Category: Finished Series: Horror

Casshern Sins – 13

by psgels, posted in Casshern Sins



Short Synopsis: Casshern and Lyuze run into a certain someone.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10 (Excellent)
Ah, so that was the meaning of the insert song of the past two episodes: it’s the new ED, or at least a version of it. Ohoho, very clever, although I do hope that in the future, it’ll get its own animated frames, rather than recycled cells from the series. But then again, I’m still convinced that the first ED had recycled cells from one of the final episodes as well.

In any case, this episode revealed quite a number of juicy plot twists when the creators let the main characters run into Braiking Boss. As it turns out, the guy has completely lost his power after the destruction began. He reveals that Ouji isn’t just a random person who keeps running into Casshern, but instead he was the one who created Casshern. He already had Ringo with him at the time, and she seemed to have a very strong bond with him, although she seemed to have forgotten that as well. In fact, she too is a being that’s somewhere in between a human and a robot: she feels the effects of the destruction, she doesn’t need to eat, and yet she has blood.

It was also Braiking Boss who ordered the destruction of Luna, since he felt that there should be only one person in charge, and Luna was beginning to undermine his authority. Well, that plan backfired like crazy on him, since it also cost him his authority, but it seems that that’s the reason why Casshern killed Luna. I’m not sure whether I understood things correctly, but Ouji seems to really believe that Luna’s dead. And at the very least, Casshern once had the full intention to kill off Luna, and there had to be some way for him to gain his immortality.

I also really wonder: what was the cliff-hanger for? It seemed to me that for this small arc, there’s not enough information left to fill yet another episode, and yet the cliff-hanger came at such a point where Casshern was about to kill himself, but got stopped by Ringo. The bond between the two of them really seems to be a central one in this series; it seems even more important than the one between Casshern and Lyuze…

Kurozuka Review – 82,5/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews, Kurozuka


From the director of Death Note, Kurozuka is Madhouse’s latest action series. This time, it’s packed with lots and lots of Japanese-styled horror, and comes in a package that just oozes style. With an OP that’s even more extreme than the second one from Death Note, this is the perfect watch if you need to lose some frustration, pump some adrenaline or find some other excuse to watch a bit of tense action.

Because really, this series hardly gives the viewer any time to take a breath. There are lots of quiet moments throughout the series, but even they remain clouded the show’s very thick atmosphere, as it prepares for the next climax. This series set out to create an combination between action and horror, and it pretty much succeeded in this.

But yeah, Kurozuka is all about action and atmosphere, so don’t even try to expect something special from the plot or characters. The plot is actually pretty decent. It’s simple, yet it’s got a number of surprising plot twist, and even though the ending isn’t going to answer every question that’s left behind, it succeeds in keeping an air of mystery around the show.

The problem with this show is the cast of characters. They’re just… there. They hardly get the time to be fleshed out, but none of them make a particularly strong impression, safe for a few minibosses, who manage to provide the best action-scenes of the series. The main character Kuro has his own background, but we never see any sides of him, other than the silent stoic side that doesn’t talk a lot and wants to fight.

But then again, if you want deep characters, you can always watch a different series. Kurozuka knows exactly what it is: an action flick that never really goes anywhere deep, and that’s where it succeeds at. The graphics for this series are downright awesome, and they turn every single episode into a visual feast. There’s always something nice to look at and a continuous atmosphere. My only real complaints are that the ending doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of the series, but nevertheless I personally enjoyed watching this series a lot.

Storytelling: 9/10
Characters: 7/10
Production-Values: 9/10
Setting: 8/10

Kurozuka – 12

by psgels, posted in Kurozuka



Short Synopsis: The plot of this episode is obviously going to be one big spoiler, but even then it can’t be summarized in just one sentence…
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 (Good)
Aha! So the creators decided to go for a big WTF-ending. And WTF it is! Since I kept associating this series with Ultraviolet because of their similarities, i expected a similar ending, one where all the threads that were left hanging were wrapped up inside a nice conclusion. Well, even though Ultraviolet’s conclusion was pretty straightforward, this one MOST CERTAINLY ISN’T.

I’m still not exactly sure what the heck went on there. Kuro first slaughters the kabuki players (of which I have no idea what they were even doing there), suddenly blood comes raining down from out of nowhere with buckets at a time and then he finally arrives at the room where Kuromitsu is. The one who’s talking to her: Benkei. That bugger seemed to have received immortality was well (or at least a body that ages very slowly, as becomes apparent later in the episode).

As it turns out, he was no traitor, but instead he couldn’t bear to see his friend that’s fallen in love with such a person as Kuromitsu, which is why he betrayed him. I’m not sure whether he was actually in love with Kuromitsu, or didn’t see her fit as someone who Kuro should love… it’s there were he obtained a body that wouldn’t die, though over the years, his body did age a bit, as he’s turned into an old man. As it turns out: Kuro has become immortal, but Benkei chopped off his head. Apparently, he spent ages without any body whatsoever, and that’s why Kuromitsu created Kuon to serve as a body for Kuro. That plan failed, however, and in the end she had to settle with a random soldier from the bad guys.

Okay, so far so good, but why did Kuromitsu still go after the guy’s head once he got a new body? I’m still not sure at this point, and the rest of the episode didn’t make things any clearer: Kuro and Benkei fight, Kuro wins. Kuromitsu then finally manages to chop off Kuro’s head. Time then reverts, we see a bunch of flashbacks and we suddenly see Kuro and Benkei again as if they were in the first episode, only with the rest of their surroundings destroyed. Eh, what?!

To be honest, I’m not sure whether this was the bets ending the creators could have gone for. Sure, the confusion is fun and all, but it’s leaving a strange taste in my mouth. The threads, such as where did the bad guys come from, why did they last 1000 years, and why did they work together with Kuromitsu in the end are unsolved. What was the purpose of the kabuki players, why are they so keen on killing every single being? What’s up with their blood obsession? What was Benkei doing at Kuromitsu’s, after 1000 years? I really need to watch this episode with subs, but even with that there are just too many threads left hanging for this series.

Overall, it was a fun series, and it’s got an excellent sense of horror, but when I have to compare this to Ultraviolet which aired this summer, then I’d prefer the latter. That mostly is due to the rather lacking characterization, that’s plagued through this series, safe for two or three episodes. Ultraviolet on the other hand did have a strong cast that was fun to watch.

Casshern Sins – 12

by psgels, posted in Casshern Sins



Short Synopsis: Casshern meets a painter who wants to leave his mark on the world.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 (Excellent)
Well, if it’s indeed true what CasshernXLyuze said, then this was the last of the “filler” episodes of Casshern Sins, and as usual it was a really interesting one. It’s about another aspect of a future of certain death: being remembered by others, and artists are of course the perfect example of this, hoping that even though their bodies will die, their art will live on forever.

Since the story takes place at a city that was once ruled by Braiking Boss, it shows another way of how robots have decided to live with the destruction: simply wait for it and kick the hell out of everyone who disturbs this order (ie: the painter).

I also like how the past two episodes brought an end to “Casshern the chick magnet”. It’s good to see that another episode is dedicated to a male robot. It really makes the series feel like less of a harem series because the creators favour females over males.

Casshern Sins – 11

by psgels, posted in Casshern Sins



Short Synopsis: Casshern gets himself stuck in trouble, and Frender needs to find help to save him.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 (Excellent)
I remember noting that there weren’t enough males in this series that Casshern would run into. Well, somewhere along the line the creators seem to have listened, because this episode exactly offers the demographic that has been missing so far: male humans and robots, human children and human woman. It’s really one of those episodes that restore the balance in this series. It’s not among the best episodes of the series, but yet I really liked it.

I also love how Casshern only has two or three lines through the entire episode: this really was an episode where he was just someone who watched from the sidelines, and it was about the group of humans and robots who travelled together, in search of Luna. We learn that despite the upcoming destruction, there’s still a large amount of trust among them.

It also becomes clear that robots with strong wills are able to survive longer than most other ones. Well, that explains why Dio is still in one piece: he really is set on defeating Casshern.

Interestingly, this was another one of these episodes that surprised me about how long its airtime really is. I only felt like I’ve watched this episode for just ten minutes, instead of twenty.

Kurozuka – 11

by psgels, posted in Kurozuka



Short Synopsis: Kuro attempts to get rid of the final two villain-henchmen.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10 (Good)
This is going to be a short entry, since it was a minor episode anyway: it just meant to set the stage right for the finale of the show. Thankfully, most of the episode was spent on the fight with Kuon, and the “evil overlord” went down pretty quickly. His fight was fun and didn’t drag, thankfully. And yeah, like predicted: everyone dies apart from Kuro and Kuromitsu. What I also liked was that the kabuki-players at the beginning seem to have an actual role in the series. They’re like, the real evil overlords it seems, but what I especially loved was the way Kuon met his end. Such a befitting death for him. ^^;

My one disappointment was that this was THE time for the animation to get back up to those awesome levels of the first episode, but unfortunately it’s still of the same level. It’s a shame, I would have loved to see what the director can really do, without him having to resort to epic chips-bag-opening-scenes.

Kurozuka – 10

by psgels, posted in Kurozuka



Short Synopsis: This time on Kurozuka: exposition.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
Well, I must say that, expecting nothing big out of the story for Kurozuka, this episode pleasantly surprised me. While not every mystery has yet been revealed, the complexity of the whole storyline seems to have tripled with this episode. The big bad guy works for Kuromitsu, Kuromitsu seems to be performing human experiments, with both Kuro and Kuon as her subjects. And who knows what she did with Sanniwa.

