The first time I bought this movie (yes, I have bought it more than once), it was as a stand-alone DVD. I remember carrying it to the counter where the young girl behind the counter gave it, and me, an odd look (she just didn't get it) and proceeded to ring it up. The funniest part of the exchange was glancing over the receipt (both of us, for accuracy) and discovering that there were not enough characters for it to say "Mechanical Violator Hakaider," instead it simply said "Mechanical Violator." Now, I do not know about you, but that gave both of us a case of the immature giggles. Why not? After all, it did look funny written there, oh so lonely on the slip of paper. I wish I still had it. I eventually re-purchased the film as part of a bargain deal on Tokyo Shock's Keita Amemiya Collection.
This was the first Amemiya film I ever saw. Some of you are probably wondering why I would want to watch any others after seeing one. Doesn't one satiate the desire to see low-budget, Power Ranger-esque, Japanese science fiction? The simple answer is "No." It takes a special person to truly appreciate a film like this, or others of its ilk. Even when I give bad reviews to these movies, they still hold a special place in my heart. They may be bad, but they are made by people with heart and desire to make a movie. They have soul and personality.
Mechanical Violator Hakaider was made only a year after Zeiram 2, the last Amemiya film to which I bore witness. In that short year, the budget seemed to have increased a bit, plus the writer/director's ability to tell a story seemed to have improved, especially on the visual side of things. Yes, he is still dealing with robots, and yes the look is like an evil Power Ranger episode, but there is something more going on.
This movie takes a look at a dystopian future. In a place called Jesus Town the people are ruled by Gurjev, a man who fancies himself as some sort of angelic savior of the people under his charge. With the help of his robotic right-hand man, Michael (what kind of robot name is that?), Gurjev ensures that no crime happens in Jesus Town, even if that means lobotomizing its citizens and taking away their emotions. Fighting against his rule is a small, multi-cultural group of freedom fighters; but I am getting ahead of myself.
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