All the Queen's Men

This quirky 1999 fantasy-adventure--a manga adaptation of a Chinese ghost story--zigzags along its erratic but intriguing path in the second collection of episodes. Disciple-in-training Taikoubou acquires two new allies in his campaign to imprison the souls of the demons who are wreaking havoc in the kingdom of Yin: Raishinshi, the winged 100th son of the virtuous Lord Ki Shou, and fellow disciple Youzen. Borrowing a martial arts technique from Jackie Chan, Taikoubou gets drunk to defeat the formidable Raishinshi in a test match. As unlikely a hero as Tenchi or Akito in Nadesico, Taikoubou comes through in a pinch. Meanwhile the schemes of the demon Dakki darken. Having seduced the Emperor Zhou, she causes Empress Kyouchi and her virtuous attendants to commit suicide. Enraged, Emperor Zhou's loyal retainer Kuo Hiko revolts--and saves the emperor's sons from Dakki's clutches. Rated 13 Up: Violence, minor profanity. --Charles Solomon