Wicked City (1987)

Two agents - a lady-killer human and a voluptuous demon - attempt to protect a signatory to a peace ceremony between the human world and the "Black World" from radicalized demons.

Director:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writers:

Hideyuki Kikuchi (novel) (as Hideyuki Kikuti), Yoshiaki Kawajiri (screenplay) (as Kisei Choo)

Stars:

Yûsaku Yara, Toshiko Fujita, Ichirô Nagai

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yûsaku Yara	...	Renzaburo Taki (voice)
Toshiko Fujita	...	Makie (voice)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Giuseppe Mayart (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Shadow (voice)
Mari Yokô	...	Kanako (voice)
Tamio Ohki	...	Hotelier (voice)
Kôji Totani	...	Jin (voice)
Yasuo Muramatsu	...	President (voice)
Kazuhiko Kishino	...	Healer (voice)
Arisa Andô	...	Prostitute (voice)
Asami Mukaidono	...	Temptress (voice)
Ikuya Sawaki	...	Ken (voice)
Masato Hirano	...	Monk (voice)
Gregory Snegoff	...	Taki (USA dub) (voice) (as Greg Snegoff)
Mike Reynolds	...	Mayart (USA dub) (voice)

Storyline

There has been peace between the worlds of the mortals and the supernatural for centuries, but the balance is now being threatened. The Radical elements from the Supernatural world are crossing over into the mortal universe for the purpose of destroying the peace forever!

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | demon | surrealism | nudity | female fighter | 

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Taglines:

From horror master HIDEYUKI KIKUCHI and acclaimed director YOSHIAKI KAWAJIRI

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Genres:

Animation | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Madhous Studio - Works: Wicked City Madman Entertainment [Australia]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

20 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wicked City

Company Credits

Production Co:

Japan Home Video (JHV), Video Art Co., Madhouse

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tai Kit Mak directed a live-action version of the film.

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Goofs

In the Streamline dub, Makie describes Taki's electrical salesman salary as "twenty-four hundred a month" (2400). However, Taki and Ken's bet is made with a 10,000 yen bill, apparently more than Taki's wage. Makie's figure is likely in US Dollars, to benefit the American audience, but this still doesn't explain the sudden change in currency.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Taki Renzaburo: [narrating] We live in an era when our cities are armed with steel and concrete. Computers and electronics barricade our minds. It doesn't change the fact that there exist a lot of strange phenomenon, bizarre beyond reason, or logic. Most folks just don't see them. That's because we cling to order - to any tiny happiness that comes our way, and we bust our humps to blind ourselves with our desires and our pleasures. There's a world of darkness out there, beyond time or space... a ...

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Alternate Versions

The Streamline Pictures version replaces the original panning shot of Tokyo during the end credits with stills from the film, due to the studio being unable to obtain a textless version of the end credits. This print was also used for Urban Vision's DVD, while Discotek Media's recent re-release uses a Japanese print, with the Streamline credits being available as a special feature.

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Connections

References The Thing (1982)

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Soundtracks

Hold Me In The Shadow
Lyrics by Machiko Ryuu
Composed by Yoshihiro Ida
Arranged by Seiichi Kyouda
Sung by Hitomi Tooyama

User Reviews

Story as good as the eye candy.

Wicked City is one of my favorite anime movies of all time, and here's why: if this movie didn't have a solid plot, it'd be hentai. As it is, it's borderline hentai. But what makes it so radically different is that the adult content is weaved in with the plot - there's only one scene of sex that has no pertinence to the story. This movie was ingeniously done. Solid story, great eye candy.