This section is written and maintained by Gekka. Please contact her at
gekka@*nospam*eiennoyume.com if you have any questions/comments/corrections.

:: New Fist of the North Star :: Kidou Senshi Z Gundam~A New Translation ::

New Fist of the North Star

New Fist of the North Star ("Shin Hokuto no Ken", 新・北斗の拳) is a three volume OVA (original video animation) that was released in Japan in the summer of 2003, and in the U.S. in September of 2004. Fist of the North Star was originally a manga series, created by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson, that ran between 1983 and 1988 in Weekly Shonen Jump. It was adapted into an anime series, which ran in Japan in 1984. There was also a Fist of the North Star Movie, released in 1986, and a second anime series, Fist of the North Star Part 2, which aired in Japan in 1987.

Gackt's character, Seiji.

Fist of the North Star tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where nuclear war has devasted the Earth. Kenshiro is the main character and hero of the story. He is the sole successor to a fighting style called Hokuto Shin Ken, which uses pressure points to attack the human body internally; the series is rather gruesome and gory as people literally explode from the Hokuto Shin Ken. However, Kenshiro is the series' hero because he uses his skills to fight for justice and to protect the innocent. In New Fist of the North Star, Gackt is the voice actor for the character Seiji. After failing to become a successor to the Hokuto Shin Ken, Seiji has mastered a style called Hokumon no Ken (Fist of the North Gate). Seiji is driven by revenge, and faces Kenshiro when he attempts to take over and destroy the Last Land, the ruling kingdom of the region.

Press conference.

Volume 1 of the U.S. release includes a press conference with Gackt (subtitled) that took place on April 4, 2003 in Roppongi. In the press conference, he talks about why he likes Fist of the North Star-- he says that watching this show gives you a sense of what a real man is. His hope is that this show will increase the number of good men in the world. He talks about how he was amazed at the beauty of the animation (they use a mix of traditional animation and CG), and how he doesn't see a difference between acting and singing. He also talks about his debut as a voice actor, and the use of his song Oasis as the ending theme.

Gackt recording his lines.

Interview with Gackt: The Challenge of the First Time Voice Actor

Volume 2 includes behind-the-scenes footage of Gackt recording his lines, in addition to an interview about his experience as a first-time voice actor (all subtitled), recorded on August 10, 2003. Gackt talks about how his current self is not similar to the character of Seiji, but that Seiji is similar to the way he was when he was a teenager. He talks about how the hardest scene was where he has to laugh (because he doesn't laugh that often in real life!). And when asked if he would want to play Seiji in a live-action version of Fist, he says he wouldn't want to because he doesn't want to build up his muscles like Seiji.

Oasis is used as the ending theme, and scenes from the PV are shown during the closing credits.

Gackt's Lu:na is used as the opening theme, and Oasis is used as the ending theme for New Fist of the North Star. Scenes from the Oasis PV are even shown during the ending credits of the show. Gackt actually had Fist of the North Star in mind when writing Oasis, and had asked if it could be used as a theme song. However, at that time there weren't any plans to have another Fist of the North Star series. A couple of years later, discussions for New Fist of the North Star began, and Gackt was then asked if his songs could be used in the new series

====================================================================

Kidou Senshi Z Gundam~A New Translation

Kidou Senshi Z Gundam~A New Translation is a trilogy of movies that are a condensed version of the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam TV series, which aired in Japan in 1985. The first movie, "Kidou Senshi Z Gundam I~Hoshi wo Tsugu Mono (Heir to the Stars)" was released in theatres on May 28, 2005, the second movie, "Kidou Senshi Z Gundam II~Koibitotachi (Lovers)" was released on October 29, 2005, and the third movie, "Kidou Senshi Z Gundam III~Hoshi no Koudou wa Ai (Love is the Pulse of Stars)" was released on March 6, 2006. The trilogy was created in celebration of Gundam's 25th anniversary (and Zeta Gundam's 20th anniversary). It features digitally remastered animation and also includes some newly animated footage.

Premiere of Z Gundam I~Hoshi wo Tsugu Mono on May 17, 2005.

Gackt pilots his own mobile suit in the PV for Metamorphoze.

Gackt is a long-time Gundam fan, having watched the First Gundam series on video when he was in his late teens. He likes the philosophy presented by Gundam, which poses the question, "what do you think?" As a fan, he has memorized many lines from the series, and has even demonstrated that knowledge on TV shows. He was a judge for a Gundam model making contest, and has also “color coordinated" a Gundam plastic model that was displayed at Gunpla Expo (Bandai's Gundam plastic model expo ) in Ikebukuro on August 22-30, 2006. Gackt's song, Metamorphoze, was used as the opening theme for the movies. Mind Forest, Kimi ga Matteiru Kara and Love Letter were used as the closing themes for the movies. The PV for Metamorphoze features scenes from the movie intercut with scenes of Gackt piloting his very own mobile suit.

Special Talk with Gackt and Tomino Yoshiyuki on the DVD that came with the special edition Metamorphoze CD.

Gackt first met Tomino Yoshiyuki, the creator of Gundam, several years before their collaboration. They became close friends and Tomino even attended Gackt's concerts. Tomino himself asked Gackt to provide a theme song for Gundam. Although Metamorphoze was not written specifically for Gundam (it was written during the Crescent time period), Gackt believes that it expresses the same themes that are found in Gundam. Tomino also specifically asked to use Gackt's Love Letter as the ending theme for the final movie.

Cover of Metamorphoze CD single.

Cover of Love Letter single.

Gundam is one of the most popular and successful anime series of all-time, making Gackt's involvement in this work that much more impressive. The movies were well-received in Japan, with all three movies ranking in the top 5 during their opening weekends. The movies have not yet been released overseas on DVD, but will undoubtedly be released shortly given the huge Gundam following in the U.S. and other countries outside of Japan.

Top | Previous Page