Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Review

Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Review

NIS America aficionados may have noticed a schism between the publisher’s interactive output and their growing library of anime. While their games habitually incorporate capricious scenarios peppered with lascivious situations and a reliable sprinkle of double entendre, the company’s animated box sets have habitually focused on more poignant plotlines. From Katanagatari’s impassioned reimagining of Edo-era Japan to the one-two punch of anohana: The Flower We Say That Day and bunny drop’s heart-wrenching melodrama, NISA’s recent localization efforts have been decidedly mature.

That trend comes to an incendiary halt with the release of Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up, an unabashedly silly, feverish, and delightfully risqué twelve episode romp. The series inaugural entry introduces viewers to the Demon Patrol, an incongruous team tasked with locating and apprehending any yōkai that are hell bent on trashing humanity.

Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Review

Harumi, who stumbles upon the rest of the squad while skulking around her school, serves as the resident compassionate character. While the teen is willing to indulge the group’s oft-ridiculous ruses, she frequently requires rescue. Enma is the series’ comic lead and perpetual pervert; although his assignment is to merely capture demons, he habitually kills them, instigating massive amount of property damage in the process.  Enma’s principal object of ogling is the ice princess Yukiko, who stubbornly refuses to wear undergarments under her kimono. Wrapping up the team are an anthropomorphic hat and a kappa that functions as reoccurring recipient of physical punishment.

Although Ghastly Prince Enma’s episodes methodically deliver new fiends to function as Demon Patrol fodder, that’s largely where the series’ predictability ends. Unambiguously poking fun at anime trope, Enma’s roster of heroes and heretics routinely break the fourth wall to question the implausibility of a situation or speak directly to the viewer. Closing credits roll in the middle of one episode, critiquing the dumpy dénouement dispensed by certain serialized productions. Admittedly, the series’ frenzied pace can be initially off-putting; the opener’s in medias res approach is meant to depict Harumi’s entry to the netherworld. Yet, viewers will likely be scratching their heads as they encounter side-characters like an old woman who spins her drooping breasts around like a set of propellers.

Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Review

Gradually, the series’ cadence becomes palpable, delivering set pieces based on side-splitting innuendo, rapid fire successions of pop-culture references, and sequences which overflow with absurdist creativity. The only content-based caveat is that some of the series’ more salacious situations might be a bit off-putting to American sensibilities. Still anyone with a working knowledge of tentacle erotica should find Enma’s libidinous attitude riotously comical. With monsters that extend phallic horns from their pelvis and a few buxom characters that are in perpetual state of disrobe, Ghastly Prince straddles between fan-service and self-parody, making the series best suited for ardent anime watchers.

On Blu-ray, Enma is encoded in 1080p, MPEG-4 format with a consistently pristine image and color qualities. Divulging no noticeable anti-aliasing and producing a proficient 2.0 audio output, Blu-ray is clearly the medium of choice, but a short perusal of the bundled DVD copies revealed no significant visual loss. Considering the series’ range of stylistic aesthetics, which range from a slight haze to depict nostalgic or surreal sequences, the organic textures of children’s etching, and raging scenes which demonstrate the wrath of Enma’s mighty hammer, the sets encryption is commendable.

Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up Review

Beyond the set’s attractive full cover case and set of slim-line media cases adorned with series artwork, the collector’s edition comes with a gorgeous thirty-six page book. Divulging the details behind the series’ environments, characters, and adaption from original ‘70s series, the text also provides interviews with the Enma’s production staff and vocal team. While NISA customarily offers this kind of supplement with their premium editions, the book which accompanies Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up is exceptionally welcome given the anime’s precipitous pace.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

26 comments

  1. Tentacles on the front page? Deagle, you’ve gone full retard. 😉

  2. How come you never really talk about anime during the podcast? You might need to mention this.

    The last picture is pretty amazing. Is the dude throwing up the shocker?

  3. Great review, Des.

    One question are you ever going to offer a full spin-off anime site?

  4. One question do they actually show nudity or just tease.

    Good work, Deagle. Can’t wait to hear SeanNOLA chime in.

  5. I haven’t watched an anime is three or four years, but that last pic has me interested.

  6. Picture three is probably as close to a group photo of the podcast crew as we’ll ever get.

  7. “anyone with a working knowledge of tentacle erotica”

    So basically, all the podcast listeners, right?

  8. Looking at those screenshots, I can see the future. At least the next four podcasts.

    One question: “some of the series’ more salacious situations might be a bit off-putting to American sensibilities.”

  9. Why no FUNmation review, only NIS.

    I’d like to see your take on Strike Witches 2 which just came out.

  10. FUNimation, FUNimation.

    Damn you iPhone 5.

  11. I’ll have to check it out. Sounds pretty funny.

    Oh, and I’d also like to see some Funimation reviews, please.

    Oh, and this:

  12. Don’t know why it got cut off.

    Here’s take two.

  13. Good review Des. I like your character descriptions. Oh, and another vote for more anime reviews. I bought Anohana and totally love it.

  14. I wish I had enough money to buy this collector editions sets. I might have to scrimp for Emma. Looks funny.