The run-up to the main Scotland Loves Anime weekend in Edinburgh this year has clearly been a retrospective on action anime. These films, including Golgo 13: The Professional, seem chosen because they are interesting examples of the action genre, not necessarily because they have aged well.
Dating back to the 1980s, Golgo 13 certainly carries some problematic elements, but it’s also worth examining what makes it a classic in many respects.
Artistic Animation
Golgo 13 is an oddly artistic anime, especially for what is a relatively simple action drama. What we see here is the animation studio making a small budget last a very long time. In doing so, they have made a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
There are scenes in the film that are almost pure art. They might be rationalised as the flashing of street lights as a car zooms by, the blinking lights on an aeroplane, a special effect with postcards, dramatic shadows, or a speeding bullet. In practice, there’s very little animation happening in these moments—little activity, but high impact. It’s a low-cost, high-yield approach, and surprisingly, it works really well.
The main exception is the computer animation. However, this also gets a pass. Golgo 13 was one of the very first anime to splice in computer-generated animation. By today’s standards, it is obvious, crude, and almost comedic in its simplicity. But at the time, it was cutting-edge, bold, and daring. Given the point of this screening is to look back at classics, Golgo 13 certainly deserves its spot.
A Problematic Plot
What counts against the film is its problematic depiction of women, a very common problem in anime from this era. The film was introduced as a cross between James Bond and a Samurai, both of which can be intensely chauvinistic at their worst, and Golgo 13 is, at times, almost a parody of their worst traits. Women are often treated as prizes, as disposable, or as mere scenery.
This does, however, fit the brutal, insufferable, and unempathetic men who populate the story. The titular character, Golgo 13, does just enough not to be accused of being entirely uncaring. He lacks empathy, but he does try to look after his contacts. It just so happens that everybody he speaks to in this movie is immediately put into incredible danger. He continues to work his contacts and progress his agenda regardless. I would certainly run a mile if I saw him coming.
All in all, Golgo 13 is a little slow in parts but delivers high action that will have you on the edge of your seat in others. It is, without a doubt, a dated classic, but a classic nonetheless.
Fan? You can vote for Golgo 13 in our unofficial fan awards for Scotland Loves Anime 2025 in Edinburgh.
