Battle Arena Toshinden

Based on the popular, fight-filled videogame for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation, this Japanese-produced adaptation of Battle Arena Toshinden labors mightily to infuse a cast of motley combatants (the elderly Fo, the insane Chaos, and the prepubescent Ellis) with mythical appeal. But by the end, when a dozen or so warriors crowd onto the small screen to fight the forces of evil, even die-hard game players will have a hard time understanding what's going on. Still, Toshinden's animation is above par, and if you can ignore the fact that you're watching a violent hour-long commercial, you may learn some balletic spinning scissor kicks. B-