I can't remember the last time I played Tekken on my PSP when it was popular. I believe it was around 2013 or 2014 when I had the opportunity to own one, which had previously been gifted by my aunt. The Tekken game was excellent, with many memorable characters, designs, and abilities. Tekken has been adapted into films and animes over the years. However, Netflix recently released Tekken: Bloodline, a new anime series.
For those who grew up playing Tekken, watching the trailer and the day it was released was a visual feast. I knew it would be good and hyped after seeing the trailer. The game's action scenes, lightning effects, and punch styles are undeniably lifted. It appears that you are still playing it, but you are actually watching it. I decided to download and watch it the same day it was released.
About the animated series
“Jin Kazama is a young martial artist living alone with his mother, Jun Kazama, on Yakushima. When she is killed by the ancient demon Ogre, Jin begins training under his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima, in order to become stronger. To draw out Ogre, Jin competes alongside many others in the King of Iron Fist tournament, hoping to kill the demon and avenge his mother's death.” -Wikipedia
The animated series was directed by Yoshikazu Miyao, a Japanese director, storyboard artist, mechanical designer, and episode director. He directed some of the famous animated series like Magi: Adventures of Sinbad, Inazuma Eleven, and Pokemon. Tekken: Bloodline was written by Gavin Hignight, a well-known film writer, producer, and director. Some of his works are Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel Animation's Marvel's Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man Avengers Assemble, and Iron Man: Armored Adventures. It was created and animated by the Bandai Namco Entertainment, a Japanese multinational video game publisher based on Minato-ku, Tokyo.
Character development
Because there are so few characters in Tekken: Bloodline, I find the story to be quite boring. I wanted to see as many characters as possible, but the anime only had 15 characters. It was understandable given that there were six episodes in total. I listed a few characters who stood out to me and those who dominated the entire series.
Jin Kazama
Jin is well-known as one of the most powerful characters in Tekken. I'm not sure if I understood correctly, but instead of Devil Jin, they used Devil Gene in the past. In essence, he was still a devil. The story revolved around Jin's desire to seek vengeance on Ogre for his mother's death. In the anime, I don't like his outfit as much as I did in the previous films. Despite the fact that his pants and clothes have a great blazer-like design. His body's transformation from thin to rocky is truly recognizable.
Heihachi Mishima
I was impressed by his abilities because he was previously one of the strongest fighters. Jin approached him because his mother instructed him to go to him in order to train and discover the potential that resides in his blood. The training scene was one of my favorite scenes because of how he instructed Jin and intimidated him to demonstrate his power. At the same time, he had carefully analyzed and supported his grandfather because he was the last of the Kazama bloodline. It was a fantastic character that Tekken created.
Ancient Ogre
This character is the driving force behind the creation and continuation of the story because we were all waiting for him to die and be killed by Jin and his friends. The Ogre was a very strong character, full of pure strength and techniques. His raw power cannot be compared to other characters, and there was no explanation in the story as to where he came from or why he was after Jin's mother and Jin himself. In the final section, he transformed into a monstrous-like creature, which increased his strength. His final form was the most appealing to me.
Ling Xiaoyu
She was the only female character I liked in Tekken: Bloodline. Her fighting scenes, style, and costumes are insane. She didn't stand out because she only made a few appearances, but when she did, it was as if the goddess descended on the ground. Despite her low power, she was insanely talented during the tournament fight between Xiaoyu and Nina Williams. Her techniques, styles, and positions, however, are the best.
Sounds and Visual Effects
Surprisingly, the majority of action scenes exceeded my expectations in terms of visual effects. The lightning effects and colors were exactly replicated from the game. In my eyes, the punches that were followed by powerful bolts were a feast. The kicking and punching styles stood out just enough. On the other hand, their voices disappointed me greatly. I noticed that some parts were a little late or a little fast. It wasn't flattened, or maybe that was just their style. If there is a season 2, I wish their voices would be fixed.
Tekken: Bloodline contains 27 songs in terms of soundtracks. Rei Kondoh, a profile composer and sound designer at T's Music, composed the music. Okami, Boyanetta, Snack World, and Fire Emblem were among his works. To be honest, I didn't like some of the soundtracks because they overpowered the visuals, but I loved the sounds in the series' final two episodes. The total length of the 27 songs is 1 hour and 39 minutes, and you can listen to them on Spotify.
Am I recommending the Tekken: Bloodline?
This Tekken: Bloodline animated series has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. However, I would give it a 7 out of 10. I've been anticipating the appearance of many characters, even if they don't compete. It disappointed me so much that I almost punched my phone screen. I thought the animation was subpar. I'd like to compare it to other Netflix animated series, and Tekken: Bloodline fell far short. I expected the original voice to be Japanese, but it wasn't. It would be preferable if they increased the number of episodes from 6 to 12.
Finally, I would recommend this to Tekken fans because they will enjoy it, but they may be disappointed as well. What's the point of a repetitive story and shoddy animation? However, I would not recommend this animated series to anime fans because I already know how they will react to it. Regardless, if you're interested in watching it, do so and return to my blog to see if we have the same opinions.
Here is the official trailer of Tekken: Bloodline
