Ranked #854

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

People who lose their memories of the past are almost always dying to get those back. They feel empty inside, as if something was taken out of them. Something irreplaceable... Is Casshern the same?

I think that this question kept running through the studio director's mind as he decided to take up an old project that was long lost and created its new version - Casshern SINS. The series is a 24-ep-long philosophic discussion on the sense of human nature and its everlasting need for self-improvement. Paradoxically though, there are very few humans in this distorted world. The entities who appear to be more humane are... decaying and rusting robots...

The story keeps dwelling on the subject of coming of age and dying as well, as almost every robot out there is about to perish because the world has lost its only flower - Luna. And this aspect is staggering too. Every episode presents a different story with a different characters. Of course some stories intertwine to create a whole plot line, but mostly you will have to get used to one story-one ep form of the show. It remains that way till the very end. You'll also have to get used to a very slow pace. Noone is rushing nothing here. There are moments of complete silence (that is if you don't have a proper hi-fi and a blu-rau version) or a muttering sound of the wind rustling with the rocks, the sand and the water ocassionally. There are almost no plants in Casshern's world. Only rust, rocks and the remains of human civilization. This picture may sometimes get depressing, but there's not one thing in this show that would suggest that it should be different. But going back to the story, which is the main protagonist here...
As the show progresses many truths about the world are revealed. Some are universal and old-school viewers would get to those since episode one, and some are... impossible to comprehend at first. But once you reach the final episode most of those are cleared. And even in this distorted world, there is a place for family warmth and love. These two transcendental aspects of our nature will have their toll on Casshern, as he changes from ruthless and calm destruction machine into... a human, who no longer needs his past, and no longer needs Luna.

The characters are simply brilliant. Throughout the whole series you won't find a single persona that is boring or useless. Every single one of them is relevant to Casshern's journey towards the light. Every single one of them is a part of this world and adds up to the whole image. Despite all this, Casshern is alone. He may have a cybernetic dog called 'Friender' but it still does not account for a companion, although the dog seems to be more intelligent than its master at times. Likewise with the story, Casshern earns the trust of the two most important people he has met on his journey - the robot-girl I mentioned above - Ringo, and another robot-girl who seeks revenge on Casshern - Lyuze. You can easily guess now, who his family is...

I think I'll just pass through the video and audio aspect. Although both important, they had little influence on me, as the story kept me interested more and more. Of course, in an anime of this level those are splendid. The animation is perfect and smooth, and Casshern's bloody battles are impressive. The same goes for the audio part. If you have a good quality release and a hi-fi you can hear a lot more than you may think. The score is beautiful on the other hand, and I really loved the op and ed sequences.

So to sum it up. Casshern SINS is not an anime for everyone. Those looking for pure action and quick pace will quickly get bored and tossed away, despite the very good quality of art and music. Those longing for heart breaking experience and great story will love it all the way through, and those looking for a title to shed some tears on... it's for you as well.

I'm partially all those types mentioned, and I sincerely loved it. More than most other titles in 2008...



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

This series is very... depressing. It is not like the Casshern series that people expect, but in it's own right is well made. The first thing I would like to mention is that the artwork and music is superb. Watching anime, and then watching Casshern Sins is like going from a child's artwork to architectural blueprints/designs. The animation, art, and colors are very crisp and clean. Half the time, I was busy enjoying the artwork and the animations. Casshern is like looking at a work of art.

Despite that, the story at first was very depressing and slow. After watching the series through a few more times, I found it to be a lot more entertaining and has a much more deeper meaning than what I originally thought.

The character development shines in this series. One can see the growth of the characters throughout the series.

One thing that I would not mind seeing is a prequel to the series, just to see what the world was like before the ruin and the different stories of the characters that you meet throughout the series.
Of course, if a prequel was made, I can see it being a lot more faster paced and more action oriented due to the period of time in the story, and the ideas that took place at that time (in the anime)

Overall, an enjoyable series. Probably not what people expect, but with the right mindset, can be a great series. 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

NOTICE
This is a novel of a review. Do not read if you don’t like long explanations.
Do not bitch if you disagree. I am stating my opinion as objectively as I can.

