Henshin A Go-Go, Baby!

Any gamer worth his salt knows that this is the rallying cry of Capcom's newest superhero, Viewtiful Joe (and if you don't, shame on you!). Those that don't partake of interactive digital entertainment, however, will probably blink and hope that Marvel Comics fired the guy that would approve anything named "Viewtiful." To initiate the ignorant, and to please afficionados of the game, Capcom deemed it prudent (and profitable) to create an anime series based on the wisecracking defender of justice. However, it seems that Joe's journey to this side of the Pacific was a tough one, for the Joe that's arrived is little more than a shadow of his former self.

The series's premise is simple: the average Joe (pun intended), through an odd twist of fate, gets sucked into the realm of film, and obtains super powers. Now, Joe has to use said powers to save not only his girlfriend, but all of Movieland as he fights monsters, robots, and more. To say much more would just be pointless, as story was never meant to be the title's strongest point. Instead, bare-knuckle action and a snarky sense of humor drive what boils down to a by-the-books action series. The same fight-of-the-week format and über-limited animation that fans have grown to expect from a shonen series prevails as Joe's escapades carry viewers through the realm of movies.

How can anybody see this and not bow to Capcom's l33tness?	(By experiencing the evil localization...that's how!)

The series would be snarky, witty fun if somebody had not made a few grievous errors in casting. Before I go on, it should be known that for one reason or another, Geneon didn't include the original Japanese track (Or, perhaps Capcom opted not to supply it). Instead, viewers are left with one of the most embarrassing dubs since One Piece. Much like a 4Kids chop job, the series has been reworked to appeal to the Saturday Morning crowd. That means the scripts have been rewritten entirely to include ebonics, surfer lingo, and nonsensical slang. The heroes have all been made obnoxiously loud and given in-your face (or, in Silvia's case, cold and bitchy) personas, while the villains have been turned into walking stereotypes. The experience is almost painful to watch, as the cast tries its hardest to go over the top, and fails miserably. The only way one would even know this series originated in Japan is due to the fact that Geneon (or Capcom... whichever the truly guilty party was) left the title's original Engrish opening and ending themes (both performed by SAGA) intact.

From a company like Geneon, I honestly expected better treatment of the property. The show itself appears to have potential, but the horrible translation and dubbing kills any real impetus to watch. In coming volumes, more than a few changes will have to be implemented to make the western release of Viewtiful Joe tolerable for viewers with more than three functioning brain cells.

Distributor: Geneon Entertainment
Creator: Clover Studios/CAPCOM
Released: 2005