Suki-Seki

A first impression.

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What a visually amazing anime. Can’t wait for Anime-Kraze to finish subbing this series.

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This is not so much a review of the anime Monster as an attempt to place the events of Johann’s past in chronological order as well as organize what I perceived from my single viewing, since that’s the one thing I’m still not very clear about. As for the anime itself, it’s absolutely brilliant. One of the most intricate storylines I’ve ever seen and one of the few anime where its length doesn’t hinder the overall dramatic impact of the story.

Note that since I stayed up to 3A.M. to watch some of the episodes (I guess I was pretty glued to my screen) there can be mistakes and missing bits.

Birth

part of a eugenics experiment to produce children with the best possible characteristics in terms of intelligence and appearance

mother and father tried to run when they were aware of the experiment but were caught

mother is confined to a hospital until the birth of the twins, she would later seek refuge in the Three Frogs at Cedok Bridge

Three Frogs

while in hiding, Johann would be dressed like his sister, possibly to divert attention away from the fact that they were twins

their hideout is discovered, the mother gives up Anna and she is taken to the Mansion of the Red Roses by Peter Capek for the readings, there she witnesses the massacre and Franz Bonaparte tells her to forget everything that she has seen and run as far away as possible

Anna runs home and finds Johann, she spills everything to her brother

At this point, where did their mother go? Did she just leave Johann alone?

Crossing the border

by giving up Anna, their mother had ‘entrusted’ the task of carrying out vengeance to Johann, who probably understood this from young and it was more or less ingrained into his mind

Johann and Anna make their way to East Germany, along the way they meet an old couple who are eventually killed by Johann without Anna’s knowing

East Germany

Johann and Anna nearly die during the crossing but are saved by Wolf, the twins are separated and sent to different orphanages

Anna is sent to a good orphanage while Johann is sent to 511 Kinderheim, where they were trying to nurture children to become the next dictator

Johann’s emotions and sense of identity are further stripped away in Kinderheim, and IMO he forgets his original purpose as well

Johann eventually triggers the destruction of Kinderheim, Roberto is one of the few survivors who becomes acquainted with Johann

How did Johann find Anna again? Johann and Anna were supposedly sent to several (different?) orphanages before they’re adopted by the Lieberts?

West Germany

Johann and Anna are adopted by the Lieberts

Franz Bonaparte comes to see them again, Johann kills the Lieberts, and Anna shoots her brother in the head

Tenma saves Johann, eventually the twins disappear again

And so begins Tenma’s journey.

Johann is really one the most enigmatic anime villains I’ve come across and I felt sorry for him in the end. The monster in him was really a product of his mother’s desire for revenge and his experience at 511 Kinderheim, and he had truly lost himself in the end. His manipulation of people’s lives is probably a result from his ‘training’ at Kinderheim. Thereafter, his encounter with the picture book jolts his memories, reminding him of his original purpose, that is to erase all those who had done his sister wrong, leading him back to Bonaparte. Either way, Johann could only walk down paths of killing and destruction, with no hope for redemption.

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Basilisk is based on a manga adapted from a novel written by Yamada Futaro known as The Kouga Ninja Scrolls or Kouga Ninpou Chou. The story tells of two ninja clans, the Manjidani of Kouga and the Tsubagakure of Iga, who have a deep-seated hatred of each other for four centuries. However, they are prohibited from fighting each other by an anti-war pact laid down by the first Hattori Hanzo. In 1614, Tokugawa Ieyasu decides to dissolve this covenant and let the two ninja clans send ten of their best to a duel to the death in order to decide which of his two sons should be the next shogun. Caught in the middle of this war is Manjidani’s Gennosuke and Tsubagakure’s Oboro who have to choose between their love and their responsibilities as the respective leaders of their clan.

My first impression of Basilisk, based on the synopsis, was a Romeo&Juliet-esque story in the middle of a battle royale. I was quite mistaken. Basilisk is structured in a way that is more complex than it sounds, be it the conflicts and emotions faced by most of the characters or the battles themselves. There’s no simple one-on-one elimination (well, not always) and the majority of the characters are given ample focus to flesh out their human qualities rather than just portraying them as killing machines of the clans. It’s nice to see the characters humanized to complement their unearthly powers.

Besides the introspective look into the relationships, the anime also tackles the destruction that follows vengeance. The fact that no good ever comes out of revenge has been rehashed in countless anime but Basilisk, like any good feature, presents this in a fresh way with the interactions between the protagonists, Kouga and/or Iga notwithstanding. There is no true ‘villain’ (except maybe for one particular character) as each character has his/her own demons, a few even realizing deep inside that the longstanding feud has become endless and meaningless yet cannot escape from the bloodbath.

Gennosuke	Oboro
Danjo	Ogen

One thing I never understood was the motives behind Ieyasu’s decision to pit the two ninja clans against each other as a way to decide his successor. What happen to choosing heirs by virtue of their talents, or just simply going by age? Makes me wonder if Ieyasu is afraid of the politics going on in his palace. Are those two women really that powerful? Hmm. I would have also liked to see the shogun’s reaction to the end of the war and the fate of the remaining Kouga and Iga ninjas.