PROLOGUE
- The series is a remake of a much older series of the 70’s. The original was pretty standard stuff in terms of story. Machines rebel and conquer humanity and the son of the inventor of the machines turns into a powerful cyborg and fights in order to save humanity from extinction. Got the basics? Well, you can now forget them in the remake. This feels more like an entirely different story with a few names and character designs working simply as cameos and tributes to the original. In this one, it’s not good humans versus bad robots and Luna is not the hero’s girlfriend.
- Anyway, if you care for a quick look on the original, there is a set of 4 OVAs, simply titled Casshan that will fill all questions about the source material. It is somewhat of a more dramatic Power Rangers with humans and robots having hints of shades of gray in terms of personality.

ART SECTION: 8/10 [The Horobi is everywhere…]

General Artwork 2/2: Hell, it is so stylized that it feels more like modern art than anime backgrounds. An endless wasteland with water and flowerbeds being contrasts. Initially, it felt like Fist of the North Star but eventually it is very artistic and conveys feelings of fear and unrest much easier.

Character Figures 2/2: Well, they look as if they jumped out of a 70’s series (weird hairdo, huge eyes, simple body lining). This is positive in two ways since it does make them to easily stand out from the norm of recent series and even makes them appealing to retro-lovers. They have a cute-looking design that makes a huge contrast with the bleakness in the story. It is an effect that increases the emotional impact on you by many-fold. It is a neat trick; even the ridiculous Elfen Lied cast felt dramatic because of the kawai way the girls were drawn.

Backgrounds/ Animation/ Visual Effects 4/6: As for the rest of the sub-sections, they are more or less good. The lack of real detail and the repetitive wastelands may tire at times, but the contrast of water and flowers, along with flare and overexposed film effects really break the monotony and bring you back up into watching. The motion in frames is generally good, although it does have its share of huge static pictures.

SOUND SECTION: 8/10 [And now I will explain everything…]

Voice Acting 2/3: Very good in all. There are no too ridiculous pinches in the series. Most of the characters do sound immature and silly like spoiled kids every now and then, but this is done purely in order to point their unawareness during their quest for salvation in a dying world. Plus, it made their youthful way of talking to provide an antithesis with the grim atmosphere and thus increase the emotional impact on the viewer’s ears. What does ruin this fondness are the loooong monologues. Everyone talks for several minutes and anything else he/she does seems to have no effect on the story. So, it is a series of monologues and immature-sounding characters listening quietly and then questioning the talker. It does become tiresome at times, as some things are better to be shown instead of just being told.

Music Themes 3/4: Ok, nice to hear. The opening and ending songs are elegiac to the point of a hate/love relationship but in no case you will not notice them. They convey the feeling they aim to convey, so they are successful. No out of place pop songs. Still, they are not songs I will ever hum when I feel bored…

Sound Effects 3/3: Ok, the sound of rusty metal crumbling in the wind will scar you for good. All the sounds in the series aim to make you feel dread and unrest. And boy, they succeed with flying colors. Water drops on pools, walking on rubble, fabrics flapping on the scorching wind… You name it. They sure made me turn the lights on.

STORY SECTION: 6/10 [The meaning of life, defined by the sight of surrounding death]

General Scenario/Believability/Reasoning/Realism 4/4: Ah, in the piles of trash we are given every year, and with crapish series like Sky Girls gaining more room every day, this one truly is a jewel in the midst of a trash yard. Metaphorically, the hero in the story is the only creature not rotting away like everyone else, so in a way it really makes a parallel.

