Ranked #421

Casshern Sins

Casshern Sins is not for everyone. The show pretty much moves at one pace, and that pace is ’slow’. There is a lot of silence, introspection, and philosophical dialog. Ordinarily, this would make one assume the show is pretentious (especially since it has a lot of similarities to Texhnolyze), but it really isn’t. Casshern has a very simple plot, very simple dialog, and is easy to understand, so people looking for a mind-blower won’t find it here. The plot and messages of Casshern Sins are much more along the lines of Kino’s Journey or Mushi-shi. However, just like action fans will be turned off by the slow pace, fans of more quiet, contemplative anime might be turned off by the fact that there is at least one fight scene per episode and they can at times be lengthy. So the niche here is kind of small, requiring that you like a good variety of styles. I happen to fall into that niche.

Like most good shows, Casshern is amazing in a number of areas and wouldn’t be the same without any of them. The soundtrack, voice acting, animation, directing, fights, dialog, art - everything aligns just right to create a show that is just about perfect for what it is. I’ll be getting into detail on that now.

Sound

Casshern Sins has a very powerful and gripping soundtrack composed by Kaoru Wada (Princess Tutu, Tekkaman Blade, To Heart). The songs are all symphonic, ranging from minimalist and pretty to towering and sinister. The loud songs are very intensely dramatic and dark to the point that some (like the first track Sins) sound outright evil. (Interestingly, that song sounds like the symphonic version of an Opeth song.) The calmer songs are usually very airy and often acoustic-guitar driven. They definitely evoke images of Casshern’s world where you’ve heard them in the background. While either type is great, I prefer the calm songs if only because the more dramatic ones would go better with the show.

There is something very mysterious but also very charming about these calmer songs. They bring a sense of wonder mixed with familiarity. It’s a sense like seeing something totally new, but so enthralling that it feels like home. The ultimate song that captures this feeling is ‘Memory Past’ which is the song that usually played whenever Casshern met someone new and learned their story. The closest real musical comparison I have for this OST is the music in Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime which has always been some of my favorite composition. In the context of the series, all of the songs work superbly well to add ten extra layers of tone onto the already tone-tacular series. The music is notable straight from episode 1, which I guess it’d have to be to make me go and find the OST.

In addition to the OST, there has been a Best Theme Collection from this series. The show has one opening theme (Aoi Hana by color bottle) and 3 endings (Reason by KANA, Aoi Kage by Otoya Kichiemon, and Hikari to Kage by Kuno Shinji), the second of which is only used for one episode. The best theme collection has the op and main eds in TV size, several instrumental versions of Aoi Kage, two original tracks by Wada Kaoru, two important vocal insert songs from te series (Sky and A Path by Nami Miyahara who voices Lyuze), and finally, both the original Tatakae! Casshan! theme and a new, heavy version of the song by Otoya Kichiemon.

I personally didn’t care much for the 2 main eds, but I found myself completely unable to skip the op for even one episode. It is easily one of my favorite opening songs in a while. Aoi Kage and the modern Tatakae! Casshan! are both awesome because they manage to play heavy metal acoustics. Anything that can do that is automatically awesome. The old-school Tatakae! Casshan! is the ultimate great touch for lovers of old-school tatsunoko songs. However, great as that all is, Sky and A Path were the real reasons I was interested in this release. These songs made episode 8 of the show amazing and reappear at many great moments later in the show. Both are extemely pretty and wonderful, and Nami Miyahara’s English is excellent (evidently she studied English in Australia).

It’s worth making the statement that Casshern Sins has some of the coolest sound effects ever. The effects during fights are visceral, intense, and completely full of impact. Care was taken to make the sound effects just right and give every hit that needed extra edge. I’m thinking that they made a lot of the effects in the studio, seeing as there were very organic sounds of like pots breaking or the creak of metal. It’s pretty rare I think these days for so much craft to go into sound effects in anime, so it’s pretty notable when it does.

