The 13 episode story (if that's what you want to call it) is set in the Kanto district where 7 schools are at war with each other. Each of the students (AKA FIGHTERS- that's really what they call them) have seashell like jewels called Magatama which possess the spirits of warriors from the Three Kingdoms. The Fighters goal is to fight each other to determine who is the ultimate fighter. The overall focus is on a clueless girl named Hakufu who is said to be the most powerful.

As you can tell, the plot is as airheaded as Hakufu herself. The show is more concerned with T&A and crotch shots than anything else. The main flaw with the show is that it essentially insults the viewer. The audience is treated like drooling idiots whose only desire is to see sex and action. While there is obviously a market for this type of anime, I (and many other viewers) demand more out of a show. Is it so hard to create an original plot and treat men and women equally with humility?

On top of that, the action is constant and endless. Once a battle ends, a few episodes later, the same characters battle each other again. It's a never-ending cycle. Still, I suppose it could be worse as the series is only 13 episodes. Some of the DRAGONBALL Z fights went on for over 30 episodes. Now that's overkill.

The show isn't all bad. The action can be mildly entertaining at times- even if the writers beat you over the head with it. There is also ONE interesting character (Saji). While everyone else is beating the crap out of each other, Saji is doing his own thing. He may be a jackass womanizer, but he's mysterious and always seems to know more than he lets on. In a show where everything is laid out for you, Saji's character is refreshing and much needed.

The DVD

Video:
The 4:3 Anamorphic video is good, but there is room for improvement. Certain scenes in the dark were noticeably grainy.

Sound: The Dolby Digital 2.0 English and Japanese soundtracks are both superb. I was surprised to find that the English dubs were actually pretty decent unlike most dubs.

Extras: On all four disks, there is an art gallery, DVD credits, and Geneon previews for other titles. Each disk also contains additional extras.

Disk 1 has a non-credit opening.

Disk 2 includes a non-credit ending along with an interview with director Takashi Watanbe. The interview is by far the best extra as the director confirms the show is simply about panty shots and action (at least he is honest). However, it was actually slightly disturbing to see this old man mention the sexuality of the series especially when he was observing a model for ideas and character actions. Creepy.

Disk 3 has a promo video for the series and disk 4 has IKKI TOUSEN TV commercials.

Final Thoughts:
IKKI TOUSEN is watchable, but completely devoid of any originality. Unless you really love animated scantily clad Japanese schoolgirls, it's best to find an anime series with an actual plot.

Film and television enthusiast Nick Lyons recently had his first book published titled "Attack of the Sci-Fi Trivia." It is available on Amazon.com.