Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Episode 1 was an excellent start to this new anime. Episode 1 held steady by once again taking 8th place in the Top 10 with a 2.3 average household rating in the July 8-14 TV ratings in Japan. It is good to see Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc holding firm in the rankings. I am psyched for Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Episode 2 which will deliver the anticipated Terryman vs. Max Radial match. Let’s not waste any time and hit this full spoiler review!
We kick Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Episode 2 off with Terryman agreeing to fight seven Perfect Large Numbers members in a tournament. Terryman has to go at it alone because the other Idol Chojin of the Justice Chojin are still in their medical suspension states which are healing their injuries. The pressure on Terryman gets ratcheted up as we learn that if Terryman loses then the Justice Chojin officially surrender to the Perfect Chojin. Strong the Budo concludes the scene by stating that the tournament will begin in 24 hours at the Tokyo Dome.
This build-up to the match succeeds in creating more tension in the viewer as things continue to look more and more hopeless for the Justice Chojin. On the other hand, the fearless manner in which Terryman approaches this situation despite the mounting odds against him makes him look like a fearless hero. The build-up to the match hypes up Terryman’s badass reputation as a hero who will never stop fighting no matter how long the odds are of victory.
I enjoyed the callback to the Scramble for the Throne Arc when Terryman points out that Kinnikuman and Meat took on Kinnikuman Mapriposa’s team by themselves. This inspires Terryman to take on all seven members of the Perfect Large Numbers. The referencing of prior arcs emphasizes how the prior lore of Kinnikuman helps to influence the present-day actions of our heroes.
I also love that we have Chairman Harabote bemoaning that the recovery pods containing the Idol Chojin cannot be opened from the outside until the Idol Chojin are fully healed. Who did not foresee this insane design flaw biting our heroes’ in the butt? It is silly moments like that that make the Kinnikuman franchise such a joy.
All right, back to the story. We cut to 24 hours later at the Tokyo Dome for the beginning of this seven-on-one tournament between the Perfect Large Numbers and Terryman. The announcer does a good job building up the gravity of the situation for Terryman entering this tournament himself.
I also enjoyed Meat vowed to fight if Terryman was defeated. Again, this is a nice reference to Meat stepping into the ring to fight Mixer Taitei during the Scramble for the Throne Arc when Kinnikuman lost all of his teammates during the tournament. It is always important to remember that Meat may be small but he is still a Justice Chojin and capable of stepping into the ring when required! In fact, Meat defeated Mixer Taitei in that legendary fight!
I also want to take a moment to talk about the decision to have a generic off-screen announcer for the matches in the Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc anime. This is a huge swing-and-miss. The original Kinnikuman anime, the Kinnikuman: Scramble for the Throne anime, and the Kinnikuman Nisei anime (Ultimate Muscle) all had Kazuo Nakano as one of the two announcers.
Nakano is easily my favorite Kinnikuman character and often stole the show! To not have Nakano as an announcer for the matches is a massive L for the Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc anime. It immediately makes the matches less exciting and energetic than they could be with Nakano’s presence. Nobody could build up a match or explain the strategies for the various Chojin better than Nakano could. Nakano was always able to add more depth and richness to the matches in addition to some fantastic comedy. These matches will be so much poorer by not having Nakano in Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc.
We are also missing Nakano’s announcing partner Yoshigai (known as Mac Metaphor in the Ultimate Muscle dub of the Kinnikuman Nisei anime). Yoshigai was the straight man to Nakano’s more colorful character. The two were a classic announce team and played off of each other wonderfully. Not having this announcing team for Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc is so disappointing.
All right, back to the story, Strong the Budo displays seven cards to Terryman and tells him to pick one, and the Perfect Chojin on the other side of the card will be his opponent. Terryman picks a card and it is revealed that Max Radial will be his opponent for the opening match.
We then cut to Muscle Planet. We see Kinnikuman is missing and his parents Mayumi and Sayuri looking for him.
We then hop over to a dark and mysterious castle. We see a shadowy figure who turns out to be none other than Akuma Shogun! Shogun is watching the tournament between the Perfect Large Numbers and Terryman. We then see Ashuraman and Sunshine flanking their leader Akuma Shogun! Akuma Shogun says that only one of the Perfect Large Numbers is extremely dangerous.
Hell yeah! This scene was awesome! It was cool to see one of the biggest of all baddies in the Kinnikuman franchise in Akuma Shogun back and better than ever. And then to see him with his two top lieutenants in Ashuraman and Sunshine was even better! These are three fantastic characters. I love that the Devil Chojin are getting introduced into the mix as wildcards in this tournament between the Justice Chojin and the Perfect Chojin.
