[HorrorScience] Bio Hunter (1995)

Contrary to what happened in the West, in Japan it was commonmake animated films focused on adult audiences, many of which did not reach that level and if they did, they had an anecdotal distribution.

As time goes by and thanks to the Internet, it is relatively easy to search for those movies from the past and enjoy watching them today. In recent yearsI have dedicated myself to looking for some movies that I only heard about or rented in a video store many years ago. Some I have found with relative ease, while others remain unreachable, perhaps because my memory no longer clearly remembers important details.

However, in searching for those films from my past, I have been lucky enough to find many completely unknown to me (such asDemon City Shinjuku), being sometimes very enjoyable, like the one I am going to comment on below,Bio Hunterof 1995.

The film begins with a sex scene, where the girl demands food from her partner, then suffers a mutation and tears off the man's arm, who flees in terror. From here we jump to a university where we will meetKoshigaya, a chemistry teacher, who apparently doesn't mind fooling around with female students,and his partnerKomada, who turns out to be the opposite, as he is very strict with himselfand does not let himself be carried away by his base instincts.

Both teachers are trying toobtain a cure for “the demon virus”that turns those affected into monsters that feed on other human beings. Komada is especially sensitive to detecting people affected by the virus, since he is also infected, but he keeps his demonic side under control thanks to his willpower, his excellent immune system and large quantities of food.

The first time we see both “Bio Hunters” go into action is to try to save the girl from the first scene, whom her family has managed to restrain and chain so that she does not do more harm. However, the antidote does not have the desired effect and Komada is forced tobring out her demonic side to stop herbefore he murders everyone present.

While both teachers try to alleviate the effects of the virus,a series of serial murders will happen in the city,In all of them, the victims were left with their insides completely devoured. Due to the particular events that both characters witness in their second job, they are quite convinced that an infected person may be responsible for the brutal murders.

While they investigate,Komada comes across a girl being chased by bullies, which he helps. Once the two teachers have met, the girl tells them that she is the granddaughter of a famous psychic who disappeared shortly after visiting a powerful local businessman and apparently, the thugs who were chasing her had orders to kidnap her to try to locate the psychic.

Despite the dangerous situation, Komada decides to help the girl and Koshigaya also joins in, especially pleased that his friend still has some feeling inside. However, the search will not be easy and the strange murders continue to happen night after night. Will the Bio Hunters be able to solve these mysteries?

Bio HunterIt is a short film (barely an hour long) and, therefore, its story is quite simple. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing, sinceDespite the short amount of footage, we are given defined characters and a story that becomes increasingly more interesting., until reaching the final violent conclusion. So we can enjoy it from beginning to end without falling into boredom, since its rhythm is very good.

The protagonists seem like stereotypes(the liveist and the strict one), butThey immediately move away from that preconceived idea that we have made of them, because at no point do we see Koshinaga fool around with the women who cross him (as would be so common in any film) and we can understand that Komada's righteousness is due to the fact that, having a monster inside him, he is terrified of what he can do to other people if he lets himself get carried away.

The relationship between both friends is very well done,Because although nothing is explained to us about their joint past, their situation is very clear. Komada is a tragic character, who even doubts whether he can be considered human due to his condition, which is why he deprives himself of the pleasures of life. For his part, Koshinaga tries to help his friend in any way he can. Not only does she create an antidote, but she encourages him to enjoy life and worries about him, despite knowing that if Komada loses control, he will surely be her first victim. The other characters (the psychic, his granddaughter, the main villain and the thugs) are very typical in design and actions, but at least they serve to make the film work and, in the case of the main villain, he even hides a slight criticism (his desire for political and social power makes the demon inside him stronger).

Bio Hunterhasa quite remarkable terrifying atmosphere. The monsters that appear are grotesque deformities, the city is dark and lifeless, but the rural part that appears late in the film is colorful and charming. The film is not afraid to show nudity (both male and female) and these usually precede the violence, which is quite explicit (with blood and amputations). The visual section of the film is very pleasant, the animations are good, the backgrounds are varied and the monsters have different designs from each other, which is a success, since only three appear. It is true that the character designs are very much in the style of the 90s, but that is normal, since it is the time in which it was released.

Bio Hunterisa little gem of anime for adults. It's simple and short-lived, but the viewing is remarkably enjoyable and the story has a pretty epic closure. Highly recommended for anime lovers.

Some curiosities

• The film is based on the manga of the same name, created by Fuhijiko Hosono in 1989.
• Yoshiaki Kawajiri también es responsable de otras obras comoWicked City, Ninja Scroll y Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
• Siempre me ha parecido curioso que en el anime aparezcan marcas reales, ligeramente modificadas para evitar problemas legales, pero al mismo tiempo perfectamente reconocibles. En el caso de Bio Hunter, tenemos una lata de Coca Cola (o Coca Gola) en primer plano.