Comments on: Autumn 2008 first impressions (gothic edition): Mouryou no Hako, Kurozuka, Kuroshitsuji

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:53:10 +0000

@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).

By: Hige

Hige — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:16:16 +0000

@Owen: Heh, yeah, I meant elusive. Good catch. Higes last blog post..C-Bombs and Modified Vespas [Detroit Metal City and Michiko to Hatchin]

By: Owen S

Owen S — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:23:32 +0000

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!

By: ghostlightning

ghostlightning — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:28:20 +0000

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!

By: Hige

Hige — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:56:33 +0000

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.

By: Sasa

Sasa — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:06:19 +0000

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.

By: blissmo

blissmo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:58:41 +0000

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