We cut back to the match between Terryman and Max Radial. The match is about to start and Meat gives some good fight advice to Terryman. Meat points out that Max Radial is top-heavy so Terryman should use low kicks and hit Max Radial inside and out to whittle away his legs. Also, Terryman should fight in a manner that will allow him to avoid Max Radial’s shoulder tires. This was a nice moment that highlights Meat’s value as a corner man during the Justice Chojin’s wrestling matches. Meat has helped Kinnikuman win a match based on his sage fight strategy on multiple occasions!
Terryman’s introduction before the match was so cool. I love this approach as it completely differs from how introductions were done in the original Kinnikuman anime and Ultimate Muscle. We get a huge graphic of Terryman with his name. We then get two dynamic graphics with the names of his two big finishing moves in the Spinning Toe Hold and Calf Branding.
The viewer also learns in the introductions of the two Chojin that Terryman has 950,000 Chojin Power while Max Raidal has 48 million Chojin Power. This helps to emphasize how Terryman is a huge underdog and will have to draw on his heart and fighting spirit to win this match.
The fight begins with Terryman’s hotheaded and passionate nature making him ignore all of Meat’s tactical advice as he immediately throws a barrage of punches targeting Max Radial’s head. Terryman impatiently goes right for his Spinning Toe Hold until he realizes that Max Radial is not screaming in pain, but is instead laughing. Why? Because Max Radial has car suspension legs which allow his legs to bend and withstand Terryman’s attack without pain.
Max Radial escapes Terryman’s move and then attempts the Drift Tackle which Terryman avoids and then attempts his Calf Branding move. However, Max Radial’s monster truck tires on his shoulders hit the mat first and prevent his head from hitting the canvas which nullifies Terryman’s prized finisher.
All of this was strong fight psychology. First, it showed that ignoring Meat’s fight advice is always a bad idea. Second, it showed that Terryman is a naturally fiery and passionate fighter. Third, it established that Max Radial can easily defeat both of Terryman’s big finishing moves. This is important as it now makes the viewer think that Terryman has no chance at all to win this match. This puts the hero in extreme jeopardy and creates tension in the viewer.
Max Radial pulls off the Drift Tackle again and hits it this time. Blood comes pouring out of Terryman’s mouth. His chest has a bloody tire mark on it. However, Terryman somehow rallies and stands back up. This is where the viewer can see how Terryman’s heart and his guts make up for his lack of Chojin Power versus Max Radial.
Max Radial says he is called the Perfect Shredder because his giant tires shred up the skin of his opponents until they die. At this point in the match, Max Radial is presented as a monster heel that has no weaknesses. Everything is looking grim for our hero Terryman.
However, as much as I did enjoy this match and the fight psychology, I do have one criticism. Max Radial does come off as a one-move fighter. It is as if Max Radial is a video game character controlled by a kid who keeps spamming the Drift Tackle move. It would have been better to see Max Radial show a larger repertoire of moves rather than just constantly relying on the Drift Tackle.
We then cut to a Gyudon restaurant. There we see Kinnikuman in a trench coat and hat to hide his identity. Kinnikuman has already eaten four bowls of Gyudon and he orders another. The chef recognizes who Kinnikuman is and asks why he is not at Terryman’s match. Kinnikuman says that once the match begins he cannot interfere. Kinnikuman says he cannot fight on an empty stomach and all he can do is prepare for what comes next. Despite Terryman seemingly in a hopeless situation, Kinnikuman does not lose faith and says Terryman can still win.
This scene was fantastic. It was short but perfectly encapsulated who Kinnikuman is. First, Kinnikuman is always hungry and nothing powers him up for a fight more than multiple bowls of his favorite food Gyudon! Second, Kinnikuman is a true Justice Chojin who never gives up on his friends and has boundless confidence in his friends. This scene was quintessential Kinnikuman. This was a wonderful way to introduce our main character in this new anime.
Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Episode 2 was another fantastic-looking episode. The match between Terryman and Max Radial was dynamic and properly violent. I wanted to address the opening credits and the closing credits for a moment. The opening credits are excellent. The animation is cool and all the characters look bad-ass. The song is great, too. It is not quite as good as the original Kinnikuman anime’s theme song, but it is damn close. The closing credits are phenomenal. I like them even more than the opening credits. The song is fantastic! I also love the manga-inspired animation going through the various iconic scenes from the original Kinnikuman manga. All in all, it is well done.
Final Thoughts
Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Episode 2 was an excellent episode. This episode is the best of the three that we have gotten so far. We are getting the classic Kinnikuman bloody action in the ring as well as that trademark theme of the heart of a hero who never gives up. What pushes this episode to the top is that we finally get to see Kinnikuman himself as well as Akuma Shogun, Ashuraman, and Sunshine. These appearances all help to make this episode even more special. I like Terryman as much as the next fan, but it was time to have our titular hero finally make an appearance.