Daishizen no Majuu: Bagi

I actually enjoyed this movie pretty much, the story is strong, as you would expect from Tezuka. It deals with genetic manipulation at a time where it wasn't so common to hear the issue and it's well constructed, except some plot holes here and there. What pushes down the film is its horrible animation, yeah, even for 1984, you would think that it was taken from early seventies not '84. The first series of Lupin in 71 are better animated that this movie. And the voices are often out of synch with the characters mouths.

Well, to be able to enjoy this one, you'll have to ... forget the terrible animation and the whole production and be able to focus yourself on the story. Unfortunately, Tezuka, the Grandfather of anime, didn't got a good budget for this, otherwise it would be a total classic in this day.

Rate: 7.0/10

To me, Daishizen no Majuu: Bagi (I'll refer it to as Bagi) is a simple anime movie that could have been a good one if it was given the proper support it deserved (especially since the movie was made by Osamu Tezuka, the Godfather of anime). In fact this movie had a lot of potential that wasn't fully realized, instead what we got was a movie that suffered from terrible animation and an awkwardly paced story. I watched this on youtube a few years ago and I kinda forgot about it up until recently.

What is Bagi about? Well, it's about a man named who is ... asked to hunt a strange cat-like beast who called Bagi, who happens to be a genetically altered cat-human hybrid that he had as a kid. The story was pretty good despite the awkward pacing. My only gripe with it is the use of a flashback within a flashback when it came to Ryo telling a kid about his teen years and in that flashback teen Ryo remembers when he owned Bagi as a child. Yea that was kinda weird and confusing but other than that, this story was good but tragic.

The art and animation aren't bad, well that's to say the art style isn't bad, but the animation... well, it's not quite as good as the other Tezuka animes that came out in the 80s (Kimba the White Lion is the best example). The characters were pretty cool too. I really felt bad for Ryo and Bagi both because these two had a history together and seeing Bagi ending up how she did, it kinda tugs at the heart strings but not by much because the story didnt quite live up to the potential a Tezuka anime usually has.

While the voice acting was pretty good and the music was equally good, the audio didnt quite sync up to what was happening on screen at times. It was especially bad during the childhood flashback. Overall, this anime wasnt bad but it wasnt good. It's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Osamu Tezuka or want to see his works in general. If only this movie had a better budget or had gotten a fully fledge anime series or perhaps a remake, it could have been a classic just like Osamu Tezuka's other works (Astroboy and Kimba the White Lion mainly).

As the godfather of manga and anime, Osamu Tezuka is held in such reverence and awe over his decades-long contributions to the country. But let's not forget that for all of his famous works like Astro Boy or Kimba or Black Jack, he also worked on dozens of other shorts and specials that have faded into obscurity over time. Bagi is one of them. And, like most of those faded, forgotten stories, they are best left in obscurity.

Let's get the "elephant in the room" out of the way first: furries. Yes, I know, the red-headed stepchild ... fandom to anime in America (they had the same C/FO roots) where fans want to, you know, get "better acquainted" with their animal side. And at the start, this movie seemed to veer in that direction, as delinquent Ryo is visited by the kitten he raised as a child, only now she's all grown up, and, you know, sexy. Hoo-boy.

But, let's put that to rest, because the story veers away from that pretty soon after, and it does NOT go in that uncomfortable direction. Instead, we learn of Bagi's true origins, about the evil horrors of gene manipulation, and we're off! There are all sorts of improbable twists and turns along the way, that make this far from a straightforward story.

Character designs are more or less standard Tezuka (no surprise). The animation quality is a little sub-par, but not distractingly so. The weak point is the overall story itself, and Tezuka's tendency to mix in little unnecessary humorous bits into non-humorous situations. And, of course, the heavy-handed moralizing that is a strain throughout many of his works.

Given the wide range of stories that Tezuka worked on over the years, you're better off going elsewhere to get your Tezuka kicks, and leave this one alone.