As far as voice acting goes, this show amassed a royal fuckton of talent. Being as there were so many minor characters, a lot of voices were required, and Madhouse didn’t skip out on giving every single character a standout voice. For starters, Casshern himself is voiced by Tohru Furuya (certainly most notable as freaking Amuro Ray, as well as Tuxedo Mask, Pegasus Seiya, and Yamcha) which is a very interesting performance. The voice of Casshern is certainly unique, sounding strong but never stern, and in pain but never really weak. The voice adds a lot of mystery to the character, sounding like the robot he is, who doens’t quite understand emotion even though he seems to feel it. The best part though is his wails in agony which are used frequently when Casshern’s body self-repairs. That dude’s wails are frightening.

Nami Miyahara plays Lyuze with the perfect mixture of resolve, confusion, rage, and love. Like Casshern, hers is a very distinct voice. Yuko Minaguchi (Videl - Dragonball, Yawara, Akiko - Kanon) does a completely superb job as Ringo. She should be cast as every single little kid in anime. I’ve never heard a kid voice that managed to sound young and yet in no way annoying. Best kid voice ever. ‘Cho‘ reprises his role as every old man in anime, lol. Akiko Yajime (Diva - Blood+, Shin-chan, Relena Peacecraft, Kuu - Haibane - damn that’s range) brings her mysterious voice to Luna which tricks you with it’s very regal sound until you start to see another side… well that’s a spoiler. Kenji Utsumi (Shenlong - DBZ, Zodd - Berserk, Lt. Armstrong - FMA) is Braiking Boss who he played in the old version of the show as well, bringing a nostalgia factor.

Toshiyuki Morikawa (Who is in everything. His list is totally nuts.) is awesome as Dio. He plays the perfect rival character. His voice has a darkness to it, but not like an evil bad-dude, more like a man driven by dark purposes but full of resolve, which Dio is. Mami Koyama (Lunch - Dragonball - yes, most of the cast worked on Dragonball, Balalaika - Black Lagoon) brings the thunder as Leda who is convincingly evil and conceited, but also has an inner emotional side. Some of my favorite minor character performances include Mami Koyama’s second roll as Lizbell in episode 7 (which is interestng because Koyama is Tohru Furuya’s ex-wife, which when you think about it makes certain scenes very awkward), Tomoko Akiya whose performance as Sophita is borderline creepy and very fun, and Taeka Kawata who plays Nico, the little girl whose brain has been fried.

Visuals


Casshern Sins is animated by Madhouse. The dudes who brought you (alphabetically) Black Lagoon, Boogiepop Phantom, Death Note, Dennou Coil, Gunslinger Girl, Nana, everything Satoshi Kon, Texhnolyze, Trigun, and X, just to name a few. If you’ve seen none of those, I’ll just say it - they have incredibly high production quality and have been around forever. To give you an idea of how high their budget is, the first half of Casshern Sins aired simultaneously with three other Madhouse shows, the second half with one, all of which had unfaltering high-quality animation throughout. There is pretty much no other studio who can do something like that. So it really comes as no surprise when I say that Casshern Sins has incredibly beautiful animation.

The most instantly and consistently notable thing about Casshern’s art is the luscious backgrounds. The background art is almost incomparably beautiful - almost. Probably only one show matches up to it, it being Mushi-shi, which is why it’s no surprise that Yoshihiko Umakoshi was the art director and character designer for both series (a dual job he’s done for Zipang, Street Fighter Alpha, and Boys Over Flowers, none of which I’ve seen. He also did it for Air Master which doesn’t matter because that show is fugly, probably thanks to budget.) I’ve actually watched an interview with this guy on one of the Mushi-shi DVDs and while he is very boring to listen to, I do remember him saying that he was a perfectionist and would always stress that there be boatloads of detail in the backgrounds, which I guess he’s still up to.