The anime is also nicely animated. The fights are rather impressive, especially the opening fight between Shogen and Yashamaru, and the duel between Tenzen and Gennosuke. Backgrounds are detailed and beautifully rendered. Personally, I loved the style of the artwork.

Basilisk is a thoroughly engaging series, solid in both the action and story. Frankly, I enjoyed it much more than Ninja Scroll. It probably should be noted that this is an anime meant for mature audiences though. Fans of anime set in historical Japan should really give this a shot.

Final rating: A

Kouga Manjidani	Iga Tsubagakure
Gyoubu	Akeginu
Hyouma	Hotarubi
Jimushi	Jingorou
Jousuke	Koshirou
Kagero	Nenki
Okoi	Rosai
Saemon	Tenzen
Shogen	Yashamaru

There was also recent film based on the Kouga Ninpou Chou novel, called Shinobi - Heart Under Blade. The biggest problem with the movie, which is something that plagues any film adaptation of a novel, was the oversimplification of the story, not to mention that the number of ninjas involved in the battle was halved. This is understandable when one considers the time constraint but the film is still a somewhat bland representation of the themes of the original.

Before the annulment of the pact…	…and their last meeting
Yashamaru vs Koshirou	Believe it or not, this is Tenzen

There was very little or poor development of the characters, or at least enough to engage the viewer’s sympathy. I think this could also be due to the average writing and lack luster portrayals, unfortunately most of the actors were not impressive in their roles.

One thing that the film did elaborate more than the anime was Ieyasu’s motives. Apparently, he feared the skills of the Kouga and Iga ninjas and intended for the destruction of both clans by dissolving the anti-war pact, much more so than wanting to determine which of his sons should be the next shogun. I found this a more plausible reason.

The film does have some nice scenic moments and interesting action sequences despite its flaws.

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Black Jack would probably be classified as a medical mystery that touches on the unscrupulous misuse of science. Black Jack is an unlicensed surgeon who performs outstanding medical feats at exorbitant fees. In this movie, the rogue surgeon is contacted by a mysterious lady who wants to employ his skills. With her calls ignored, the lady kidnaps Pinoko in order to force Black Jack to join her research corporation, which is investigating the unusual symptoms that have manifested on former ’super-humans’.

Several years have passed since the emergence of ’super-humans’ at the Olympics, people who have abilities that surpass that of the average human. However, these people have now been stricken by a disease that has caused premature multiple organ failure and Black Jack has been contracted, together with a team of doctors, to find a cure for the patients.

The premise of the story is straightforward enough but Black Jack proves to be a compelling watch as the gifted surgeon races against time to uncover the source of the disease. As the anime progresses, more is revealed about the patients and their connection to the Brane company, as well as the motives of Jo Carol Brane, the aforementioned lady. Thereafter, the anime begins to tackle some of the ethics involved in the advancement of medical technology. There are interesting arguments but Black Jack manages not to become overly ‘preachy’.

I also favored the style of animation of the movie over the tv series. Considering that Black Jack deals with serious issues, it seemed more apt for the artwork to be dark and moody. There are quite a few still frames in the anime but they were beautifully rendered with solid attention to detail and served more as a dramatic device than lazy animation.

That said, there are a few scenes that are medically implausible but they didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the anime. Some may feel let down by the ending after the meticulous structure of the rest of the film, however I found it acceptable. The only gripe I had was the lack of explanation over the contagious aspect of the disease but I guess the writers did not want to go into too much scientific detail. And the character of Pinoko seemed out of place but her role was minimal.

Black Jack is an interesting anime which might have been improved if they included a little background information on Black Jack himself, still, he remains an intriguing character. Even if you don’t have any particular interested in medicine or surgery, this should still appeal to those who enjoy drama- or mystery-type anime.

Final rating: B+

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To be honest, I find the negative response to Alexander Senki or Reign: The Conqueror somewhat baffling. This anime is far from being the worst, in fact, it is well above average.

Alexander Senki is loosely based on the life of Alexander the Great, retold as a scifi-fantasy epic. While this is no history lesson, it is a compelling journey into Alexander’s vision and the characters that become intertwined with his personal conquests.

Born the son of King Phillip and Olympias, Alexander’s first victory in battle earns him the respect of the soldiers and people but his profound ferocity intimidates his father, who is rather frustrated that he cannot control his son. Following Phillip’s assassination, Alexander ascends the throne of Macedonia and there begins his quest for speed, as he thwarts the various political obstacles, assassination attempts by the Pythagoras cult and the armies of Persia and Horus attempting to end his rule. He is accompanied by Hephaistion, Philotus, Cleitus, Cassandra and Ptolemy in his exploits.

