Abashiri Family...
Sometime ago, I picked up the VHS version of The Abashiri Family...
The Abashiri Family is a gang reminiscent of the gang of delinquents that hung around Cutey Honey and is set mainly in a school similar to that in Kekko Kamen. The story is good, but, given the subject matter, expectations are not really all that high to begin with. The animation quality is less than acceptable by today's standards, but, average for a vintage title. It's been a while since I last visited this title and I don't remember any scenes that stand out at this time. There are no naughty bits or gore to speak of. Overall, if you don't mind vintage animation and you're looking for something mildly entertaining, you might want to try it out. I had the Abashiri Family on subtitled VHS. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive.
According to Wikipedia...They're creepy and they're kooky, but they're not THAT family. They're even weirder! They're the Abashiri family, kingpins of disorganized crime and the most dysfunctional family of criminals to ever perpetrate anti-social behavior on a global scale! So, just how bad are they? Let's just say that seasoned hit-men lose control of their bladders at the very mention of the name and that Mob Warfare has nothing on an Abashiri family quarrel! The most shocking thing, however, is not the Abashiris' nearly superhuman capabilities, nor their reputation for wanton, senseless violence, but the fact that they've built such international notoriety with a gang of only five members!
Of course, as Papa Abashiri would say, "Five may not be many, but it takes only five fingers to form a fist, a powerful force that can crush all opposition! Of course," Papa also admits "Some fingers are more important than others, especially if you're pulling a trigger or flipping someone the bird." The Abashiri Family is the story of one such finger, the clan's sole daughter and aspiring thuggette. Being a mob princess is never easy, so Papa has decided to send the apple of his eye to a very special finishing school, one secretly run by a ruthless gang of arch-criminals. What Papa doesn't know is that the proprietors of this school for crime have no interest in graduating any of their students, most of whom seem to mysteriously succumb to fatal "accidents"! Can our young heroine fight her way out of this Finishing School of the Damned before she's finished off, or will the Abashiri Family be looking for a new pinkie? The answer's to be found in the film that proves that the family that slays together, stays together: The Abashiri Family!
The characters Daemon, Kichiza, Naojiro, and Goemon would all appear in Go Nagai's later series Cutie Honey. In it, Daemon became Hayami Danbei and Kichiza became Hayami Junpei. Naojiro later appeared as Danbei's nephew, and boss of Paradise School. Goemon appeared with Naojiro as a teacher of Paradise School. Kikunosuke appears in the Mazinger Angels manga as the pilot for Iron Z (which is in fact a new name for Energer Z, the Mazinger Z prototype.) As well as traditional Mazinger and Grendizer characters Sayaka Yumi, Grace Maria Fleed, Hikaru Makiba and Jun Hono as they fight Dr. Hell's forces and the Vegan Empire, respectively; Daemon also appears under his Hayami Danbei alias in Grendizer. In Shin Mazinger, Cross is a cyborg similar to Naojiro and their robot form has the same appearance.
The Abashiri Family is a gang reminiscent of the gang of delinquents that hung around Cutey Honey and is set mainly in a school similar to that in Kekko Kamen. The story is good, but, given the subject matter, expectations are not really all that high to begin with. The animation quality is less than acceptable by today's standards, but, average for a vintage title. It's been a while since I last visited this title and I don't remember any scenes that stand out at this time. There are no naughty bits or gore to speak of. Overall, if you don't mind vintage animation and you're looking for something mildly entertaining, you might want to try it out. I had the Abashiri Family on subtitled VHS. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup, I decided not to keep it in my archive.
