Available from Eureka Entertainment as a 2-disc set with Beast Fighter: Karate Bullfighter.
In this follow-up of Beast Fighter: Karate Bullfighter, we get to see a bit more of the life and exploits of Sensei Masutatsu Oyama.
Written by Masahiro Kakefuda and Nobuaki Nakajima, based on the manga by Jôya Kagemaru, Ikki Kajiwara, and Jirô Tsunoda, and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, this sequel feels very much like the first film with perhaps a bit of diminishing returns on the set-ups, fights, and smaller elements of the film. The writing and direction work here, but there is, much like with the first film, something quite dated about the whole thing which is honestly part of the charm here. The story is one that feels like it works within the established world of the first film, giving the viewers more of the same basically, with very little change in style or story type. This is a rinse and repeat type of sequel with a few added elements, so the story doesn’t get too stale. Yes, there are differences, but the main parts remain the same.
Starring once again Sonny Chiba, his fans will be happy with this one, giving him some fun fights, some slightly cheesy dialogue, and a good amount of screen time. Being that both films were released the same year, there must have been very little time between the filming of both, something that can help or hinder in terms of sequel-ization. Here, it seems to work well for the lead actor as he was able to bring his character to life and then stay in that mind frame for the sequel. The cast overall is decent once again, giving support to Chiba.
This sequel does have a bear fight as the title suggests and for those who do not love seeing real bears getting fought, you’ll be glad to know that the bear in question is one goofy looking costume on a man and his fighting comes off rather human. Yes, the bear is there. Yes, it very much sucks. However, it’s still fun to watch that fight and have a good giggle at how special effects have evolved in the last 50 or so years.
The new release for Eureka Entertainment looks good on Blu, giving the film a solid, yet aged look from new restorations with original materials from TOEI. The image here is clear with some signs of aging and the sound works in its original Japanese mono format. The release has good extras with the most interesting ones being the new video essay In Search of the Ultimate Truth by Jonathan Clements. The films each get feature length audio commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, action cinema experts.