Apocalypse zero : anime reviews : aaw

Plot

Kakugo and Harara are brothers trained by their father, Oboro, to slay monsters that have begun roaming the streets of a post-apocalyptic, 21st century Tokyo following a devastatingly, powerful earthquake. To aid them in their quest, Oboro entrusts his two sons with Fortified Armor Shells (強化外骨格, Kyōkagaikokkaku), cyborg exoskeletons forged using the souls of deceased warriors by their grandfather, a former scientist of the Imperial Army of Japan during World War II, Shiro Hagakure. However, Harara becomes possessed by a mysterious evil from deep within his armor, mutating his body as well as filling him with a desire to destroy all of mankind to help cleanse the Earth of contamination. Some years later, Kakugo moves to «Reverse Cross High School«, located in one of the ruined districts of Tokyo near the castle from which Harara commands their demon army. It’s now up to Kakugo to defeat his evil sibling and put a stop to their wicked legions.

Reception

Due to the use of gratuitous violence and repulsive imagery, critical reception to Apocalypse Zero has been largely negative. John Oppliger of AnimeNation called the Apocalypse Zero OVA «the most viscerally violent and gruesome anime» he has seen and «arguably the most grotesque anime ever made».Animerica called Apocalypse Zero the «Best Anime Splattervision» in its «Best of the Best» awards. «When a 45-minute video features a scene where someone’s face is sucked off, and that’s not even the most shocking thing in the video,» the magazine proclaimed, «you know you’ll be getting your horror-show money’s worth.»

Media

Manga

The Apocalypse Zero manga series was written and illustrated by Takayuki Yamaguchi. It was originally serialized in the Akita Shoten magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1994 to 1996. A total of 11 tankōbon (chapter collections) volumes were published by Akita Shoten. An English translation of the manga was published as a graphic novel in the US by Media Blasters beginning on January 19, 2005. The manga was sold shrink wrapped, presumably due to the large amount of violence. Only six of the original 11 volumes were translated and released, as Media Blasters chose to cease publication of the series in early 2007.

The manga was published in Italy by Dynamic Italia, flipping it in a left-to-right format.

From 2010 to 2014, Yamaguchi wrote Exoskull Zero, a reboot of Apocalypse Zero featuring a similar protagonist in a slightly different plot. It was published in Akita Shoten’s Champion Red magazine.

OVA

The Apocalypse Zero anime OVA was co-produced by Victor Entertainment, Tomy and Big West Advertising, it was animated by Ashi Productions and directed by Toshihiro Hirano. It was released in Japan in two volumes from October 23, 1996, to December 18, 1996, on VHS and Laserdisc. The OVA was planned to have ten episodes, but was canceled after the completion of the second episode. The reasons for the OVA’s cancellation are currently unknown. The anime was released in Italy in 1999 on VHS, licensed by Dynamic Italia. The US license for Apocalypse Zero was acquired by Media Blasters who created a dubbed English language version of the anime translated by Takashi Sakudo and produced by Bang Zoom! Studios. The two VHS volumes were released from June 20 to August 22, 2000. A DVD release containing both episodes was released on August 28, 2001.

A Region 2 DVD of the series with both episodes was released in Japan by Toshiba in 2003.

Video game

A video game based on Apocalypse Zero was released on the PlayStation on March 21, 1997, exclusively in Japan by Tomy. The game is a standard 3D fighting game allowing the player to go head-to-head against the CPU or against another player. It features seven characters to choose from based on both the anime and manga, and animated cut scenes taken from the OVA.

Media

Manga

OVA

Video game

A video game based on Apocalypse Zero was released on the PlayStation on March 21, 1997 exclusively in Japan by Tomy. The game is a standard 3D fighting game allowing the player to go head-to-head against the CPU or against another player. It features seven characters to choose from based on both the anime and manga, and animated cut scenes taken from the OVA.

Reception

Due to the use of gratuitous violence and repulsive imagery, critical reception to Apocalypse Zero in the west has been largely negative. John Oppliger of AnimeNation called the Apocalypse Zero OVA «the most viscerally violent and gruesome anime» he has seen and «arguably the most grotesque anime ever made».Animerica called Apocalypse Zero the «Best Anime Splattervision» in its «Best of the Best» awards. «When a 45-minute video features a scene where someone’s face is sucked off, and that’s not even the most shocking thing in the video,» the magazine proclaimed, «you know you’ll be getting your horror-show money’s worth.»

