Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Bryanxy_03
Like you can guess, I'm a huge fan of Fist Of The Northstar, I read the original manga twice, I read both oneshots, the prequel (Souten No Ken) and I read most of the bibliography from Tetsuo Hara and Buronson, I love this work even with all and its flaws. But unfortunately, my feelings towards Toei's adaptation is totally the opossite of my appreciation to the original work.
Before the existence of Dragon Ball or One Piece, all that complains many fans had with Toei's slow pacing and repetitive and unnecesary shots, we're present in Hokuto No Ken; an Anime that isn't the half of pleasant as the Manga is, most of the memorable moments of the work are ruined with a poor direction, plenty of censored scenes and fights, and an unnecesary slow pacing just with the excuse of not "caught up the…
Read at the sourceanen0me
an abysmal animation budget, sloppy execution and a backbreaking release schedule makes kenshiro a dull boy. By the standards of today, this is borderline unwatchable. By the standards of its own time, well, dragon ball Z didn't come out that long after Hokuto no Ken, and it basically copied kenshiro's formula but did it better with a higher budget.
But we wouldn't have DBZ without Hokuto no Ken. And it's birthed some really iconic scenes and a lot of tropes you'd be familiar with. I'm admitting this is really not my genre of choice and i still enjoyed it for a while, so maybe someone who actually likes shonen action anime and all the tropes Hokuto no Ken established would find it more tolerable. 5/10*
*3/10 +2 stars for historical relevance
Read at the sourceProudElitist
The way you're going to enjoy this series depends on your tolerance for big muscled men being uberemotional and so prone to crying/showing their emotions that the 90's animated Usagi Tsukino (the one some people on the internet have problems with in regards to her crying, but not me) would look like a cloistered buddist nun in comparison to them and of abundant, sensical (for once) gore which, incredibly enough, was censored due to the same parents who watched violent Taigas with samurais violently dying in battles and seppuku innuendos with their children while this series was broadcasted in Japan. If you have problems with both things, move away. If you don't and, on the contrary, you love the idea, while watching this Masterpiece of the genre that here in Italy has garnered the second s…
Read at the sourcecoolman6446
Before watching this series, I only knew Hokuto no Ken (HNK) because of the iconic "you're already dead" scene as well as it inspiring some aspects of the Yakuza series. I started watching this series on a random whim and I am thankful for doing so.
HNK felt like the anime equivalent of Yakuza: A series with a strong story and entertaining fights while still having comedy sprinkled throughout. It does a great job of starting off as a goofy, over-the-top action show and slowly transitions to a more plot heavy one that still recognizes to not take itself too seriously. That being said, there are some amazing twists and moments in the series that hit me hard in the feels.
In conclusion: I は SHOCK at how great this series is. Hands down my favorite!
Read at the sourceVasileTraian
'Fist of the North Star' is about heads and body parts exploding. That's it. There is no plot. You may be tricked into thinking there is one, but there isn't. It's just Kenshiro, the main protagonist, walking straight, as random shit happens around him.
'Fist of the North Star' has no characters. You may be tricked into thinking there are characters, but there aren't. They are just props which Kenshiro ruthlessly destroys. Never, at any time, ever, does any spark of intelligence or emotion ever ignite in these people's (inevitably exploding) heads. They exist to have their heads exploded. Sure, they are capable of speech, motion, and basic interaction with other props, which only exist to make the viewer believe there is a stake at hand. But of course there isn't, our main man Ken will ju…
Read at the sourceCryingFreeman123
Along with Devilman Hokuto no Ken broke new ground for anime. While it's violence is toned down compared to the manga it keeps the tone of the story in sight. It can be fun, it can be engaging, it can be dramatic, it can be gripping, and it can be sad. It falls short towards the conclusion but it's status as a classic is well deserved.
Earlier episodes simplified Hara's art from the manga and I think this was a strength. It allowed the show to take an identity of it's own and gives the animators opportunity for creative and stylized moments. As mentioned the violence is toned down but only in how it's presented: great beams of light highlight the silhouettes of the extreme gore and the detailed violence is usually saved for close ups.