Casshern’s art is almost always barren, lifeless, and cold. The world of Casshern faces ruin (basically, apocalypse) and so there is little life to be found. The landscape is jagged and covered in large mountains, hills, valleys, craters, and deserts of sand and snow. Remnants of civilization can be found, some cold cities have buildings that still tower while others have fallen apart and buildings have become decrepit husks. Some places have become so dry and ruined that the ground has actually crystallized and cracks under every step. Occasionally, though, there are places of lush, brimming life to be found. Secret gardens surviving in caves or wellsprings and oceans. There is definitely a sense of mystery to the world that you can find anything if you look around enough. And, as a character in one episode teaches Casshern, every place in this world is beautiful. As a big fan of dystopic art, I found myself completely enraptured in these wastelands as much as I was mystified by the lush outcropping of life in unexpected places.

Umakoshi’s character designs are drop-dead gorgeous. It takes skills to make a masked superhero with a big red C on his chest and ornamental horns on his helmet fit into a dark, somber setting. But, somehow, he’s done it. Casshern looks like a badass but also looks like he fits into the setting. He is supposed to be a beautiful person, and it’s certainly visible in his design. All of the characters are very tall and lanky, almost like CLAMP designs, but have an added sharpness to them and are actually consistent. I can easily call them some of the best character designs I’ve seen in anime.

What’s most impressive, though, is that a definitive 70s style remains ingrained into the designs. Every one has absurdly big hair and their facial features are very old-school. However, these elements have been perfectly crafted so that the designs still look modern and not ridiculous as they often do when new shows try to use old style. The robots especially represent the old school with their very basic designs, but they have a bloodthirstiness about their designs that makes it unsurprising when they are killing machines. Overall, I’d say my favorite designs from the series were definitely Lyuze and Luna.

Naturally, since this is Madhouse, there are also plenty of exemplary animation techniques. Unfortunately, ANN doesn’t have any animators listed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hiroyuki Imaishi’s (director of Gurren Lagann and animator of all those wacky scenes in shows like FLCL, Mahoromatic, and even FullMetal Alchemist) name ended up on that list since his trademark over-the-top and hyperactive style is used in many of the fights. The show features a lot of ‘sketchy lines‘ and badass shadow effects. The fight scenes often contain mind-blowing animation tricks that will make people who notice these things cream a huge load.

Directing

I think that series director and storyboarder Shigeyasu Yamauchi probably had the biggest impact on the way this series turned out. As you can see on his ANN page, he directed a bunch of the Dragon Ball/Z and Saint Seiya movies and had involvement with their main series (and going by their ANN pages, he would have had experience with nearly all of this show’s seiyuu during those times). The experience with those series can be seen heavily in the fight scenes. When Casshern and Dio fight, nearly every strike rockets someone into a wall which explodes just as the other fighter shoots at them like a bullet for the next blow. There are several scenes where the ground around Dio craters under the sheer fluctuation of his power. Yamauchi definitely wanted to bring the scope and intensity of a DBZ fight to this series, which is something I personally have always wanted to see done in a serious anime. It is made a thousand times better by the huge budget of the show which allows the fights to look amazing, cool, and fluid.

Yamauchi definitely has a great sense of dramatic cinematography. Every shot is carefully composed to look as cool as possible, with characters nearly always in some kind of dramatic pose and the light hitting them just right. This is taken to an almost hilarious extent in some of Casshern’s fights against robot armies because he will literally attack them by kind of jumping at them, striking an epic pose, and somehow causing them to explode. Lighting is impeccable and the use of color is very important. Most of the show has a sort of blue and grey hue to it, but when other colors appear they are striking and noticeable against the backdrop of blue. Overall, I think Yamauchi just does a splendid job and probably had a lot of fun with it.

Plot/Theme

The overall plot in Casshern Sins is so simple that I could detail the whole thing thoroughly in a small paragraph (but I won’t for spoilers’ sake.) The show’s focus is more on the themes that drive the series and the characters representing or interacting with those themes. That said, while the plot is simple, it is very well-presented and interesting, making it a great driving force for the action and themes.

