s-CRY-ed
So you think those monsters that pop out of cards are tough?
Review by: Craig "Apathetic Sloth Bullet" Norris
Length: 26 episodes
Genre: Action, drama
Watched: 1-26, subbed
This is another title that has been in my backlog for quite a while. When it began its run on Adult Swim, I knew I had let it sit for too long. So I dusted off the CDs and sat down for a nice little marathon. And what a marathon it was! All I can say is, whoever picks out anime for Adult Swim to run sure has good taste.
Plot synopsis: Twenty two years ago, a natural disaster separated a portion of Japan from the mainland. This newly formed island came to be known as the Lost Ground. In the coming years, some of the inhabitants of the Lost Ground began exhibiting strange abilities. These people, who could manipulate matter and manifest it into a powerful physical force, came to be known as Alter Users. To protect the inhabitants from aggression by the Alter Users, the police organization HOLD was formed, which subsequently gave rise to the Alter User division HOLY. One Alter User named Kazuma is staunchly opposed to the militaristic power wielded by HOLY, and vows to put an end to their regime. Is Kazuma just a troublemaker, or is he really working for the greater good of the people?
Artwork: Technically, it's pretty good. A few corners were rounded in the more involved fighting sequences, but overall the animation is crisp and smooth. The real centerpiece of the show lies in the designs of the alters. They range from humanoid forms to ornate machines to ungodly beasts, and are all equally enthralling. Backgrounds are adequate, depicting well the settings of slums and wastelands that sprawl across the landscape. Overall the artwork is at least satisfactory if not impressive, and viewers will doubtlessly marvel at the alters which resemble Pokemon on steroids.
Music: The soundtrack is more successful than most, but still falls well below being worth remembering. The opening and ending themes are pretty good, and even a few of the in-episode tracks are pretty decent, especially the ones with vocal arrangements, of which there are a handful. But, even though it grabs attention a few times, for the most part, it just lays around like that one lazy uncle we all have that refuses to get a job. And I simply will not buy a soundtrack, or any other album, that has only one or two songs I want to hear. I did that once with Bananarama, and I refuse to go through it again!
Characters: The vivid, sometimes tortured characters are what really makes everything else about the anime so effective. The plot becomes engrossing because you wonder how it will effect the characters. The main character is Kazuma, who is an Alter User who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He's not really the scumbag some people see him as; he's just doggedly independent and iconoclastic. When something gets his attention, he is blind to all else, and attempts to resolve everything the best way he knows how: by serving up a frosty can of whoop-ass! His main rival is Ryuhou, an officer in HOLY. Ryuhou sees Kazuma as a threat to the order he believes he is helping to bring to the people of the Lost Grounds. However, deep down his motives are selfish, as he seeks revenge on the alter that he believes is responsible for killing his mother. Kanami is a young girl that Kazuma lives with. She has a pure spirit and cares deeply for Kazuma. For a young girl she is a hard worker and is very responsible, often scolding Kazuma for slacking off. Kimishima is Kazuma's friend who is often responsible for getting him odd jobs that require the power of an alter user. Despite being fairly streetwise, he often gets into a bit more trouble than he can handle, and is jealous of Kazuma having the power to bail him out. Mimori Kiryo is the daughter of an influential official on the mainland who has tremendous influence on the goings-on in the Lost Grounds. She comes to the island to work for HOLD, but that's really just a cover to allow her to see Ryuhou, whom she knew during their childhood. Though she is shocked to find that he is not the person she once knew, she refuses to abandon hope that he will return her affection. Mimori is very idealistic, which causes her to sometimes clash with the fundamentals of HOLY. Shireece is another member of HOLY, and is very attached to Ryuhou, seeing Mimori as competition. She seems very sweet and harmless, but she adheres strictly to the ideals of HOLY. Also among the Alter Users of HOLY is Tachibana, whose alter ability is eight spheres called the Eternity Eight. These spheres can be used to control minds, can be used as projectiles, and can even be fused together into a sword. He has a grudge against Kazuma for insulting his abilities, and seeks retribution, sometimes even going over the head of Ryuhou to get it. Straight Cougar is a member of HOLY whose ability is speed, especially turning normal cars into high-performance machines. He thinks fast and talks even faster, but usually just winds up tripping over his own words, especially since he can never remember anyone's name. Martin Sigmar is the leader of HOLY, and was the first Alter User discovered in the Lost Grounds. It is evident to some that he knows more than he lets on, but his followers are still loyal (mainly because he knows even more than everyone thinks he does). Moujou Kyouji is an Alter User from the mainland who seeks control of both the mainland and the Lost Grounds, and resorts to some very underhanded and despicable doings to get what he wants. He's a grade-A psycho, and he revels in it. So nice to see a man who loves his work, huh? All of these characters have their own personal demons to work out (or are like demons themselves), and their development is at times more riveting than the plot itself.
Plot: Like with any good plot, it starts out with a few isolated incidents, but as more is revealed, the scope and implications become broader and broader, and a true threat to the normal way of life ensues. The only real problem I saw with the plot was that it was wrapped up very nicely in 25 episodes, but it goes on for 26. Normally I wouldn't nit-pick about that, but the last episode really drags down the impact of the climax. Aside form that, the pacing was good, and there was next to no filler. The series might be more enjoyable if you just skip that last episode; you'll be able to guess where it's all going to end up, anyway.
CHICKS!: There are two main chicks, and typically, they've both fallen for the brooding, badass bishounen. Chalk up another loss for us harmless, happy-go-lucky types. Mimori is a pleasant raven-haired girl who is very sentimental. Her personality is basically the polar opposite of what the object of her affection's is, so her love is most certainly unrequited. She's got a very nice figure, but she's the type who will be remembered more for her convictions than for her body. If a strong-willed woman turns you on, Mimori is a hot date. In my opinion, the better of the two is Shireece (but that's just my bias; I'm a sucker for blue hair). She's much more girlish, and everything about her just screams "cute," especially when she gets jealous of Mimori. How anyone can ignore that kind of girl is beyond me, but Ryuhou shuts her out like she's got malaria. He should trade some of his power for a clue. We should all be so lucky to have two desirable chicks chasing after us. That's the main reason why I was always rooting for Kazuma to kick his ass.
Overall: It starts out like just another fighting anime, but it becomes much more intense as it goes on. Political and personal conflicts abound as the desires of Kazuma and Ryuhou to fight each other become overshadowed. It mixes just the right amounts of hope and tragedy (oh yeah, and Alter Users beating the living snot out of each other) to form a complete and appealing story. This anime holds much wider appeal than it might appear at first glance, so to all of you who only watch those tame, girly anime (not that there's anything wrong with stuff like Bottle Fairy) might consider this title with an open mind.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Those alters look really cool
+ Good mix of action and emotion
+ Characters we can actually care about
- Just one episode too long
Rating: 9/10
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