Ikki Tousen - 2003
Ikki Tousen (AKA: Battle Vixens -- 2003)
Directed by: Takashi Watanabe
Studio: J.C. Staff
Episodes: Thirteen 24 minute episodes
I like to think that having a best friend means you do everything together; you smile together, laugh together, cry together, and watch (bad) anime together. It was with that logic that my best friend and I, separated by nearly 2,000 miles, composed a large list of anime to experience together.
However, what makes for better discussion or laughs than something thought to be terrible? It was with logic that we journeyed into the first part of the Ikki Tousen series, and… my, what a journey it was.
The following post contains some NSFW images.
Summary
Ikki Tousen is set in modern day Japan, where elite fighters of seven different high schools are participants in what is essentially a gigantic turf war. The catch? These fighters all bear gems called magatama, which contain the souls of warriors from the Era of the Three Kingdoms, also known as the Sangokushi period in Japan. However, to bear a gem also means that fighter will fulfill the same destiny and meet the same fate as the warrior to whom the gem once belonged.
This fact is especially troublesome to our heroine, Hakufu Sonsaku, as she bears the magatama of Sun Ce (Sonsaku), the man who conquered all of the feuding kingdoms only to be met with an untimely demise. Upon her mother’s request, Hakufu transfers to Nanyo Academy, one of the larger schools to be involved with the turf war, with the goal of conquering all of the schools. She sides with her cousin Koukin, who is also a fighter at Nanyo Academy, and the series is essentially their descent into what is basically a feudal war tale told across seven high schools in Japan.
Does this sound absurd to you? Because it absolutely is. As you can tell from the images, the biggest obstacle most viewers will have to get past while watching Ikki Tousen is the truckload of fan-service. Panty shots, panty shots, panty shots---along with some bouncing fun bags and clothes literally bursting off the characters from mere punches and kicks. The show also enters some darker, more adult territory, with a heavily implied rape scene, some female-female sexual assault and some nearly soft-core sex scenes between a man and woman, as well as two women. None of this lasts too long, but if there was any reason I had not to recommend this series, that would be it.
However, the ridiculous amount of fan-service only adds to the fact that this show is a complete pile of hilarious absurdity from beginning to end. Since Ikki Tousen is basically a telling of the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you have characters who are essentially generals, ordering around their troops, except this all occurs in high school via cell phones, where other normal students are attempting to learn something. The real center and fun part of the show isn't really discovering who will meet what fate or which character is supposed to be the successor to an ancient warrior – instead, the real fun is watching these girls kick ass while defying destiny, all while their clothes are literally disintegrated in mid-battle battle. If you go into Ikki Tousen craving the stupidly absurd – this will more than satisfy.
Characters
Ikki Tousen has a rather large cast, many bearing resemblance to the historical figures from their magatama. With enough research, I’m sure it wouldn't be too difficult to dig into who each character is supposed to be – even down to the smallest of peons. Most characters serve their place in the hierarchy of fighting anime, but they all at least some interesting part of their personality that adds a little bit of spice to what could have been an otherwise boring show.
Our protagonists, while not most developed or fascinating cast, are definitely fun and keep the show from being a boring drag. Hakufu only cares about conquering the schools, leaving tons of destruction in her wake, but she isn't all that bright – her moments of stupidity often lead to some of the best comedy in the show (she literally has a “no, you’re stupid!” fight with her cousin, Koukin). Ryomou, who eventually fights alongside Hakufu, actually has a rather sad history at Nanyo Academy, but partnered with the fact that she wears a maid outfit, an eye patch, and fights by grappling the opponent into submission like a dominatrix makes her my personal favorite.
However, the biggest credit I can give Ikki Tousen is that even with all of the exposed breasts and panty shots, I don’t recall any instances where the characters stopped a fight to say “Oh, boobs!” or blushed at the mere sight of these naked women during battle. Instead, the characters all focused on fighting – which convinced me that they all took fighting seriously – and was something that, while minor, was greatly appreciated.
Sound and Animation
Viewers familiar with Initial D will find enjoyment from Ikki Tousen’s opening song, performed by the band move, which has a very distinct Europop feel, and gives the viewer a nice boost of energy to get them started. The rest of the soundtrack, however, fails to stand out in any way, and is utterly forgettable. The animation is much the same way – while the series has many good looking scenes, often, the fight scenes occasionally look awkward. Despite that, though, Ikki Tousen isn't an ugly show, and should be able to be enjoyed by most anyone.
I watched this show dubbed in English, which I highly recommend, as it only seems to add to the comedy. While this may have been unintentional, Carrie Savage’s performance as Hakufu makes her out to be more of a moron than she is already portrayed to be, but I find it endearing. Ted Sroka, Willow Lane, Robin Rhodpa, and Patrick Seitz also give solid performances, amping up the hammyness. Ikki Tousen is definitely more enjoyable to me because of the English dub, but the Japanese track is solid as well, with Masumi Asano giving an adorable performance as Hakufu.
Overall – 6.5/10
Ikki Tousen is chock full of panty shots, adult content and women who kick a ton of ass – literally. This show isn't intelligent in the slightest, and if you like your anime to be smart – even just a little bit smart—then I’d give a pass to Ikki Tousen. If fan-service really bothers you, or you dislike the adult content I mentioned, then I would definitely pass on Ikki Tousen. However, if you enjoy absurdity, fan-service or fighting anime, then give this one a shot. I was surprised just how much fun I had with this series, and personally, I can’t wait to return to the next installments.
Ikki Tousen is available on DVD from Funimation, as are the third and fourth seasons. The second season remains in some sort of anime limbo, as it was previously licensed by Media Blasters, but seems to be out-of-print. It is also worth mentioning that the first, third, and fourth seasons all share the same English dub cast, but the second does not. If you liked Ikki Tousen, then I’d recommend checking out Tenjou Tenge, which also features high school warriors beating the crap out of one another.
Thanks for reading!









