Title: Kyoufu Densetsu: Kaiki! Frankenstein

Author: Akiyoshi Sakai (Writer), Yugo Serikawa (Director)

Date of First Publication: 1984

Publisher: Vestron Video

Bibliographic Reference: “Kyofu densetsu: Kaiki! Furankenshutain.” IMDb, IMDb.com, Inc. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.

Type: Film

Character: Victor Frankenstein; The Creature; Alphonse Frankenstein; Elizabeth Frankenstein

Keywords: FOREIGN LANGUAGE; CLASS [and FRANKENSTEIN]; ECOLOGICAL FRANKENSTEIN]; EDUCATING A MONSTER; FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER

Critical Summary: Kyoufu Densetsu: Kaiki! Frankenstein opens with Victor and his assistant bringing the Creature to life, only for a malfunction to occur which causes it to be painfully electrocuted. Enraged, it goes on a rampage, chasing the two men before falling off a cliff. Victor flees the scene.

Not long afterwards, a man is found murdered and partially cannibalized in the countryside, his corpse surrounded by giant footprints. Victor returns home to his wife, Elizabeth, and his young daughter, Emily, returns home in the evening after a day spent with her grandfather in the mountains. Though he is happy to be home, he finds himself growing increasingly paranoid about his Creature having survived the fall. These fears appear to be confirmed when Emily’s dog, Lucky, is found torn apart outside the family home. The Frankenstein family calls a detective, Inspector Belbeau, to investigate; after observing Victor’s erratic and defensive behavior, Belbeau grows suspicious that he has something to do with the crimes occurring.

More people and animals turn up dead. It soon becomes apparent that the Creature is attacking to obtain the massive amounts of food that its enormous body needs to run. Attracted by the refreshments, it interrupts a wedding. A fire is started in the chaos that ensues, and the Creature, terrified, escapes the premises despite Inspector Belbeau’s efforts. Injured, it eventually stumbles upon Alphonse’s cottage, where Emily is once again staying. Entranced by Alphonse’s guitar, it hides and listens.

Back at the Frankenstein household, Belbeau pressures Victor to reveal what he knows about the Creature. Though Victor remains silent, he decides to venture out to kill his creation once and for all. Meanwhile, the Creature enters Alphonse’s cottage and is greeted warmly by him, the first positive human interaction it has experienced. Emily discovers the Creature and her grandfather together and runs into the forest in terror, but warms up to their new “guest” when it saves her from a bear. She begins to bond with the Creature, naming it “Franken” after the only word it knows.

This idyllic time comes to an end when Emily’s friend Phillip spies Franken in the cottage window and runs to the village to recount what he saw. The angry mob marches into the forest in search of the Creature, who is there gathering firewood with Alphonse. In their pursuit, they set the forest on fire, trapping Franken and Alphonse in the blaze. The Creature saves the old man from a falling tree but is unable to do the same for Elizabeth, who had followed her husband into the inferno. Phillip, blaming Franken for Elizabeth’s death, sets out to kill the Creature but is killed by it in self-defense instead. Emily witnesses this and finally turns against her friend, prompting Franken to flee. Victor, Belbeau, and the police corner the Creature at the very same cliff, where it chooses to destroy itself rather than continue hurting others. Victor, overcome with despair, shoots himself fatally.

This animated adaptation of the Shelley novel retreads many of its same themes but also borrows heavily from Frank Whale’s interpretation, utilizing its shambling inarticulate Creature to emphasize its childlike innocence. Interestingly, Kyoufu Densetsu trades Frankenstein’s concerns with posthumanism for a more ecological message. A far cry from the acorn-eating Creature of the book, Franken causes destruction mainly because of his insatiable need to consume more resources than nature can provide. Though he attempts to coexist for a time, his presence in nature eventually causes its destruction through a forest fire. The crime against nature is thus only righted when both Creature and Creator choose to end themselves.
Administrative Notes: Adriana Lora, CSUF.