[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Autumn 2008 first impressions (gothic edition): Mouryou no Hako, Kurozuka, Kuroshitsuji
My autumn viewing schedule is finally beginning to take shape now I’ve had the chance to watch the first two episodes for some of the last of the shows that interested me. I don’t think of these three as the least worthy by any means but circumstances have pushed my initial reviews further along, with only three more after these to go; it also happens that the most gothic anime shows of the season are collected in one post. So then, enjoy the dark atmospherics (and irrelevant EGL pics included just because they look stylish), perfect for the run-up to Halloween: Mouryou no Hako, Kuroshitsuji and Kurozuka.
Even though I suspect the series could never look as pretty and moody as this, it still makes me want to watch Rozen Maiden. This post isn’t about RM at all, by the way.
Mouryou no Hako
A somewhat deceptive one, this. We’re being presented with a fascinating and atmospheric murder-mystery set in the early 1950s that features a nasty case of killing and dismemberment but the truth is, the second episode suggests only a few forays into the creepy and possibly supernatural while being a fundamentally realistic piece. The opening episode was something else though: CLAMP have taken care of the character designs so coupled with rustic backgrounds and the token sakura blossoms it has a elegant, gothic tinge that fits the macabre premise perfectly. The events played out like some sort of dream; whether the dream is good or bad I couldn’t hazard a guess. There was a severed head on a train and beautiful girls reciting poetry; cherry blossoms and moonlight; spirituality and family strife; love and death. There were moments that were brutual and terrifying, moments that were just plain strange, but above all it was beautiful. How this short and bizarre shoujo-ai story can possibly relate to the plot that kicked off in the episode that follows is presumably what the following episodes will explain.
The landscapes, buildings, vehicles and dress styles all look very authentic so despite never having set foot in Japan, let alone being around during this time in history, I found it to be really convincing. There isn’t much anime around that offers an historical setting that falls in the post-war period, nor is there much which has the possibility of a cracking good murder-mystery either so I’d recommend Mouryou no Hako on this alone. I am also enjoying its aesthetic because as strange as it sounds it’s a Japanese show that actually goes out of its way to look Japanese, which actually makes it creepier. It’s historical, but not distantly so; familiar but unfamiliar. This near-familiarity goes a long way to explaining why it’s so unsettling.
The little details, such as the familiar sight of a level crossing, except it’s an older model operated by hand, were great. The scene in which the nightmare that a police detective experiences sees blood and bombs attacking him from all sides was great too. Two girls dancing alone in the night air, bonded by an inexplicable quasi-religious belief in each other, took my breath away. It looks nothing like anything else on offer at the moment, and could provide a gripping story in a novel style of shoujo-noir. I was sucked in and spellbound; hit Fullscreen, and turn out the lights…
Status: keeper
Kurozuka
More historical tales of death and severed heads, this time set even further back in time and involving samurai. And vampires. It’s supposed to be a romance that transcends the centuries, although the storyline has yet to straighten itself out: for now we’re presented with something that’s violent, atmospheric and has a fantastic traditional-sounding musical score to boot.
When I say ‘grown-up’ I’m differentiating between this and the usual shounen fare in which warriors with superpowers scream the names of the moves before executing them, battles last more than a few minutes and the action consisting of a pan or still with lots of lines everywhere. Kurozuka’s action is fantastical insofar as there’s bullet-time, superhuman feats of agility and the ability to fight when injured but otherwise it’s a realistic portrayal of a brutal time in history: you can hear the scrape of sword blades, the splatter of blood and the soggy thud when a dead body hits the deck. It’s slick, gory but not unlike the old Ninja Scroll movie from a violence standpoint.
Do you seriously think you can threaten an immortal with an offensive weapon?
Blood is drunk as well as spilled by slashes of cold steel, however. The hero, Kuro, is enchanted by the mysterious Kuromitsu (and who wouldn’t be?) and the two of them quickly become lovers bound by their sanguine immortality. I’d like to see the jumps around in time handled with as much fluidity and ease as the action, and the head-tripping scene that filled the middle of the second episode could have been handled better - I’m not sure what purpose it serves since there wasn’t much in the way of explanation or relevance to everything else. Assuming the plot doesn’t become a tangled mess this could be the best piece of dark, action-packed drama for the season and the Noh-inspired intro/preview sections were a nice touch. And it has vampires in it of course. Win.
Status: Keeper
Kuroshitsuji
Much like the town of Scunthorpe, I can see this title being eaten by some browser swear filters. Anyway. It’s a peculiar mix of Poe-inspired gothic imagery (WIN) and typically anime comedy-style slapstick; the latter sometimes detracts from the former, which is a shame. The staff of the Phantomhive household actually irritate me a bit (although Tanaka, with a cup of tea constantly in his hand is teh funneh): they are really unecessary for someone like me whose sense of humour is a bit dark and twisted. It has a great macabre premise going on though, and the combination of imagery and music fit the Victorian English setting (right down to the clothing, tea fetish and period shots of the London skyline).
How very civilised of you, old chap
The star of the show, who is looking after the mildly irritating but marvellously evil twelve-year-old Earl Ciel Phantomhive, is Sebastian Michaels; an awesome character with an awesome name. He is, in his own words, “one hell of a butler,” which basically means he’s of demonic lineage and as such is bound to his master by some supernatural contract. The upshot of this is that anyone who threatens the Earl or the interests of the household is swiftly and neatly dealt with in the most understated and cold-blooded way possible, leaving the faithful servant just enough time to organise the evening meal.
