- Directed by Yuzo Sato
- December 8, 1995
- Based on the Japanese manga series Bio Hunter authored by Fujihiko Hosono
Voice Cast
- Komada-Matt McKenzie
- Koshigaya-Matt K. Miller
- Sayaka-Sherry Lynn
- Bokudō-Mike Reynolds
- Tabe-Barry Stigler
- Mikawa-Jamie Hanes
- Mary-Barbara Goodson
- Boss-John Hostetter
Two molecular biologists fight humans with a strange virus that turns them into something demonic.
Bio Hunter is based off a manga and I guess being that this was released initially in Japan it relies on that public’s familiarity with the source material to get past a few things. For viewing by a Japanese audience that’s forgivable but when you’re releasing something to an American audience to whom it is unknown you might need to demonstrate a few things.
I’m not sure if our central male characters of scientists Komada and Koshigaya are supposed to be heroes or antiheroes. What I am sure of is they are both college professors specializing in in molecular biology while having a side gig fighting a demon virus because, well, you know. Koshigaya openly dates his students. That’s supposed to be a bit of humor but sounds massively inappropriate!
The story itself is a mixture of science-fiction and fantasy. Visually it has a very authentic real world look mixed with extreme body horror that can only be accomplished in animation. It is replete with nudity that one seems to find in the tawdrier material of the time. What we get is something that visually stands out among tamer material made today.
With some great uncensored animation the opening scene is horrifying and effective in demonstrating what the cast of characters are up against. What begins as an evening of casual sex takes a serious turn. The woman starts complaining about being hungry and then she transforms with her torso biting today’s lover’s hand off.
The story centers around Bokudō who is a psychic that looks like a flesh-colored Yoda. From there it gets into mild political intrigue and conspiracies that might make Oliver Stone take a look all with a heady mix of science fiction and the supernatural.
Sayaka is his granddaughter with her whole purpose being to shortcut locating Bokudō. That and to be the damsel in distress. That’s it. As a character she really isn’t much of one. She never giggles as is often the case in certain animation and that is the only thing missing from making her a complete cliché.
The interesting twist in Bio Hunter is that our central characters Komada and Koshigaya find themselves going after an infected individual who because of the infection is basically a serial killer. This person turns out to be in line to be the next Prime Minister of Japan. A definite complication but the resolution seems a little too easy. They just fight the guy and kill him but then again the guy killed everybody that could be a witness so the status quo would be easy to restore in a time before ubiquitous cell phone.
It keeps things coming and you don’t think about it until the end, but beyond a mention of their day jobs you really don’t know too much about these characters. Koshigaya is a horny guy sleeping with his students and Komada despite being infected himself has some morality. Their side hustle is for extra cash. It’s not like they’re even using it to find a cure Komada. Koshigaya is studying his friend.
Two things struck me about the ending: they were at the minimum expecting a sequel and they never once thought at all that a man who transforms into a monster, and then back into himself, just walking away completely naked was weird. It was dramatic but made no sense.
The animation is dark and beautiful as it engages in body horror aspects. The Prime Minister character Tabe is little is much more terrifying than Komada. When transformed Tabe’s appearance owes a great deal to John Carpenter’s The Thing while Komada is fancifully dark. It makes it easier to tell the difference between the two in the midst of tendrils and beating the crap out of each other but given how the girl in the opener transforms and how Tabe changes it doesn’t make much sense. You could create head cannon that is because Komada has control over his infection but there’s nothing outright that says it’s because he has control over his infection.
It might need some better characterization and some explanations but Bio Hunter is a stunning example of animated body horror. Shocking and disturbing visually.