In the story, the world is overrun by robots but is dying from a decease that slowly rusts robots. The protagonist, Casshan, wakes up with amnesia and is told that everything is his fault, as he killed the source of all life, Luna. Now, everyone wants to kill him, as there is a rumor, which states that the one who devours him will be cured from the decease, and gain eternal life. So, Casshan begins a journey of self-acknowledgement, in order to escape his pursuers and find the missing parts in his memory. Wherever he is going, he encounters death and decay, people who have gotten insane because of the inevitable death or have accepted their doom and await their end.

As you can imagine, the story revolves around death. Death in all its forms and its effects on living creatures, who know that they will soon die. For you see, robots in the series are treated as living. They used to be ageless and not afraid of death and now are facing extinction and have turned into all sorts of madmen and philosophical blabbers. As for humans, well, they are practically extinct; with a few individuals remaining that have a seemingly futile purpose to fulfill; yet it is the only thing that keeps them willing to remain alive.

So, the general idea behind the series is fantastic, as almost no other anime ever bothered dealing with a taboo theme like death in such multi-layered ways. The norm is usually some spunky teenager with high ideals aiming to save the world, become the best in the field and bring peace and happiness to all. Well, forget all that idealistic clichés; this one is truly gloomy and depressing. Yet in the end of the day it tries to shine upon the beauty of life by pointing out its ephemeral duration. You don’t appreciate life if you are not afraid or aware of death.

So sure, the thrill of dealing with the upcoming death and even oblivion makes the story of this anime really something. Every episode features a situation where someone deals with death in his own way and thus giving a meaning to his otherwise fade of existence.

Pacing / Side Stories 1/4: Ok, enough with the good part. Let’s deal with the bad parts. The series is almost entirely episodic. Most episodes feature characters you will never see again. That does give a feeling of pointlessness on the part of the hero’s struggle, as everything he does doesn’t really pay off. Ok, maybe the purpose of the series really is about doing things that don’t pay off in the long term. Still, only 6 out of the 24 episodes feature an on-going story, and even those offer it with a spoon. Meaning, if you don’t fancy really slow plot and seemingly events that have nothing to add to the story then you will most likely get bored with it pretty soon, as I did.

Some may say that the slow plot aims at absorbing you into the world and giving you the time to identify yourself with the tragedy of the characters. Still, 24 episodes were waaaaaaaaay to many for such a thing. And anyway, I never felt that the main lead could be defeated in battle. It is revealed pretty fast that he is immortal and thus, incapable of loosing. Something that all others are not and thus can be defeated if the lead keeps trying to beat them. That made all battles anti-climactic and unnecessary.

Then, there is the thing with repetitiveness on the part of the plot. Almost every episode features the same form of development. Some pretty lady or weak people are attacked by crazed robots, who pretty much kill for fun. Casshan will jump out of thin air, defeat the robots and listen to the worries of the ones he saved. After a long monologue full of existentialism issues, a spar will follow where no matter who wins, the fight ends with more monologues and Casshan going away. Next episode; repeat process…

Well, that kind of makes this anime to feel as repetitive as Pokemon. Although it does give you more insight on the parts of the characters and the tragic fate of the world, it still remains repetitive. If you like twists in the formula, you will not find any. If you expect a character to return in another episode, he pretty much won’t. Thus, in terms of plot, the series is very repetitive and simple with the meaning behind monologues to be the thing that really matters.

So, in other words, forget the action. All the battles offer nothing to the story. They either end with a character sparing with Casshan and leaving “because it’s not the time” or Casshan beating robot mooks in a Fist of the North Star fashion. Also, forget about the plot. It is almost the same in every episode. Just listen to the monologues. It’s the only thing that really matters. If you like this sort of thing, then you will like the series a lot more than I did. I for once expect fast pace and plot twists at every corner. Too much blah, blah, is not my cup of tea.

