The video game industry has spawned some terrible American films like SUPER MARIO BROTHERS, DOUBLE DRAGON, STREET FIGHTER, and MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION. Japanese anime based on video games have fared much better. Back in 1990, the video game industry was in a deep recession. Then Capcom released STREET FIGHTER 2 and changed the face of the video game industry. It was a high profile phenomenon that made tons of money for Capcom. As with any successful property, diversification is inevitable. In 1995, the STREET FIGHTER 2 animated movie was released in Japan to the delight of nostalgic video gamers everywhere (and was one of the first anime to be released in the U.S. on DVD). This original STREET FIGHTER 2 movie had a lot going for it (including no Jean Claude Van Damme), and it spawned a successful anime TV series. In 1998, Capcom released the prequel, STREET FIGHTER ZERO. This prequel focuses on the three main characters of the saga, Ryu, Ken, and Chun Li. Manga picked up the North American distribution rights for this OAV feature, and renamed it STREET FIGHTER ALPHA.

Chun Li and her partner Wallis chase down a criminal, who takes a little boy hostage. The thug holds Chun Li at bay. A young girl Sakura watches the standoff, as Ryu interrupts the proceedings and firmly beats the tar out of the criminal. Sakura is very impressed with Ryu’s abilities. Chun Li thanks Ryu, and he heads deep into the mountains to go to his master’s dojo. When Ryu arrives, he reunites with his close friend, Ken. They are both there to pay tribute to their master Gouken, who recently passed away. Ryu has a vision where he sees a women called Rose who tells him he is about to meet someone who will change his destiny. He is soon visited by a young man named Shun, who claims to be Ryu’s little brother and has come looking for him since their mother died. Ken is suspicious of the kid, but Ryu was raised by his master Gouken, and welcomes a possible new family member. But Ryu has serious problems of his own. He has within himself a malevolent force called the Dark Hadou. This presence possesses Ryu at the most inopportune times, and distorts Ryu’s body when it is in control.

Ryu realizes the Dark Hadou can undo all his hard work, and pose a danger to mankind. He asks his best friend Ken to kill him should his Dark Hadou gain control. Meanwhile, a corrupt powerful scientist named Sadler organizes a Street Fighter competition in Kabuki Town. Ken plans to fight in the competition and Ryu and Shun tag along. The young girl Sakura is infatuated with Ryu and follows their trail. In Kabuki Town, Ryu and Shun are jumped by gang members in an alleyway. Ryu disarms his attacker and observes his little brother beating the tar out of his older and stronger opponent. Chun Li is on the trail of renegade madman Sadler, and shows up at the competition. She meets up with Ryu who is by himself. They witness the opening bout—the first fighter to emerge is the silent hulk, Zangeif. Ryu is shocked to hear his opponent is his own little brother, Shun! He is even more shocked when the little kid starts beating up his massive opponent—it appears the youth has his own uncontrollable Dark Hadou. Sadler unleashes his cyborg associate, and Ryu and Shun team up to battle the cyborg. They are unable to topple the cyborg assassin, until Ryu’s Dark Hadou takes control. The possessed Ryu quickly disposes of his monstrous adversary. The ruckus prematurely ends the Street Fighter competition, and Sadler kidnaps Shun and heads back to his island fortress via helicopter. Ryu, Ken, and Chun Li must regroup and fight their way to Sadler’s island. They know they are walking into a trap. Should Ryu’s Dark Hadou take control again, it will surely jeopardize their chances of rescuing Shun…

STREET FIGHTER ALPHA is a prequel which chronicles the first meeting between Chun Li and Ryu (and Ken). The exposition sheds a lot of light on the background of these central characters. For instance, Ryu blindly accepts Shun’s word that he is Ryu’s brother. This is because he grew up in a dojo, and never had a true family relationship. The self-proclaimed strongest woman in the world, Chun Li, works as a special agent for Intepol. She has made it her goal to track down Sadler, who apparently is withholding the location of her missing father. Their paths cross when they are forced to team up and rescue Shun from the megalomaniac Sadler. However, while it all sounds firm on paper, STREET FIGHTER ALPHA does not follow up on the plot threads it establishes. For instance, Ryu meets the oracle Rose two times in the film, but no explanation is ever given about her nature or role in the Street Fighter universe. Though Sadler eventually meets his fate, Chun Li never learns anything about her father. Also confusingly handled is Ryu’s confrontation with the mysterious Akuma, a former ally who has given in to his own Dark Hadou.

Hardcore fans of STREET FIGHTER 2 will be disappointed that the narrative jettisons all the other popular heroes and villains of the saga to concentrate solely on Ryu, Chun Li, and Ken. Instead, STREET FIGHTER ALPHA offers new villains who turn out rather inadequate. Both the true main hero and villain emerge in the form of Ryu, who becomes most deadly when his Dark Hadou is in command. Hardcore fans will also be disappointed that the animation quality of STREET FIGHTER ALPHA is inferior to its predecessor. Not that the animation is bad—it’s still above average. Just not as detailed or free flowing as STREET FIGHTER 2. The only major flaw is disproportionate character designs. I know comic animation is all about exaggeration but come on—the muscles on some of these guys are so ludicrously huge, that the rest of their bodies look like stick figures in comparison.

There are some inconsistencies between this prequel and the original STREET FIGHTER 2. For instance, that movie began with Ryu defeating the undefeatable Sagat. Yet, in STREET FIGHTER ALPHA, the narrative informs us that Ryu has already beat Sagat. Supposedly, Chun Li meets Ryu and Ken for the first time here, but in STREET FIGHTER 2, she does not recognize either of them when she firsts meet them. STREET FIGHTER ALPHA is full of continuity errors like this—the screenwriters were very lazy in their approach to keep things consistent. While the narrative has its share of problems, the action and visuals hold up for the most part. A film based on a video game has no right to offer original ideas, but there a few well placed scenes that sucked me into the world of Street Fighter. For instance, when Ryu and his little brother Shun are jumped by gang members, and the little kid makes mincemeat of them—well, lets just say the look on Ryu’s face is totally amusing. Ryu gets that look again when Shun goes toe-to-toe with the monster Zangeif. When the action moves to Sadler’s island fortress, things really heat up. Other Street Fighters enter the fray and its a free-for-all when Sadler commands the same juiced up cyborg that Ryu polished off earlier in Kabuki Town. Suffice to say, the cyborg now has a chip on his shoulder.

From the Special Features menu, you can access Manga’s DVD catalog and fan club information, view the Manga 2000 compilation trailer, or connect to Manga’s web site. Besides these fluff features, you can view the Making of Street Fighter Alpha (which is one of the strangest documentaries we’ve seen). This feature is full frame, Dolby Digital 2.0, and runs 5:40. This documentary is in black & white and offers no narration or interviews. Its just a collection of footage consisting of Japanese artists drawing designs and cels. There is also a featurette that runs the Japanese production credits (in Japanese of course). This segment is full frame, DD 2.0, and runs 2:41. There are also trailers for these Manga properties:

• STREET FIGHTER ALPHA (FF, DD 2.0, 1:15)
• PERFECT BLUE (WS, DD 2.0, 1:39)
• NINJA SCROLL (FF, DD 2.0, :34)
• STREET FIGHTER TV Series (FF, DD 2.0, :24)

-  Tony Mustafa 

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