Real Bout High School is basically a 2D fighting game animated into a series, but the strength of the series comes from the fact that it is not tied to any real fighting game. The series features attractive visuals and character designs produced by Gonzo.

The story starts in modern day Japan at a school where fights, known as K-fights, are a legitimate way to settle differences. The current, and undefeated, K-Fight champion is a self-proclaimed samurai film otaku named Ryoko. She is part of the kendo club, but fights samurai style in the battles. Ryoko is quickly challenged by rival amateur ninjas (no, seriously) and defeats them quickly.

The story hook is that Ryoko stumbles upon a pendant that periodically thrusts her into an alternate world where she fights monsters, much to her chagrin. The rest of the episodes, and there are four on this first disc, follow the proto-typical anime fighting storyline: she fights her rival, they have a grudging respect for each other, she finds a master that will teach her new techniques, and bad guys begin showing up.

The protagonist, a samurai otaku named Ryoko, must at times fight monsters in an alternate world.	Ryoko's rival, Azumi, matches a character from Asuka, right down to her use of a naginata.

The characters will be familiar in type to anyone who has played a significant number of fighting games. The creators obviously drew a lot of inspiration from the all-girl fighters, particularly Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Ryoko's rival Azumi looks almost exactly like a character from Asuka right down to her use of a naginata. Like Asuka 120%, there is a student with a microphone that constantly covers the battles. Also like the game, the principal supports the battles. The list goes on.

One of the main characters is Shizuma, the previous K-fight champion who wants the title back. His family name is Kusanagi, and much like the legends and the game King of Fighters, he fights with a fire attack (very similar to Kyo). There is even a character similar to Ryu from Street Fighter. I expect more fighting game similarities to pop up.

In a series like this, fighting is obviously important, and the fights tend to look great, except for the second monster fight, which was a bit of a let down. Hopefully the alternate world fights will improve. As well, each of the characters has enough personality to make the show interesting.

The animation is very nice, with some of the action looking truly amazing, although the "amazing" scenes are somewhat rare. The color is very vibrant, which is Gonzo's digital trademark. The sound works, although not as impressively as the visuals. The music fits well, and a soundtrack is going to be released domestically.

The nicest extra is the glossy insert with notes by the translator about the choices made during the translation of the show, as well as some cultural information. There are some "making of" featurettes as well, but they are not very exciting or well produced. The making of the Japanese website for the show held very little interest for me.

Honestly, the show is not for everyone. So far, the storyline is a bit vapid with a few too many silly parts. There is also far too much fan-service in these episodes. However, there are enough humorous moments mixed with nice action to keep most anime fans into the show. Still, the main story does not really begin to unfold on the first disc. These episodes primarily introduce the viewer to the cast of characters and the world they inhabit. I have significant hopes that the next disc will have superior content to this one, therefore I give a guarded recommendation to buy.

One caveat, if you are a fighting game enthusiast, you really must buy this disc. The menus are wonderfully designed with a game-like layout, including life bars and score. As the background animation runs, the display runs, taking life, etc. The characters and set-up share so much with the fighting game genre that a fan can't help but find something to like.

Rant: What the hell is up with these panty shots? Ok, you're in a fight, maybe your skirt will flip up while you jump or something; I accept that. This show is WAY too insane about the fan-service! If you can get through a minute of animation without seeing a woman's undergarment, I'd be shocked. It is totally unnecessary and begins to detract from the show.

Distributor: Tokyo Pop
Creator: TMS Entertainment
Released: 1995

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A
Content: B+
Overall: B+