Ask John: What is the “Madhouse Tradition?”

Question:
On the packaging of “Wicked City,” it’s said the film is the first in the Madhouse tradition that includes Ninja Scroll, Biohunter, and the new Vampire Hunter D. What exactly is “the Madhouse Tradition?”

Answer:
The Madhouse anime studio has worked on a great number and variety of anime programs. Madhouse has produced shoujo anime including Fashionable Judo Girl Yawara, Jubei-chan: Secret of Lovely Eyepatch, and Card Captor Sakura, mainstream, titles with appeal to both male and female viewers like Kaze Makase Tsukikage Ran, Birdy the Mighty, Yugen Kaishya (Phantom Quest Corps, as it’s known in the US) and the X movie, and American co-productions including the Satanika music video and the opening animation to Spawn. But Madhouse is best known for its dark, mature horror anime, including Yoju Toshi (Wicked City), Demon City Shinjuku, Cyber City Odeo 808, Twilight of the Dark Master, Jubei Nin Pocho, Bio-Hunter, Golgo 13: Queen Bee, Petshop of Horrors and Midnight Eye Goku. This dark, violent, adult-oriented style of anime, heavily influenced by the character design and directorial style of Yoshiyaki Kawajiri, constitutes the “Madhouse tradition,” and is commonly the first thing fans think of when hearing the name “Madhouse.”