Later on they put a lot more detail in and change t…
Read at the sourcepastaweeb
i like the show very much because of Kenshiro intimidating presence and the amount of gore in the show i could re watch the show but i don't got time so
i just read the manga now and i also like it for the excitement i get from the action
and the style and animation is good for a old anime and the enjoyment i get from the show is a lot the story is good and the show is very entertaining and honestly the show is straight up one of my favorite action anime i love the brutality and the sad scenes
and the music and the ost with the fitting openings with the character designs as well
Very very very very very good anime i suggest you watch it and you might like it like i do
Read at the sourceace_san
Tough Times require strong wills but the will itself isn't enough, there should be
strength to amplify the effect
an age where the word is only applied by force stripped of love countless people fell into the darkness,some even went beyond that
that's when a person appears to be the resolve for the weak,the voice of speechless
if you are expecting a huge plot discussing a social dilemma then you should see something else
the situation here is different,here it 's a clash of principles among powerful men
the story here is pure and simple (1+1=2) just like that
don't expect sympathy despite the gloom & sorrow
each warrior fighting has a desire reflected in his fists
only time can tell the true winner
Read at the sourceDafoose
A late 1980's fist-clencher!
A unique animation style all it's own, I enjoyed Fist of the North Star simply because it's a unique experience.
IN A post-apocalyptic WORLD, where society is made up of the following.
25% Poor people, oppressed
50% Thugs with a Mow-hawk
9% Thugs without a Mow-hawk
10% Mutated Homocidal weirdos 12% Gang Bosses
1% Martial Artists representing different stars in the sky
I think the show does a great job of portraying Martial Art as a kind of beautiful thing, and they make some awesome statements about what is art, and create drama which entertains the viewer in ways you can't find anywhere else. That suspension of disbelief!
The viewer can be the judge of whether or not a martial artist was truly "an artist of death." as portrayed in the anime. You can tell…
Read at the sourceGollawiz
Disclaimer: This was the anime that broke me out into a wide variety of tastes and I hold this show very close to my heart. It is a 10 in my heart, but it does have it's issues.
Hokuto no Ken is set in Japan in 199X, presumably a couple of years after nuclear war has annihilated most of civilization on Earth. The people that do survive live in a Mad-Max inspired desert wasteland. Massive cities have crumbled, water is a very scarce resource, and the land is ruled by those who are willing to kill. "Those who are willing to kill" are usually twice the size of a normal human and are some master of a martial art and or at least uses crossbows...and it's fucking awesome.
The show revolves around Kenshiro, the most bad-ass protagonist I've ever seen. He's the successor to the deadliest martial…
Read at the sourceDiabian
i had watched part of this series once in my childhood , me & my sister was so obssessed by the way kenshiro avenges for the weak victims off the bad guys
and i liked the story too much , cause when i was child i thought someday we gonna live in a dark stincky world , full of evils and crimes
Now, AS COVID 19 Spreads over the world and everybody is in the quarntine
me 24 old, started watching it again but this time to complete it in such similar gloom-like enviroment
I enjoyed it moooooore than i did before , The OST is great , the drama was epic
kenshiro is silent fighter most of the time and i prefer this kind of guys
although there was some events unexplainable but honestly i enjoyed the show
Read at the sourcestingzy
Do you want to be manly?
Are you feeling tired of high school girls in miniskirts and pre-pubescent skinny high school boys that pander to every single weeaboo on both sides of the pacific? Tired of being spoonfed the same Isekai and moe shit year after year. Stop whatever you are doing, pull up your pants, close your hentai tabs, slide the chair back and stick around as Fist of the North Star teaches you the art of manliness!
I watched this anime, no this MANime and a foot-long beard popped out of my glass chin, my max bench increased by 100lbs and my testicles doubled in sheer size. Fear not as this is not caused by some kind of testicular cancer or overdose on protein shakes. The sheer amount of testosterone that oozes from this show is enough to turn any grandmother into Schwarzenegg…
Read at the sourceAiNoMukidashi
I've never seen before an anime that puts so much care into the development of its secondary characters. Tears will be shed when both ally and villain fall in battle.
The handling of censorship is done in such clever way that it's impressive on its own, I mean, when the power of our main character is to blow people into bits, there has to be some kind of sugar coating.
Bruce Lee plus Mad Max is something you've probably heard before when describing this anime, and let me tell you, as a fan of both, it does them both justice.
Sadly, it isn't without its flaws. The amount of filler is obscene early on, which is a shame since I'm sure it has kept people from enjoying and/or continuing the series.
