Critical reception
Desson Howe of The Washington Post, who observed the level of sexual violence toward women in the film, characterized it as a "post-Chandler, quasi-cyberpunky violence fest". Howe found the film compelling for its "gymnastic" camera angles, its kinetic pace and imaginative (if slightly twisted) images." He also found the English dubbing laughable, though he saw ominous subtext in various bits of dialogue and other moments in the film.[15]
Richard Harrington, also of The Washington Post, saw the film as an attempt to create the Blade Runner of Japanese animation, citing its distinctively languid pace, linear storytelling and gradual exposition. Harrington also detected a Brave New World subtext, and calling it "stylish and erotic, exciting in its limited confrontations and provocative in its ambition." He also added that "there's a tender ballad moment between Taki and Makie that's right out of Disney."[16]
Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film epitomizes the "sadistic, misogynistic erotica" popular in Japan. He noted that Yoshiaki Kawajiri composes scenes like a live-action filmmaker, and complimented his deft cutting and camera angles, but felt that the "Saturday-morning style animation" and juvenile story did not warrant the effort. Solomon also opined that Kisei Choo's screenplay was inscrutable.[17]
Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle gave the film two-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it a "better-than-average" treatment of the "demons from an alternate universe" subject matter. Savlov opined that the film did not reach "the delightfully sadomasochistic heights" of Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend. He said Wicked City was easier to follow than the latter due to having a more linear and rapid storyline, along with the lack of flashbacks and cyberpunk jargon that Savlov disliked in the genre. Savlov also appreciated the clarified animation. Savlov commented, "This may not be the second coming of Akira, but it's a step in the right direction."[18]
Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews gave Wicked City a 3-out-of-5-star rating, handing out praise for the animation, artwork, story, characters, theme, and the chemistry between Taki and Makie, but criticized certain portions of dialogue as "corny", and some of the sexual and demonic imagery as "disturbing." He ultimately concluded that "it's 'quick fix' horror with occasional and casual sex thrown in for the heck of it, so don't go in expecting a masterpiece that warrants purchase. It's a great choice for the late-night horror rental district, though, if you can bear with a couple of scenes."[19]
Bob Strauss from Animation Magazine described it as "one of the strongest features to come out of Japan's anime", presenting a seemingly incoherent scenario that "makes more sense as it climaxes, revealing a few solid, thematic reasons for what initially seemed to be inexplicable behavior, gratuitous sex and reckless sci-fi gimmickry." He added that there was also a "neat moral and spiritual subtext to the whole bizarre enterprise."[20]
Chuck Arrington of DVD Talk, reviewing the VHS of the film, recommended that consumers "skip it", citing the transfer errors and scratches on the print, the at-times washed-out colors, and the uninteresting lengthy interview among the DVD's extras. Arrington thought that the visuals and the fight scenes were generally done well, and that the English dub was acceptable, though exhibited some "wooden elements" endemic to all anime titles. Regarding the sexual violence in the film, Arrington found it excluded recommendation for most viewers, commenting, "Though not nearly as gruesome as Legend of the Overfiend, Wicked City is definitely not for children and not really for adults either."[21]
Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave Wicked City a rating of B-, and stated that "in all, Wicked City isn't great fare, but if explicit, sexually charged supernatural action stories appeal to you then it should fit the bill quite nicely."[22]
Literary critic Susan J. Napier describes the film in her book, Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke, as having similar depictions of the female body as its contemporaries: objects to be "viewed, violated, tortured" while also being "awesomely powerful, almost unstoppable". She credits the film's more nuanced and artistic approach within this context, but cites the metamorphoses of the female Black World agents as the film's ideas about female sexuality being limited to "an essentially conservative fantasy", with the powerful women's bodies being ultimately destroyed in "lengthy scenes of graphic violence".[23]
In John Hackett and Seán Harrington's Beasts of the Deep: Sea Creatures and Popular Culture, the authors place Wicked City alongside Hokusai's octopus prints as re-establishing a link between the maritime and the erotic.[24]
Some of the film's fight scenes were featured in Manga Production's Mean & Mercenary VHS compilations.[25]
