Fall Preview 3

Part 3 of the Fall new series previews.

     Another series that I had no previous knowledge of was To Aru Majutsu no Index. The story takes place a bit into the future in a pseudo city called Academy City. It is called so because it is pretty much an education metropolis, with the majority of the buildings in it being devoted to some form of education, from primary to college. Within the confines of the city people can utilize technologically enhanced super natural powers. Toma is a high school student whose biggest asset is his incredibly bad luck. After trying to stop delinquents from harassing lone girl at a dinner he runs across town fleeing them only to find out the girl has dealt with him and is after him as well. The girl is a powerful electrical esper, techno-power users, and she plans to teach Toma for interfering. Toma is not necessarily an esper but his right hand has the ability to negate such powers. The next morning he wakes up in his room, sore and exhausted. During their fight, the girl’s esper abilities knocked out power in most of the city. He has no air-conditioning and all the food in his fridge is no longer for human consumption. To make matters worse he breaks his charge card and the phone is out of service. Contemplating his fate he seeks refuge from the summer heat on his balcony only to find a strangely dressed girl, unconscious, dangling from his railing. As he wonders what she is or where she came from, she wakes up and demands food. Once she begins insulting him he begins to feed her his spoiled left over’s, which she heartily devours. She introduces herself as Index and that she is from a magical academy. She ended up on his veranda while trying to flee her pursuers via the roof tops. They are after the multitude of magical grimore that she has possession of. Toma doesn’t believe any of it and when he stats that she brings up religious arguments about the reality of magic versus the reality of esper technology. She hints that she is a nun of some sorts and that she must leave before he gets involved in her troubles. Contemplating the situation, Toma runs off to school, where he runs into the esper he fought the night before. Escaping her, he arrives at his house to find Index lying in front of his door, unconscious and bleeding. As he approaches her, her apparent attacked appears as well.

     OK, I’m usually not that big of a fan of supernatural powered anime, shows like Shonen Oumyoji don’t generally entertain me. This show though kept me entertained for a number of reasons. One was its hilarity, I like characters like Toma, who are shown to have incredibly horrid luck. The show also reminds me of an RPG I used to play called Mage the Ascension. The show also reminds me a bit of Maho Tsukai Tai, maybe not in its characters, or in its plot. The reason it reminds me of that series is the idea of average kids getting the ability to do something important with supernatural aid and not really showing too much concern for the weight on their shoulders. Now, I do fear that this show could turn into a loose shonen adventure, with more and more powerful villains showing up and causing all sorts of problems for Index and Toma. I do see it going in this direction though; Index convinces the skeptical Toma that magic does exist outside of technology and that he ha some latent abilities…OK damn that’s pretty shonen… I can also see a relationship developing between them as well… Anyways, so far the show is pretty entertaining and promising, how it will pan out from there will have to be discovered. I’m looking forward to watching more of this series.

     A few years ago I watched the live action version of Casshern, which was a bizarre, interesting and confusing movie. Afterwards I found out it was an anime as well. I wasn’t impressed enough by the movie to want to watch any of the anime, as I’m not really a fan of the old school Japanese super hero titles, like Astro Boy or Gatchaman. Now, after over 30 years since the original TV series aired a new anime done by Madhouse has come out, Casshern Sins and picks up many years after the original story. My memory of the back story is sketchy so I read up on the series because the back story is needed to understand some of what is happening in the new anime.

     Casshern takes place in a future world were robots have gained sentience and have decided to eradicate humanity because they see the world being better off with out them. The son of the man who originally invented the robots, Casshern, has made him self a cyborg in order to combat them and atone for his fathers sins. By the time he begins to fight them the robots have destroyed the majority of humanity and little hope exists for the world to return to the way it was. There appears to be a slight alteration in Casshern Sins as to the events. According to what I have found about the show Casshern and 2 others worked for the leader of the robots, Braiking Boss. They were sent to kill a woman named Luna. In the original anime Luna worked with Casshern, and his dog, to fight the robots. In the live action movie Luna was Casshern’s fiancée. Sins starts off with Casshern having killed Luna, thus ending any hope for mankind. It is now the time of decay as the world begins to crumble. All of the robots have attained one single minded goal, to kill Casshern and eat him, allowing them to end the decay and to live forever. Casshern must now try to survive while finding his own identity in the increasingly hospitable landscape.

     At first I was leery of watching this anime, the movie didn’t leave that good of a taste in my mouth and I have never been a big fan of the classic Japanese superhero genre. After watching this first episode though my opinion has changed. I probably will not watch the original Casshern anime from the 70’s but might watch the OAV’s from the 90’s and want to rewatch the live action movie. The story is very dark and desolate, which counters the art style, which is an homage to the classic styling’s of the 60’s and 70’s, which tended to be a bit childish in content. The series is very moody and also depressing in tone, the landscape is very muted and drab, on purpose. I was actually taken a back for a second when they showed a shot of a sub character playing in some water…the contract was amazing. The music is very moody as well and the action sequences are both precise and confusing. I think this was all done on purpose not due to a lack of quality. I have been impressed with Madhouses’ work for a while now and I don’t see Casshern Sins being in danger of anything other than script stagnation. If the series turns out to be Casshern wandering from one episode to the next, saving some people in each episode, like some cybernetic, post apocalyptic, version of the A-Team. Only time will tell, but so far I’m pretty impressed.