Conclusion 1/2: Thus, it finally comes to an end in episode 24. Was it fulfilling? I am not sure. Nothing was left unresolved and yet nothing was clear of what was the fate of all the characters who remained alive. Because, duh, many did die so you don’t need to know anything more about them. Although the ending explains what followed the events of the series (in a long monologue as usual) it still didn’t mention what did the characters do. It is bittersweet and fulfilling on an emotional level, yet on a plot-wise level it feels open to interpretation and does leave room for a sequel. So, it is a mixed bag.

CHARACTER SECTION: 7/10 [Luna, I will kill you.]

Personality 1/2: You don’t live if you believe you are immortal. I mean, you don’t really care in series like Dragonball Z or One Piece about the fate of its characters. Because they can never be killed or even if they do, they can simply be resurrected; thus having an unlimited time of trying and empowering they will eventually beat the bad guy and save the day. In this series, everyone who dies, pretty much remains dead. Plus, they will all die very soon if a solution is not found, so they do not have limitless time to do so. This is the basic reason all the characters in the series have very extreme goals that seem ridiculous to people who are not aware of their upcoming doom. Thus, all the characters act in very crazy and extreme ways and for once, it is excused.

You do feel compassion and understanding about them because you know they can die at any moment and their actions are their personal ways of feeling alive and leaving their mark in the world as means of not be forgotten; of not being as if they never existed. It is truly marvelous to see how someone can deal with such issues under the pressure of doom and decay. Something you would never feel about a character like Ash Ketcham and his quest to catch Pokemon / win Badges, as he is ageless and his existence is pretty much a false circle of doing things that he forgets by the next episode and beating Rocket team, which returns on the next episode like nothing happened.

Still, there is a part were most don’t notice in stories. In this series the characters behave more like plot elements rather than living, breathing people. They are more of anthropomorphic personifications (sic) of certain emotions and ideas rather than complicating personalities. They are all fixed on a certain goal, which kind of makes them 2-dimensional. Oh, sure, they usually change opinions when they talk or fight Casshan. Still, it’s more like they are questioning their beliefs before performing a U turn to their initial goals. Or, hell, just keep doing what they were planning on doing anyway. Anyway, it feels too polarized by the end of the day. It’s either left or right. No middle choices. This is kind of excused by the episodic nature of the series. In fact, the general feeling of the series is pretty polarized by default; so it is an accepted fact. Life or death, struggle or acceptance, truth or oblivion… Still, it is an element I dislike in characters.

Presence & Backdrop 3/4: Although the characters show a multitude of emotions that makes them far more than just caricatures with a signature special attack or personality quirk, they are still pretty easy to understand (in a bad way). Especially the mook robot warriors; they were copies of one another. Idiots, smashing things for fun and fighting opponents that are obviously incapable of defeating. Still, this is not a series that tries to confuse you with scheming, multi-faced, multi-layered characters. It offers simple to understand and bind with characters. Even the backdrop stories of everyone are rather simple. They are a mystery at first (which lures you to be curious and pay attention) but through some dialogue it is revealed in a quite simple to understand way; so you immediately know what is what with them.

Development & Catharsis 3/4: Well, the series generally does a good job rounding up the cast. By the end of it, everything there was to be said about them is more or less said and done. No real unfinished business for the main cast. Yet, many secondary characters are present only for one episode, so there is no real catharsis for them. More like stating their reason for being and them letting them keep doing it, while fading in the background. As for the ones who die, they seem to acquire catharsis because they accept thing as they are… just because they are dying. It feels like death is panacea for all your worries in the series; something that contradicts most of the goals in the cast who pretty much struggles in order to survive. Plus, even those who do make it to the end, you are left to imagine through a dialogue what has happened to them.