Despite this, the manga was well received and popular in Japan. Apocalypse Zero managed to be one of the finalists for the 1997 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, losing out to Doraemon by Fujiko Fujio.

Popular reviews

Review by Kaijuman ★★★

Apocalypse Zero is what happens when a sexual deviant wants to be the next Go Nagai. This felt like it wanted to be a mix of Violence Jack and Devilman but with all the bad guys using their privates as weapons.

The world’s turned apocalyptic, monsters roam the streets, giant cockroaches eat the corpses littering the land, but apparently school still exists as our main character finds out. He’s the owner of the Zero armor, which is a blatant ripoff of both Kamen Rider and The Guyver. It’s his duty to protect…
Review by col_plimp ★★★

«At the beginning of the 21st century…» Detektiv Conan mit Speedo-Schlüpper und Latex-Strümpfen verkloppt einen Schnee-Gorilla-Bären mit Riesentitten bis dieser implodiert.

Aber der einzig wahre Grund warum man sich Apocalypse Zero anschaut, sind die einfach unglaublich kranken, widerlichen und perversen Ideen von mutierten oder zusammengestückelten…
Review by Arkham Knight Rider ★★★★★

I mean it’s a bout a guyver knockoff who has to fight his trans sister and her evil sex demons which includes an old man with a dick that turns into a dragon.

What’s not to love about this stupid gore filled roller coaster.
Review by Kly ★★★★★

«It ain’t the heat, it’s the taint of humanityIt ain’t my humility, it’s the man in meAnd it be screamin’Get outI want outGet outI want outGet outI needRELEASE.»- A Prayer For My Death — Foetus.

A rare piece of art that actively hates you for watching it, for your understanding what it’s mocking, and for you coming back for more. A wise man once said «BITE ME FANBOY,» Takayuki Yamaguchi has built his entire career on making disgusting and beautiful manga on that very ethos, explicitly hoping that you’ll fucking choke on it.

Oh, the OVA is good too.
This is an interesting one, it’s cheesy and trashy but the character designs are like something straight out of a children’s anime so when someone vomits their intestines up or a vagina eats the flesh off an arm you get that nice juxtaposition of tones going.
Review by Brandon Gomez ★★★★

Another great anime movie. Tons of action and violence and boobies. What more do you want.
Review by Arkham Knight Rider ★★★★★

Everyone needs to see this right now.
Review by CalzoneWizard ★★★★

«This is what reality feels like.»

*cock dragon immediately explodes*
Review by Shipwreck ★★★

OH I THINK I MAYBE MAY MIGHT HAVE AN IDEA ON WHY THAT HAPPENED
Review by Urei ★★

13/33 Hooptober Movies4/6 6 Countries5/6 6 films whose year ends in ‘6

Well I really didn’t know what to expect from this one but it wasn’t what I got. The animation style was sub par and the monsters was surprisingly raunchy. It had a fair amount of gore but it wasn’t too extreme with it which I was hoping for. A lot of late 80s/early 90s horror OVAs are underrated so was hoping this was one that slipped through the cracks too. It wasn’t that but I was also never really bored with this demented zentai vs mutated freaks 2 episode extravaganza.
Review by Challah Bread ★★★★½

The anime for people who hate anime. The story is batshit fucking loco, the level of violence is 1996 absurd and the dialogue isn’t that much kinder. A crying man is vomited out of a giant’s mouth, his body melting from having been bathed in stomach acid. Our hero, Kakugo, holds a mutant nympho to the ground and blasts his jet engines (the guy has jet engines in his suit, you see) to grind her into sausage. An old man disembowels people with blades made from his coagulated saliva. You must find the youngest person in your life and make them watch this.
Review by sschol ★★★★½

spot on adaptation of one of the best manga i ever read. its a shame it didnt proceed for the full run cuz based on this it could have been perfect. its hilarious that this movie filters even the perverts of letterboxd because its too disgusting, but some things never change apparently. i guess you guys rather just jack off to pornos. an insurmountable combination of sex violence and comedy which even in this truncated form will put a tear in your eye