Master of Martial Hearts
Anime DVD Review
There's enough cheese here to make a fondue for the entire planet. Remember that "Dead or Alive" video game where girls fight girls? What made that game so great? Girl on girl action, cute babes whacking the hell out of each other, often while wearing the most revealing outfits (which soon inspired the bikini-volleyball classic!)
Well, despite the cheezy title, Master of Martial Hearts (yes, that's really the title) is exactly like that game, with the added bonus that; as the girls fight, their costumes get torn and ripped in various places... Which soon leads to more fanservice than most of us can handle.
I was expecting total cheeeeezzzyy fanservice, *and* a vapid and useless story that attempts to justify the action, but no, they had to throw in an interesting mystery about the underground tournament surrounding a jewel called the "Platonic Heart" that can (supposedly) grant any wish, and a secret society that controls the tournament. Yes, boys and girls, there's actually a plotline behind what could have been a run-of-the-mill fanservice catastrophe, but no, Master of Martial Hearts has the potential to be an *amazing hit* because the story has just enough pull to drag you in.
I'm as surprised as you are. However, be warned that by the time you get to episode 5, the writers have painted themselves into a corner and the result is confusing and really doesn't answer all the questions it sets up, furthermore, the twists on top of twists can seem confusing. However, despite that, the ending was quite surprising (I mean that last scene!) It also didn't hurt that our main protagonist reminded me of A-ko, and yes, that might also be because she appears to be indestructible.
And the more pissed off she gets, the harder she fights. And the harder she fights, the more clothing gets ripped to shreds. And the more clothing that gets ripped to shreds..., well, we'll just leave that to your imagination and libido.
All that said, Master of Martial Hearts did keep me coming back for more, so, it's not just boring cheezy fanservice. It's cheezy fanservice.. with a twist!
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, October 2010
Below: Promotional artwork and scenes from Master of Martial Hearts.
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