EKO EKO AZARAK II: BIRTH OF THE WIZARD

Directed and written by: Shimako Sato
Cinematography by: Shoei Sudo
Music by: Mikiya Katakura
Cast: Kimika Yoshino, Chieko Shiratori, Akira Ohtani, and Amina Tominaga

1996/83 Mins/Color/Stereo
1.85:1 anamorphic/Japanese/Japan/NTSC Region 1

Review from Tokyo Shock/ Media Blasters

The evil’s witch Kirie’s tomb is uncovered and her dark powers are unleashed. She soon goes around jumping from person to person in hopes of finding and killing the lovely, young Kuroi Misa (Kimika Katakura). A stranger protects her and helps her to discover her own magical abilities; as together they battle this ancient evil.

A prequel to writer/ director Shimako Sato’s own movie, this one is the origin story of heroine Misa. It starts off with an exciting, fast pace, but then slows down midway through the movie. Still, this part is anything but boring as it is here, that important plot information is dispelled via flashbacks.

This film is even gorier than the original, as it features: head smashing, face ripping, a body run over by car, bloody squibs, head shots, etc. The gore FX are really nice and wet. The CGI, though, are a little on the cheesy side. The acting ranges from good to adequate and lead actress Katakura is smoking hot. It also borrows the old body hoping element from films like SHOCKER and THE HIDDEN. But, when all is said and done. this is a fun, albeit flawed film. Though, it is not as good cxx as the first movie.

EKO EKO AZARAK II: BIRTH OF THE WIZARD is awakened on DVD thanks to Tokyo Shock. The picture is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ration enhanced for 16:9 TVs. It looks simply great, with good, strong colors and rich, full blacks. The subtitles are good and easy to read. The stereo sound is also really exciting and awesome sounding.

In the extras department, there are a couple of goodies here. “The Making of Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard” has some OK behind the scenes stuff. It is really short, though. There is also a separate extra feature that is an interview with writer/ director Shimako Sato. In it there is a very interesting discussion about the film’s budget as well as other subject matter. The absolutely beautiful, lead actress Kimika Katakura is also interviewed and comes off as very likable. She discusses her character and the movie and has some really good and interesting stories about the shoot.

Also included is film premiere footage where the cast and crew went to introduce themselves before the movie played. This is followed by a short, little interview with the Shamiko and the two lovely female leads. Then, we get the cast at another public appearance.

Also included is the movie’s rather crappy trailer, as well as trailers for EKO EKO AZARAK: WIZARD OF DARKNESS, ICHI THE KILLER, PYROKINESIS, and VERSUS. The disc comes in a keep-case and has no inlet card. The chapters can be accessed from a pretty decent looking menu.

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Review by Giovanni Deldio. All Right Reserved. 2008. ©