MovieChat Forums > Hokuto no Ken (1984) Discussion > Always something to analyze (spoilers)

Always something to analyze (spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by Bubbleraft-Roo
5 replies | jump to latest

Hi.

I've been watching this show on hulu.com for the last few weeks. I saw the movie way back when, thought it was pretty cool. I was aware of a series, but didn't see how all the concepts could be expanded upon for about 156 episodes. However, 67 episodes in, I am a total acolyte.

I can see why people think this is the "best ever." Sure, there are some simplistic aspects of the dialogue, repetitive bits, the episodes now are really only about 15 minutes long because of recap, and someone even said "the violence is not that violent by today's standards." Well, this is some compelling storytelling. Rei's life and death, Shu's life and death (Jesus Christ that was nasty) and even some of the badguys of the South Star (Yuda and Souther) provide moving stories and after a couple of episodes I found myself confused...was I supposed to detest Souther or pity him? etc etc.

In this we see the world through Ken's eyes. He faces new challenges, and they are introduced in neat ways. And bringing in concepts like Dextrocardia? Jesus that's some interesting medical stuff right there.

My only confusion (and I hope to figure this out as I keep watching) is the nature of the martial arts in the series themselves. For example, North Star style manipulates pressure points...I get that. However, for so much made out of this, why are Ken and Roah also walking bulldozers? If it's simple "uber-buff-anime" stuff then ok, but when they start destroying houses with one punch that goes beyond pressure points.

Anyway, I like the fact that this series is so damn manipulative...during the Souther episodes, I was cheering when Raoh showed up, but then I thought...holy crud why I am cheering? This jerk killed Rei in a super nasty way.

My two cents for now. I am surprised more people aren't discussing this. Then again it's more than 25 years old so...

Everybody likes the Shen.

[–] FinalFight 12 years ago

My only confusion (and I hope to figure this out as I keep watching) is the nature of the martial arts in the series themselves. For example, North Star style manipulates pressure points...I get that. However, for so much made out of this, why are Ken and Roah also walking bulldozers? If it's simple "uber-buff-anime" stuff then ok, but when they start destroying houses with one punch that goes beyond pressure points.

The North Star style like you said manipulates the pressure points and kills from the inside while the South Dipper style kills from the outside; Rei's style is probably the most extreme example of this. Although the South Dipper style is the one that is supposed to kill from the outside, users of the North Star style regularly kill from the outside as well and because of this the lines which seperate the two styles can become blurred.

If you follow Naruto the Maito Gai / Rock Lee style and the Hyuuga styles are very similar to the North Star and South Dipper styles but are differentiated a lot better I think.

[–] Bubbleraft-Roo 12 years ago

Thank you, this helps. So I guess if the goal of the art is not just to manipulate pressure points but pretty much to destroy someone...er...just by smashing them, I can understand why the Hokuto brothers are all so freaking huge.

One other question, if we are havin a conversation...

I am trying to figure out Ryuken. He kicked Raoh and Toki off a cliff and left them for dead. That aint nice. But later on, he seems like a venerable old man...or maybe he doesn't. He also shows some tenderness to Toki when he asks him if he wants to train...so, does Ryuken undergo some kind of soulful change that is not explicitly mentioned?

Everybody likes the Shen.

[–] FinalFight 12 years ago

I Didn't think that much of that scene when I first saw it but yeah I guess it was pretty reckless. The emotions of these characters have always been weird though, almost bipolar at times. One second someone will be cutting an enemy in half and the next crying. The humans in that universe, particularly martial artists, are much more durable than regular folks so maybe it wouldn't be considered that dangerous there. Also, as kindhearted as Kenshiro is I wouldn't put it past him to throw Bart or his nephew off a cliff during training. Keep in mind that he basically left Bart and Lin to fend for themselves in that harsh environment right after beating Raoh and getting back with Yuria.

[–] PI71 12 years ago

I am trying to figure out Ryuken. He kicked Raoh and Toki off a cliff and left them for dead. That aint nice. But later on, he seems like a venerable old man...or maybe he doesn't. He also shows some tenderness to Toki when he asks him if he wants to train...so, does Ryuken undergo some kind of soulful change that is not explicitly mentioned?

You have to remember the post apocolyptic setting where food is in short supply and where ordinary folk become easy prey for biker gangs. So, what chance do two chidren have - better to end their miserable lives quickly than to let them suffer a fate worse than death (eg starvation, rape, torture etc), right?

From one point of view, Ryuken seems like a cruel man but from another, he seems like a compassionate man. Recall that compassion is a required attribute of the successor of Hokuto Shinken, and in having that gives you the capacity to attain the highest forms of the art.

[–] Techto (1388) 4 years ago

Must be that physical and mental abuse is a necessary aspect of martial arts training in the HnK universe. And yet it’s evidently necessary to survive that “tough love” development process without losing one’s compassion for the rest of humanity if one is to master the highest techniques and become the successor.

Spoiler: Raoh becomes drunk with power and only belatedly recovers his humanity. Jagi becomes drunk with power but is never humane; he’s just a bad dude. Kenshiro and Toki stay compassionate throughout their lives.