Crossover anime inherently gives off the impression of an easy, quick bait. It is as if the makers have lapsed into laziness and wish to give in to the unified demands of two beloved creations that can secure them a surefire success. Increasingly, it hinges on being a cop-out, which does turn out to be the case on countless occasions. After all, how does the creator merge expectations and strike a new, rich balance? Can there be surprise and unfamiliarity in the melange of old, routine elements? It is a question that must have courted enormous introspection and debate in the stage of making. Will a viewer be lured in only on the promise of a crossover? How high would expectations be? Can the weight of this come in the way of something honest, pure, and exciting?
One should suppose the makers would have the better sense not to indulge in mere fan service. That can only pull down the whole enterprise and suck the joy out of the crossover, and turn it into a stale product. “Baki Hanma vs Kengan Ashura” falls prey to a lack of artistic imagination and stays stubbornly symptomatic of its makers’ absolute unwillingness to push into new territory. Therefore, the anime strays immediately into dull, rehashed grounds, barely offering anything for the viewer to latch onto or to pique their curiosity.
This is such a blatant display of a commercially manipulated product that it comes off as entirely manufactured and lackadaisical, strung together to conquer streaming charts by dint of the loyalty of its inbuilt fanbase. It wouldn’t take a canny viewer to see through the rankling hollowness of it all and reject it.
Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Can Baki and Kengan Ashura Settle Their Turf War in a Deadly Tournament?
Animated by TMS Entertainment, the anime draws from the massively popular manga Kengan Ashura. In fact, the Kengan matches are essentially brokered by corporations to settle business disputes as they bet on experienced fighters to battle it out. The matches can be unimaginably brutal and spectacularly deadly, but they are mere blood sports in the eyes of the honchos, who are only fixated on their money and winning their end of the deal. Whether the martial artist makes it out is laced with high stakes for the corporations that expectantly watch from the sidelines, hopeful of a triumph in their favor.
The Toshiki Hirano-helmed action thriller has Nobunaga Shizamaki and Tatsuhisa Suzuki reprising the voices of Baki Hanma and Kengan Ashura, respectively. A couple of familiar characters in the franchise, such as Retsu and the Sea Emperor, pop up in fairly thankless, disposable cameos. Beginning with an earthquake, the film instantly heralds the leviathan scale and stature of its fights. The paper-thin narrative is pivoted around the clash of fighters on opposing ends, representing Underground Arena and Kengan Association. The rhythm and pattern of the events to unfold are established quickly. There will be three matches to determine the ultimate victor.
First Kengan vs. Underground Match Delivers Shocking Twist!
The first match is between Saw Paing Yoroizuka and Kaouru Hanayama. The latter has a formidable reputation. Monstrously built, he is imposing, frightening and has the appearance of utter invincibility. Everyone in the audience is convinced of Hanayama’s victory. However, the match takes a sudden twist as Saw Paing starts to surprisingly show that he has quite the mettle and fighting chops to take on a presumably impossible-to-defeat opponent. Shockwaves ripple through the audience until we get to know Saw has been undergoing severe training, and his head may have some special stuff wired in to withstand the blows. Ultimately, however, Hanayama does manage to beat him.
The second match is between Raian Kure and Jack Hammer. Raian is from the Kengan, whereas Jack the Underground. Raian is revealed to be a thoroughbred warrior. He is almost about to win when there is an undesired intervention. The rules of the game dictate against the influence of any external agents or players. But Pickle’s foray is positively swashbuckling.
Can Kengan Ashura Deliver an Engaging Tournament?
Before the start of every match, character introductions are momentous, flashy, and insistent on the enormous physical attributes and strength of the fighters. However, like everything else in the film, this, too, accrues a repetitive dullness and ultimately feels superfluous. Finally, the third match between Baki, standing for Underground, and Ashura, for the Kengan, ensues. Naturally, the goriness of the sport ensures it is on high display in this match.
As the ultimate decisive one, the match rides on inordinately heightened stakes. The interest in the players is supremely riveted and unflinching. The fight is relentless, seemingly interminable, and loaded with muscular swagger. The problem with the matches, however, is that the effort to make them individually distinguishable and discrete shows. Despite such straining exertion, none of them are distinct from the other, almost blurring by the end.
Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Who emerges as the victor?
The third match carries great promise. It should have been a blast, a step up from the previous matches, and a blaze out. But that’s not the case because what we get is merely doled out in broad, generic strokes, with rarely any springy, sprightly factor of genuine threat and precarity. Even though the anime is mercifully within an hour, my eyes glazed over quickly into it. It doesn’t help that the audience commentary dulls the tension even more than aiding it. Moreover, a volley of achievements and training is rolled out to stoke awe and admiration. The characters are wholly flat and sans any palpable tinge of striking individuality.
Ohma/Ashura channels his latent ability yet fails to defeat Baki. The two have equal reserves of strength and power. They fall unconscious and are awakened by the arrival of Baki’s father, Yujiro, who wishes to fight Ohma. Another fighter, Kuroki, also arrives on the scene. The two are ready to fight, but the convener halts their advances, berating them for ruining a match and promising them their own match later. Ultimately, the fateful match is declared as a draw. Baki and Ohma vow to train harder for the next competition.
