WARNING:

I do not do a total rehash of what happened in previous volumes. That is not the way I write reviews. What I do is hope that whoever is reading this has already experienced the previous volume(s) or has read my previous reviews. If you don't like it, that's unfortunate for you. Look elsewhere for a "better" review. Everyone else, please enjoy!


This is the fifth volume of the Baki the Grappler TV series, and I am still watching it. Now Baki Hanma has gone from a young man looking to become stronger to the king of an underground fighting tournament. It has been five years since the tragic events of volume four, and Baki continues to fight with the goal of becoming strong enough to defeat his father, Yujiro Hanma; a man so heartless and unstoppable that his nickname is Demon.

In the first episode Tokugawa, the diminutive old man who runs the underground Tokyo Dome torunaments, has a meeting with a martial arts master named Doppo. Tokugawa wishes for Doppo’s best student to fight in the tournament against Baki Hanma, but that student is too busy fighting abroad. As the two discuss further, one of Doppo’s former students invades Doppo’s dojo, starting a lot of trouble. Kato used to be one of Doppos better students, but now he has gotten into gang activity and body guarding.

Kato wishes to be accepted into the underground fighting tournaments and he wants to be the champion’s next opponent. At his new home, Baki lives with the widow of a fighter and her daughter, Kozue. This is Baki’s substitute family. He barely attends school and thinks of nothing but training and fighting. By the end of the first, Baki has a new challenger, and it is not one of Doppo’s students.

Baki faces the logic-defying cord cutter in episode 2. People who have watched the Baki Hanma movie remember Baki’s fight against the cord cutter, if nothing else. This fight was infamous because the biology involved in cord cutting makes no sense in reference to the human body. For one thing, if your nerved were severed and pulled out of your hand, they would not look like thin pieces of string. It’s stupid, but this is Baki the Grappler we’re talking about.

Now if you thought that a boxer who punches wolves was ludicrous from watching past volumes, Kosho the cord cutter went all the way to take part in the running of the bulls in Spain to knock bulls unconscious! Yes, from punching wolves to knocking bulls senseless. Way to go, Baki the Grappler. I wonder who wrote the ridiculous plot behind this series.

Episode 3 takes place after Baki’s match with Kosho the cord cutter. Baki is trying to keep his everyday life separate from his life as a fighter, but it’s hard to not stand up and fight for yourself when fools threaten not only you, but people close to you. At Master Doppo’s dojo, Doppo’s former student Kato falls back under his master’s tutelage. Tokugawa, meanwhile, is confronted by traditional martial artists who are disgusted by the formless fighters like Baki who are being allowed into the Tokyo Dome fights. They‘re going to be really ticked when they find out who Baki Hanma‘s going to fight next!

Baki’s opponent is a huge man, maybe as tall as the Yasha Ape from volume 1. Maybe a minute after the fight’s conclusion, a fighter from Baki’s past enters the ring, and there’s no telling if Baki is strong enough to fight him at this time, even though he has reigned supreme for five years as underground champ.

Yeah, so I am here once again watching and reviewing Baki. Maybe that is a compliment to the story, because if I was reading any sort of book and it was lacking or poorly devised, I would stop reading it. If any other anime was weak, I would stop watching it. There is just something about Baki the Grappler that makes it watchable, even though I know that too much machismo and inconsistent animation is bad for my health.

Extras for volume five include commentary for only episode 17, which is from the English cast and crew. There is also the usual artwork, character profiles and a Mr. Stain on Junk Alley animated short. None of the trailers are new to me, except for Desert Punk, which I’m going to eventually start watching.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older