All of the show’s themes relate directly to the conflict between life and death. The dark, barren world of Casshern is on it’s way to ruin and death is ever-present. Every person is directly grappling with death and the end of the world, and those who don’t die just from the ruin usually die at the hands of other robots, especially if they try to attack Casshern. There are few characters who survive their own episode, much less the whole show.

What Casshern, who is immortal, learns in his travels through the dying world is how death effects different people (usually robots). Most of the world desperately clings to life. The strong robots fight and kill each other constantly to steal each other’s parts and try to prolong their lives. The weak search for any means of survival, clinging to little hopes or loosing to despair. Some merely accept the ruin as pleasantly as they can, but more often than not they will turn from this mindset at the slightest sight of hope - namely, the supposed immortality that one will gain if they devour Casshern.

However, not everyone is desperately clinging to life. Casshern encounters some robots and humans who aspire to something without the fear of death. Some teach him that the world is beautiful even in ruin, that there is hope in the world, or that they can live forever in the things that they leave behind. Casshern’s conflict becomes whether or not eternal life is justified or death necessary. He is torn between the sadness of death and the liveliness brought out by it’s presence.

The themes of each episode are interesting and deep, sometimes moving, and more so as they culminate into the over-arching theme. Casshern, as a stark contrast to the world around him that he desperately tries to understand, makes for the perfect receptacle to these themes.

Characters

Casshern Sins features surprisingly complex main characters in light of it’s simplistic plot and usually episodic nature. Casshern himself starts off as basically a blank slate with no memories and only knowledge as far as he learns from others. As he experiences the world, he has to weigh his experiences against each other to figure out his own beliefs. His character is kept interesting by the conflicting ideas he develops in relation to those experiences.

Lyuze’s conflict is between her desire to kill Casshern because of him ruining the world, effectively killing her sister, and her growing care for him and changing perception of the world. Casshern’s first companion, Friender, has some pretty great development considering that he is a robot dog who cannot speak. Friender’s emotions are represented through actions, and in those actions we see how he slowly transitions from hating Casshern to trusting him and eventually both protecting him and keeping him under control.

Without spoiling, the villains, Leda and Dio, have their own interesting development. Dio has dreamed of nothing but killing Casshern, while Leda is using dio to try and make the world her own. Each of them is thoroughly explored and developed. Luna, Oji, and Braiking Boss are also great characters with a lot of development, but those are spoilers.

There are a whole plethora of minor characters, most of whom appear just for one episode. Every one of these characters feels alive - they don’t merely expunge their beliefs onto Casshern, but show him the way that they live (or, of course, die) through their actions. Characters come in all variety of personality, shape, and size. (inside joke) Casshern could be said to have the best pseudo-harem since Ginko from Musi-shi.

Episodes

Casshern Sins is episodic much in the same sense as Cowboy Bebop. The chains of episodic parts are broken up by plot-related episodes, the major characters get their own introspective episodes, and the last group of episodes form the conclusion. There were a couple of less-than-amazing episodes (I remember finding 15 and 16 a bit boring and 21 is kind of ill-done but the next episode justifies it) but otherwise, every episode was great.

All of the plot episodes were superb, especially whenever Casshern and Dio fought, which was always quite epic. Besides the wonderful climactic episodes, I pretty much had 4 favorites. Episode 7, where a woman in a high tower teaches Casshern about the beauty of this ruined world - Episode 8, where a woman wants to spread hope through her song - Episode 12, where a man tries to paint his city his color so that the world will remember him - and Episode 18, and excellent cuckoo nest episode into Lyuze’s psyche.

