Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Index 9 reviews in total 

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Only watch it if you've read the manga, 19 February 2007
7/10
Author: maxyg18

Do not be confused because ICHI THE KILLER: THE ANIMATION EPISODE 0 is not the prequel to Takashi Miike's 'live-action' version of Hideo Yamamoto's infamous manga, it is the prequel to Hideo Yamamoto's infamous manga.

It's about Ichi when he was a student in high school and how he was bullied, what he was like when he was with his family and friends and how he became a twisted and sadistic assassin.

This prequel is really cool: good animation, a well-written script and a hardcore soundtrack make this film worth a watch. Although some people may find this film too short or too much like a big music video. Other than that, it's worth watching, but read the comic book before watching it.

Was the above review useful to you?

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
too short for hardcore ichi fans, 21 April 2004
Author: lunarsong from sussex

I saw this anime as an add on to the sensory overload that was ichi the killer. I have to say i did not like the anime. As well as i believe it has been done it seems like just another way of squeezing another drop of crimson fluid from a franchise that is already swimming in it.The takeshi miike voiced kakihara is just not even worth mentioning as he hardly even manages any lines. The same set of animation occurs several times in the cartoon which isnt a good sign as the animation is only 45 minutes long.the dub is in an english accent which means no self respecting fan of the live action could sit through it. A must see for ichi fans but a must not buy.

Was the above review useful to you?

12 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Absolutely terrible addition to a great film, 23 May 2003
2/10
Author: jsangspar from Canada

Koroshiya-1, Ichi the Killer, is a great movie; probably among the best, most vibrant and entertaining movies ever made. It's serious, and takes itself seriously- as it should.

This terrible release does not. It takes Ichi's story and essentially adds parts that don't exist in either the manga or the film for entertainment value- there are several pointless sex scenes (such as Ichi's parents engaging in S&M), and the entire thing is melodramatic and absolutely horrible. This is amateur writing at best- it's like something a high-school student would write in an attempt to shock; the cause-and-effect relationships are basic and tenuous at best.

Technically, the animation and art is among the worst I've ever seen; ugly characters with absolutely broken anatomy and about three frames of movement each. I watch a lot of anime; the problem is not the style, but this release in particular. The music is perhaps suitable, but still dull; nothing like the film's wonderful primal sounds.

As it's mostly unwatchable and physically painful to sit through, I gave it a 2- some very minor redeeming values (like the novelty of Miike being Kakihara's voice- pretty neat), but as a whole, completely worthless.

Was the above review useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Purists are unhappy with the dollops of SM orientated sex, 21 January 2009
8/10
Author: christopher-underwood from Greenwich - London

I realise Ichi hardcore fans were disappointed with this short animated feature that depicts the killer's early years, but I rather enjoyed it. Purists are unhappy with the dollops of SM orientated sex that peppers the film and whilst I can understand that I rather liked the links made with the sex and violence. It may come over a little pat here but it is rare enough that the link is even touched on in most mafia/yakuza movies, when the link is surely undeniable. Some have also criticised the muddy and occasionally ugly animation, but again all seemed well suited to the subject matter. I liked the domestic scenes and the inevitable references to school qualifications and bullying and overall thought that a very decent job had been done. I see no sign of a sequel that would take us into the same time frame as the original live action film and this presumably reflects that not everyone felt as well disposed to this as I.

Was the above review useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Dreadful, 11 January 2006
1/10
Author: bj_sheppard-1 from Taiwan

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This anime was dreadful. Poor script, shockingly amateur animation and a bland and pointless story. It starts well, the DVD menu is colourful and music seems cool. But as soon as you start watching the film it becomes obvious how cheap it is.

The plot is predictable; boy is bullied and his anger is suppressed, he eventually becomes a killer. Triggered by a few events, one including a pointless brutal sex scene. So badly done, that no emotions are stirred at all. You just couldn't care less about any of the characters.

There are plenty better anime films out there. Watch anything by Studio Ghibli and you will never want to watch anything this bad ever again. 1 Star.

Was the above review useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Before Ichi was a killer, 5 November 2004
Author: OUKnight99

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Minor Spoilers Herein*

This Japanese Anime begins during Kekihara and Ichi's duel from the film Ichi the Killer (Although i have a feeling that this is drawn in a way that is more similar to the Ichi the Killer Manga than the film...) before flashing back to explain how it was that Ichi became a killer.

