Oct 051996
 
2.5 reels

Misa Kuroi (Kimika Yoshino) is an average high school girl, with absent parents, until her friends are slaughtered and the killer comes after her.  Years ago, a clan of magic-users was destroyed by a resurrected spirit.  After a 100 years sleep, the spirit is back, hopping bodies until it finds the one it wants to possess permanently: Misa’s.  Misa is the chosen one, born with unlimited witchcraft powers.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to use them.  The only thing on her side is a warlock, the last survivor of the clan, who has pledged to protect her and eliminate the spirit.

A prequel to Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness, Eko Eko Azarak II is a more accomplished film.  The story is deeper, the characters far more developed, and the production values are greatly improved.  There’s more than one set this time around and the camera seems to be operated by professionals (the first had a bland TV look).  More importantly, the first film’s greatest flaw, the overly theatrical acting style, is gone.  Well, there are a couple of Snidely Whiplash evil laughing moments, so make that the style is nearly gone.  It’s also a slower film, with several scenes going on too long, and it has a new set of clichés which are more annoying than the old ones.

This time around there’s a lot more character development.  Much of the runtime is spent finding out who Misa is.  That she turns out to be whiny and rather dim are unfortunate.  Like in most Asian horror, we still end up knowing very few facts about the girl, but we do get her personality.  Why her folks are never around is still a mystery, as well as what she likes to do, what her life has been like, etc.  I guess there’s a different standard for “knowing someone” in Japan.

The film was almost over before I realized I was watching a remake of Terminator 2.  Here we have a young, inexperienced person who is the future savior of the world, but for now, is nothing special.  Her pursuer is unstoppable, and can take the form of friends or just people on the street.  She’s rescued by someone in the know who has the power to fight the killer, but will never be able to win.  Together, they run.  A lot.

The downfall of Eko Eko Azarak II are the she’s-dumber-than-dirt moments, moments that have appeared in dozens of possession/replacement movies.  Misa knows that her enemy can take over other people.  She’s also seen it with the body of her best friend’s father.  Yet she’s completely oblivious.  Anyone she knows comes along and instantly she wants a hug.  She stops the warlock from defending her because, “this is my friend.”  And she does it repeatedly.  There’s a point at which I throw up my hands and figure that anyone this stupid deserves to die.

The first film distracted the viewer from its failings with blood and skin.  Not this time.  Until near the end, when the flying, dismembered body parts become comic, there’s little gore.  As for sex, everyone keeps their clothes tightly buttoned, and there’s not a wisp of teen lesbianism.  A bit of spice might have made the slow sections seem faster, or made Misa’s stupidity easier to handle.  Without it, the plot and characters have to carry the show, and they’re a re-write or two away from having the ability.

The other films in the series are Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1996), Eko Eko Azarak III: Misa The Dark Angel (1998), Eko Eko Azarak IV (2001), Eko Eko Azarak: R-page (2006), and Eko Eko Azarak: B-page (2006).