In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Sunday, 4 June 2017

Shadow Skill: The Movie (1995)

It's named 'The Movie' but it's clearly three short OVAs put together end to end pretending to be one longer piece. The one remaining OVA (which was made before the other three) is included on the disc, renamed Shadow Skill: The Origin. It's a martial arts anime of the big eyes, pointy nose, and shouty-power variety, initially confusing like a lot of anime of the same era was.
Elle Ragu has achieved the highest rank in the Kuruda school, a position that her brother Gau has yet reach. When not in competition proving her skills, Elle, Gau and a couple of friends call upon their learned skills to aid them in victory over evil forces, including a giant demon that draws power from the moon.
When it isn't cheating the eye, the movement is good and fights are filled with energy. But the characterisation is slight. If that's something you can get behind, then it's a good example of what the genre was in the mid-90s.

2½ latent abilities out of 5

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