"Descended from the ancient lineage of Gyu, the four Ryudo brothers appear outwardly normal but have inherited incredible special powers. So far, their ordinary life in an inconspicuous suburb of modern day Tokyo has ensured that these supernatural abilities have remained concealed but, after the intervention of the Gozen, their full miraculous potential can no longer be suppressed."
Original story: Yoshiki Tanaka Directors: Chapter 1: Shigeru Ueda Chapters 2&4: Yoshihiro Yamaguchi Chapter 3: Hidemi Kubo Chapter 5: Renji Kawabata Chapter 6: Shinji Sakai Chapters 7-9: Harumi Tamano Chapters 10-12: Kyosuke Mikuriya Character design: Shunji Murata Copyright: Yoshiki Tanaka VHS version: Language: English Label: Manga Video Volume: 1 2 3 Running time: 92 mins 92 mins 92 mins Certificate: 15 12 12 Catalogue no: MANV 1064 MANV 1071 MANV 1073 Price: £12.99 £12.99 £12.99 Release Date: 6th Feb 1995 6th Mar 1995 3rd Apr 1995 Volume: 4 5 6 Running time: 92 mins 92 mins 92 mins Certificate: 12 12 15 Catalogue no: MANV 1076 MANV 1081 MANV 1087 Price: £12.99 £12.99 £12.99 Release Date: 1st May 1995 5th Jun 1995 3rd Jul 1995
This is a twelve-chapter modern fantasy adventure based on an original novel. The four Ryudo brothers are descended from an ancient lineage and appear outwardly normal, living quietly in a Tokyo suburb, but have inherited spectacular supernatural powers. In the first chapter, powerful corrupt forces learn of the brothers' legendary dragon-king lineage and subject them to threats, kidnappings and harassment. The brothers respond with a display of their powers, and the eldest is taken to meet the evil power behind the scenes, Gozen. Subtle it isn't, but this action-adventure is a lot of fun, with well-realised caricatures, and the lively dubbing for once captures well the humorous tone of the videos. I was hooked into viewing the whole tape at one sitting.
The series goes rapidly downhill after the first tape, to the point where I never got past tape 3. [Geoff Cowie]