Eko eko azaraku II (1996)

Kimika Yoshino returns in this prequel to 'Wizard of Darkness' to play Misa Kuroi before she was famous, or at least before she realized she was a witch. 'Birth of the Wizard' begins in ... See full summary »

Director:

Shimako Sato

Writers:

Shinichi Koga (story), Shimako Sato

Stars:

Kimika Yoshino, Wataru Shihodo, Chieko Shiratori

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kimika Yoshino	...	Misa Kuroi
Wataru Shihodo	...	Saiga
Chieko Shiratori	...	Shoko Takanashi
Akira Otani	...	Takanashi
Hideyo Amamoto	...	Master of Saiga
Akira Saito	...	Dr. Okawa
Takashi Mihashi	...	Katsuya Terada
Makoto Fujieda	...	Chiharu Kimura
Tamio Ishikura	...	Professor Kaji
Miho Fukuya	...	Kyoko Nanatsuki
Yasushi Higuchi	...	Policeman #1
Takumi Yuda	...	Policeman #2
Kôichi Chiba	...	Young Man with Bicycle
Tomoshi Nakagawa	...	Man in the Park
Erika Suzuki	...	Young Misa

Storyline

Kimika Yoshino returns in this prequel to 'Wizard of Darkness' to play Misa Kuroi before she was famous, or at least before she realized she was a witch. 'Birth of the Wizard' begins in Meiji-era Japan, in a village of former witches and wizards. I say former, because someone seems to have slaughtered them. Skip to the present day, and an archaeologist discovers a mummy from the village. Blissfully unaware that the mummy is, in fact, possessed by an evil spirit (naturally), he runs off, leaving his assistant alone. The mummy comes to life, kills her, and the evil spirit takes over her body. This evil spirit is now searching for Misa, who is protected by Kyle Reese, It is Misa's destiny to defeat this evil spirit, but she needs Saiga's help to do it.

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Plot Keywords:

prequel | based on comic | based on comic book | murder | black magic | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

20 April 1996 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Wizard of Darkness II

Company Credits

Production Co:

GAGA, Tsuburaya Eizo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Making of Eko Eko Azarak II (2004)

User Reviews

Another late-night SBS gem

Version: Japanese, with English subtitles (by SBS)

SBS' Cult Movie time-slot is awesome, for the simple fact that most of the movies shown aren't actually about anything, but manage to be awesome anyway. In this tradition, they showed 'Eko Eko Azaraku: Wizard of Darkness'. It was pretty cool, and so they showed 'Eko Eko Azaraku II: Birth of the Wizard', and it was also pretty cool.

Kimika Yoshino returns in this prequel to 'Wizard of Darkness' to play Misa Kuroi before she was famous, or at least before she realized she was a witch. 'Birth of the Wizard' begins in Meiji-era Japan, in a village of former witches and wizards. I say former, because someone seems to have slaughtered them. Skip to the present day, and an archaeologist discovers a mummy from the village. Blissfully unaware that the mummy is, in fact, possessed by an evil spirit (naturally), he runs off, leaving his assistant alone. The mummy comes to life, kills her, and the evil spirit takes over her body.

This evil spirit is now searching for Misa, who is protected by Kyle Reese, who goes by the name of Saiga in this film (I thought I had made an original joke, but then I noticed the other reviewer caught the same connection six years ago). It is Misa's destiny to defeat this evil spirit, but she needs Saiga's help to do it.

'Birth of the Wizard' ends up playing a lot like 'Wizard of Darkness'. Again, the story isn't original, but it is entertaining. Similar stylish and gory horror, a nice fast pace, and some pretty good special effects. Although, it is a prequel, so despite excitement, you can have some guesses as to Misa's fate (and if you guess wrong, you really need help). That aside, it is an entertaining horror movie.

The only thing missing in this from the original is the Japanese-style unusual situations involving lesbians. If that was your main reason for watching 'Wizard of Darkness', then you may be disappointed with this. Finally, I swear there were several plot-elements and moments in the movie that were lifted from 'The Terminator'.

8/10 - For fans of 'Wizard of Darkness', Japanese horror, or horror in general. I'll have to check out the third movie sometime.