Who really expected the most faithful adaptation of the Highlander universe to come from Japan? I didn't, but here it is. There is no planet Zeist bullshit, no re-imagining of the ultimate Prize, none of the imbecility about the Source, only the original rules of the Game: there are immortals, an immortal can only be killed by beheading, the death of an immortal causes a Quickening, immortals can sense eachother's presence and they cannot fight on holy ground, in the end there can be only one (oh, and druid ghosts are apparently a thing but whatever). That's it. Those are the elements upon which this story is crafted.
And it is an interesting tale of two immortals and how they repeatedly clash through the ages. One is obsessed with creating his utopian empire by any means necessary and the other lost his wife and clan to those means, so he spends the next two thousand years seeking revenge on the man who ruined his life. It explores the character of Colin Mac Leod, a man who keeps throwing away everything except his desire for revenge. A man who believes in nothing and cannot conceive of an existence beyond that single-minded purpose.
In regards to how this being an anime affects it's quality - while it does have an extremely shiny Supervillain Lair in an otherwise post-apocalyptic New York and the action scenes are of course rather over-the-top, Absurdly Sharp Blade, Implausible Fencing Powers and such, it does add to the notion that immortals really do gain power from the Quickening. They become stronger and faster with each head they take and the animation is pretty good. The voice acting in the dub is also surprisingly good, complete with Scottish accents where appropriate.
In general, if you liked the original movie then I would suggest you watch this rather than any other entry into the franchise.
Second Only to the Original
Who really expected the most faithful adaptation of the Highlander universe to come from Japan? I didn't, but here it is. There is no planet Zeist bullshit, no re-imagining of the ultimate Prize, none of the imbecility about the Source, only the original rules of the Game: there are immortals, an immortal can only be killed by beheading, the death of an immortal causes a Quickening, immortals can sense eachother's presence and they cannot fight on holy ground, in the end there can be only one (oh, and druid ghosts are apparently a thing but whatever). That's it. Those are the elements upon which this story is crafted.
And it is an interesting tale of two immortals and how they repeatedly clash through the ages. One is obsessed with creating his utopian empire by any means necessary and the other lost his wife and clan to those means, so he spends the next two thousand years seeking revenge on the man who ruined his life. It explores the character of Colin Mac Leod, a man who keeps throwing away everything except his desire for revenge. A man who believes in nothing and cannot conceive of an existence beyond that single-minded purpose.
In regards to how this being an anime affects it's quality - while it does have an extremely shiny Supervillain Lair in an otherwise post-apocalyptic New York and the action scenes are of course rather over-the-top, Absurdly Sharp Blade, Implausible Fencing Powers and such, it does add to the notion that immortals really do gain power from the Quickening. They become stronger and faster with each head they take and the animation is pretty good. The voice acting in the dub is also surprisingly good, complete with Scottish accents where appropriate.
In general, if you liked the original movie then I would suggest you watch this rather than any other entry into the franchise.