Common Title: Tiger Mask W
Score: 7/10, 4/5
Length: 38 Episodes
Genre: Action, Drama, Sports, Comedy
Summary: After Fujii Daisuke fell to the career-ending attacks of The Yellow Devil, his two apprentices have sworn vengeance on the devil in their own ways. Daisuke's son, Takuma, joined the infamous wrestling organization that sponsors The Yellow Devil known only as The Tiger's Den. Daisuke's other apprentice, Azuma Naoto, has taken a different path. Under the training of the former Yellow Devil, Takaoka Kentarou, Naoto has taken up the mask of a wrestling legend--a man who single-handedly destroyed The Tiger's Den years ago. Though he has a long way to go before he can live up to the reputation of his predecessor, Naoto has pledged to become the personification of a tiger's determination and ferocity. He is the new Tiger Mask.
Review: Having never seen the original two iterations of the Tiger Mask franchise, I can't help but feel like there were some things in this show. That feeling, however, is just one my many neuroses when it comes to anime. Just like how I can rarely ever bring myself to drop a show after four or more episodes, I just generally hate walking into something that has a history in the industry unless it's a total remake. Tiger Mask W, does take that issue into account though as it told its story. While it might technically be a sequel, it is its own property, wholly separate from the original two shows (Tiger Mask and Tiger Mask Nisei). While there are callbacks to the character of Date Naoto, the original Tiger Mask, they hold little to no bearing over the story of Azuma Naoto, the new Tiger Mask, other than the fact that he has a legacy to live up to while he simultaneously seeks his vengeance. What's more, though, is that it is well understood that this iteration of Tiger Mask is simply more of the same--a heroic wrestling story that promotes the real-life sport by introducing a totally new and different audience to what is probably the most anime sport on earth.
Or at least it would be if Keijo weren't an actual sport now.
When I say it's more of the same, I mean it's essentially the same kind of show with a new twist on the formula. There's still tons of action. There's still all the drama and suspense that you'd expect of a wrestling show--heel turns and all. There are even tons of cameos with actual wrestlers from NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling) who become regulars in the show. Here's the interesting thing though, the cameos run in both directions. Just like how there are real world wrestlers in the Tiger Mask series, the new characters introduced in the show became actual wrestlers in the Japanese circuit. Tiger Mask, Tiger the Dark (also called Dark Tiger), and Spring Tiger all have real-world equivalents in the world of wrestling thanks to this franchise. Of course, this sharing of characters creates an opportunity for the wrestling fan base to expand past people who were already interested in the sport, but it does offer a fun touch to what is already a pretty solid wrestling show.
By which I mean it's just pure, action-packed fun. Nothing can be taken too seriously with
this sport, so it's anime plot lines feel right at home in the wrestling world.
While going into great detail would kind of ruin the plot of this show, it is basically everything a wrestling fan could hope for in an anime. It's a classic, good versus evil story with some ambiguity thrown in with the "edge lord" character that is Tiger the Dark. You find yourself rooting for both of the main characters as they take their own respective routes to the same goal until they are inevitably forced to clash since only one of them will be able to see their dream of personal vengeance realized. It gets a little silly at times with the liberties the show takes with its cameos and the direction of the plot, but those moments feel more like homages to the kind of shows and movies that inspired wrestling in the same way wrestling inspires anime, rather than hindrances to the otherwise dramatic story of Tiger Mask W. If I had to level one complaint against the show though, it'd be that it runs on a little too long for my tastes. While it doesn't get anywhere near the length of the original Tiger Mask, W feels like it could have told its story in 24 episodes rather than 38. There were simply too many episodes dedicated to filler and cameos to maintain a constant, dramatic pace.
I will admit, however, that I appreciated the attention Tiger Mask W gave
to the world of women's pro-wresting.
As a whole, however, I can't deny I had a lot of fun with this show. It was simple hero show that offered a lot and served as a nice change of pace from the norm. The art was stylistically appropriate with its heavy and jagged outlines and movements, adding a more raw feeling to the show's action. The music was solid but took some time before it really grew on me. The characters were fun and thoughtful in their own ways, in spite of having fairly simple goals and motivations. The show even offered the characters a lot more development than I think they would have ever gotten in any other action show, thanks to the heel turns, backstabbing, and team-ups that are a staple of the wrestling industry. So, put simply, it's the perfect wrestling show. It is just the kind of show that offers a lot for wrestling fans, since it follows the same tone and pace of wrestling plot lines, while also serving as a great introduction to the sport for people who haven't experienced that world of staged action before. While I haven't watched wrestling in some time, it definitely tempted me to turn on some WWE whenever I wasn't busy with shows like this. So, I'd recommend giving this one a shot if it sounds even remotely interesting to you.