Directed by Keita Amemiya
52 minutes
Toei, 1996
(Originally published in KAIJU-FAN Issue #7 Winter 1997)
 

Review by Keith Stevens

SYNOPSIS

        In some unspecified time in the future, a group of treasure hunters are exploring what appears to be an abandoned island prison. Instead of treasure, they find a chained man, who shatters the chains, turns into Hakaider and kills them. Turning back to human, he rips the chains off his motorcycle and proceeds to leave.  In "Jesus Town," a city ruled by Goochev (a man who wears wings on his back), there is a celebration for its third anniversary of peace. Elsewhere, a winged girl is tied to a tree and attacked by a white monster. The monster is slain by a black knight and the chains that bind her are cut. Then the rebel, Karou, wakes up from her dream as a shipment arrives at the warehouse she and the other terrorists are hiding in. Stealing the contents, they escape. Meanwhile, Hakaider has passed through an electric barrier that has melted the remaining chains on his bike (but the barrier does nothing to him). Jesus Town security shoots at him, pissing him off enough to make him change back into robot form.
        He takes his big-gun and blows a gaping hole ill the town ' s barrier that could probably block half the US Army. Imperial Priest Soldiers attack Hakaider on motorcycle, but he wastes them without getting hurt (despite the several hundred rounds of ammo pumped into him). Eventually, he gets off and fights the soldiers hand to hand and they find a weakness: electric "cattle prods." Still, he kills everybody and confronts the terrorist group, whom eventually take him back to their hideout. Hiikaider seems to have a crush on Karou.
        In Jesus Town, Goochev sees a video of Hakaider and recognizes him. Karou explains to Hakaider what Goochev does to suspected criminals: destroy their minds. Goochev talks with his Hakaider-like law Jroid, Justice, and tells him that Hakaider must be destroyed at all costs. Priest Soldiers locate the terrorist hideout and kill all the terrorists (except for Karou who is seriously wounded) and blow Hakaider out of the building. Thinking Hakaider dead, Karou wanders through the marketplace of Jesus Town, ranting that the patrons should all die because he was their only hope. Karou falls backwards, nearly dead, but Hakaider's human form catches her.  In the next scene, Hakaider and Karou are outside the city at a natural spring; Karou either faints or dies and her special bell falls to the ground, creating a puddle. (Perhaps the expanded version explains this; one theory is that Hakaider brought her out of the confines of Jesus Town to die peacefully.)
        Hakaider gets really pissed (a flower catches fire when he walks by it) and travels to Goochev's building. With one shot, he takes out 95% of the Priest Soldiers by hitting a vital computer and then wastes the rest of them as he searches for Goochev. Instead, he finds Justice. In the battle, his gun is nearly destroyed and Hakaider gets sliced up. (One interesting touch is that while Justice and Hakaider are fighting, the walls and pillars of Goochev's white room "bleed" red electronics and matter as they are destroyed.)  After blowing off Justice's clawed arm with his in-arm gun, Hakaider rips off the slicing wing on Justice' s back and then tears off the robot's head... (this next part should be fa miller to all you Shin Kamen Rider fans) with the spinal cord still attached. He confronts Goochev and throws Justice's head aside. As the two talk, the head is picked up by unseen hands and connected to a giant machine, The machine suddenly grabs Hakaider, throws him around, stomps on him and blows off one arm. Just when it is about to kill him, Hakaider uses his last bullet to shoot the head off of the machine. Goochev is left in his destroyed room, pieces of the giant machine scattered all over. Hakaider approaches and Goochev pleads for his life. Hakaider then utters the immortal words, "A bastard like you... isn't worth killing." As he turns to leave, Goochev grabs a Jarge gun from the remains of the machine. Turning, Hakaider charges, hitting the gun aside and punch- ing right through Goochev's stomach. Leaving, Hakaider doesn't notice the dy- ing head of Justice muttering, "I am Justice... I am Justice... I am Justice..." Hakaider rides away in what is presumably a happy ending.

COMMENTARY

        I thought this was a very good, if somewhat confusing film. Extremely violent, it is definitely not intended for younger kids. One thing that should be pointed out is that all of the villains are white and have kind names like "Justice." Hakaider, on the other hand, is an anti-hero, totally black with a permanent frown on his face; the name "Hakaider" basically means "Destroyer" in Japanese. Goochev and the Priest Soldiers all have feathers for blood, which creates a "holy" image. This film brings to mind a quote from The X Files: "Even the devil can quote scripture to suit his own needs."
        The score is excellent, bringing forth a wonderful theme for Karou, a destructive theme for Hakaider (reminiscent of those heard in old western thrillers) and a touching string theme as Goochev explains to Justice that Jesus Town is a perfect place and how there is life in something as small as flowers. I wonder if there is a sound-track available?
        Hakaider himself seems to be both man and machine. Expressing human emotion ("If you have no free will, then what is the point of living?"), Hakaider is also a robot in emotionless ways. He develops a crush on Karou, yet shows no emotion when faced with death or when he proclaims himself evil. Hakaider has two "slash" marks on his chest that glow red and
pump to the sound of his heartbeat when he is in trouble. Hakaider also acts of his own freewill, a sign of sentience.  The effects are flawless, save for a few scenes when Hakaider is fighting the giant machine at the end; these are either accomplished with a stiff model, bad stop-motion animation or some obvious matte work. Other than that, I can't complain.  Overall? As a person who never saw the series that this film was somewhat based on (Kikaider), I would have to say that it is an excellent film, but one that is for audiences only.