The End of the World

[Categories: Anime Reviews]

Autumn 2008 first impressions (gar edition): Casshern Sins, Michiko to Hatchin, One Outs

Posted by Martin  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Huerrgh!, One Outs]

And so I finally get to the end of my Autumn 2008 to-watch list. I must admit that I’m following a lot more new shows than I was during the summer (as in, three times as more), which is a bit daunting to be honest. On the plus side I have two whole weeks off work to keep up with things and many of the currently airing series are only twelve or thirteen eps long anyway.

To balance out the feminine frilly skirts and black lace trimmings of my last preview post, the final batch have a badass gar slant. So here they are: Casshern Sins, Michiko to Hatchin and One Outs. And to my Stateside readers, this week of Epic Election Win has earned you guys an enormous shout of congratulations. Nice Vote indeed.

Casshern Sins

I reviewed the Casshan the Robot Hunter OAV a while back but the complete lack of replies suggests to me that it’s not exactly a well-known fan favourite in these parts, despite the franchise dating back all the way to the 1970s. The more recent live-action film garnered gasps of awe and sniggers of derision in equal measure from viewers for its visual awesomess (and Shiro Sagisu soundtrack) and muddled plot, and I had mixed feelings about it too. Japan seems to love its angsty robot hunter though and as a result the OAV, movie and now this TV series play the nostalgia card very strongly indeed.

Casshern is the bad guy?!

I’m sure you’re aware that I like post-apocalyptic sci-fi, especially if it includes plenty of philosophical stuff and an affectionately old-school feel. And robots fighting. Casshern Sins certainly has plenty of all this, and even gives the old franchise a kick up the backside with a variation on the premise: Luna is dead, everyone else is about to die and it’s all Casshern’s fault. Oops. Interestingly Casshern can’t actually remember what he did or even why, so presumably this series will see our robot hunter as an anti-hero trying to redeem himself.

I found the relationship between these two to be really moving by the way

The visuals ably convey the bleakness of the worldview: there are lots of greys and browns, there’s little sign of life and everything, from the landscape to the robots themselves, is decaying and crumbling away. Hell, even Braiking Boss is reduced to living in a humble cave instead of a secret lair with plenty of minions to order about. Unfortunately bleakness isn’t really what I’m looking for in the grey, dark and miserable beginning of winter and Casshern himself is a very dull central character; I guess his angst is beginning to wear on me. Even more surprisingly I’m not too keen on the character designs either, but perhaps when the days are brighter and there’s more viewing time available I’ll give this one a second chance.

Status: On Hold

Michiko to Hatchin

This was one title that I really wanted to like. It has a marvellous sense of cool and a great no-holds-barred attitude, the colours are vibrant and the exotic setting is refreshing. You can really feel the hot, dusty and dangerous nature of its environment, complete with the textures on the worn-looking buildings and the sense of abandon in the corrupt characters who don’t think twice about getting their own way with a tough stare and a punch to their opponent’s face. It’s slick, it’s exotic and it has an impressive pedigree.

The setup of Hana living with a bunch of selfish, hypocritical Christian stereotypes was unpleasant to watch, and made me want to put my fist through the screen until she finally stood up to them (although her effort there was a bit futile), which I suppose was intentional. It introduces the toughness and ufairness of the worldview, smashed to smithereens by the dramatic entrance of the runaway Michiko, who is presumably the girl’s biological mother or someone who works for her. Even so, there’s an overall impression that it talks the talk but when crunch time comes, the storytelling seems to show restraint - when restraint is decidedly not required - and doesn’t deliver on the balls-to-the-wall badass-ness that it promises. The voice acting sounds a bit flat too, which is odd when the archetypes on show here seem to be the sort who need a course in anger management.

Ultimately my decision as to whether to follow this any further wasn’t sealed by the fact that it looks like a style over substance piece that sells itself on its Westernised vibe: my laptop can’t handle high-res .H264 files these days without sending the audio and video out of synch with infuriating regularity. Since I’d have to track down alternative torrents, the effort required hardly seems worth it with so much else to watch. I’m not so much disappointed by the nature of the show itself, as I am annoyed by the shittiness of my PC and the lack of finances to replace it actually.

Status: dropped

One Outs

With no sign of a second season of Kaiji on the horizon as yet, I’m beginning to keenly feel the lack of gambling, psychology and straight-faced manliness in my viewing schedule. Fortunately the creative team behind this and Akagi have given us an adaptation of Shinobu Kaitani’s baseball manga, One Outs. Once again it’s a tense and decidedly gar portrayal of sports and gambling, and is as far away from moe or fanservice as is humanly possible. Great.

Come on if you think you’re hard enough

The first two episodes end on wonderfully suspenseful cliffhangers, concentrating on the challenge set by pro player Kojima Hiromichi, aimed at gambler and gifted yet amateur pitcher Toua Tokuchi. There’s a fair bit of specialist jargon which went over my head thanks to my nonexistent knowledge of the game, but it’s the display of pride, self-belief and tactical thought that makes it so gripping. That and the fact that Kojima and Toua have put everything on the line in their confrontation.

Baseball: sport of choice for Real Men™. Huerrgh!

My interest in sports, or any competitive activity for that matter, amounts to precisely squat. But the great thing here is that this isn’t *just* about baseball: it’s about shrewd characters using gut feeling and psychology when pitting their skills and wits against each other, which is what makes it so entertaining. The aesthetic too is, like Kaiji, gritty and straightforward, and the rock-orietentated soundtrack fits the vibe of the subject matter and approach to its storytelling. This isn’t quite the first sports anime I’ve found to be enjoyable (more on that point later this week) but I’m pleasantly surprised at how hooked I am on it.

Status: keeper

[Filed under Anime Reviews]  [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Huerrgh!, One Outs]

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