Overall

As I stated in the beginning, Casshern Sins is definitely not for everyone. If you like all kinds of anime regardless of genre and are easily interested in something without it having to be fast-paced, Casshern may be for you. If you’ve always wished that the philosophical plots of pretentious anime would mix with the good fun and awesome fights of shounen action, Casshern may be for you. However, if slowness leaves you bored or action leaves you disinterested, you’ll want to stay away. For me, the show was everything I could have wanted and filled a niche that I’ve long waited for an anime to fill. read more

I started watching this anime, giving it a starting 6/10. I was up to a 9/10 within the first 7 episodes. Does that say something?

I am pleased to say that it says a lot. Casshern Sins is what looks like the most original anime of the Spring 2008 lineup, and while it may be sad, it is truly amazing to watch. (This review will update as the series goes on, if all goes well ;D)

STORY: 9/10

Casshern does not know if he is a man, robot, or neither. In a world of destruction, where humans are rarely found and the last of the robots rust, Casshern wanders, trying to discover his true self. If you exclude the amnesia cliche, the story is very original and engaging. You feel Casshern's emotions, you feel that somehow he has changed throughout his unknown ordeal, and you feel his sadness and frustration at his inability to control his primal instincts. As he wanders, he encounters many new things, all of which get him closer to discovering the truth of his world. The pace is somewhat slow in the beginning, but it gets quicker and stays generally understandable.

ART: 10/10

This is where Casshern Sins truly shines. The animation is amazing to watch, it's fluid, smooth, and elegant. The battle scenes are works of art, and it seems like the animation staff is always excited to draw new panels instead of reusing the old ones again and again. The landscapes look fabulous, and draw the viewer deeper into the sadness and depression in Casshern. Everything is drawn and animated beautifully; this series is almost a must see just for the animation. The best part is that 11 episodes into the anime, the animation crew still has not cut any slack on this wonderful series.

SOUND: 8/10

The theme song is pretty good, the ending is also above average. Nothing super superb here, but the music is engaging enough to draw you into the anime and feel the emotions of the characters. The ED is a "hopeful" song, one that leaves you with the right emotion instead of destroying the ending mood with a happy go lucky ero ero ending... just what we don't need. Luckily Casshern Sins doesn't do this, and the background music is above average as well. Nothing super special here, but its definitely not bad.

CHARACTER: 9/10

Casshern is somewhat cliche in his amnesia-but-wanting-to-do-good act, but it definitely works well for this anime. The characers around him are very unique as well, and all of them have some sadness that they share with Casshern and different ambitions. The way the characters interact is very realistic, and there's not so many characters that you start getting confused. Casshern Sins does a good job of introducing the characters and letting you get to know them well.

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 9/10

Promising series from what I have seen so far. I definitely reccomend checking Casshern Sins out if you're looking for something unique. It is a somewhat depressing anime at times, but it is meant to be saddening, so make sure that you watch something lighthearted afterwards. Unless you absolutely love the plot and characters, in which case I've done my job well :) I suggest you give this one a shot; you may find something you really like. read more

Story: The story is a very thought-provoking and great examination of the value of truly living your life, as opposed to passing through it aimlessly. It is about an apparently immortal robot named Casshern, who after killing a woman named Luna, creates the Ruin, a plague that causes the world to die. All life has withered away, and any survivors are on the brink of insanity as they are surrounded by death. His journey to discover his identity and role in this new world causes the robots he comes into contact with to realize the value of our existances and their thoughts on life itself. It is a very engrossing, thought-provoking story for everyone.

Art: The drawing style is very minimalist, but is works incredibly in the context of the world of ruin. Everything is very angular and colors are usually very muted. It helps to establish the world of Casshern as one that is both unique and memorable. This carries over into the fight scenes as well, where the fast movements really compliment the sharpness of the drawings to create a very visually exciting and energetic sense of combat. The art style really helps to bring all the themes of this universe and the intensity of combat into full fruition.