Go on, I dare you to say “Nevermore!”
The antics of the other servants are as out-of-place as sumo wrestlers at a hobbit wedding but the fact that Sebastian can drive crooked businessmen to madness or wipe out a whole roomful of Mafia henchmen single-handedly with nothing more than the family silverware is what makes it hilarious. I actually thought the opening episode’s resolution was a bit of a cop-out in that the wrongdoer actually survived, but in the second he mercilessly lets two thugs fall to their deaths, only to check his watch with mild exasperation and nonchalantly walk away. Genius.
Status: keeper
For no reason at all apart from the fact that it looks awesome.
I have absolutely no idea what is going on here
One more? Here’s a pic drawn by someone called Iwai Ryo.
I love the way the eyes are drawn…almost ABe-esque.
Posted on October 29th, 2008 @ 5:58 am
With a plot involving vampires, the show just becomes somewhat predictable, but in KUROZUKA’s case, everything is messed up right now so I guess it’s impossible to assume what’s going to happen next, which is why I like it, but not love it. I didn’t like Mouryou no Hako at all and the scenes, etc, were nice, pretty and detailed, but it was also boring. The supposed “scary” scene was just “…ahuh…”, you know? Well, I guess I’ve seen way too much horror before. But Ghost Hunt still freaked me out in the last few episodes.
blissmos last blog post..GAINAX - Studio Studies Part One
Posted on October 29th, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
Ah, here it is, the gothic review! Very good
I like Kuroshitsuji for its random hilarity actually, and the fact that its setting is so pseudo-victorian is like a nice add-on to me. This season, there are so many series I’d consider a guilty pleasure, like Earl and Fairy *cough*
Everybody seems to be talking about Kurozuka, now it makes me want to watch it although I never even read the manga.
As for Mouryou no Haku, a headache kept me from finishing the first episode. But my first impression was that… it’s a little slow-paced?
PS. The last picture is very nice indeed, it makes me remember yet again how such a dress would never look as great on a real person.
Posted on October 29th, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
I’ve yet to give any of these shows a proper chance, but my first impression of Kuroshitsuji was fairly tepid if I’m honest. The concept reminded me a lot of Hellsing and the execution didn’t hit my sweet spot, but I’ll persevere for a couple more episodes because people with tastes I trust seem to really enjoy it.
Kurozuka is one of my prime shows for this season and I’ve been anxious to watch episodes two and three (I never have any spare bloody time anymore!). Madhouse do this kind of thing so fantastically well and their manga adaptations are often faithful while allowing for studio idiosyncrasies to keep it fresh/unique. It’s good to hear they’ve still got the magic touch here.
Mouryou no Haku remains allusive. I know Bateszi loves it and I’ve been meaning to give it a watch but it keeps slipping my mind. CLAMP involvement with the aesthetics is instant win, though - especially if they’re doing their gothic thing. xxxHolic (the manga) is a visual treat and if they employ the same macabre elegance here then it can’t be a waste of time, if only for superficial reasons. I’ll write it down a postit note and stick it on my monitor so I don’t forget.
Posted on October 30th, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Kurozuka… I’ve been hungry for a swords and samurai anime for some time now. I’m not big a fan of vampires and demons, but I’ll probably check this out. Thanks for the heads up!
Posted on October 30th, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
Would you say that Mouryou no Hako bears superficial similarities to, say, Mnemosyne in terms of its plot eccentricity and lesbian undertones? The flimsy parallel just occurred to me (should be watching Mnemosyne after this v2 of episode 02 finishes downloading). Wonder if Hige meant ‘elusive’ instead of ‘allusive’ — unlike him, though, I’ll be waiting to hear from you about this. No harm in holding out, considering what’s available this season. I’m spoiled for choice as it is!
Posted on October 30th, 2008 @ 6:16 pm
@Owen: Heh, yeah, I meant elusive. Good catch.
Higes last blog post..C-Bombs and Modified Vespas [Detroit Metal City and Michiko to Hatchin]
Posted on October 30th, 2008 @ 6:53 pm
@blissmo: Kurozuka is a straight-up cool action show but I have to say the third episode makes a lot more sense! I’m not expecting anything intelligent here, but it’s a stylish and nice-looking show. The horror aspect of Mouryou no Hako worked for me because with the sedate nature of the story as a whole it took me by surprise. I’m not a horror fan normally but this one has intrigued me.
@Sasa: yep, Mouryou no Hako is indeed slow paced, but I never really think of that as a bad thing though. From what I’ve heard, the anime of Kurozuka is supposed to be better than the manga (go figure). I do love that last pic though - it would be great if there were A3-size prints of it so I could hang it on my living room wall!
@Hige: I hought the second ep of Kuroshitsuji was better than the first actually. Madhouse are doing wonders with Kurozuka - the moments where Kuro goes into RAGE mode and the colours go all over-saturated is fantastic. ‘Macabre elegance’ sums up Mouryou no Hako quite well I think - I can see it being one where I’m one of the few people to really enjoy it though.
@Ghostlightning: I’m not into demons and mindless violence either, but the aesthetic and choreography make Kurozuka enjoyable for me. But then, I enjoy vampire-themed stuff anyway.
@Owen S: the shoujo-ai in Mouryou no Hako is quite innocent and melodramatic in a teenage poetry kind of way - very much unlike Mnemosyne, which was quite vulgar, unsubtle and verging on guro at times. It owes more to XXXholic as Hige suggested actually (although I’ve only seen part of Tsubasa and some promo art of the latter).