The Teito Monogatari Series

TOKYO: THE LAST MEGALOPOLIS

(1988)

Dir - Akio Jissoji

Overall: MEH

The first live-action adaptation of Hiroshi Aramata's epic dark fantasy novel Teito Monogatari, Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis is a visually stunning spectacle with an overbearing and confused plot.  At the time, it was one of the most massive-budgeted tokusatsu films in the country's history which makes use of sprawling sets, H.R. Giger creature design, stop-motion animation, and recreations of the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, as well as 1910 and 1920's Japan.  Kyūsaku Shimada's portrayal as the towering, militant demon villain Yasunori Katō is a memorable one that amongst other things, would heavily inspire the look of Street Fighter's main baddie M. Bison.  Though there are some interesting, ambitious ideas inherent in Aramata's source material which combines ancient magic of the Orient with real world events, (plus there are enough special effects showcases to warrant the intense production), cramming the first four book volumes out of twelve into a coherent cinematic form makes for messy results.  None of the characters are fleshed-out and things progress so quickly that it becomes difficult to keep up, something that is further problematic when the narrative jumps ahead several years.

 

TOKYO: THE LAST WAR

(1989)

Dir - Takashige Ichise

Overall: GOOD

Producer Takashige Ichise takes his first stab at directing in a full-length capacity with Tokyo: The Last War, (Teito Taisen), which is the second and to-date last live action installment of Hiroshi Aramata's Teito Monogatari series.  As opposed to the previous year's Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis which forced four novel's worth of story lines into one film, this one is an adaptation of just the eleventh book Great War in the Capital, be it a substantially tweaked version of said source material.  Kyusaku Shimada is the only actor to return, once again playing the towering, supernaturally-charged bad guy Yasunori Katō with his M. Bison getup in tow.  Stylistically, this is a different beast as Ichise adopts a slow-moving, deliberate tone that is in completely juxtaposition from the first film which bounced all over the place without letting any of the central drama sink in.  Part of this change was no doubt due to the smaller budget which meant that the special effects moments had to be toned down, though Screaming Mad George still delivers the usual goods when the gore gets a chance to shine.  The lack of bombast is a good thing though as characters are properly multi-layered and given room to breathe, plus the harrowing backdrop of World War II's end puts a more emotional emphasis on events that are still a fascinating combination of the mystical, supernatural, and pseudoscience variety.

DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS

(1991/1992)

Dir - Rintaro/Kazuyoshi Katayama/Koichi Chigira/Kazunari Kume/Masashi Ikeda

Overall: MEH

Released in its native Japan a mere two years after the live action franchise wrapped itself up, the OVA adaptation of Hiroshi Aramata's Teito Monogatari struck while the popularity iron was hot, even bringing back Kyusaku Shimada to once again portray the main baddie Yasunori Katō, in voice only form of course.  Considering that the bulk of Aramata's volumes remain unproduced in a cinematic capacity, this anime missed an opportunity to be a comprehensive sequel to Tokyo: The Last War.  Instead, it once again adapts the same first four books in Aramata's series as did the initial film Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis.  In this regard it is a redundant viewing experience, though fans of the source material will appreciate the violence, nudity, and adult-oriented tone, plus Madhouse studio takes advantage of the medium to showcase the more outrageous, otherworldly elements in a manner that the flesh and blood films could not.  This gives the project a comparatively more grandiose scale and broken up into four episodes that each run for roughly forty-five minutes, it covers more ground than what was composited together in its live-action counterpart.  Yet due to its length, the series suffers pacing issues where each segment features a cataclysmic showdown that is proceeded by repetitive conversations between characters that seem useless against the story's unstoppable, villainous force.