Sound: The music is very fitting. It's mostly sinister, ominous tones used to bring out the dread of the world at hand. However, many tracks bring out the small shimmers of hope Casshern and his friends encounter in a world governed by death. It is these tracks that really stand out to me personally as great compositional scores and pieces that really bring the main themes of the show to light. "A Path" stands out as one of the best songs in anime this year.

Character: All characters in this anime are fully-fleshed out and are all very important in the grand scheme of things. The character of Casshern is a great lead. Yes, his amnesia is a little generic in anime in general, but it never becomes a problem and serves to re-enforce the themes presented. Ringo is a great kid character, never annoying but still very childish. She also serves as a great motivator for everyone, always inspiring them to search for a better tomorrow even as the odds are stacked against them. Lyuze, Ohji, and Friender all serve as great lead characters that all contribute equally to the story at large. The villians are real showstoppers as well. Dio and Leda are a great duo that are full realized and make very worthy adversaries to Casshern's team. Braking Boss as well is a great sideline villian. He is a master manipulator that always gets other people to do his work for him.

Casshern SINS is a fantastic anime series that deserves your attention. The depressing atmosphere may turn off some people, and in the first half of the show its basically all one shot stories, but that's OK. Everyone else who sticks around will get not only an outstanding action anime, but an outstanding action anime that makes the characters and you the viewer think at the same time. It is truly a remarkable and unique show for the current generation of anime.

Overall Score, 9 out of 10. read more

Story: Pretty good story from beginning to end it did keep you wanting to watch and see where it goes and when it gets to the climax of the series that is when it really pulls you in, even with all of the action it wasnt a mindless action series that alot of shows pull off this one did have something to think about on, now there are a few flaws though one being the whole opening sequence for about half the show where we see luna and hear casshern growl like a cat in heat which got old very quickly and some of those episodes were pretty hit and miss maybe didnt even need to be apart of the show not really moving the story along but overall i give it a 8.

Art: Now im sure alot of people will agree that this was one of the highlights of this show very beautifully done mixing old school character design making it look new and fresh Yoshihiko Umakoshi did a great job also on backgrounds bringing together a great apocoliptic view of this world it had to be a 10.

Sound: Another fine point in this series was sound the opening and ending theme songs were good i felt they did a good job of keeping it with the theme of the series not to up beat but it was pretty catchy and alot of the music in the show was great as well even a song in english which they did play a few times which helped make the scene seem more emotional and made watching the show that much more enjoyable gave it a 9.

Character: All characters were well put together from Casshern all the way down to Ohji every character had there own demons to face even braking or breaking boss 2 fansubs called him by 2 seperate names so i will use both even though he had a small part at the end he to also was a welcome part to this world i gave it a 10.

Enjoyment: To me maybe a 9 was to much for this catagory yes this show is great but there was some pacing issues like i said earlier some of the episodes in the middle of the series were pretty dull didnt have alot to do with the story or even pushing character development i could almost say that this show could have been cut to about a 12 or 13 episode series without alot of what was in the middle but still once you get to the climax of the show it was well worth the wait.

Overall: Yes this show has flaws but then again all shows do but this show does make up for these flaws by still putting together alot of things that makes this show great the story art characters and music were all well done that is pretty easy to overlook the minor flaws that it has i have never seen any other part of the casshern franchise but im sure that this show is a great additon to it i gave it a 9. read more

To describe this anime in one word is simple: depressing. Casshern Sins follows Casshern--a character who doesn't know whether he is human or robot--in a dystopic world that is, quite literally, the end of the world. I don't mean it's some Armageddon-like atmosphere where some supernatural force is destroying everything; in this setting, the world is just dying. It is a barren wasteland where even robots, who are supposed to be immortal, experience death.

Of the nine episodes that I have seen so far, each episode follows a pattern: Casshern is wandering through his seemingly endless journey when he meets a new character. This new character, just like every other being in that world, is suffering in some form from the ruin. But while this pattern detracts from the overall plot of the story (I don't need to provide it, you can read it yourself), it adds new perspectives. It goes to show how one worldwide trauma can separately affect different lives. It adds a new personal tale each episode that serves to constantly remind and torment Casshern of his sin. This increases his need for redemption and his need for finding the answers. One definitely cannot say by the end of this anime that Casshern receives no development.

But there are some recurring characters--particularly Lyuze, Ringo, and Oji--and their consistent interaction with Casshern is realistic, not to mention it provides some development for them as well.

The scenery is horribly lovely. There could honestly be no better way of drawing such a bleak setting than with the animation style that is used in this anime. There's just a quality to the art that makes this anime its own; an art that is both beautiful and upsetting. And the music, while repetitive, is fitting. I only gave Sound a 5 because of its lack of diversity, not because it doesn't work. (Of course, I could just be tone deaf and unable to decipher distinct soundbites.)

If anyone asked for my opinion of this anime, I would definitely recommend it. But I must also warn anyone who tries to watch it to keep a good couple years' supply of antidepressants handy, whether or not you're prone to manic depression. read more

Casshern Sins (24 Episodes)

I know all to well how split the opinions of the masses are on the Casshern Series. It's either you love the series for it impeccable way it's able to touch your heart or you can't even get past the first five to twelve episodes due to overly dramatic undertones and slow moving plot. It would seem that Casshern Sins has amassed that sort of fandom. I know that my review can be held a bit narrow minded and childish simply because I'm deeming the Casshern Sins series a masterpiece off of the fact that it was one of the only few series to break me too tears.

The plot centers around an immortal being who killed Luna a being that protects life on earth. With Luna gone a phenomenon known as ruin is consuming the lives of all robots on the planet. Casshern has no recollections of his actions and sets out on a journey to discover the truth. The animation was vivid and the coloring was simply breathtaking. No matter how you feel about the series theirs no denying that the way in which the animation was handled was simply magnificent. The audio production was handled very well weather it be the opening/ending, the characters voices and sound effects, or your blatant infatuation with Janice's song One Path which easily brought me to tears.

Though Casshern Sins had it's slow moments. There were episodes and that's plural mind you that have in fact brought me too tears. Though the series overly compensates with the excessive use of dark and dramatic themes I'll still say its nothing short of amazing. This series is not for everyone and those who are easily discouraged by slow moving plots should not pick this anime up. however if your willing to give the series a chance I'm sure you'll be able to pull some level of emotional value from the series.

Rating: a bias 10/10 read more

Casshern Sins is a very interesting anime show unlike anything I have ever seen. I was at first worried it would be a slow moving plot, but I am really used to this type of film genre. The plot is very straight forward, but it goes into well depth character development.

Casshern is a character that not everyone would like, he is an antagonist/hero in our morbid post end-world tales. He threw the world into despair, sorry and hurt, and EVERYONE wants to kill him. We learn later on the motives of the mystery that is Casshern. He is a man with a troubled past, and the people who he meets touch his life to make him a "better" person.

I gave this anime a low rating on sound, mostly cause I had to include the "lack of" element. If you are watching this anime for cool battle music, note THERE ISN'T ANY. This only adds to the greater plot quality, you aren't distracted by flashy special effects, and the fights are extremely simple, except for the fights between Casshern and Dio, etc...

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After viewing episode (if you reach that far) - you will understand why Casshern Sins is a stunning anime. The episode adds in some real world elements into the mix! I don't want to say more to spoil it for others, but its a stunning visual feast for the senses. read more

Casshern Sins... Where to ever start?? When I first started watching this I was a little confused. I remember watching episode 1 and thinking "what on earth is going on?" But I made myself watch the next episode and it got a little better. And the next one got better. And then better. ANd ever more better until I was obsessed, until I finished the whole show in three days.

Casshern Sins is like nothing I've ever watched (and belive me I've watched tons) It's unique in every way. Each episode has is like its own story that all adds onto each other. The overall plot of the series is very simple. It's not very hard to understand and yet has a lot of depth and meaning.

