Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2010

©『秘密結社 鷹の爪 THE MOVIE 3』製作委員会

This wacky animated flick is high on novelty value. Like South Park, it’s a crudely put-together cartoon that started out as an underground hit, then moved to TV and film. Creator Frogman (a.k.a. Ryo Ono), who also does almost all of the voices, uses Flash animation for that distinctive webpage adornment/super-cheesy look. The visuals are extremely static, punctuated by the characters’ mouths moving, bizarre creatures dropping in, and a host of pop-culture references. The title translates as “Secret Society Eagle Talon,” with the story revolving around a surreal band of misfits who are always scheming to take over the world. This bumbling group of antiheroes includes, among others, the leader Soto, who looks like an evil general from Hanna-Barbera cartoons; man-boy Yoshida; creepy Bosatsutoge-kun, a 4-year-old ‘Buddha boy’ with supernatural powers; and the teddy-bear mad professor, Dr. Leonardo. In the words of our estimable English-language film critic: I’m not making this up. The third movie of the series sees Leonardo traveling to Texas to meet princess-esque Juliet, with his crew tagging along and getting involved in an attempted coup d’état. (95 min)