VALUE SECTION: 6/10 [Value your life by killing others.]
Historical Value 1/3: Nothing much.
Memorability 4/4: It does stand out from the lot. It does make you think. It does leave you with lasting impressions and images and does manage to make you notice/remember its cast.
Rewatchability 1/3: But the chances or rewatching the whole thing are low for me. The theme and plot repeat themselves a lot more than they should, thus nothing much is left to be understood better by a second viewing. Plus, most people stay away from depressing anime so one time will be lasting and enough for the majority.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 5/10 [Hate the book, enjoy the text]
- I did enjoy the aesthetic part of the series. I also loved the messages about the greatness of life by accepting death. Yet, the repetitive plot and the anti-climactic battles really made me feel bored half the time. This is not an action series and should never be watched by action lovers. Still, watching the same things repeating again and again did feel like the scriptwriters just rehashed the storyboard in every episode and simply changed the dialogues. As for the peak of interest, it was more like “and now I will explain everything with another monologue” than some huge confrontation of wits and brawns.
- This is a series of monologues. Everything is told and not shown. You can get what it tries to pass to you without even looking at the screen. Just listening to the monologues and the eerie sounds is enough. So, it misses the balance of mystery/action/revelations I love seeing in anime.

VERDICT: 6.5 / 10
If you don’t fall asleep by listening to the monologues, you will like it. If you expect a twist or a brawling or an epic conclusion, you won’t.

SUGGESTION LIST
Casshern (the live action movie, one of the few sci-fi movies that outshine their anime version)
Blue Gender
Soul Taker
Seikano
Melody of Oblivion
100 Stories
Bounen no Xamdou 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

“Humans are always contradictions.”

Early in Casshern Sins, a character makes this observation. It wasn't lost on me that Casshern Sins is full of seeming contradictions itself; the series features fast action and snail's-pace plot development, “oldschool” character designs presented with new technology, extreme violence and quiet speculation, and a tone that wavers schizophrenically between “uplifting” and “grim.” The end result is something unique enough to merit a cautious recommendation.

Casshern Sins centers around the titular Casshern—a character who wakes up on a barren futuristic world knowing nothing of his past. The only thing he seems to remember is how to brutally kill others; he only knows his own name because it's what his enemies scream as they attempt to kill him. The world is ravaged by The Ruin, a plague that slowly destroys robots and humans alike. Casshern quickly learns that in the distant past he was responsible for killing Luna, a life-giving savior. Her death caused The Ruin. Burdened by this knowledge, Casshern attempts to navigate the unknown world while gradually learning more about his past, and the sins that he cannot remember.

The story itself is a strong one, with many intricacies that are revealed as time passes. Two stories are actually being told at once; one of the present and, indirectly, one of the past. The parallels between them drive the series forward with the feeling of a classic tragedy. “Complete amnesia” is a plot device that seems to be very popular nowadays, but this series manages to present a pretty original spin on it. It's not used for cheap emotional content. Instead, it's an integral part of establishing the plot. It allows other characters to show Casshern just what he did wrong, but since the explanation is actually a necessary one to get Casshern on the right track, it doesn't feel like needless exposition.

Thematically, Casshern Sins doesn't seem to be about sin/atonement (as the title suggests) but, rather, about life and death. Specifically, whether or not immortality would really be “worth it,” so to speak. In this world, robots and humans have been equalized by The Ruin—robots were once immortal, but now certain death lies on the horizon for both races, and how each party reacts to the looming threat is an integral part of the show. Some fight The Ruin, gratefully embracing any semblance of hope, while others give up entirely and await their end in silence. The series poignantly debates whether it's better to live in a calm eternity, like a placid lake, or to live a short but fulfilling life before succumbing to death, like a fire burning in the night.

Now, while I was a fan of the story and themes, it's tough not to be put off by the pacing of the show. For the first half of its running time Casshern Sins is episodic, meaning that each episode tells a self-contained story that's connected only loosely—if at all—to the overarching plot. The problem with most of these episodes was that, while they connect well to the repeated ideas of life and death, most of them lack any connection to the central storyline. Sometimes it feels like the series is just buying time, and to be honest, there are points where these episodes do drag a little bit. I wouldn't say they're “filler” episodes, but some of them do merit the question: “Did this really need to be here?”

