Copyright © 1995 Dai Won Animation Company Ltd., Dai Won Publishing
Company Ltd.
Released in America by Manga Entertainment
85 minutes.
English Dubbed
$19.95
UPC: 0-44004-57313-9=20

"Technically, RED HAWK isn't really anime." Several people who consider themselves to be authorities on anime told me that. The reason? Well, it's done in Korea by a Korean staff! (One look at the names on the box cover and you'll realize that.) But I've got a surprise for people—anime has been done in Korea for many, many years. I know, you're probably shocked. Go get yourself a glass of water and some Nuprin before you read any further.
What they probably meant to say was that it was done completely in Korea. Anime has its origins in Japan. The studios reside there, the story, scripting, character designs and layout are done there, and most often only the inbetween animation (and more recently now, even key animation) are outsourced to Korean companies because they can do it cheaper. RED HAWK, however, is a 100% completely Korean animated product. But let us put its country of origin aside and get to the important question: is it any good?
Cross Superman with Robin Hood and dump him in YOTODEN and you've got the basic plot. It almost sounds like a Van Damme or Steven Segal movie. In an ancient Asian land, an evil syndicate has taken control. The first problem is with the syndicate's name - the Camelia Blossoms. If I were the head of a crime syndicate, I'd choose a more awe-inspiring name. The Five Dragons are the martial-arts enforcers of this syndicate, and are widely feared throughout the land. (Probably because their name is not chlorophyll-based). One of these Dragons, a man named Danlyong, escapes with the aid of his brother, Muklyong.
Three years pass, and the Camelia Blossoms have overthrown the government. The land is in turmoil. Honglyung, a pretty young woman, is a waitress in a local restaurant until her father turns up dead. Then she sets out in search of his killer, with the aid of some of her friends. When she is attacked, the mysterious Red Hawk turns up to save her.
Red Hawk is something of a mythic hero and is so named because "of the red hawk that always accompanies him." Well, thank the gods he wasn't accompanied by a sloth or a kinkajou or some other more unwieldly-named animal. Of course, how you can tell Red Hawk the hero from Red Hawk the Hawk is that the hero is taller.
RED HAWK isn't that much different from most of the fighting anime that is being released by companies in the United States today. The animation quality is just as high as some of its more well-known counterparts, and the character designs are familiar yet distinct enough to set them apart from other shows in this field. The clothing is different, as well. The characters tend to keep themselves pretty well covered up, which is unusual in fighting anime. It's a nice change to see shows where the female characters are not in constant danger of bouncing out of their clothes.
In fact, if there is one place where RED HAWK really falls down it is the music. The score sounds like it was done by two guys in a studio apartment with a Casio keyboard—you know, the portable kind you hauled to a music theory class in college so you can practice hearing tones and chords.
All in all, RED HAWK is an admirable effort. And while the story is somewhat predictable, the animation and production values are all good. Are they as good as Japan's? It depends. Yes, the production values in RED HAWK are comparable to many other OVAs that I have seen of late. But, like everything else, it is not fair to judge the entire Korean animation industry.