Baki the Grappler Online

I saw the two-season series collection DVD for "Baki the Grappler" at Best Buy and I knew I had to beg my mother to get it for me for Christmas. Alas, I was not disappointed Christmas Day when I got my wish. I eagerly popped in disc one and was blown away by several repeated kicks to the senses of what I see as the ultimate fight Anime'!

My friends and I are used to the likes of watching live-action martial arts movies, but so few martial arts fight Anime' features. I'm the only one of us who has dared to experience the intensity (and overall insanity, with occasional bits of surrealism thrown in for good measure) that is "Baki the Grappler." An adaptation of the Japanese Manga series created by Keisuke Itagaki, the show follows the long and brutal path of 13-year-old Baki Hanma to proclaim himself the best fighter in the world. It's a long, hard to quest to be the best, since his father Yujiro Hanma already has that title and is pretty much the strongest living creature on the planet, although IMHO, he might as well as be The Devil Himself (you'll eventually see why).

It's obvious that Baki has a big chip on his shoulder, not only to prove to the world that he is the best, but he also has to prove it to himself, as well (lending the series an unpretentious emotional edge rare for this sort of thing). At such a young age, he's already pushed himself to the limit and beyond, both physically and mentally, to be the best fighter in the world. The series does a good job of tracking his maturation from a brash young street brawler to a seasoned and intelligent martial artist who has earned legions of respect from his fans as well as other legendary fighters.

The series at first begins like any action/crime thriller we've become so used to in the past. But about five episodes in, things suddenly change into a great new direction and never looks back. Also, some have made about comments about how there's no false drama or theatrics in this show. That's good, not bad. All we get here is straight-up action and nothing more, even though we grow to really like Baki, regardless of how deeply troubled he may be, and there are a few unexpectedly tragic moments during the series that does prove that even fighters have a heart.

Still, "Baki the Grappler" is first-rate fight Anime'. There's a wide variety of martial arts disciplines on display here, including boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chinese gong-fu, Karate, Kickboxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Muay Thai, Russian SAMBO, Sumo, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and some good old-fashioned straight-up brawling. Needless to say, Baki is able to dish out beatings and take a few himself, and still walk right on into the next fight. It also goes without saying that Baki, and most of the fighters he battles with, are pretty much superhuman because their stamina and endurance during scenes of intense combat is nothing short of just that - superhuman. One of these battles includes Baki's mountain-top brawl with a giant ape that's probably the mutant offspring of King Kong and Bigfoot.

"Baki the Grappler" is up there with some of the greatest martial arts Anime' features from Japan, certainly one of the greatest animated martial arts features, period, for sure. Its two-season, 48-episode run may be pushing it for some tastes, but I guarantee you that you'll never be sleeping with so many repeated kicks to the head, and a few vague references to the martial arts philosophies of Bruce Lee, to keep you interested, and conscious.

Japanese heavy metal band Dir en Grey performs the opening theme song of each episode, "Child Prey."

10/10

I for one love this Anime but going over 48 episodes it may drag out for some fans BUT in my eyes it only helps understand all the people who take part in the show.

Baki is a very interesting hero in this as he is a very troubled young warrior and his father takes the cake in evil bad a55 father awards.

I tell any fans of anime to check this out because it is well worth it but to clear things up this isn't the most blood gory anime out there and yes there is A LOT OF FIGHTING and blood but not on the same level as many other anime titles.

Baki is well worth watching and even though the ending may upset many fans there is always room for more Baki however they decide to go.

If you are a martial arts fan you will love this anime because It's got lots of action and marital arts tournament and displays many style of fighting from the real world.

The story is a bit fast paced for my liking, I would've enjoyed it more if it had more episodes.

All episodes are really high quality and if you prefer to watch the series dubbed then I can tell you that the dubs are really good for this one.

The animation is good and art style too although a bit outdated since it was released in 2001.

It's my favorite anime from all time.

One can't help but root for Baki: the kid has some serious personal problems- problems that he may or may not be able to cope with; problems that (as bad as they may, in fact, be) often tend to pale by comparison to his aspirations to become the greatest fighter in the world. He will- and does- take on all comers. Regardless of size or species. (Consider his no-holds-barred bout in the forest with what amounts to King Kong's cousin on his father's side.) Like THE SHAMAN KING and NARUTO and YU YU HAKISHO, Baki is one of those "little guys" who has a Big chip on his shoulder and lots to prove (if only to himself). Like CRUSHER JOE and ODIN, etcetera, BAKI THE GRAPPLER is a fun series. Check it out.

If you are looking at this you are probably familiar with this anime. Maybe you know there is also a manga which takes the blood and bone, bordering realistic theme of this universe, into even greater hype domains.

My favorite manga, my favorite anime, my favorite peace of literature, my favorite philosophical discourse about nature of being A MAN.

Its wonderful in so many ways, and it speaks on many levels. Be prepared to set new PR's and practice sardonic smile in front of a mirror. Be prepared to yell in Japanese for no reason whatsoever (sub > dub). Be prepared to look into the distance and remember ancient arrow catching techniques. Be prepared to start overeating and challenging animals to duels.

1000/10 Would watch again, and AM watching again. hahahah PS: there's a new season out, 2018 production. Its awesome!

Roided 13 y.o. adrenaline junkie with Oedipus complex mindlessly bashes ever-raising concrete walls with his forehead in each episode and,(not)surprisingly, succeeds every time.

Unlike other shounens I've ever watched (or tried to watch), this one appears to be the most "shounenest" : This one happens to take place in the black-and-white world, which entirely consists of people with a mindset of a teenager and some perverted "warrior codex" as a moral compass ("I can beat you = you suck, you can beat me = I respect you"). Characters are as flat and as simple/stereotypical as possible.

"Baki" was literally Teletubbies-level mindrape for me. You watch it with a WTF-is-it-face, yet kids genuenly enjoy it.

Total of 2/3 stars for artists work, 1/3 for the main plot (I've managed to watch the whopping 7 episodes of the first season) and a bonus star for being such a piece of overrated surrealistic art, that I've actually spent some time writing this review.