Tell me, faithful Monster readers, who out there in cyberspace doesn't like wrasslin'? As entertainment, wrestling's popularity is right up there with B-movies, anime and all those strange and disturbing things we here at Monstersatplay love to bring you each and every week. So to make a good thing better, this week we've got the anime show SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN: ROUND ONE, which combines the Japanese art form with the grind of big sweaty bodies pummeling each other. Who could ask for anything more?

During the opening credits, two massive men literally beat the shit out of each in a bloody wrasslin' ring - this ain't no WWE kiddies. The King of Wrestling - Iron Kiba- prepares to annihilate another opponent. Kiba may be the undisputed champ, but he has a secret shame that must be resolved. Young Kiichi races through he urban streets, training in a most unconventional way. His teacher, Oton, is the master of Nanshin Shadow Style - an extreme fighting technique that is as deadly as it is unbeatable. To prove his point that the craft must be used responsibly, Oton actually kills his son Kiichi with a heart punch! He revives the boy and tells him that to experience life, one must experience death. Kiichi is not amused. Later, outside the wrestling hall, Kiichi interferes in a fight between some wrestlers, despite Oton's warning not to mess with them. This leads to confrontation between Oton and Iron Kiba, who have some history between them. Seems Oton is the only man to ever defeat Kiba, in an unsanctioned match between wrestler and the Nanshin master. To regain face for the wrestlers, Kiba orders his lackey Funada to beat up Kiichi. The boy makes a good showing following his father's footsteps, but the wrestler won't quit. Oton interferes before one of them dies from the bloody battle. Kiba is disgusted by Oton's compassion, and demands a rematch with the martial artist. Kiichi takes up the wrestler on his challenge.

Now from here on out, things spin a little out of control...Oton is upset at Kiichi's impetuses. According to him, the Nanshin Shadow Style is murderous, and should not be used irresponsibly - it's that dangerous. Mysterious circumstances lead to Oton getting a major smackdown, forcing Kiichi to defend the family honor. But to stop this monster, Kiichi will need even more than his father's technique. Who can the boy turn to for help? What evil machinations are Kiba and his wrestling goons up to? And gosh, it's only round one in the ultimate underground fighting world of SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN!

Like Oton's heart punch, SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN packs quite a wallop. In less than an hour, an entire world of intrigue is created - a world where wrestling rules through fear and beat downs, and only the strongest survive. Matters such as responsibility, honor and redemption play important roles in the characters lives. It's fast and furious like its subject, but with a depth that makes SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN stand out from the crowd. Even secondary characters are not treated as stereotypes, but given complexity that belies the nominal cliché' of 'wrestler'. The main character of Kiichi is handled very well; he's just a boy, but learns quickly what it is to be a man. The relationship between Oton and Kiichi is complicated (Oton kills Kiichi, remember?), but proves where true loyalty lies. The feud between Kiba and Oton is simmering on the stove, but we just know things are gonna boil over in the next round of SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN. Funny thing - outside of the dozen of so fighters and two friends of Kiichi, there's almost no other characters in the whole episode. Who needs 'em when you've got brawl-for-alls like these? The action is very brutal and very bloody, yet done with a style much like a very violent ballet. The animation may be nothing spectacular, but they sure know how to stage a no-holds-barred fight. The picture quality itself is very good, with the reds really standing out (I wonder why?). Audio is fine - clean and no distortion. The dub job is adequate.

The DVD of SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN has only a minimal number of extras. There is trailer for the show, as well as teasers for rounds two and three. Included as well is an art gallery of action-packed images, plus the obligatory previews of other anime (and graphic novel) titles available from CPM. The nice touch is that the episode is presented letterboxed to capture all the chaotic action!

SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN ROUND 1 is a lean mean fighting machine. The show gives you the characters, the set-up and goes off on a furious pace. There's no romantic subplots or deep social commentary here - just two-fisted action! So if you're in the mood for the ultimate in underground fighting mayhem, then SHOOTFIGHTER TEKKEN is exactly what you're been waiting for...if ya smell what El Grande' Jeffe' is cookin'...