I just started watching Kurozuka, so I'll try to write up some spoiler free reviews of each episode as I go. Also, please take into account I'm watching these in Japanese with no subtitles (which actually helps with the spoiler free part LOL).
Episode 1:
We're introduced to our protagonist, who appears to be a monk. The setting appears to be feudal Japan, though I could've sworn I saw a quick shot of a post-apocalyptic modern city. Hopefully this'll be explained as the show goes on. There's a bit of action right off the bat, with some demonic soldiers attacking our hero(s), and some fast n' furious swordplay. The visuals are reminiscent of Ninja Scroll (which makes since this is produced by Madhouse). The music has that neo-traditional Japanese flare to it, very somber and ambient. Outside of the action in the beginning, the middle section has our hero meeting the (seemingly to be) heroine, and sets up their possible romance. The final action scene provides an interesting twist to one of our protagonists, and sets up the rest of story compellingly. There's a decent amount of blood during the fight scenes. The afore mentioned romance has the potential to get steamier, but I don't get the overtly sexual vibe from this show so far, more sensual than anything. I'll be back with an episode 2 review. Thanks for reading!
Apparently, something quite terrible befell our hero, Kuro (the monk), between episodes. The beginning of this episode serves to set up a flashback to said incident. There isn't as much action, but the story is compelling thus far with some interesting twists regarding Kuro's colleague, Benkei (the other monk). Meanwhile, Kuromitsu (the love-interest) is turning out to be quite the demon-woman (she isn't what you call human). Also, there are these Noh (?) theater segments at the beginning of each episode, seemingly foreshadowing things. They even cut back to to it for a split-second during a tense scene for added effect. I'll be back with my thoughts on the next episode.
OK, so now this is officially a genre bending show. The episode kicks off with Kuro waking up in that post-apocalyptic future I mentioned in my episode 1 review. The main setting is a dystopian city with some seriuos smog pollution. We're also introduced to two more seemingly key characters: a street-wise chap by the name of Karuta, and a cute blond girl whose name escapes me, who seem to be part of some rebellion. To top it all off there are some stormtrooper types on their tail (sound famil...anyways). Meanwhile, the lovely blood-sucking Kuromitsu appears to be missing.
The end see's Kuro bringing all types of pain to the enemy soldiers, but his glory is cut short by an unexpected jack-ass who likes a cross between a cowboy and a Rastafarian. Ah, and Kuro seems to have caught the vampiric qualities of Kuromitsu so I expect him to retaliate next episode. Until next time.
Our lovers are briefly reunited before more tragedy strikes. Meanwhile, there seems to be some connection between the mysterious band of rebels and Kuromitsu.
The series continues to play with the chronology through a clever use of flashbacks. It's very tricky to pull off this style of storytelling, but the creative team is doing a good job so far.
There's very little action in this episode. However, I've been noticing the use of these bullet-time inspired sequences since the first episode (before any bullets even appeared in the show ;-p), and while this is a tired concept, the choice of colors used to highlight said sequences help to remedy that.
As I mentioned before, this show is dipping into different genres, such as: fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. Again, to the creative teams' credit, they're mixing these elements into a compelling story.
That's it for now. Thanks again for reading!
This episode was action light, but emotionally resonating. I felt gutted when they cut back to the present, after a heartfelt flashback to Kuro and Kuromitsu's past together. Also, the music during this sequence was haunting and enchanting. On the opposite spectrum, there was a pretty horrific scene involving some type of human experimentation, which left an impression.
The visuals are fittingly dark and drab, as has been the case since the first episode. Though, there was a scene set in a church with some beautifully rendered stain-glass windows. On another note, there was a jarring bit of CGI used to render the exterior of a building. This has been the first negative feeling I've had for the otherwise great visuals of this series.
As a whole, this episode follows suit with the last four; only feeding us just enough information to leave us wanting more. I'll be back with that next bit of more.
So, I've finished watching the show, and am left with conflicting feelings. Things started to go downhill after my episode 5 review. It became apparent that the plot was going nowhere, when by this point in a 12 episode series it should have been. Still, there was that 'something' that kept me compelled. I suppose the feeling that's there more behind this story than was revealed has something to do with it.
As a matter of fact, the source material for this show are a series of novels and manga, which in turn derive their story from an ancient folktale, and an old 'Noh' play. So, unless I get my Japanese up to snuff, I may never enjoy what the creators of this anime tried to repackage.
I suppose to end on a positive note, I'll comment on the superb animation and action scenes, which borrow from the Matrix and other Madhouse anime. And the musical score, which mixes the modern and feudalistic with very natural sounds.
My final score is 6 out of 10.
