DARK SOLDIER D is the brainchild of Japan’s Buildup Entertainment. The special effects company spearheaded by producer Nobuya Okabe contributed cutting-edge special effects for many Japanese films, TV shows, and commercials including GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE, GAMERA 2: ADVENT OF LEGION, and SPEED FIGHTER. In 1998, Buildup decided to traverse the line of special effects house to an actual production company. Their first project is the nihilistic science fiction saga, DARK SOLDIER D. At the core of this new series is the man vs. mecha premise that has dominated Japanese pop culture ever since Astro Boy surfaced decades ago. But you’ve never seen a mecha series like DARK SOLDIER D, which is so far removed from Ultraman, Hentai, or any other such creations in the history of Japanese manga and anime, that it can only be termed unique. Bandai Entertainment, purveyors of fine anime, acquired the rights to release the series on video in Japan and abroad. Bandai released the first three episodes on Region 1 DVD through Pioneer Entertainment.

Kawamata is a psychotic soldier who fell in with the Russian Special Operation Forces. It was at this time that Kawamata became the guinea pig for this secret scientific research organization. The Russians wanted to ensure that they were ahead of the U.S. in the arms race, and used this organization to develop a mobile combat suit, armed to the teeth with all kinds of weapons imaginable. During his tenure on the project, Kawamata met Matsuzaki, a twisted scientist who was kicked out of Japan for unscrupulous practices. Matsuzaki became lead engineer on the combat suit project and coded Kawamata’s thought impulses into the control mechanism, so only he can operate the walking arsenal. But when Communist Russia collapsed, Kawamata and Matsuzaki stole the armored battle suit and snuck it into Japan.

Kawamata, ever the mercenary, gets involved with the local mob scene. His association with them yields him great financial rewards. But Kawamata is not a happy man. He is a man of violence, but since there are no more wars to fight, Kawamata feels obsolete. His salvation comes in the shape of a mysterious meteor from outer space. Encased within the meteor is an amoeba-like creature that attaches itself to the first guy who finds it (in a scene lifted directly from THE BLOB). The amoeba possesses the guy and forces him to kill his nagging wife. The man then consumes his wife and starts mutating into a serpentine monster. This monster consumes more humans until it grows to about thirty feet, where it takes to the streets of Shinjuku. The creature’s path of destruction comes to the attention of Tanaka, head of the National Police Agency. When Kawamata hears that a monster is running amok, he and Matsuzaki reactivate the dormant combat suit, and head to Shinjuku. Kawamata engages the monster and saves numerous lives. But, the monster is more powerful than he imaged. During the battle, Kawamata is overtaken by bloodlust and opens fire on the beast with the suit’s own customized AK-47s. Numerous innocent bystanders are killed in the weapons attack, but at least Kawamata slaughtered the beast.

The justice system incriminates Kawamata for the killings and he is placed in a high-security prison, awaiting execution. Meanwhile, the combat suit falls into the hands of the government who cannot make the suit work, since it is coded to Kawamata’s brain waves only. The government desperately tries to fathom the Russian technology, because they detect a new alien meteorite approaching Earth. In jail, Kawamata is feared and hated, except for one young prisoner named Iba, who strikes up a rapport with Kawakita because they are both into weapons. Police Commander Tanaka calls a conference with Kawakita, and offers him the opportunity to escape death row. If Kawakita agrees to the deal, the public shall believe him dead, while in actuality he will work for the Japanese government in helping to track down and destroy the meteor monsters using the combat suit. Kawamata accepts and is released, however his problems still haunt him. To escape his mental pain he decides to get intoxicated. But his timing is bad, because a new meteor appears and possesses a chicken. Knowing that Kawamata is drunk, Tanaka orders him to fight this new mutation. Kawamata fights the best he can, but his reaction time in affected. He eventually slays the beast, but not before the creature’s beak rips apart the combat suit, resulting in the loss of Kawamata’s limbs.

The government replaces Kawamata’s missing leg and arm with artificial limbs, but he is no longer capable to command the battle suit. Kawamata suggests that his friend from jail, Iba be the next person to don the battle suit. Tanaka releases Iba and Kawamata begins to train the eager individual. Meanwhile, Matsuzaki figures out a way to override the combat suit’s brain-link with Kawamata, so Iba can control the sophisticated weaponry. Another meteorite enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and a group of Russian operatives capture the alien amoeba. The Russians are commanded by Sergei, one of Kawamata’s old associates. Sergei has come to reclaim the stolen battle suit and kill Kawamata. Matsuzaki rigs the battle suit so that Iba can pilot it. But he is too inexperienced with the suit to stop Sergei from killing Kawamata. To make matters worse, the Russians have lost control of the alien amoeba, and it has mutated Sergei into another dangerous monster. His first time in the suit, and Iba is forced to confront the beast! But that’s not all--a secret conglomeration preserves Kawamata’s brain, so now he is even denied a peaceful death!

DARK SOLDIER D is Japanese science fiction with an attitude. This series has a mean streak a mile wide. There are no heroes in the show--Kawamata (the closest thing to a hero here) is a thief, a mercenary, and a mass murderer. The government and police organizations are depicted as corrupt. Everyone has a hidden agenda. For these reasons, DARK SOLDIER D is a breath of fresh air in the sanitized mecha market. The characters are all bigger-than-life caricatures of Japanese anime staples, and the cast really adds dimension to their roles, like when we discover that Kawamata cannot function in normal society. He suffers from a blood lust syndrome and is not content unless he is killing people or blowing things up. Not exactly the type of person you want to lead a secret government project. This is a B-movie cast for sure, but they are significantly more talented than American B movie actors.

From the opening moments, to the cliffhanging conclusion, DARK SOLDIER D exhibits cruelty, cussing, violence, and death wrapped up in an extreme conspiracy story. Just when you think you have a character or situation figured out, the writers throw something new at you that you don’t expect. No one in the show is exactly who they appear (or claim to be). This is the big difference between Japanese and American B-movie making. Whereas Hollywood films totally rehash plot points and story lines because American audiences prefer to see something familiar, Japanese filmmakers like to throw unexpected curves and more characterization into the mix. You may have experienced this genre before, but not quite done in this fashion. Also entertaining is the grudging friendship between "our hero" and Matsuzaki. Kawamata is the monster; Matsuzaki is Dr. Frankenstein. The opening moments of the show has Kawamata literally kicking the crap out of Matsuzaki, after they disagree. This surrealistic moment sets the grim tone for the remainder of the series.

I can honesty say that the special effects parts of DARK SOLDIER D take a back seat to the plot and character interaction. This is the way it should be. This is not to belittle the effects work of Buildup Entertainment, but a testament to the other refreshing elements of their show. The effects work is mostly all digital in nature. The first monster resembles a dragon or a reptile, but moves like a CGI dinosaur. The scene of the creature running loose in Shinjuku reminded me of the Ymir from 20 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH. The alien mutation from the second episode resembles a giant prehistoric chicken (minus the feathers). This creation is realistically depicted by Buildup, but its design is so ridiculous that it counteracts the aura of doom and depression that the series works so hard to create. The last episode redeems the show with the most vile and evil looking monster yet--a biomechanical creature (like something out of ALIENS or ZEIRAM) that is more human sized like the combat armor itself. Buildup also creates some gory graphic effects such as severed limbs, removed bodily organs, and cannibalism.

-  Tony Mustafa 

BACK TO: