LEGEND OF BLACK HEAVEN

Darker than the blackest black… Times infinity!



Review by: M.H. “Guitar Hero” Torringjan

Length: 13 episodes
Genre: Comedy, sci-fi
Watched: Entire series, subbed

My first exposure to this series was at Animazement, where it was the subject of the winning Anime Music Video, “Code Monkey.” The video hinted at the story of a working man longing for his co-worker in one of those taboo workplace relationships, and based on the upbeat sense of the video I decided to look up the entire series. What I got was something that I never expected, and so much more for so little.

Plot Summary: Tanaka Oji is an average salaryman working at a small company, but his life hasn’t always been so dull. In his younger days, he was a rocker, lead guitarist for the band, Black Heaven, code-name Gabriel. This all ended when, as many rockers do in a fit of insanity, he settled down with a groupie and had a kid. This was, overall, a mistake on his part, but one that he’d devoted himself to. One day, a mysterious blonde woman showed up at his work place and offered him a chance to take up his guitar once again as the legendary Gabriel. He soon found out, though, that this offer was not just a shot in the dark by some random groupie, but a plea to return and produce the only sound that could power the interplanetary fleet protecting the galaxy from certain destruction at the hands of aliens. Oji now has to deal with the demands of being the Savior while maintaining his real life, as well as his dreams of returning to the life of a rocker.

Artwork: The artwork is surprisingly good for a short series from the late 90’s. The lines are sharp, the animation is fairly smooth, and the design is well-suited to the purposes of the show. The opening is especially polished for the most part, except for short segments that make me feel like I’m trapped inside an Ah-ha music video (but at least it’s colorized). While it’s intentional, it feels a bit too stylized for my liking. Otherwise, everything is very nice for something that wasn’t pushed very hard.

Music: For a series that focuses on a rock band, this is surprisingly one of the less impressive aspects of the series. The producers made liberal use of music at some times, with pumping rock background to set the mood in tense scenes and light, goofy tracks for comedic scenes. These were better than the average mood music, but still nothing special. The major disappointment was Black Heaven’s song. Yes, song. For the vast majority of the series, there was a single song that Oji would play (incidentally, the instrumental version of the opening track), which makes me wonder how the band got so popular with such a slim set list. I mean, after the fifteenth rendition of “Free Bird,” I think even Lynyrd Skynyrd would get booed off the stage. A second track shows up twice in the series, a much slower, sentimental track, and it’s kind of nice, too, but overall, the lack of songs is horribly not metal.

Characters: The more I watch this series, the more frightened I am that my life will turn out like this: looking back on the best years of my life when I wrote reviews and wishing to dearest god that I could either have those days back or die quickly. That is the life of Oji Tanaka, formerly a metal rocker now a salaryman. He cares deeply for his family and realizes that his responsibilities outweigh his wishes to take back his rocker life. There is some stress, however, at his wife, Yoshiko’s insistence to leave the past behind him. She feels that the frivolities of youth are secondary to the responsibilities of adulthood and doesn’t understand her husband’s insistence to cling to his wild days. Yuki Layla is the major searching for the savior who used to produce the music that powered their ultimate weapon. She is unfamiliar with Earth customs, and unfortunately about anything involving music (which makes the music lessons later on all the more entertaining). She has a rigid adherence to rules and regulations, and so finds Oji’s lax attitude confounding. Her interest in Oji draws his attention, as he initially believes that she is interested in him and his music. Oji’s son, Gen, is a precocious youngster who has little respect for his father, whom he sees as a bum, but eventually begins to see his father’s value due to a series of events. The rest of the characters have minor impact, but serve to flesh out the cast and provide depth and comedic relief.

Plot: I was not prepared by the three-minute preview contained in the AMV for the plot that I found upon watching this series. The combination of Guitar Hero with Space Invaders was an original idea that drew me in, and the later development of romantic tension and a potential triangle , as well as the themes of responsibility, mid-life crisis, and adulthood. The scope of the plot was large, but the focus remained very effectively on the characters. While the plot feels episodic, it has a continuity that holds the series together.

CHICKS!! There's really only one major chick in this series, with the rest relegated to minor supporting roles. That girl is Yuki Layla. Layla’s naiveté about human culture is an endearing feature, as she’d possibly warm up to you as time passed and she learned from you about human culture. She’s presently in a relationship with the captain of her ship, but he’s a jerk, so you should have an easy time of it.

Overall: While this series didn’t receive much attention when it was released, the technical quality and simplicity of its plot showed that it could stand up against a lot of the generic crap that’s getting released these days. While there are some minor technical issues, it was overall an enjoyable experience to put four hours into. If you’re looking for some good, clean, rockin’ fun, go ahead and check this series out.

In a nutshell:
+ Good artwork
+ Innovative story
+ Decent comedy
+ Deep characters
-Slim soundtrack
Final Score: 8.5/10



Return to Index