Martial arts anime has long found a home on Netflix with the likes of shows like Baki and Kengan Ashura. Both of those series are heavily stylized to a fault, and can come off as cartoonish in the amount of action that takes place on-screen, but they’re excellent watches for folks who enjoy that type of show. Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf isn’t exactly up to the task of adapting its source material. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be able to live up to even the other anime on Netflix that share the same genre – and it’s a shame, given that the original manga was such a wild ride.
Opening Shot: A white wolf and two hunters can be seen in the snowy woods. Two hikers discuss heading to a nearby hut to take a break, while the camera cuts back to the two hunters, who notice a bear stalking them through the trees. Back at the hikers, the bear is about to charge until a man steps up in front of the hikers. He somersault kicks the bear in the face and continues to fight it with his bare hands (pun intended).
The Gist: Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is based on Baku Yumemakura’s serial manga Garouden. It follows Juzo Fujimaki, a martial artist skilled in the way of Takemiya-ryu and new fugitive. He’s on the run after killing the assassin who took his instructor Bunshichi Tanba’s life, but he still takes the time to help out those in need, like the grizzly bear that the show opens with, thanks to his near superhuman strength.
As Juzo makes his way throughout the world stopping here and there to help those in need, we learn more about his troubled past as he finds himself forced to join an underground fighting tournament called Kodoku. There’s a bounty of three million yen following him wherever he goes, and a detective doggedly searching for him, but Juzo is undeterred, as he knows in his heart what he did was right. Of course, that means a lot of nothing when the rest of the world is out to get him.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? This combat-centric anime shares much in common with Baki and Kengan Ashura, from the somewhat odd plot and absurdity to the animation style, though its contemporaries are much smoother and filled with much more interesting character designs. The overall tone is very similar to both of those shows, however.
Our Take: There’s so much about this series to get excited about, from Juzo as a character, the thrilling manga the show is based on, and all the martial arts goodness. Unfortunately, it’s all squished down into a poorly-animated series that looks about as pedestrian and as boring as it can get. Sure, there are fights to behold and Juzo even staves off a grizzly bear, but the animation is so pedestrian it feels like you’re watching a regular, everyday drama. It has no panache, no style, no glittering façade to attract viewers. Beyond the confounding lack of visual style, the fights aren’t just aesthetically lackluster, but they lack excitement. This is especially frustrating as the fights are supposedly rotoscoped to match the combatants moves, based in the world of professional martial artists.
But even if it had the flashiest animation in the world, it’s not certain Garouden could up the interest factor the way it plods along at a snail’s pace. This episode seems far too interested in exploring the “idea” of Juzo than what he can actually do and who he is, and while the bear gimmick is fun, it’s the only interesting part of the entire episode — and it’s not enough to drive viewers to continue watching. There isn’t a real reason to watch this series at all in its current state, short as it may be, when there are so many other options that do what it tries to do in a much better and more consistent manner.
Sex and Skin: None in this episode, but there’s plenty of violence (something I find myself saying often).
Parting Shot: Juzo finds another opponent as he’s challenged to a duel by Ichiro Shino (Christopher Swindle). Ichiro tells his daughter to go wait for him at home as he wants to “talk” to Juzo. After confirming his identity, Ichiro demands the duel and enters a fighting stance while Juzo looks on menacingly.
Sleeper Star: Detective Tamon, played by Michael C. Pizzuto, is part of the connective tissue that runs throughout Garouden, and he makes a great foil for Juzo. His deep voice and knowing tone make for an exciting addition to the cast, and he has a commanding presence every time he shows up onscreen.
Most Pilot-y Line: When happening upon the grizzly bear that Juzo did a number on at the beginning of the episode, detective Tamon delivers an unbelievable line that, at the very least, makes you want to learn more because of its silliness: “The bear’s jaw is fractured, and its neck is broken. I knew it. He used a move from the Takemiya school. It had to have been the Tiger King.”
Our Call: SKIP IT. Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf somehow manages to take a story about a martial artist who can grapple with a bear in hand-to-hand combat and makes it boring. It’s a great idea, based on an even greater manga series, that fizzles out with its staid animation, plodding story, and uninspired design. There are far better stories on Netflix that deserve your time and attention more.
Brittany Vincent (@MolotovCupcake) has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech.