Kurozuka

I don't remember how I found Kurozuka, probably browsing on boxtorrents, but I'm glad I did. It covers a lot of ground without burning dozens of episodes in the process. There is a bit of mystery, then some action, then a lot of bloodshed, mystery again, then the story skips to to different places in time to give us the big picture of what's really going on. It's not painful to watch, you just have to keep up and pay attention to each scene to make sure you don't get lost.

It's a bit more complex than the usual guy likes girl, kills to protect. Let me back up: The story centers around this young man and his almost unreal journey that has him fighting in the feudal era, and what appears to be a dystopia centuries later while making sense of this nostalgic feeling of chasing the mysterious woman that he has fallen for. Mysteries pile up and memories are missing in action, how is a young man supposed to keep his head on straight?

There are untimely demises, bloodshed, and some disturbing scenes and characters that had me cringing. The beginning of the anime and the ending hardly resemble each other and by the time the last episode comes around, you will begin to feel just like the main character. Watch three or four episodes before you make up your mind. The first episode is only the beginning.

I believe the beginning theatrics are to pay homage to the noh play of the same name. Each episode has snippet of this with words that add to what's going on in the anime, so don't skip it thinking it's the same blah blah.

Recommendations:

• Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou >>...fights in the forest and other backdrops between warring clans that display their deadly skills to satisfy decades-old rivalries
  
• Ergo Proxy >>...dystopia, darkness and mysterious creatures drive the story that takes the characters to lands, while a mysterious creature looms in the shadows
  
• Toki o Kakeru Kanojo >>...time just drifts happily by for one high schooler until she finds the ability to time travel and her woes amount to more than just stolen pudding
• Mnemosyne >>...living forever can be a curse, especially when those who hunt you are irresistible demons in this not for kids anime
  

Video Sample:



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See the description for Kurozuka on AnimeDB.net >>

Kemono no Souja Erin (The Beast Player Erin)

Kemono no Souja Erin follows the life of a young girl named Erin. We meet Erin and her mother and quickly learn that her world isn't the same as ours. Her world is full of nature, beasts, interesting people, unexpected turns of events and harsh ways of life for those with green eyes. I'm 9 episodes in and she's already had it pretty rough compared to most girls her age. One thing she has going is resilience, smarts and curiosity...almost too much curiosity.

We get to experience many new things with Erin, including times of heartache, times of wonder and times she gets to figure stuff out. That happens a lot. It's light fare, but I seem hooked and will be watching through until the end. The theme song seems to foreshadow a lot of what's to come, except for the heavy use of apples. In the ending theme, she has long hair, and appears to be traveling the globe. I'm looking forward to following her on her journey, because she doesn't bug me and has some interesting experiences with creatures and people. I wouldn't say it's fast-paced, but because there always seems to be something happening, I wasn't bored at any point so far.

Oh, one thing I must mention is that there are times when instead of following Erin, for a few minutes, a pair of brothers that are within reach of royalty seem to be getting their story started. I'm assuming their paths will cross somehow, but it's certainly a distraction that isn't much of a tease.

The alternative title I've found for this series "The Beast Player" almost makes it sound like this anime is about some sort of game. I believe this phrase refers to how Erin has a way with beasts, as if she can wield and play them like instruments. I have not seen the harp that is shown in the picture in this post yet, so the "Player" thing could be something different than my suspicions.

Recommendations:

• Seirei no Moribito...nature and otherworldly creatures, a sheltered youth learns about survival from a spear-wielding guardian >>
  
• Nijuu Mensou no Musume...life already in danger, a young lady abandons her caged bird lifestyle to undergo tutelage by a wanted criminal genius >>
• Shion no Ou...young girl witnesses her parents murder and still manages to confront her challenges and fears when the past comes back to play with her mind >>
• Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi >>...moving to a new town is a bummer, especially when your parents go missing and you have to fend for yourself in a world brimming with supernaturals and mythical creatures
• Tokyo Magnitude...when a whopping 8.0 magnitude earthquakes shakes Tokyo to nearly rubble, a young girl does all she can to guide her brother home through the chaos and fallout >>
  

Video Sample:

As the only good video clip I could find on youtube for this series, this has a major spoiler in it, so if you are dead serious about spoilers, do not watch past 00:35.



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See the description for Kemono no Souja Erin on AnimeDB.net >>

July 2009 List of Picks

This past season has been some slim pickings for me. A few anime have been sustaining me, and some leftover episodes pop up, also some trailing anime. Sometimes I am interested in checking out new anime and want to list them, but then end up dropping a series or two and picking up others. This is a list of anime that I ended up watching this last season.

What I've been watching this past season:

• Souten Kouro...the time for change has come and one man is at the eye of the storm, bloodshed and crooked politicians don't phase him (See Anime Spotlight)
• Sengoku Basara...let's have some fun action with flashy characters, styled art, and two main characters whose rivalry takes them straight to the Demon King (See Anime Spotlight)
• Genji Monogatari Sennenki...shield the children's eyes, it's the man that steals the hearts of maidens whose tale is told through the ages
• Eden of the East...mysteries unfold around a young man found nude and armed, with a phone to die for (See Anime Spotlight)
• Hetalia: Axis Powers...don't think, just indulge in the stereotype-seeped characters of Hetalia and how they go way back (See Anime Spotlight)
• Hatsukoi Gentei...a kappa, a bijin, and a kaibutsu are a few of the trail mix of characters you'll get with this light high school comedy with underlying blooming romances
• Valkyria Chronicles...if you've got the clueless commander, they've got a tank for him to command in this wartime story sprinkled with action, comedy and suspense
• Tears to Tiara...don't be fooled by the first episode, this anime provides surprising laughs, characters straight out of an RPG, and some long-awaited mysteries
• K-On!...this was light, airy fun with some high school girls banding together to experience being in a high school music club
• Phantom: Requiem for Phantom...really want to finish this cold and slightly haunting anime about an assassin in-training (See Anime Spotlight)
• Koukaku no Regios...this is good for some laughs, and a decent time filler if you mute the fighting music and don't expect too much
• xxxHolic Shunmuki...I enjoyed the xxxHolic team, but think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had finished Tsubasa Chronicles

Picked up late:

• Kemono no Soujo Erin...one episode won me over, will be watching till I have no more episodes left (See Anime Spotlight)

Loose episodes:

• Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette...classic story about a little french girl who sees hard times (See Anime Spotlight)
• Porfy no Nagai Tabi...I've seen a few episodes to be interested, but have a feeling these kids aren't going to have it easy
• Denpateki na Kanojo...it gets twisted when a high school delinquint gains a new stalker and a serial murder surfaces (See Anime Spotlight)
• Cat Soup...this was a bit surreal, watch when you have time to admire the animation
• DOGS: Bullets & Carnage...caught two episodes and it was action that entertained
• Kannagi ep 14 DVD episode...you could tell this was for fans because it went nowhere in fun

Out of season anime:

• Kurozuka...a romance borne at a gruesome beginning spires a familiar chase that spins on throughout the ages

Watched a few episodes and then dropped:

• 07-Ghost...it got boring for me after a handful of episodes
• Pandora Hearts...it got creepy and boring for me after a few episodes

Do you plan to watch any of these anime?