Shadow Skill
"I am invincible! No one can survive my shadow skills! With a single stroke I am unbeatable!" In a world where martial arts gladiators with unheard-of skills battle for glory and justice, young orphan Gau trains relentlessly under his cocky adoptive sister Ella (a great champion) to master the elusive Shadow Skill, a mystical style with a dark past. His education of course allows for plenty of flashy fights, and that's the main appeal of this lively collection of two short 1996 OVA features. The animation is limited but the art direction is detailed and vivid, and director Hiroshi Negishi saves his budget for the battles, which offer impressive displays of animation pyrotechnics. Though hardly deep ("We can get closer to God by fighting!" opines the mysterious champion Scarface), the episodic adventures zip right along, and the climax packs an unexpected charge of drama between the blows. For ages 13 and up for violence and some strong language.--Sean Axmaker