily available copies of Crimson Wolf available for purchase, but at this moment in time there are only 11 copies left (5 Used/6 New). Used copies start at 37 dollars, while the new copies begin at 53 dollars in price. Buying Crimson Wolf is definitely an expensive proposition, with the used copy being at least a little more reasonable.
I managed to buy a used copy back in June of last year for a measly 5 dollars. The condition the box was in, not to mention the actual DVD, was shockingly good. Apart from some scratches, everything looks alright for a release of it’s age!”
As of the writing of this review? There are only 2 used copies available for purchase on Amazon, and they both cost 42 something dollars. If you don’t decide to go physical (And I would totally understand why), then the only way to get your hand on this OVA is to download it from a variety of anime websites. Provided they actually have it, of course.
Other
If you’d like to actually watch this, then check out the link below. Funny fact: when you get to the 55:23 mark, there’s an indirect Chun-Li cameo. No joke:
Crimson Wolf (Anime)
Overall Impression & Rating
Crimson Wolf. Never in all of my years of watch Anime has a title that made me feel so.....conflicted. There’s definitely a lot of potential in this OVA, and every once in a while that potential really does come through. What holds it back is that it doesn’t delve into it’s real world inspiration all that much, it would rather play it safe at times, and most of the time doesn’t necessarily have that much substance. Still, this piece of OVA obscurity is oddly enjoyable, and for just an hour you can do way worse. If Crimson Wolf somehow crosses your path, give it a try. You might be intrigued by what you see.
Crimson Wolf gets a 6 to 7 out of 10, but I enjoyed it as if it was a 7.5 out of 10.
And that was my revised look at Crimson Wolf, and thankfully the end of this impromptu themed month. Again, it just came out when I had my rant at the beginning of the month, but I felt that I had to get it out of my system before I popped a blood vessel in my head, causing an aneurysm or whatnot. Thankfully, February will have none of this political b.s., so join me on the 2nd of that month for a little bit of soul. See you then!
***
If you’d like to see my original take on the anime, check out the link below to my 2015 review:
Anime Review- Crimson Wolf (2015 Original)
One other thing. The reason why I called Crimson Wolf a bomb at the beginning is because it performed poorly in sales for Streamline Pictures, and nobody ever reacquired the license for it since the company went out of business.
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