While the designs of the different armies and buildings are certainly creative and unique, I found the study of Alexander’s ‘goal’, the philosophy surrounding the Platohedron and its connection to Alexander’s destiny, the fine line between destruction and creation, and the scientific mysticism to be far more intriguing. This is also the very aspect that sets Alexander Senki apart from the other adventure-type animes. Having characters like Aristotle and Diogenes (undoubtedly among the finest philosophers in history) discuss Fate and the cycle of Life, gave the anime a rather introspective atmosphere.

In the animation department, Alexander Senki has a very unique art style with fairly fluid motion and skilled blending with CG visuals, courtesy of Peter Chung. The art may not appeal to most people but I found it a refreshing change from the usual ‘cute’ style of design.

Although the anime is not and does not aim to be an accurate portrayal of Alexander’s life, I personally believe it would have been better if more attention was given to Hephaistion. It’s not that I felt the anime needed to dwell on Alexander’s sexuality but lovers or not, Hephaistion was someone that was extremely dear to Alexander, and deserved a little more character development. However, this just a minor gripe.

Alexander Senki is truly an underrated anime and one that anyone interested in something more your standard anime archetype should try.

Final rating: B+

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Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary, comprising 13 OVAs, is the sequel to the Saint Seiya TV series that was last aired in 1989. Note that I’ve never seen the original series and knew next to nothing of the universe of Saint Seiya when I viewed the OVAs.

The plot appears to be pretty straightforward from the start. Hades has resurrected the strongest of the Gold Saints as well as the Silver Saints who have died, sending them to kill Athena, the leader of all the Saints who resides in the Sanctuary. The target of the fallen Gold Saints is to break through the temples leading to the Sanctuary and take Athena’s head within the time of 12 hours that Hades had granted them. They will eventually face resistance from the remaining Gold Saints, who guard the temples, as well as the Bronze saints who have come to Athena’s aid. At the same time, Hades’ Specter Army has also infiltrated the Sanctuary.

As the story unfolds and the characters introduced, we are given hints of the fallen Gold Saints’ true intentions. The thoughts and personalities of the Gold and Bronze Saints still loyal to Athena are also explored with relevant background information to give more insight into their characters. The result is a rather well-edited, coherent storyline allowing a viewer with no previous knowledge of Saint Seiya to follow the OVAs.

I found the art in this anime particularly impressive. A lot of the fights involved CG effects which, in my opinion, enhanced the animation, as the 2D and 3D graphics were seamlessly blended together. The armor or ‘Cloth’ of the Saints were impeccably rendered as well.

Overall, I found this OVA series highly entertaining. There is an epic quality to it and has quality visuals, voice acting, story and character development. The only possible drawback is that this arc is incomplete and the conclusion can only be found in the next Hades chapter - Inferno.

Final rating: A-

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Screen captures of the first episode of Devil May Cry.

This post is image-heavy and not spoiler-free.

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The premise of Afro Samurai is extremely straightforward: Afro is out to avenge his father’s death and basically cuts his way to Justice (no pun intended), the current holder of the #1 headband.

The story takes place in what seems to be a semi-futuristic feudal Japan where two headbands are famous in society, namely #1 and #2. Anybody in possession of the #1 headband is regarded as someone with absolute power and only a person with the #2 headband can challenge this authority. However, anyone can challenge the holder of #2, resulting in a life of bloodshed and killing, as warriors all fight for a chance to defeat #1 and obtain that highest power for themselves.

The protagonist’s father was formerly #1 but was eventually slain by Justice in front of Afro. The anime begins with Afro’s journey to confront Justice to avenge his father. Along the way he is hindered by assassins, droids and robots deployed by the group of seven monks known as The Empty 7, who are after both the headbands, believing that it will lead them on the path to godhood. Afro’s past was also revealed in flashbacks, depicting his experience in the dojo and how his quest for vengeance culminated in the death of his friends and master.

While the fight scenes were pretty spectacular, there was something missing from the overall execution of the story. Although we do get sufficient background to the characters, the anime lacked a bit of heart and deeper characterizations for us to fully feel for the protagonists. I think the only character I really sympathized with was Jinno, who had to see everyone’s lives around him destroyed by Afro’s desire for revenge, and his subsequent resurrection as a half-human half-droid being which must have drove him near the edge of madness.

There was also very little explanation as to the ‘authority’ of the said headbands and why everyone was fighting over it. Was it just an accessory, like a medal acknowledging the strongest, or did having the headbands confer some sort of control/influence over the territory (mildly hinted by Justice at the end)? My guess is that the anime was leaning towards the former but then it makes the situation rather absurd, that everyone was killing each other over a piece of cloth.

Plot and characters aside, the quality of animation was pretty impressive and the fights were entertaining, some of which were pretty over-the-top, enough to keep me watching to the end. The voice acting was a bit of a mixed bag. Samuel L. Jackson was brilliant with his deadpan Afro Samurai character and the more lively Afro ninja, who provided most of the laughs. Some of the supporting characters had slightly forced voice-acting but none as atrocious as some of the other anime dubs I’ve heard.

Afro Samurai is a nice watch but isn’t very memorable after all is said and done.

Final rating: B

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