HK2: The Abnormal Crisis had its work cut out for it trying to top the first film without going beyond PG-13 perversion. Can writer/director Yuichi Fukuda rise to the occasion with another outrageous superhero parody?

Following the events of HK: Forbidden Super Hero, Kyosuke (Ryôhei Suzuki) and Aiko (Fumika Shimizu) have graduated and moved on to college. Kyosuke is still fighting crime as Hentai Kamen, but it’s taking a toll on his life. Aiko demands he hang up his speedo and give her panties back.

No sooner does this happen than panties start vanishing all over Japan. It seems Tamao Oogane (Tsuyoshi Muro) is still alive. And like all true super villains he’s out for revenge. Can Kyosuke find a way to defeat his foe and work things out with Aiko? And what about his new biology teacher Professor Ayata (Ayame Misaki, Attack on Titan) who wants to give him some private lessons?

Once again taking aim at superheroes general and Spiderman in particular HK2: The Abnormal Crisis leaps into action. This time we even get to see Hentai Kamen swinging between buildings. And where the villains in the first film were human, this time the budget allows for not just Mr. Vacuum (Sarutoki Minagawa, Death Note) but a human/crab hybrid that’s somewhere between Doctor Octopus and The Green Goblin.

It might be because I knew what to expect this time, but I liked HK2: The Abnormal Crisis a lot more than the original. For all the talk of bondage, crotch to the face fighting moves and a nearly nude hero the film is fairly tame. It’s much more about love than lust. And there’s no sex or even nudity. But this time I knew not to expect it either.

Granted I was a bit disappointed when the ghost of Kyosuke’s father (Narushi Ikeda, Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan) sends him on a quest to find the Pervert Hermit for further training. The fact it references The Karate Kid but doesn’t become a truly twisted parody of it, was a bit of a letdown.

At two hours the film does run a bit long, but there are so many amusing elements that it never really drags. Fans of superhero films who have a sense of humour should have a great time with it.

HK2: The Abnormal Crisis is playing as part of the Classics section of this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.