Kuon’s supposed twin brother also didn’t last long at all. He was there for like what? Five minutes? That’s probably one of the shortest amounts of airtime for a villain in like ever, but the guy did at least make an impact in providing back story for Kuon (who needed that one really badly).

Okay, so with this there are two episodes left. It would be great if this series were to finish with a great finale, but there are several things that are bound to get in the way. The next episode will focus on the fight with the big bad guy, but the guy is just a typical one-dimensional overlord. I really doubt that the creators can get an interesting fight out of him. Then next up is the big confrontation with Kuromitsu, but I fear that at that point, there will be too few characters alive to really make for an unpredictable ending. Ultraviolet for example had a final episode with lots of characters still alive, and therefore it finished with a pretty strong finale. Will Kurozuka be able to do the same?

Casshern Sins – 10

by psgels, posted in Casshern Sins



Short Synopsis: Dio prepares an army to go against Casshern.
Highlights: Good! Focus on the bad guy!
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10 (Excellent)
Well, I should have known. As awesome as this series is, it still has to obey the Golden Rule of Anime: a character is dead, only when you get to see the dead body appears on screen some way. Luna is alive, although I’m not sure how Casshern found out about that one, but I probably missed a vital piece of dialogue in the previous episode.

In any case, this episode wasn’t the best of this series by far, but it nevertheless was an excellent one, and a very important one as well. Too often I see anime whose bad guys are hardly fleshed out at all. There’s hardly any chance to get to know them, and that’s why they very often fall into the pit of stereotypes. That’s why I’m glad that Dio’s development starts relatively early in the series, when this episode gives him a full episode of attention. I’m already beginning to warm up to the guy.

Also, there really is lots of hugging in this series. I think that this has multiple purposes. For one, it’s very cute, but it also symbolizes warmth; a stark contrast to the cold and dead world that the series is set in, and fully connected to the series’ themes, of trying to do something with your life, even though the world is only getting destroyed.

Kurozuka – 09

by psgels, posted in Kurozuka



Short Synopsis: The attack on the headquarters of the bad guys.
Highlights: Turtle dude rocks
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8,5/10 (Awesome)
You know, I really consider this episode to have the best action-scenes of the entire series so far. Okay, so they still weren’t as well animated as episode one, but they were one thing: incredibly fun to watch. Really, so much went on, and more especially, the major characters involved showed their best sides. It’s strange, the fights definitely weren’t the most well animated, or intense, or had the best fight coordination out there, but they kept my interest throughout the entire episode.

This episode felt so out of place in this series, but yet it worked. The car-chase-scene, the motorbike, it all fitted, and just about everything in this episode was really creative. The characters aren’t deep at all, but they’re fleshed out just enough to make us care about them. And I think that that was why I enjoyed this episode so much.

The problem is of course where this series is going to go after this point. The fact remains that the two characters who made this episode so much fun to watch are dead now, and we know hardly anything about the big bad guy. Seriously, WHO IS HE?! This guy seriously lacks fleshing out. I really wonder where the creators can be able to take him as such a stereotypical evil overlord. But then again, I do have high hopes for the reunion with Kuromitsu, and the deaths of the final two partners of Kuro (I mean, there’s no way that those two are going to make it to the end of the series with this pace ;P).

Casshern Sins – 09

by psgels, posted in Casshern Sins



Short Synopsis: Casshern arrives at a robot graveyard.
Highlights: Nico was awesome.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 9/10 (Fantastic)
Oh my god. This was without a doubt the best episode of Casshern Sins yet, and with such a series, that really has to say something. I can’t believe how easy these writers make it seem to just create such wonderful stories, episode after episode. This episode not only evolved the storyline, but it also created one of the most awesome characters of the series: Nico.

There were lots of different characters with prominent roles in this episode, and it was much, much more than just another episode of Casshern the “chick magnet”. Nico was kind to everyone she ran into, not just Casshern. The most notable of this was of course the male robot (there really needs to be some sort of general term for them): finally one of them gets a bit of depth, and the results are wonderful. As a robot, he doesn’t feel pain like normal humans, so if he loses a bunch of limbs, all he can just do is sit at one place and wait for the destruction to kill him completely. He’s also the first of his kind to see that Dio was wrong, and have a change of heart.

Of course, I could write pages about how incredibly awesome this episode was, but you really need to see it for yourself. At this point, the creators have really established themselves as masterful storywriters, who really try to make the best out of each of their episodes and take nothing for granted. I’m really glad to have given this series a second chance after its lacklustre first episode and decided to blog this.