The story itself begins interesting enough, but the excessive use of nudity (Ichi's parents are big into S&M, as is apparently everyone in Ichi and Kekihara's world) and bizarre cell shading techniques gives this anime an almost childish feeling. The story comes across as rather forced and unrealistic (not unrealistic in the same way that the film was) with Ichi growing up in a school that is more like a prison, coming home to listen to the moans of his parents next door.

The low budget is what really hurts this film,and more focus on actual story substance, rather than trying to 'shocking' would have helped this prequel. It's okay, and if you've seen Ichi the Killer you'll have to see this, but i expected a lot more.

Hopefully more Ichi the Killer animation (with a bigger) budget will be released. Let's just hope it's better written and better directed.

Was the above review useful to you?

5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Very cool backstory, 10 May 2003
10/10
Author: Toxie2000 from Tromaville, NJ

This animation is actually based on the manga origins of Ichi the Killer but could still plausibly coincide with the movie. It's well made and VERY GORY. Even worse than the live action because it's animated. Currently this is the only Ichi animation made but more should be coming soon. If you liked the live action movie diffenetly pick this up.

Was the above review useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
definitely NOT for kids, first off, and with its flaws, but I liked it in its demented way, 23 February 2008
7/10
Author: MisterWhiplash from United States

Keep this in mind: this isn't some of the slightly more sanitized Adult Swim material on Cartoon Network. Ichi the Killer Episode 0 is hardcore anime, meant for probably some of the sickest f****s digging around for whatever they can in the most gritty video bins in some dump of a store. In its 40 minute running time the filmmakers backtrack into the life of Ichi, the memorable sadist from Takashi Miike's film. It's basically all about Ichi coming back from repressed teenage years where he's got the mind of a six year old trapped in a body that's half psycho-libido, and half just psycho killer, the two merging most of the time. Ichi is, of course, trained this way, or rather controlled by forces that use him as a killing machine. But we also see a side to an anti-hero that we might never ever see, which makes him so much of a crazy bird that we almost try and move away from the screen as killings go on, loaded with harsh sexual connotations that would probably scar for life some small children if seen.

It's a violent, insane spectacle, filled with the kind of imagery that only comes out of a comic book that has the reputation to still shock in the 21st century. Lots of sick martial arts moments tinged with just that extra over-the-top belt of surreal mania, as Ichi cries and cries and grows aroused all the more from one killing to the next. I recommend it probably more to those who would already be seeking out anime that's a little more than what would usually be used to seeing; the drawbacks are kinda glaring for most though, including an overbearing soundtrack (sometimes used would have been alright, but this constant starts to take a toll on the narrative, and such awful techno-pop carp), and an ending that seems to cut short just as a whole other narrative seems to start up. It goes without saying I can't see why a show like this wouldn't be picked up - you'd need an exec with the guts of a Tarantino or, for that matter Miike, to see it through without damning the creators to hell and starting a religion to repress this trash. But as trash it is, there's some art stuck in the middle: abstractions done and fashioned as if out of the most deranged fever dream ever conceived in anime.

Was the above review useful to you?

Just when I thought it was safe to pull out my Ichi The Killer DVD again..., 13 April 2007
Author: Scott Baldwin (Mohasamedi45@gmail.com) from Edmonton, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

As a fan of Koroshiya 1 (or Ichi the Killer, as the English title is), the I knew this was going to rock. Unfourtanately I was wrong. The story is boring and predictable, it could have been something written in 10 minutes by some high school student Here's what else is wrong: 1. It's way too short, 40 minutes long, and Like ICHI-1 (which I also own and hated), does not advance the story well. Could have been an extra on the IchI The Killer Uncut DVD.

2. Too many things in the plot you don't even care about, including pointless sex scenes (EG. Hajime's (Ichi) parents talking, then all of a sudden, random S&M scene!).

3. Muddy animation 4. Voice acting is irritatingly terrible. I am an Anime fan, but the acting was stupid. Even the English voice acting sucked.

5. Like one person said, It's like a stupid Ichi Fanfiction, just in anime form.

6. The music sucks. Ergo, when Ichi accidentally kills the rabbit, instead of suspenseful music you just get lame techno music with some chick writhing as if she's having an orgasm.

So avoid this at all costs. It's for your own good.

Was the above review useful to you?

Add another review

Related Links

Ratings External reviews Parents Guide
Plot keywords Main details Your user reviews
Your vote history