If TETSUO and THE BODY HAMMER were anime-inspired (and, it seems to me, they clearly were), then HIRUKO THE GOBLIN appears to be more manga-esquire in its execution. It has a comic book feel from the very beginning. Eschewing the graphic gore and kinetic kinema that inform the aforementioned TETSUO twosome, Tsukamoto with HIRUKO opts instead for a more formal and less experimental approach. I won't go so far as to say that HIRUKO is by any means bland, but it certainly lacks any of the visceral visual punch that the director's earlier films boast. (Even as accomplished a filmmaker as David Cronenberg, whose earlier films certainly packed a wallop, began to mellow later in his career; and his later films, while not forgettable, were, nonetheless... less.) If you like manga or anime, or live-action anime like ZERAM, you'll like HIRUKO.
Review of Hiruko the Goblin
