Overall Show Summary
Following the story of a single fight, Baki is preparing for an upcoming fight in an underground fighting arena. This is, in all reality, the entirety of this movie's plot. This is probably the most bare-bones summary you are going to see my post, but this isn't a bad thing. Considering what this anime is, this is all you need.
The Show is a Pro Wrestling Match
First of all, much like Pro Wrestling, you are building a single match. With some exceptions, the build to a wrestling match requires three things. A Good guy to cheer for, a bad guy to boo, and the reason for the match to happen. And it does this in a very short amount of time and is done very effectively.
Even with seeing very little of the opponent, the show does a great job of making him feel like a threat. The vicious-looking face and quickly taking out a different fighter aren't really what make him, it's the moment you learn the first fight Baki happened only so that Baki could learn about certain martial arts to prepare for this very fight. You immediately know a guy as strong as Baki is shown to be taking the upcoming fight very seriously, and without many words, it gets you to take it seriously as well.
What's more, at the fight's end you don't walk away feeling like a rematch would be a foregone conclusion. If Kosho ever fought Baki again, I think you'd be able to have just as much tension for the fight. It's a solid build-up for a single match, and I'm all here for it.
Overall solid fights, though the animation can feel a bit dated
The fight's in this show can tend to do a lot of close-ups and can feel like they are cheating a bit. You'll have instances where you are thinking a character couldn't be in one place when they were somewhere else a moment ago and it can be distracting. It's pretty clearly an older show, but I don't think it's enough to take you out of the fights.
Everything looks like it hurts, and the reactions to the whole nerve-cutting stuff are fantastic. Even though it's not a very visual thing, the reactions on Baki's face make it feel huge. Throw in a good amount of blood and visual distortion, and you'll have a great time.
Not Much Else to Say Here
The story is that simple. Here are two guys that want to be the best and let's see them kick the shit out of each other. There is no deep plot, no deep-seated motivations, just a guy you want to see continue to be the best. And for me, since it's done well, is more than enough. Eventually, I will get to watch more Baki since it's a whole thing, but even on its own merits, it's a movie worth watching.