One of the best qualities of Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero is the writing. One really doesn't need to be familiar with either the manga or movie to fully understand what is happening.

Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero
(2004) Movie/ 47 minutes. Director: Shinji Ishidaira. DVD bilingual $14.99. Distributor: Central Park Media.

Back in 1998, Hideo Yamamoto penned the manga Koroshiya Ichi or, better known to some by its English title, Ichi the Killer. Yamamoto's detailed and gruesome story of a man named Ichi who is manipulated by a mob kingpin into becoming a highly skilled assassin found a strong cult following and in 2001 it was turned into a live action film. When this movie was released it was actually the first opportunity for the vast majority of Americans who are fans of manga and Tokyo cinema to experience this obscure and twisted story. The live-action movie with its faithfulness to the brutal violence of the original manga and macabre humor found a worldwide fan base outside mainstream cinema. Following the success of both the manga and the comic, an animated short film was produced to delve into the origins of the fabled killer Ichi.

Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero successfully fills in the backstory of who exactly is Ichi and how did he become a cosplay-wearing, one-man slaughterhouse? Right from the beginning I want to warn everyone that this title is not for the squeamish. I am sure that there are some folks out there reading this and laughing to themselves, because they have seen some pretty violent anime before. But the violence of Episode Zero is not the disturbing part I am speaking of. This title skillfully digs into the psyche of what created Ichi and the horrific violence is only a brief release of the torture Ichi's mind inflicts on himself. Yamamoto must have invested some real time in writing this prequel because of the very real pattern in which Ichi progresses down into becoming a monster.

Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero successfully fills in the blanks of Ichi and his tranformation into a one-man slaughterhouse. But be forewarned -- this is not for the squeamish. All Ichi images © 2004 Hideo Yamamoto/Shougakkan/Media Suits (English version).

Everything with Ichi's life in the beginning seems to be rather normal, and his family could be anyone's neighbors. But, as the story progresses, the layers of Ichi's torment and revealed. Initially he appears to be a standard average achiever in middle school. He is a shy boy who largely keeps to himself and has difficulty connecting with others and has no real friends. This shyness appears as weakness and sets Ichi up to be bullied by his classmates. It is tough to see this kid get bullied and really take a pounding. I have to say that I honestly felt for him. Later, his parents ask him why his grades have begun to slip, and his little brother tells his parents that it is because of the bullying.

This is where the first clue to Ichi's psychosis is subtly laid out. He not only lies to his parents about being bullied, but he also turns it around, saying that he is the one doing the bullying. From this point on Ichi mind starts its path to degradation. We find that his home life isn't exactly the most nurturing -- his parents openly degrade one another in front of Ichi and his brother, and they regularly engage in shibari and sadism with Ichi within earshot. This mix of violence and physical gratification seems to confuse Ichi and, as the pressure at school beings to mount, he begins to look for a release. After he is forced to dissect a living frog in front of his classmates, Ichi is stimulated in an unusual way. This opens a door in his mind that should have stayed shut, because he begins to savagely mutilate small animals.

The story then backs off a bit and we catch back up with Ichi a few years later when he is incarcerated. Ichi has a type of emotional retardation that while his body and cognitive skills are developing normally, his emotional state is that of a small child. As a result, he lacks the ability to deal with conflict and even his own developing sexuality. Ichi works out incessantly, performing thousands of sit-ups and push-ups in an attempt to quench his growing desires and turns himself into a formidable athlete. After watching martial arts on television, he finds focus and begins teaching himself karate. In a cruel twist of fate, the discipline that he uses to train and earn his release from prison also gets the attention of a mob boss who sees potential in Ichi. Once Ichi is finally released under the ruse of rehabilitation, this mobster then cruelly tests Ichi to see if he can be used. This brings the story full circle to the point where the live-action movie begins.

One of the best qualities of Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero is the writing. Almost no familiarity with either the manga or movie is required to fully understand what is happening. A lot times prequels leave out information that could have been gleaned only from seeing the preceding works. This makes the prequel difficult to understand for those who are unfamiliar with the other stories that are tied together. So, at its core, Episode Zero can stand alone as a 47-minute short feature with no need to have seen the movie or read the manga. One big difference between this installment and the live-action film is the way the story is approached. In the movie there is a great deal of fear and intimidation that is inflicted on the viewer. Not that it is necessarily a scary movie, but there is a constant uneasiness felt while watching it. Episode Zero approaches the story from a psychoanalytical standpoint, and strives to explore the reasons behind what turns Ichi from an average kid into a feared killer.