Well, surprise surprise- another Tekken adaptation that fails to capture what makes the source material work. With a new video game being teased by series creator Katsuhiro Harada (whether it's an eighth main game or something else; I'm interested); let's go over my first viewing thoughts on "Tekken Bloodline," and why it's anemic and dull.
First, the most obvious problem is with the animation. I had my doubts about the CG animation with 2D styling; but I waited to reserve judgment until the series actually streamed. I am sorry to say that those doubts were justified. While the character designs do look largely accurate to the games, it's the way they move that's the fatal flaw. When the video games that this anime reportedly adapts had better framerates and more energetic movements in the PS1 era; you've done something wrong.
The next issue is the creative liberties taken with the games. To date, there hasn't been an adaptation that's accurately captured what makes the games so interesting. Though this is the third one that attempts to adapt the basic plot of the King of Iron Fist Tournament with a bit of revenge thriller for Jin's storyline; it's the execution that does it in; as with both the feature films. Not only does the inciting incident feel underwhelming; it's typically not Ogre that kills his family, which will become even more apparent as I continue. Normally, I wouldn't be getting into spoiler territory for this kind of post; but in this case, I'll make an exception.
Then, we have the characterization. Lots of video game adaptations fall into this trap; where they simultaneously make changes that end up disappointing fans, but also make the cast virtually impenetrable to newcomers. Again, people like me get annoyed over semantics about the flames on Jin's outfit; and newcomers have no idea why King is a luchador so committed to his gimmick that he speaks exclusively in wildcat noises. This isn't an impossible task to pull off- my looks at Detective Pikachu and the Sonic movies have proven that you can retain what makes a character work in the source material while still showcasing them in a different medium. He does get said flames and his game counterpart's tattoos, rendering said semantics entirely pointless.
There's also the issue of pacing- the actual tournament that is the basis for the franchise doesn't start till the third episode. In the process, this also adds more problems to the characters I just mentioned; including a scrap with Jin and Hwoarang that would have been way more interesting to see. Plot threads that don't feel glacial feel more rushed than WB Discovery removing content. ... Too soon?
However, beyond all this is the main issue I have with Bloodline- the story. It's not really a promising sign when one episode lists several characters from the games as missing (I specifically saw Wang, Baek and King); only to have the next show them arrive at the tournament like nothing. By the time of the finale, it became clear that this anime didn't have much to justify its existence. Though the crew is by no means inexperienced, it lacks that spark that made the Castlevania adaptation work so well. I personally found myself more entertained by the other offerings Netflix had this month, including the documentary miniseries Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.
As a lifelong Tekken fan, I am sorry to say that I do not like Tekken Bloodline - it's not as bad as the previous adaptations were; but it's also not very good. Just play the games again while the new one is being made, I know I will. I am still contemplating reviewing the previous anime adaptation, Tekken: The Motion Picture, but that can wait for now. I have unfinished business with another spinoff. That's all for now- Get ready for the next battle.
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