This isn't your average shonen neither, so if you're looking for our heroes and villains to p…
Read at the sourceSonNaruto5
I had heard about Hokuto no Ken so many times, from the famous meme to the Kenshiro vs Jotaro Deathbattle. I started watching it last November and was completely drawn. The OST, the fights, everything. For Part 2 you feel nostalgia as you hear references to previous characters. The storyline is very deep and thorough as each episode is somewhat related to each other. The concept of Kenshiro is very macho. He just kicks butt and takes names. He is a man who gives no flips. If you see him and try to attack...You are already dead. It is a good classic anime to watch. In my honest opinion, it even tops Dragon Ball.
Read at the sourceOtaku1985
I personally like shonen battle series, but i could never truly say i worshipped the big 3 or dragon ball like the gods some fans make them out to be. When it comes to Fist of the North Star, however, my view will never change and it'll always eclipse the aforementioned titles.
My reasons are thus; I feel that it tells the best overall story, instead of scattering it around in too many plot arcs. Said story (in anime form at least) takes a while to truly become something special, and when it does, it REALLY does. It becomes an intense and gripping story. It intenseifies (pun intended).
When it comes to its characters, Fist has a tendency not to classify its antagonists as pure evil in the way most other shonen series would. There is always some little piece of humanity left lingering unc…
Read at the sourceBlaizeV
Ken is basically Bruce Lee on steroids living in a Mad Max post apocalyptic world. I personally love the series and while fantasy martial arts is the main focus the action is rather tame, I mean this is still an 80's anime series so don't expect explosive action but more intense buildup and graphic deaths even if the blood is censored to bright white for most scenes. The series has a strong story and really strong (in every sense) characters, it is dragged out at 140+ episodes but the series doesn't outstay it's welcome though some may feel challenged by the length and general pace.
Read at the sourceMagnus42
Fist of the North Star was one of the very few anime that I can say really changed the way that I approached life. The character of Kenshiro inspires me even to this day, and when I'm unsure of the right course of action, I generally ask myself two very important questions:
1.) Is this something that Kenshiro would do.
2.) Is this something that would make Kenshiro go on a righteous rampage that would end with my head exploding and him telling me that "you're already dead".
You may be able to slide by if you can't answer question one in the affirmative, and you really don't want to fail question two, just in case Kenshiro finds out what you did.
I have on occasion looked at a heavy barbell that I'm about to deadlift, told the barbell that it was already dead, and proceeded to set a per…
Read at the sourceggultra2764
Fist of the North Star was one of the more popular shounen anime titles that aired throughout the 1980s alongside Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya. However, the series had a good deal of controversy among Japanese audiences since it was one of the more graphically violent titles made during the decade and this comes to a good degree from the many gory ways that martial artists in the series can slay their foes, the most notable of which being Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken fighting style where he attacks his opponent's pressure points to make their body parts explode in gory goodness. This was censored to varying degrees throughout the anime's run as the violent deaths were retained, albeit with color filters and silhouette shots in many scenes to reduce the severity of the gory deaths.
Set in a po…
Read at the source3rdStrikeFreak
This series honestly changed my life.
Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) is possibly the most influential anime or manga series of all time for me. Every Shounen or Seinin series that came out afterwards owes themselves to the series. The two biggest influences the post Apocalypse film Mad Max & Martial Artist Bruce Lee mesh together so well for a series like this, it's mind blowing how well it all worked out in the end. Also just watch this in Japanese, the few English dubs that exist are absolutely horrendous and do not convey the emotion or tension that HNK feels. Do yourself a favor and just stick to the original Japanese version. Now let's begin.
Now the story premise goes like this, in the year 199X, Human Civilization was demolished by Nuclear War. Everyone who surived is left…
Read at the sourceDesolatePsyche
First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
And again.. it will take me a while to achieve writing/presenting reviews In a manner I would like as I'm not sure how I want them to be structured or what the main focus should be, so reviews will change a lot each time I write one. But probably, when I'll be satisfied of my format, it will be mentioned.
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Story (8)
For most part I did like it, there were lot of enjoyable old-school cliches and tropes. The world was quite boring, but else was fun. In simplicity manner I gave it high score, for modern day meta of building a "good story" it does not fall great there. As story was very simple, but fun.
Art (8)
I can't remember many anime I have watched of similar air dates.…
Read at the source
