Wicked City

Wicked City (Yoju Toshi) (1987)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Starring: I saw a dubbed version of this anime on Tubi

From: A few different Japanese production companies

This movie featured some fine City Pop… among other things! Animation hasn’t been a big part of my reviewing of movies for Spooky Season, aside from old cartoons from the 20’s and 30’s. Anime I’ve never watched a lot of, even if some of what I’ve seen is great. This film is on Tubi (because of course), its existence known to me last year after a Google search for “horror anime.” This isn’t the most famous work from director Yoshiaki Kawajiri but it was my first.

Yeah, this for certain fit some stereotypes! It’s a tale where someone from “our world” and another from “the demon world” have to team up to protect a horny Hobbit in a tracksuit (because of course) key to renewing a treaty between the two sides. Again, of course it’s a male human and attractive female demon in human form. I did hear things beforehand about this so its horny nature and the presence of TENTACLES wasn’t a surprise! There’s intercourse, nudity, various sex acts, sexual assault… in terms of horror, there are bizarre images, body horror that at one point was obviously inspired by The Thing, strange creatures…

To be frank, I stereotype anime as containing plenty of strange, perverted ideas; I realize that isn’t fair, but it applied to Wicked City. I did struggle with how to rate this. Some of its content is certainly detestable and my score doesn’t condone that material. Yet, I guffawed at times due to how outrageously bold it was at delivering its most adult content. The animation was at least lovely, was presented cinematically and it wasn’t a difficult story to follow at all even if at times the viewer had to pay attention to get all its lore. It had nice sound and a score that was synth-driven. Those elements are responsible for my rating.

As an aside, City Pop is heard a few times; this is the first chance I’ve been able to mention that since I learned what it was a few years ago. Of course I’ve heard that one catchy song from The Return of Godzilla but did not know at the time that in the West there are plenty of people who like 80’s music and also dig City Pop as it’s a whole new world of familiar sounds which are put together in a different way so it’s a companion rather than a clone of Western music. As for me and City Pop, I’ve heard various songs and while I don’t collect it or usually seek it out for streaming… perhaps I should more often.

Wicked City the film was “beautifully grotesque,” to borrow a phrase. After all, someone’s arm is ripped off via a powerful yell! Long before this point you will have determine if its most controversial content was a bridge too far for you to cross. Films like this are best left to those that like such things more than me; before you ask, Tubi uses the dubbed version… not the UK dubbing but the one from Streamline Pictures.