In fairness, Casshern Sins does find its stride around episode 13, when the series switches to a continuous story thread that puts more focus on major plot points. But whether or not you can wait it out until then to see the pacing pick up is a different story. Even after that point, it's still a pretty slow-moving show, with many, many exchanges of dialogue, but the change from “gut-wrenchingly slow” to “slow but deliberate” is noticeable and welcoming once you get there.

To talk about the characters in Casshern Sins, it's necessary to know that the show features two different “sets” of characters: Episodic characters, who exist only in the context of one episode, and the main cast, who persist throughout the show. The episodic characters are generally well-written and given a lot of emotional appeal, but they suffer from the same problem I described above; that is, they connect to the show's themes, but not its story, and therefore some of them can end up feeling a little unnecessary. The main cast, on the other hand, features several memorable characters that get fully fleshed out as the series progresses. Casshern is the central figure for most character development. Whether Casshern is to be hated or sympathized with is a running argument throughout the show, and you can tell a lot about a character based on which side they take. As Casshern grows to learn more about his past and present, and develop thoughts of his own, this creates a sort of ripple effect in which the other characters change along with him. The central cast are all given appropriate backstories that are revealed at strategic points in the show, adding a sense of depth and believability to their personalities.

When it comes to visuals...man, I really need to stop reviewing Madhouse shows, because they're always great looking. Casshern Sins features extremely detailed background art that turns the world of robots and humans into a beautiful dystopia of vast deserts, barren mountains, and shining seas. When there is an oasis in the middle of this hellish world—a spot of pink and blue flowers, perhaps—it looks even more gorgeous by contrast. The art seems to echo the show's themes; everything that's still alive seems to be encircled by the empty land, besieged by death from every direction.

As mentioned earlier, the character designs in Casshern Sins are decidedly more “oldschool” than what most of us are probably used to. Most of the characters have sharper, thinner, more angular bodies than what's common nowadays, and in truly classic style, everyone seems to have ridiculously massive and spiky hair in every color of the rainbow. All gentle mockery aside, these designs look great; I always welcome a unique departure from the norm. Casshern himself seems almost iconic, a spot of white and red in a world that's completely black and brown.

Needless to say that Casshern Sins also has some great action sequences, which are lovingly animated. Casshern is an elegant killing machine who seems to almost dance while he's fighting, bringing a strange sort of beautiful brutality to the table. He pirouettes and spins, all while violently dismembering his opponents, splitting them in half, or ripping out pieces of their inner workings with his bare hands. The scenes of action are well-choreographed, a real treat to watch, and there's no shortage of them in the series.

Casshern Sins also shines in the sound department, where a beautiful orchestral soundtrack is used to great effect. Most of the songs feature string and wind instruments as the lead sounds, with an occasional chanted or choir element of background vocals. Despite the high quality of the soundtrack in general, I took some slight issues with two songs that occasionally play in the show: They have English lyrics, and pretty hammy ones, at that. While the singer (Nami Miyahara, who also voices a main character) has a great voice and puts in an admirable effort, she still sings with a noticeable Japanese accent. This, combined with the cheesiness of the lyrics, means that these songs will probably not have the intended effect on an audience of native English speakers. This is a relatively small complaint, and since English speakers were (obviously) not the originally intended audience of the show, it's really not anyone's fault, but it's there nonetheless.

Casshern Sins has a lot going for it—it boasts a great plot, mature themes, memorable characters, refreshing art, and a top-notch soundtrack. When it comes right down to it, I'd say that the only thing holding Casshern Sins back from true greatness is its pacing; it's the biggest flaw in an otherwise excellent series. Whether or not you're capable of enjoying this series is completely up to how patient you are. If you're the type that doesn't like to wait, and wants a story that's always in high gear, watching this would be a nightmare. But those with a high degree of tolerance for things that are slow to develop might find Casshern Sins to be well worth their time.
read more

