Ranked #2164

The Legend of Black Heaven

This is one of those Animes that will really throw you for a loop. It starts out pretty plain but by the end you are at the edge of your seat. The setting goes from a hapless salary man's every day life, to a battle that the fate of the universe rests on. The Legend of Black Heaven is a wild ride with some of, if not the best, music that you have ever heard in a Anime.

Story: I can honestly say that while the story is beyond a doubt a very original creation, it does lack some polish. Some events in the story take place much to slowly (around the beginning especially) but by the end of it, the writers get it right and you're trying desperately to find the next episode to find out what happens. Don't worry if the first few are a little bland, you'll thank yourself by the end.

Art: Art is perhaps the one field where Black Heaven really falls short. Now don't get me wrong, some of the space scenes are done in a very impressive CG and they look amazing! Unfortunately the reason they do look so good is that most of the artwork is nothing more than average. You won't find anything really special in this department either, but it's not so bad as to distract from the fun.

Sound: AMAZING! <--- The one word that really describes the sound and the soundtrack for Black Heaven. The fact that the story centers around a band, and the fact that music is an extremely integral part of the Anime makes the sound even better. While character development and action may be the most important and cause some of the most heart wrenching moments in other Animes, Black Heaven's music will make you cry, laugh, and rock on! To put this into perspective, the first ever OST I downloaded was this one, and I love it.

Character: Both Oji and Layla are very memorable characters for me. I loved it whenever they were on screen, even more when they were both on. Oji (AKA Gabrielle) makes it possible to love this series; his transformation from depressed cubical dweller to rock god is shown amazingly.However most of the other characters, while either interesting or pleasant, didn't leave me with lasting memories of them.

Enjoyment: Again Black Heaven ranks very highly for enjoyment. This is a direct result of Oji and his great music. There will be times early on when it seems to drag, but these don't last very long. Layla's assistants also do a great job of putting in comic relief every time you see them. Personally, I enjoyed it even more the second time around.

Overall: I give it an 8/10. I was tempted to give it an even higher mark but I know I shouldn't. This Anime is not perfect, nor will you mistake it for being one. But despite all of it's flaws it has a little bit of magic to it. A magic that you will feel every time Gabrielle strums his guitar. Honestly the music in it makes it a must see, or at least a must hear. (I wanted to give sound a 11/10 but they wouldn't let me)
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For me this story has nothing to do with music, that's just acessory. The true jem about this anime is the story. With more money to avoid some scene repeatition, this could have been one of the greatest anime i ever saw. This is definitly not for young people who are usually longing for strong,in rough emotions. When I saw this anime i took pleasure in seeing that the main character is an adult,simple, regular person. No fancy things just plain normal. He could have chosen a life to follow his dreams, but instead like a man, he took up his responsabilities, dedicated himself to his family. Nobody had to die, no overreaction. By contrast to many predictable, and drama queens animes, in Black Heaven there is no big drama, it's just simply sad. There is no blood sacrifices, no impossible, platonic hyped love. It's the most realistic essay of the human condition i've seen in anime in a very long time. He doesn't have a special power, he just happens to know how to play a song. For some it may be very boring, due to the small amount of action that you observe in the anime, however it is this tranquility that allows it to develop the so well the characters. It reminds me of the 70's & 80's movies. VEry few special effects and more concentration/focus on the character/plot development. The sound may be a bit repetitive after a while, but nevermind that, the rest will compensate for it. It's a serious anime for serious people. read more