Beginning in the early 1970s with shows like Speed Racer, American companies started importing animated television shows from Japan to run on U.S. TV. This trend continued with shows like Battle of the Planets (my favorite) and Starblazers. In the 90s, Pokemon and Dragonball Z continued this trend. So, after all of these years of taking, and no doubt re-editing their shows, it only stands to reason that Japanese animators would want to return the favor by adapting American characters into animation. A recent example of this has been an arrangement by Marvel Comics to have some of their most popular characters head to the Far East. And thus we have Wolverine: Marvel Animated Series.

As the series opens, Wolverine, the familiar character from X-Men has returned to Japan to seek out Mariko, the woman that he loves. He's surprised to learn that Mariko is engaged to marry Kurohagi. This marriage has been arranged by Mariko's father, Shingen, who is a notorious gangster. Wolverine becomes determined to stop the wedding. But, this goal is harder than it sounds as Shingen is involved with the corrupt technology corporation AIM. Thus, Wolverine finds himself fighting all kinds of bizarre baddies like Omega Red and Vadhaka (a living statue). Wolverine gets assistance from Yukiko, an assassin who uses a metal disc to fight. Even with her help, Wolverine will have the battle of his life to save Mariko.

While Wolverine has appeared in Marvel comic books since the mid 70s, he's become very familiar to audience through other mediums in the past two decades. As played by Hugh Jackman, Wolverine has appeared in four feature films (two of which were pretty good). We've also seen Wolverine in at least three X-Men animated series. However, the Japanese have a unique outlook (understatement!) and the fact that a character is well known doesn't mean that Japanese writers and artists won't deliver their own take on him.

Longtime readers of The Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine know that Logan has a long history in Japan and some of the characters featured in this show come directly from the comics. So, it's not unexpected or controversial for Wolverine: Marvel Animated Series to set the action in Japan. And the storyline is fairly straightforward. But, for all of the familiar elements and characters, this is all very distinctly anime.

And that's where the question of whether or not you'll like Wolverine comes in. I, for one, have never been a fan of anime, but given that I'm a longtime X-Men fan, I thought that I'd give this show a try. Unfortunately, I found several things to not like. While the character featured here is clearly Wolverine, there's something missing. First of all, don't expect to see Wolverine in any of his familiar costumes, as he strictly sticks to civilian garb here. But it's more than just that. This Wolverine is gruff and violent, as one would expect, but there's no depth to him. He's very much a one-note character who simply gets into one fight after another. Which brings me to my second point -- the story here is very redundant. Once the primary premise is established, the show becomes very similar to video game, as Wolverine travels from one location to another, getting into fights. There's really nothing in the way of plot twists or character development, it's just fight, fight, fight. This may sound exciting, but the fights begin to blend together after a while.

I also wasn't crazy about the animation, which, no surprise here, sticks very closely to traditional anime style. The short and stocky Wolverine has been drawn a tall and lean here. That odd change set the stage for a show which has chosen a decidedly muted color palette. Other than Wolverine's red jacket, the show is populated with black and earth tones, which make for a visually dull experience. Omega Red looks like his comic book counterpart, which is a nice touch, but otherwise, the characters offer the angular look which anime has come to be known for.

In the end, it's not surprising that Japanese artists would put their own spin on Wolverine. And the notion of pursuing the "Wolverine loves Mariko" storyline is a logical one. However, Wolverine deserves a show more exciting than this one. I liked the cameos by Marvel characters, but for the most part, this show does little to separate itself from other anime entries, as Wolverine is reduced to a stereotypical tough guy who just happens to have knives which come out of the back of his hands.

Wolverine: Marvel Animated Series slashes its way onto DVD courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The two-disc set contains all 12 episodes of the series. The show has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer has been enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is sharp and clear, showing no grain. However, there are definitely times when the digital transfer reveals some stuttering and jagged lines in the animation. Again, the colors are muted, but the image is never overly dark or bright. The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a very impressive track and its power can be heard even at low volumes. The subwoofer effects are palpable and constant through the action scenes. The surround effects are also abundant. These effects are very detailed and work hard to bring us even the smallest sounds during the battles.

The Wolverine: Marvel Animated Series DVD contains three extras. Disc 1 kicks off with "The Marvel Anime Universe: Wolverine Reborn" (9 minutes) which contains comments from those behind the show. They talk about how well-suited the Wolverine character is for anime and how his story has been adapted for this medium. (The original Frank Miller/Chris Claremont mini-series is mentioned, so that's cool.) We see concept art for the character and hear how the show evolved from pre-existing stories where Wolverine visited Japan. "The Ferocious Anti-Hero: Wolverine Defined" (9 minutes) continues this conversation with the same speakers who examine both the heroic and berserk qualities of Wolverine and how this makes him a popular character. Disc 2 contains "Wolverine Meets X-Men" (30 minutes) has two members of the Japanese Wolverine staff and two representatives from the anime X-Men who discuss the world of the X-Men and how their shows are similar and different.