Ranked #2136

3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu

When come back, please bring Pai.

But seriously, the nice thing about this anime is that Yakumo finally comes into his own, having learned how to use his own abilities as a Wu, their roles reverse and he starts to save her rather than the converse.

Its bloody and violent, and of course, as Yakumo can't die, he winds up splattered all over the place, but he's lost a little bit of his comic edge having been hardened by his journeys.

The story at times seems somewhat fragmented in comparison to the manga. It tries to rise a bit above the generic random anime-monster of the week, and succeeds a bit better than its predecessor.

Both the art and sound were good for their time, but the art style is somewhat dark and hasn't aged well.

But in the end its all about the endearing quest of one girl to become human and Yakumo's inhuman efforts to help her on her way, and these characters help drive this anime. I don't give it a 10, if only because some of the support characters tend to be a little 2-dimensional.

All in all, it is a journey that is well worth your time. read more

NOTICE: This review involves the entire series, including its sequel, Densetsu.

PROPER MINDSET
3 x 3 Eyes is an old action/horror/drama series that involves a supernatural girl and an immortal male teenager in their quest to find a way to live a normal life. It was a nice thrill for the time it came out but after all these years I feel like it means a lot less than, let’s say, Urotsukidoji in terms of occult, or Shiki in terms of pondering about immortality. Plus its premise has been overused in later series to the point it means very little anymore.

THE STAFF
- The studio behind its production is none other than Toei, and that automatically means some basic quality in overall.
- The director of the anime is Nishio Daisuke, who also directed the fabled Dragonball Z series and lately is preoccupied with the Pretty Cure franchise. It was a wise and fitting match-up, since his attention to action and emotional tension fits the overall feeling of 3X3.
- The anime is based on the manga by Takada Yuuzu, a minor name in the field. His Blue Seed anime adaptation was sort of famous back when it aired for its occult theme but the rest of his works are aimless goofy comedies nobody cared for.

PRODUCTION VALUES
The general artwork is very good back in the days it was made. It has an occult concept, as there are several gruesome monsters in it, backed up with ancient ruins and bloody action that back then could only be surpassed by Urotsukidoji in its graphic gore (but don’t expect any sex). Everything else is out of date of course and looks too jerky today but it is still an above average production. It is nothing you haven’t seen in modern series of the same kind; the depiction of cities, schools and ruins is lukewarm and the animation is choppy. But it still manages to maintain somewhat distinctive main character figures; I will always recognize Pai thanks to her wide forehead and third eye, lol. Nothing to write about the sound part as I forgot all about it. That means decent voice acting, forgettable music themes and sound effects.

SCRIPT
Demons, immortals, satanic rituals and … Japanese schoolgirls!
The adaptation remains faithful in all the key events of the manga without holding back on the gore and violence. A few differences I spotted is how the anime version speeds up the plot by taking out many minor events that are otherwise fleshing out the characters, as well as presenting things as if all villains are working in the same organization instead of being stand-alone groups. Other than that, it is nothing special and it’s so small in duration that can be described as followed:

Part 1: Mysterious super girl looks for remedy, makes average teenager an immortal bodyguard, fights demons for a relic which can turn her into a normal human being.
Part 2: Mysterious super girl gets amnesiac from previous battle, immortal bodyguard looks for her, fights demons who want to exploit her powers.
Part 3: Mysterious super villain captures super girl, their pasts are revealed, bad guy’s plan is revealed, immortal bodyguard fights him in ancient ruins, final flashy battle occurs… The end.

It is linear and straightforward, focusing on only the two main characters but at least there are no fillers. All the supernatural things in the story are simply explained as being “magic”. If they were technology, they would need some serious explaining; so, they are half-baked. We must accept a series where demons are roaming free and of mystic civilizations being hidden from the modern world, which was kind of hard for me to accept. As for the conclusion, there is one in the SEQUEL. And it is a lukewarm “happy ending” one; nothing extraordinary. You may notice how typical it looks today, since most shonen seem to be redoing it with more duration. Well ok, back then it felt more original and the violence was definitely much higher than the soups we get today.

CAST
The characters are completely clichéd with today’s standards; a butchy super chick with issues, a nice-guy dork protector who loves her and a typical megalomaniac villain who plans to kill/destroy the world. Sounds familiar? The only thing that they are worth remembering is the typical-but-never-boring dramatic phrase “I want to live a normal life with the one I love than rule the world alone”. It is just a two-person series as all the support characters and villains are simply not doing anything to affect the central plot and are there just to fill the background. But it is true that the main duo gets a wonderful focus that manages to captivate you, despite its simplicity. By the end of the show you really feel that they developed and even found catharsis.

LEGACY
Easy to watch, even easier to forget. Just because it’s a cult title, it doesn’t automatically become very enjoyable. Especially after watching a lot of similar stories. Past a collector’s urge to have every anime classic ever made, it’s nothing special. [/spoiler]

SUGGESTION LIST
Similar themed series where a demon-fighting supernatural woman gets a male boy as aid and then falls in love with him: Fate/Stay Night, Busou Renkin, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Bleach, Birdy the Mighty.
You may also want to check out Shiki, an occult/horror/mystery show around vampires.

And now for some excused scorings.
ART SECTION: 6/10
General Artwork 2/2 (nice occult feeling)
Character Figures 1/2 (generic)
Backgrounds 1/2 (basic)
Animation 1/2 (basic)
Visual Effects 1/2 (basic)

SOUND SECTION: 7/10
Voice Acting 2/3 (corny but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Music Themes 3/4 (not great but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess)

STORY SECTION: 5/10
Premise 1/2 (typical)
Pacing 2/2 (very good)
Complexity 0/2 (none)
Plausibility 1/2 (some)
Conclusion 1/2 (cheesy)

CHARACTER SECTION: 7/10
Presence 1/2 (generic)
Personality 1/2 (rather cheesy but well founded)
Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there)
Development 2/2 (overblown but it’s there)
Catharsis 2/2 (overblown but it’s there)

VALUE SECTION: 3/10
Historical Value 1/3 (It beats most action mini-series of its era and is quite famous amongst retro anime fans)
Rewatchability 0/3 (Hardly rewatchable as it is reminiscent of a hundred other newer (and mostly more entertaining) titles)
Memorability 2/4 (A bit memorable for its occult feeling and the gore scenes but high violence means very little after Elfen Lied and other similar shows came along)

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 4/10
Art 1/1 (looks nice thanks to the occult feeling)
Sound 0/2 (sounds meh)
Story 1/3 (feels generic)
Characters 2/4 (they are average)

VERDICT: 5/10 read more