As so little of consequence happens in the first episode of the UROTSUKIDOJI IV series, it's amazing that the prologue to this follow-on finds enough text to fill the resume screen. But, after it's filled us in for the umpteenth time on (a) the desecration of the world and its people, (b) that God (the evil Overfiend) waits to be born in Osaka and (c) only the heroes of INFERNO ROAD, Himi, Amano and Buyu, have the power to fight him and win, it suddenly, and rather suspiciously, splices to the thick of the shuddersome action from the conclusion of the preceding episode.

It appears (although please correct this if it's not the case) that Anime 18 have cut through one original episode to make two, hence doubling the profits they make selling their cassettes. In retrospect, reviewing the 'ending' of episode one (which fades to black in the middle of a scene) also supports such a conclusion. If this is so, the company deserve a contempt-double: firstly, for squeezing their consumer base into parting with more cash; secondly, for throwing off the balance of the two episodes which, if stuck back together, make a film complete in itself - and one with a much stronger plot!

The disturbing scenario for the perversions of INFERNO ROAD is a city run by a child population that both manipulates adult orgies and delights in the pain and humiliation a demon beast inflicts upon a girl who reaches the age of adulthood.
The latter decidedly non-erotic, and very sickening, sequence takes place in an arena of young giggling children. All of them delight in watching it and Euphora, a minor female responsible for bringing the victims to be defiled by the monster, even holds her friend in position to aid the degradation.

Into this hell on earth of unimaginable proportion, has come the young goddess known by four names: Himi, Kyo, the Lord of Chaos and the Mad Regent. Her destiny is to do battle with the Osaka Overfiend, a fact only known to Amano Jyaku, the flying man-beast of the UROTSUKIDOJI saga. His faith in the Legend of the Overfiend is now as dilapidated as the sinister environs of the city of evil brats he, Himi and Buju, another demon-beast and her guardian of sorts, find themselves in.

The quagmire of multiple names and bizarre characters is all too confusing at the best of times but, assuming you've watched at least some of the previous chapters, it does make a strange kind of sense. There can be no excuse however for this episode's overtones that children are sex objects - and repeating the incredibly painful rape of Yumi is now rendered even more unnecessary!

Given that the feature HAS been spliced into two episodes, there is some saving grace for this second one when compared with the first one's preoccupation with simply shocking its viewers with a hundredscore of sexual deviance scenes. After the repeat of the rape from episode one, the plot develops at a steady pace and revelations aim to justify what it was that led to such a barbaric situation as that which has arisen.

The artwork, while not on the bottom rung of the anime ladder, isn't inspiring and frequently the same backgrounds are used throughout the feature. There are some brief battle sequences, a particularly striking one is the confrontation between Amano and female guard Euphora, where the animation leaps up a notch but it tends to simmer back down to a standard less than acceptable for the series. The dubbing unfortunately is dreadful with Buju's voice actor the worst; Amano not far above.

Unlike the first volume, you do begin to develop some feelings, other than hatred, toward SOME of the characters. That's not to say that the characterisation is any more realistic, but more because they do begin to play more active roles in this episode instead of being simply thrust into the background.

Interaction replaces the milling about, Himi is kidnapped by the two identical twin ringleaders, the Master Plan comes to the fore, Amano attempts to rescue the young couple subject to the demon beast's earlier lust, Megumi (last seen in UROTSUKIDOJI III) makes her appearance and action replaces the sex. Try as it might though, the anime just has to go that step too far and, nauseatingly, goes far too overly sentimental in places.

There is one other adult scene in there: The evil Euphora is, literally, exposed as a fraud and, knowing her time in the city nears an end, comes up with a seduction scheme to effect a good escape - then realises too late that Buju's sexual technique is just as violent as that of the beast she sought to avoid!

As it has been released in the US, UROTSUKIDOJI IV INFERNO ROAD VOLUME 2 flaps around, desperately fashioning some plot from the earlier excesses of the first. It is just as disturbing in its overtones and, thanks to the repeated rape scene, as hardcore as you could expect anime pornography to be. But in the main the storyline is much stronger and there are a few twists the like of which the series is notorious for.


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings