Takeru.

I'm not sure you are going to like this. It's another Japanese import. It's not a game and it's not in English. It's a CD based manga story. So, instead of turning pages, you press the 'A' button on your 3DO controller to turn the virtual pages. The future of none-interactive entertainment?

The story follows the adventures I believe,  of a man called Takeru. And it's OK. I suppose I better answer the big question first; does not being able to read Japanese hinder this? I'd say 50% of what is going-on is lost, but this is what I figured out:

Takeru is a wandering chap, perhaps a Ronin. He looks like he escaped from Fist of North Star if you have seen that. And no, not the dreadful live action movie, the anime cartoon. He's a big chap, with big blond hair and a half disco, half Samurai bright red outfit. Takeru also has a pet fox thing, that seems to be inside a rice cooker. And together they are looking for someone. Someone clearly evil.

So far, I'm up to chapter 4, and Takeru has been in a fight in a bar. He has tortured some guy in the bar to tell him where the old evil guy he was looking for was. He then chased after this old guy, who was being protected by this robotic woman in a red bikini. You following me? OK. Good.

At this point, I should point that the artist, a man who seems to draw all his art from start to finish on computer rather than on paper first then transfering them to computer, is quite keen on drawing the female form. And occasionally, in the name of equality, the male form.

Anyway, on with the story: A long chase ensues. Takeru on the floating Rice Cooker with a fox inside it and the old-man on a giant robotic Sea-horse. And it's all very exciting. There are explosions, a half naked women's butts and hand-grenades, but eventually the old guy escapes. He escapes by means of taking a hostage. The hostage is freed, but the old guy scurries off leaving Takeru to do what he does second best after fighting. Yes, that's right, licking faces.

Takeru's chat up line is unique and transcends language. He licks the faces of the women he fancies. Women, in so far as I can make out, he has just met. I'm only on chapter 4, but Takeru the Licker has used the same trick twice. The first time it worked, and before you could say "What's Japanese for lick?" he was taking a bath with the lady in question. The second time he tried to lick his way into a women affections, he was arrested, but call it the 3DO Kid Anime intuition, but I reckon it worked the second time too.

The story is based in a world that shares parallels with the PS2 game series Onimusha. Old world feudal Japan, modern technology and a 1970s dress code.

The art is very good. It's nostalgic, especially if you like early 1990s anime like The Fist of the North Star, or Ninja Scroll, and the story? Well I'm just about keeping up.

Rare-ish outside of Japan.

3DO Kid.

Enjoy the pictures.