    The next series was not as impressive but was definitely interesting. Kuroshitsuji takes place in the Victorian age of England and centers around a young boy who has become the sole power behind a multinational corporation known for making toys, Phantomhive. The boy, Ciel, dabbled in the dark arts, as many aristocrats of that time did, and summoned a demonic assistant in a moment of weakness. This demon is his butler Sebastian, who heads the house hold staff and tends to his young masters every need. The first episode introduces us to the staff of the mansion and the young master. Ciel is cynical and angry at the world. He demands everything from his staff and offers no apologies. While young, he is quite intelligent, resourceful and not easily manipulated. He knows that he must maintain his family empire and does so shrewdly; especially given the disadvantages he faces from his age and the lack of respect he would get from his business partners. Sebastian is prim, proper, well mannered, composed and the model of perfection. He does everything demanded of him and helps control the rest of the staff. He is quick, calculating and resourceful. While he does everything his young master demands of him you can tell that in the back of his mind he is waiting for his chance to put him in his place, he is of demon blood after all. It is unknown if anyone outside of Ciel knows of Sebastian’s origins, and seems unlikely. Bard is the chef of the house and seems pretty inept at his duties. He seems to be more of a playboy than anything else, one of the cool guys who lacks a bit in the brains department. Finian is the mansions gardener, he is young, actually looks like a girl from some slice of life anime, and is also some what inept at his duties. He too is also dim witted. Meirin is the maid. She is like a bimbo version of Velma, glasses and all. She is easily flustered and is very attracted towards Sebastian. The final servant is the mysterious and elusive Tanaka, and older gentleman of few words and few actions beyond sipping green tea.

     The plot of the first episode beyond introductions is one of the managers of an overseas factory has come to Ciel to look for more funds. In reality he has sold off the factory behind his back and is looking to skim a little more cash out of the naïve child he works for. Ciel is not aware of his treachery but sense something is amiss all the same. Sebastian discovers the truth and covertly teaches the man to review who he is trying to steal from.

     This is an interesting series. I’m not really a big fan of Victorian period pieces, but this one might be worth my time. The characters are all incredibly goofy, except Ciel, but there is also a very sadistic and dark side to the story. Sebastian is not goofy but is pretty funny all the same. I am interested in seeing where this will go plot wise. I hope more supernatural elements are not brought in, which would make this series just another shonen action shows. We don’t need a bunch of European business man/occultists battling each other with their summoned familiars. There are some secrets that I want to find out, like why Sebastian was originally summoned and what happened to Ciel's left eye. I also want to see if Ciel will ever lose his control over Sebastian and what would happen afterwards. More than likely Sebastian would teach him a lesson and return to his command out of some bond he has developed with the pint sized curmudgeon. The character design and setting remind me of a cross between D.Gray-man and Ouran High School Host Club.

    The final series I watched in this round is the fantasy title Tales of the Abyss. This was another series that I had no previous knowledge of and didn’t even know it was a fantasy title, let alone based off of a recent PS2 RPG. While watching it though is played out exactly like an RPG.

     Tales of the Abyss takes place on a fictional world filled with a number of countries that have had varying relations with each other over the ages. A spiritual organization, the Order of Lorelei, was created 2 millennium before the start of the series that protected and translated the timeline of the planet. They control and protect the source of all of the world’s history and future, knowing the beginning and the end. According to one of their prophecies a red haired prince will be born to a king that will help bring peace and prosperity to the world. That prince is named Luke and shortly after his birth a country neighboring his starts a war. During the war he is kidnapped only to be returned at the end of the war. All of his memories disappeared from before his return. In fear of his life being in danger his parents keep him locked up in the castle grounds until he is an adult. Luke grows strong and confident but hates his sheltered existence and only wants to see the world. One day his father summons him to bid farewell to his weapon master, Van, who is a member of the Order, has to return to help lead the search for one of the sages. During their final lesson together a mysterious woman invades the castle, putting everyone to sleep with a magical song with the intent to fight Van. Luke jumps in front of her to parry an attack on his master and when they make contact a supernatural force between them resonates and they both rocket out of the castle grounds, only to find them selves in a distant land. Now the girl, Tear, who never meant any real threat, must bring the young and inexperienced prince back to his home.

     OK, so I have never been a fan of fantasy anime and this one plays out exactly like an RPG…even with some of the dialogue. But for whatever reason it reminds me a little bit of Escaflowne and El Hazard so I’m willing to give it a chance. The animation is smooth, fluid and modern. The premise of the world is interesting with characters controlling different elemental abilities that came from the planet its self. These abilities are stored in crystals that are orbiting the world and apparently on the world as well in some form or another, again I was reminded of Mage the Ascension and the shards reminded me of the avatar shards, but forget that if you have no knowledge of the game. One thing I’m pretty confident of is that Luke is not the original Luke that was kidnapped, hence the memory lose. I’m pretty sure there are more twists then that in store. I think for now though, I’ll sit back and watch the series until it gives me a reason to stop watching it. As long as it doesn’t start to resemble Slayers or Record of Lodoss War it might be ok, or I might get sick of the RPG aspects.