Back home for vacations at the end of the year, having hit some major shocks in my first
semester exams i was in pursuit of refreshments. So well, got introduced to this wonderful
series by a friend of mine.
Casshern Sins is not pretty much what it looks like if you’re seeing this picture for the first
time. It is not the usual action adventure shounen-esque series you watch, but a very deep
psychological series. The plot – The world is in ruin. Robots are rusting (dying) everywhere unable to repair
themselves. Signs of Human are rarely seen, which ensure their extinction. As despair
consumes the heart of everyone there is one who is to blame for all the happenings :
Casshern, who killed Luna, the Sun that was named Moon. Struck with amnesia as seen in
the beginning of the series, Casshern walks into a journey remembering the sin he
committed.... Each episode, for the most part, explores a different aspect of humanity, usually regarding
hope and despair. They end up giving away moments of vain hope, enraging emotions
transformed into love, rarely having scenes of unfettered rage. The first fair half of episodes
are quite dull regarding the number count and how long they tried tried dragging it, makes
more reasons to why it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Whereas the second explores a mystery
about how even the most unlikely chance at life can bring out the ugliest in anyone, the emotional impact creates such unrelenting momentum that these roadblocks do nothing to
deter anyone from the end.
Fight scenes, at first it’s not hard to expect a depressing setting with some above average,
albeit grizzly, fight scenes. However in the very next moment it turns into an introspective
piece, symbolical. Just as how the very emotional depth that can be drawn from a single blue
flower (As seen in the series) is uncanny, especially as it becomes an unusual personification of death, and as the glimpse of rust on the cheek of a Robot or the emptiness in their eyes
bring out the terror of death as a monster which devours on every being.
In my personal opinion, this is one series hard to categorize. It is stands in it’s own as a
masterpiece of artistic integrity. But then again tastes may vary, as this definitely is not
everyone’s cup of tea. read more

Almost a masterpiece...almost. Casshern Sins is a work of art with a vibrant and powerful story. To me, it is simply beautiful. Imagine living in a world full of life and power. A place where all you know in life is luxury and immortality. No one likes the idea of death. That is why cyborgs and robots created by the humans, surpassed the humans and discovered a way to live forever. It wasn't long after the God-like robot named Luna was killed when the world started to decay. The world they knew became nothing but a waste land for robots called "The Ruin." Eventually, they lost their sanity and meaning of life all together.

Could you blame them? Once someone has had a taste of the good life, it is hard to accustom to anything less.

Since Cashern has forgotten about his past, he sets off on a journey of self-discovery in hopes of finding his purpose in life. Along the way, he meets various robots and people struggling to survive.

Ringo, a young robot girl who befriends Casshern, is a miracle, according to her robot friend named Ouji, because she manages to maintain her innocence despite being born in a destroyed world. Casshern begins to care for this girl as he learns about compassion and love. And through each encounter he comes across, he learns a little more about life.

Even though it is a very depressing anime, the story is very intriguing. I found myself sympathizing with these robots a lot. Especially Casshern. I even held a little grudge toward the humans. I was wondering how cruel it was that the humans gave robots emotions and feelings. I couldn't help but think of the pain and suffering they were going through. It was interesting how these robots didn't take anything for granted, not even the smallest things. To them, a simple song was deeply treasured. This anime is very violent and emotional, but brilliant none the less. I enjoyed the music and the character designs. About half way through, it seemed a bit slow for me, but I really enjoyed the ending. I highly recommend this anime. If you're looking for a deeper, more meaningful story, look no more. read more

The thing that made me wanted to watch it was because of the style and the topic that the show is messaging to the viewer about, which is about death toward robots other than humans.

Story: 8

This anime is a slow paced show, most of the episodes are episodic as Casshern journey through the wasteland to find Lunar and recover what he has forgotten and his purpose for his existence.

As the show goes on, lots of questions surrounding Casshern will reveal itself as you go along and that it is what kept me watching till the very end.

