MUTAFUKAZ - A stimulating story and shocking visuals!

"Mutafukaz": A tale of mayhem and friendship in Dark Meat City

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

October 12, 2018 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Parco

■Frequencies

94th minute

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Guillaume "RUN" Renard

■ Director

Guillaume "RUN" Renard, Shojiro Nishimi

■ Production

Animation production: STUDIO 4℃

■Works

©ANKAMA ANIMATIONS - 2017

■ Story

This is DMC (Dark Meat City), a hotbed of criminals and the poor. Born and raised in this city, Angelino, nicknamed "Rino", lives with his skeleton-headed best friend Vince in a rundown apartment. Along with his stupid and cowardly friend Willie, the three spend their days hanging out together, but they have no prospects for the future. Then, a series of events occur that completely change Rino's unfortunate life. First, he falls in love at first sight with the angelic beauty Luna. After that, he gets into a traffic accident, and begins to have hallucinations of strange beings mixed in with the humans. Then, his life is threatened by a mysterious group of men in black and armed police, and he has to run around the city. When he finally finds himself in a desperate situation, Rino awakens to his superpowers and quickly slaughters his pursuers!

Reno and Vince barely escape with their lives, but with Willie's help, they hide in a ghetto full of gangsters, but the men in black are relentlessly pursuing them. A movie-like car chase unfolds, piles of corpses pile up, and even a black, slimy monster appears. What on earth is going on!? At that moment, Reno reunites with Luna in an unexpected place. However, it was a cruel trap.

■Explanation

French comic book artist Guillaume "RUN" Renard, who fell in love with the creativity and quality of the images, and ANKAMA, a production company that publishes works in a variety of media such as games and books, sent a love call to the two companies, and a collaboration across the ocean was realized. This is the film "Mutafukaz". As the ominous title of the original comic, MUTAFUKAZ = "motherfuckers", a slang for Hispanic gangs (a coined word for the setting), suggests, the content is not as straightforward as you would expect. Set in downtown LA, where the streets are filled with unemployed people and color gangs fight day and night, this is a violent action epic in which cute-looking characters engage in a desperate survival drama! At the same time, it is a gem of a buddy movie that depicts the friendship between young people in real life, and a sci-fi invasion on a scale so large that it will take your breath away.

The Japanese director chosen to bring this ultra-eccentric world to life on screen was Nishimi Shojiro, a talented animator who has long been garnering attention as a unique animator. After working as character designer and chief animation director for "Tekkonkinkreet," directing the animation parts for "Shimotsuma Monogatari" and "Shounen Merikensack," and as an episode director for "Batman: Gotham Knight," Nishimi is now making his long-awaited directorial debut as a feature film.

This work fully displays his astonishing visual sense and outstanding drawing ability, storyboard design that stands out for its skill in narrative and image creation, and his attention to character portrayal. As with "Tekkon," the stunning visuals of the fictional town "Dark Meat City," which he created together with art director Kimura Shinji, can be said to be another main character of this work. Furthermore, the Japanese voice cast features a stellar lineup, with Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as the protagonist Angelino, Emoto Tokio as his best friend Vince, and Mitsushima Shinnosuke as his friend Willie!

The film presents a brilliant ensemble that rivals live-action films, with humorous yet empathetic performances of the anxiety of young people who don't know what tomorrow holds. The voices of the masked wrestlers who play important roles in the film are performed with dignity by active fighters, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Hideo Tokoro, and Daisuke Nakamura. The film's extreme and realistic violence, which is impossible to express in a TV anime, its character designs that defy preconceived notions, and its worldview, which pursues depictions of intricate detail that cannot be grasped with just one viewing, are more "free" than any other film currently being made in Japan. Here you can experience the pleasure that only animation with all limiters removed can provide.

■Cast

・Angelino/Tsuyoshi Kusanagi・Vince/Tokio Emoto・Willy/Shinnosuke Mitsushima・Luna/Sumire Uesaka・Croco/Narikawa・Mister K/Hidekatsu Shibata・Makabe/Jun Fujii・Lucha・Ultima/Kazushi Sakuraba, Yuki Nakai, Hideo Tokoro, Daisuke Nakamura・Fagor/Minoru Kihara・Lowrider/R-Shitei (Creepy Nuts)
・Chavez/DJ Matsunaga (Creepy Nuts)

■ Main staff

Director: Shojiro Nishimi Storyboard: Shojiro Nishimi Animation Director: Yoshikazu Takiguchi Art Director: Shinji Kimura CGI Director: Takuma Sakamoto Color Design: Miyuki Ito

