Pros: A strong cast surrounding a powerful, brutal animated production
Cons: What exactly was up with the Relson Gracie Ju Jitsu segment?

My Take:

I remember the Fist of the North Star movie from Toei many, many moons. The live-action and the animated ones. They both were, well, less than impressive. I saw the '84 series on Action Channel recently, and to tell you the truth, it too suffered in quality (not because it looks dated by today's standards, but because the translation was kind of weak). It seemed like pointless violence over and over without much in story. When I got my hands on the first two volumes (of three) volumes of the New Fist of the North Star OVA from ADV Films, I was apprehensive about watching it, let alone reviewing it. So, after watching the first DVD, I have two words to say about it:

Holy crap!

From the moment the show begins to the visuals of the thugs on the bikes going through a barren land, the series was on the right track in presenting a great story. This episode reintroduces Kenshiro, the grandmaster of the Fist of the North Star, master of numerous touch-sensative martial art moves, who has ventured to a world in ruins. No plantable soil. No clean water sources available to the public. Thugs ruling all water sources for their leader, Songa, the power-hungry ruler of Last Land, the Cursed City, who wants to control many gods alongside a mute, amnesiac boy he calls Lord Doha who seemingly controls water. In a place near the Village of Freedom, a group of explorers searching for water got ambushed by some of Songa's thugs. Fortunately for the explorers, helped arrived in the form of Kenshiro, who effortlessly fought them off.

When the surviving party arrives in the Village of Freedom, Kenshiro is surprised to see this woman named Sara, a village healer who has mastered a few moves to cure ailments and save lives. Sara is someone of interest to Lord Songa, who orders his army to kidnap her as well as decimate the village. Kenshiro begins a mission to save her and get rid of Songa once and for all. In the end, however, someone watches and plots his next move.

There is definitely a method to the madness in New Fist of the North Star. It's not just pointless ultraviolence as there is actually a cohesive plot that you can follow, which is always good in my eyes. Don't worry, Kenshiro still causes heads to explode, implode, sploosh, and gush with a single touch. It's the reason why the first episode in this OVA has earned the 17+ rating from ADV Films. So far, I'm very impressed whith what I've seen with what I've seen. The extras are, as a whole, decent. You have an original Japanese press conference with the creators of the franchise and Gackt, a J-rock musician who's one of the most popular musicians in the country who not only wrote and performed the opening and end credit theme songs, but also makes his anime voice artist debut in the role of the mysterious stranger at the end of the first episode. I'll talk more about Gackt in the Vol. 2 review. You also have interviews with some of the major voice artists as well as character bios, the ADV Previews, and an interview with a Sensei Phil Cardella from the Austin, TX-based Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu school. Don't know why that particular interview is on this DVD, but it is fun to see Sensei Cardella beat the snot out of this nameless guy who just accepts it.

New Fist of the North Star outshines the originals in every aspect while continuing its tradition of the ultraviolence fans come to expect from the franchise. I would say prepare for a smackdown, but that would just sound silly.