Shin Angyo Onshi



The title is surely a mouthful, but Shin Angyo Onshi is an anime movie that otaku would do well to check out. Just like the movie Wonderful Days (which I really haven't seen in its entirety), Shin Angyo Onshi is a Korean-made anime feature film. Based on the manhwa (Korean comics) of the same title, the movie is set in an alternate world in the aftermath of a great empire's collapse due to the death of the Emperor. As chaos and turmoil engulf the land, the only justice now left is in the hands of the Angyo Onshi, or 'Agents of the Empire' who dispense law by the power of their sacred/mystical seals.


Talk to the Badge.

Despite looking quite surly and cold, the wanderer Munsu is actually the titular Shin Angyo Onshi, or New Agent of the Fallen Empire. In fact, he seems to be extremely powerful given that he can use various magical abilities, not the least of which is the summoning of a phantom army to do his bidding.
The film actually has two parts, the first being the introduction of both Munsu and how he first meets his eventual follower/travelling companion/bodyguard Sando, a lovely and silent young woman who just happens to have almost divine skills in laying waste to any enemies stupid or brave enough to challenge her.


Sando AKA Death Incarnate in Bondage Lingerie.

The second part of the film deals with Munsu's and Sando's first adventure, which deals with a mysterious island where evil magic is afoot. The whole film then has the feel of being a pilot for an eventual anime series, not really closing anything but giving the impression of a whole lot of justice-bringing and butt-kicking to come.


These are actually the good guys, believe it or not.

Despite that, the film should satisfy with pretty slick animation, though slightly not the kind of quality you can expect from big budget Japanese anime. There's quite a bit of amazing fight scenes and accompanying fan service with Sando, whose outfit consists basically of skimpy bondage-type leather straps and strips of cloth wraps. Munsu on the other hand fills the bad-ass role as he uses guns (similar to Genjo Sanzo from Gensomaden Saiyuki). Both leads are pretty interesting characters- Munsu has a bit of an anti-hero bent as he can be quite cruel or even heartless with how he deals his justice... while Sando on the other hand despite being an unstoppable slice-and-dice killing machine still has a young girl's innocence and an irrational fear of crossing bridges. Hmm.

I can only hope that an actual anime series or more installments of the movie follow. Shin Angyo Onshi (or "Phantom Master") is not an easy-to-find title; I had to scour the land for weeks before I finally happened upon the source of my copy. Now it's on my phone for anytime viewing. HAHA! For everyone else, if you can, try to check it out if you happen upon it. It looks cool and is pretty good for an independent anime.