■ Main Characters

Angelino is a nameless 22-year-old young man living in Dark Meat City. He is treated as an oddball because of his round, jet-black head and cool, strict personality. After a traffic accident, he starts having hallucinations and is eventually pursued by a mysterious organization. As he awakens to his survival instinct, he also awakens to abilities he never knew he had.
Vince Angelino's best friend and roommate. He has a skull head with a flame always flickering on the top of it. He worries about what happened to Angelino and ends up accompanying him on his life-risking escape. He complains a lot, but he's a nice guy who cares about his friends.
Willie Angelino and Vince's friend. He's stupid, talkative, a crybaby, a self-centered coward, but somehow you can't hate him. He has the tenacity of a cockroach and the toughness to not care if others find him annoying. A typical resident of Dark Meat City.
Luna: A beautiful Latin girl who Angelino falls in love with at first sight. She is hiding a serious secret and is involved in the dark conspiracy that Angelino and his friends are embroiled in.
Croco: A member of a mysterious organization that is pursuing Angelino and his friends. He has a tenacious personality, and in order to get revenge for the humiliation of Angelino and his friends having escaped from him so many times, he eventually begins to act on his own.
Macabe: The leader of the black-clad group that is pursuing Angelino and his friends. He has a cold-hearted heart and a strong body, and is rumored to be an immortal man with nine lives.
Lucha Ultima is a group of masked wrestlers led by El Diablo. In reality, however, they are the descendants of Aztec warriors who have fought against the powers of darkness since ancient times and have played the role of "protectors of the Earth" for generations.

■ Theme songs and music

・ED
・“The King of DMC ~theme~”
Lyrics: Redouanne Harjane, THE SIGNALIGHTS
・Composer: THE SIGNALIGHTS, Teje, Willy aka Shinnosuke Mitsushima
Arrangement: Teje, THE SIGNALIGHTS
・Singer: Shinnosuke Mitsushima

The appeal and evaluation of "Mutafukaz"

"Mutafukaz" is a collaboration between French comic book author Guillaume "RUN" Renard and ANKAMA, a production company active in a variety of media including games and books. The story is set in a fictional city called Dark Meat City, and depicts the epic adventures and conspiracies that the protagonist Angelino and his friends get caught up in. Below, we will take a closer look at the appeal and reviews of this work.

The appeal of the story

The story of "Mutafukaz" is set in a city called Dark Meat City, where crime and poverty are rampant. The main character, Angelino, begins to have hallucinations after a traffic accident and is pursued by a mysterious organization. This setting is a powerful introduction that draws the viewer in. The story is not just action, but also depicts themes such as friendship, survival instinct, and the awakening of one's own abilities, making it an appealing story with depth.

In particular, the friendship between Angelino, Vince and Willie has many humorous yet touching scenes that capture the hearts of viewers. Furthermore, the story becomes even more complicated through the encounter and reunion with a beautiful girl named Luna, which keeps viewers from getting bored. In the final climax, Angelino's superpowers are awakened, and the scene where he overwhelms his pursuers is visually very impactful.

Visual and cinematic expression

The film's visuals are a testament to director Nishimi Shojiro's outstanding visual sense and drawing skills. Dark Meat City's stunning visuals were created in collaboration with art director Kimura Shinji, leaving a strong impression of the film's worldview. In particular, the details of the city and the character designs are cute at first glance, but the contrast with the violent scenes is exquisite, creating a visual shock.

Additionally, the CGI work by CGI director Takuma Sakamoto is superb, with movie-like car chases and battle scenes that are both realistic and eccentric. The colors used by color designer Miyuki Ito are also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. Overall, the film pursues extreme and realistic violence that cannot be expressed in television anime, as well as meticulous depiction of details, giving it the freedom that only animation can offer.

Cast and voice actors

The Japanese voice cast is also impressive, with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as the main character Angelino, Tokio Emoto as Vince, and Shinnosuke Mitsushima as Willie. This cast portrays the frustration and friendship of the young people in a humorous and relatable way, providing a superb ensemble that rivals the live-action version. Another point worth noting is that the voices of the masked wrestlers are provided by active fighters such as Kazushi Sakuraba, Hideo Tokoro, and Daisuke Nakamura. Their dignified performances add to the realism of the film.

Music and theme song

The ending theme "The King of DMC ~theme~" is sung by Shinnosuke Mitsushima and is a powerful song that matches the atmosphere of the work. The lyrics were written by Redouanne Harjane and THE SIGNALIGHTS, the music was composed by THE SIGNALIGHTS, Teje, and Willy aka Shinnosuke Mitsushima, and the arrangement was also done by Teje and THE SIGNALIGHTS. This song is an important element that symbolizes the theme of the work.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Mutafukaz" has been highly praised for its unique worldview, story development, and the quality of its visual expression. In particular, the appeal of the film as a buddy movie depicting violent action and friendship, and the large scale of its invasion sci-fi story have attracted viewers. The freshness of the collaboration between France and Japan has also been praised.

This work is recommended not only for anime fans, but also for people who love movies and comics. It is a must-see for those who like dark worldviews, violent action, and stories about friendship and survival instincts. It is also a work that will satisfy those who are particular about visual expression and music. Please try to experience the story of madness and friendship in Dark Meat City at least once.