Master Of Martial Hearts [Funimation] - Anime Review

Creating a balance of fantasy basis, fun and a dirth of character structure can be difficult when there is a pre-supposed tone aimed at a specific demographic. With "Master Of Martial Hearts", the balance of a brainwashed individuals balanced with the possibility that during every girlfight, breasts are more than likely to be ripped out of various shirts runs high. This inevitability has to be taken as a given. Not that it is bad at all but the distraction factor unevens the progression. The idea behind this short series is that a street fight competition is created to allow women who have an unattainable wish to fight to accomplish it. Should they win, their wish is granted. The lead character here is one, who at the inset, seems to be normal. She happens upon a girl (Mika) that seems to have no friends and is engaged in this competition. In defending her new friend, there becomes the aspect of the hero to fight for but as she wins and starts hurting people she likes, which at one point includes one of her hot teachers from school, the motivation moves in one of periled direction. This structure in terms of battles is almost game savvy, not in terms of its complication but rather in level difficulty. A specific interaction of note takes place inside a would-be geisha club where the combatant wins because of the adoration of the "masters" on the floor. What distinctifies this series happens in the last episode where the entire competition turns out to be a revenge plot. The endgame that tends to abstract it is that all the losers of the fight have become brainless airheads including a formerly vicious flight attendant who is licking pellets off the floor. The entire revenge structure becomes a vicious circle with the girl's mother (a former special operative herself) taking out everything from doppelgangers to her daughter's would-be assassins.The Japanese and English versions run in comparative branches but the culture distinctions do not play in congruence and cause problems since they are not rooted in many details. The extras include a visual commentary from the lead female Japanese voice actresses where they seem to address the sexuality but not quite. They seem more interested in what they are having for lunch. The trailers speak to similar quotients, some equally intriguing while slightly banal. "Strike Witches" involves "girls with no pants" attacking seemingly in a war with guns attached to their feet and arms flying through the air. "Eden Of The East" by comparison has a truly dark sensibiliity balanced with the political and visionary ideals that made "Trinity Blood" a break though series. "Master Of Martial Hearts" is a nice side train that keeps itself in perspective of what it truly is (a romp) though its conclusion shows a darker element permeating through. Out of 5, I give it a 2.