When Netflix added shonen anime sensations like Jujutsu Kaisen , Demon Slayer , and One Piece to its library, it lagged behind some of its competitors. But no one can argue the streamer wasn’t a forerunner in anime’s most underappreciated genre: mixed martial arts. After thrilling shows like Baki Hanma and Kengan Ashura (and in anticipation of their hotly-anticipated crossover special on the horizon ), I hoped Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf would be yet another notch in Netflix’s belt.
Unfortunately, you’re more likely to discreetly check your phone while Garouden is on than pump your fist alongside its enthralled peanut gallery. Directed by Atsushi Ikariya and adapted from the 1989 manga of the same name, Garouden follows a martial artist named Juzo Fujimaki who is on the lam after killing the assailant of his instructor’s daughter. While living as a fugitive and saving stray civilians from threats that include, but are not limited to, grizzly bears, Juzo is coerced into joining a deadly underground fighting tournament called Kodoku.
Garouden presents itself as an exhilarating firecracker of a drama about a man battling his inner demons and lethal martial artists with nothing to lose. In reality, it’s more akin to a slow-burning incense candle that threatens to lull its viewers to sleep. Though unmarred by the jarring 3D animation that made early Baki and Kengan episodes difficult to watch, Garouden’s animation style is equal parts stiff and lifeless.
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