And it is dome completely beautifully. The animimation is truely beautiful. Even as it's set in a seemingly dead world where everything is dieing, there is still the beauty found in unexpected places. The characters and done wonderfully and everyway.

Really, I have absolutely NOTHING bad to say about this show. BUT! I will say one thing. It did take a little getting used to hearing Casshern's name. It messes with me a litle bit. It sounds French.... Very strange.

But dis[ite that there's nothing bad about this anime. It's intreaging. It's unique. People who like a slow paced anime will love it and people who like action packed stuff (like me) will love it as well. It's a show that has a bit of everything for everyone.

Overall, you shouold definatly try it out and watch it. A true masterpeice. read more

I will admit that my opinion of "Casshern: Sins" is somewhat biased by the fact that I watched and enjoyed the original 1973 anime "Shinzou Ningen (Neo Human) Casshern" first. Because of that I became more than a bit pissed off when I realized that "Sins" had absolutely _nothing_ to do with "Shinzou Ningen."

"Sins" is touted as a "remake" of the original series, but that's a fallacy. What it actually is, is a story so utterly disparate from the original that the use of familiar names and faces seems to have been the result of a combination of laziness on the part of the designers and a desire to boost the initial viewership by feeding off of a pre-existing fandom. The characters who "return" in "Sins" are not at all like the ones they were cloned from - in Luna's case there is no similarity whatsoever, which is a shame, because Luna was my favorite character in "Shinzou Ningen."

Even when I cooled down and resolved to evaluate "Sins" on its own merits, rather than comparing it to "Shinzou Ningen," it still came up lacking. It seems as though the creators got together to come up with a collection of evocative images and scenes, and then strung them all together with a flimsy, poorly developed plot cluttered with ill-fitting elements. The anime is rife with trite symbolism, and does its level best to constantly hammer you with angst, without bothering to be remotely subtle in the execution of it.

Actually, there's a fundamental lack of subtlety on most levels of this story's execution; where it's most damaging though is that as the story progresses it becomes overwhelmingly preachy; and that, more than anything else, I could have done without.

Despite that, I can't exactly call it a _bad_ anime, I think anyone who likes this style of story will probably find it reasonably entertaining, and the art and animation _are_ beautiful, but if you're looking for a great anime, this isn't it.

It's a pity though; I would have loved to see what a faithful rendering of "Shinzou Ningen Casshern" would have looked like executed with modern storytelling aesthetics. read more

I usually pride myself on objectivity when evaluating things. However, just watching Casshern Sins makes me want to squee, and I have a feeling that squeeing and objectivity don't exactly go together. So I suppose that I will write a subjective review.

Now, at some level I can understand why one might not like Casshern. You might say the character designs are old fashioned (they're actually quite beautiful, though, old in style but with modern colors and animation). You might say that it's slow (rather, it's like a flower blossoming in front of you, slowly, but surely). You could conceivably say that it's full of clichés (really, it just builds upon the best elements of pre-millennial anime).

See, even listing the things that could be considered defects, I can't help but see them as positive.

Casshern is a show that pushes all of my buttons, without even trying. It has amazing art and animation that falls well outside the mainstream, a post apocalyptic setting, and robots galore. It has a deep plot, and characters that rise and fall, only to rise again. It pushes change in a static world, and life in a dying one.

The show was "based" on Casshern, but you won't really see much to connect it to the old series and movie. It forges its own path, and you can tell that it was carried forward by a strong artistic vision. Like many anime (and media in general) which have this feature, it can sometimes be pretentious, or overbearing. It's worth it, though, because the show is able to deliver on all the promises that it builds up.

So, unapologetically, I strongly recommend this anime. If it isn't for you, then my description will probably have already turned you off to it. But if you find yourself a bit lost amid the meandering moe that has filled the new century, maybe, just maybe, this anime is for you. read more