Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood

Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood is one hell of a reboot. It takes an old Tokusatsu kids show from the 70s, and refashions it into a thoroughly badass slugfest, complete with an overhauled aesthetic and some of the best fight choreography that I've seen in anime at the time of this writing. Beginning with the story, we follow the tale of the hero Polymar, who fights the evil aquatic Plutos who want to sink the continents below the waves, all while he maintains a double-life as an assistant at a second-rate detective agency in a crumbling building. My favorite part ishow it takes the original core of the story while making it something more. It preserves the setup for the most part, even maintaining the general look and feel of the suits and uniforms, but brings it all to life with tension, suspense, and actual stakes. In short, the story is much like the original, only revamped as though it has been matured by time into something explicitly adult, with all the detail, violence, and rich character that entails. There are a couple of moments where the transitions feel somewhat jarring, and character motivations sometimes fall by the wayside for the sake of maintaining the show's narrative pacing, but given they only had two episodes to work with I still feel like things were handled as well as they could have been. The art is what really shines, however, and it is easily the strongest aspect of this anime, hands-down. Everything about the art really stands out from the crowd, especially for the time, but there are two aspects in particular that I believe really set it apart. First, the art direction- the art direction is defined by this utterly unique aesthetic, almost reminiscent of pop art, with flashy blocks of color, creative framing, and incredibly dramatic use of lighting. It deftly creates this high-energy comic book kind of feel which elevates everything this anime has to offer visually. This brings me to point number two- the fights. The fight choreography for Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood is simply inspired, and once again, some of the best I've ever seen. The pace of combat is quick and hard-hitting, but at the same time none of it is lost in the blur of battle. Every broken bone, every landed punch, and every drop of blood is animated in painstaking, positively brutal detail. It's clear they took a great deal of inspiration from actual martial arts, because the way Polymar fights feels groundedly realistic, while also awe-inspiring, managing to clearly delineate what is this man's natural ability and what enhancements the suit provides. Furthermore, the way every character moves through their vibrant, detailed world strikes a balance between style and realism which reveals the fact that the people behind this anime have a deep and intricate understanding of the human body, how it moves, and how to capture that in animation. Simply incredible. The art for this anime truly is a masterpiece. The sound is also quite strong, with excellent, powerful voice work, and a soundtrack that fits the mood no matter what, be it for a high-octane fight sequence or a casual, funny moment with friends. The sounds of life are also especially notable in this regard, giving the world of this anime some real sensory depth. The characters are well-written and fit well in the story they find themselves in, emulating the original characters they're based on while still managing to bring some maverick flare to the table in a way which is neither gratuitous nor jarring. Of them, while it's hard to choose, my favorites are our protagonist, the Polymar himself, Takeshi, and his overbearing firecracker of a landlady, Teru. Takeshi feels like the perfect candidate for this kind of show, exhibiting heroism and bravery while having character depth that makes him more than just a cardboard cutout with superpowers. Meanwhile, Teru, despite being more of a supporting character, manages to be quite funny and well-written despite that, exhibiting a real personality beyond just being a potential love interest and a driver of secondary conflict. Overall, Hurricane Polymar: Holy Blood is cool as hell, and a technical masterpiece. While it doesn't set any records for storytelling, it is still one of the best action OVAs out there, and as far as I'm concerned, this OVA should be the definitive legacy of Polymar for just how damn good it is.