Art: 9

The artwork is really unique and the style is beautiful, and the colour scheme matches the theme that the anime is portraying to the viewer.As well as that, the character design that Madhouse Studios produced is great but a bit less robotic compared to 1993's Casshern and the animation is fluid even on the fighting scenes.

Sound: 10

I love the Jazzy intro opening and the moving ending, it fits well with the show.

Character: 7

The characters are mediocre, most of the cast's history seem a bit basic and it is shown in flashbacks, in my opinion they should of revealed more other than Casshern's history and it seemed that it didn't reach my expectations.

Enjoyment: 9

Overall I enjoyed it! I would recommend it to viewers who like action, random situations, fans of the old Casshern show and finally reoccurring "what if" questions about death,robots and the meaning of living. 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

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

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

Casshern Sins was one of the shows that I was introduced to during my brief Toonami experience this year, and one of only two I was able to complete before schedule changes put other shows on-hold. I am actually pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable this show is, especially considering that I wasn't as impressed with it at first from what I can remember. While there are a large number of fight scenes, as a whole they were not very impressive or entertaining. What this show does have is atmosphere. Combining a unique and appropriate art style and background music, Casshern Sins creates a very interesting setting, full of gloom and yet also hope. It is this somber yet hopeful atmosphere that I found very intriguing. The characters themselves are also mysterious and intriguing in their own right, in which I looked forward to learning more about them as the series progressed. The series tries to convey a number of themes and ideals, such as what it means to truly live. Unfortunately I did find Casshern Sins a little confusing at times, and some of the sci-fi elements are never really explained, which I found disappointing.

Despite those few elements that I wasn't fond of, I still found Casshern Sins to be entertaining, receiving a 7/10 (Good) and a recommendation to at least try out. read more

Casshern Sins doesn't hide what it wants to convey. Right in the tagline, it says "Death is the salvation of man and machine". The show tries to tell us that one cannot have life without death. The whole series revolves around this idea, and, while overall a very simple idea, the show does this fairly well. That's not to say this message was without fault. There were many contradictions to this idea throughout the series, which may make its message fall flat. Even so, this show was still great, and here's why.

Story-wise, the show is very slow-moving for a while, and it seems to be going nowhere. Until about the mid-teen episodes, the show is more one-episode adventuresque, meaning that each episode is its own standalone story. These, while sometimes interesting and entertaining, make the show seem to drag on, and some may outright give up on the show before it gets interesting, which is in the teens, when the story becomes the main focus. In the end, the story ends well with Casshern's goal being fulfilled, however what that goal is and what I mean by fulfilled I'll keep secret, to avoid spoilers.
Character wise, this show is amazing. Every character is well fleshed out, even the unimportant ones. Casshern himself seems to suffer a lot of personal conflict, as, despite being an invincible nearly-immortal fighting machine, he wants to die, and doesn't want to kill. He can't stand all of the fighting in the world, and just like all of us, wants peace and happiness. He works to achieve this as time passes, all the while trying to remember his past, as he's an amnesiac, which, while an overdone idea, is done fairly well here. All the other characters are well fleshed out too, and very interesting, but I can't help but think that some of the antagonists, particularly Dio and his partner, were ultimately useless, pointless additions....Ah well....
The art in the show is unique and gorgeous. It's very smooth and shining, and somehow successfully portrays a dying world in a beautiful manner. Everything looks unique, and yet, the show also seems to look classic at the same time. Look a pictures and you might see what I mean.
The music was relatively good, with the exception of the opening song, which was annoying. The music is often very sad, mixing well with the atmosphere of the show, and it can easily make things even more dramatic and sad when "that one song" is sung. You'll know what I mean if you watch it.
As I watched this on Toonami, I think it's safe to say this show has a great dub. The actors did splendidly. Especially Casshern and Lyuze.
Overall, this show is fairly interesting, and certainly amazing, however its not for everyone. It's a little slow moving, and it takes a while for it to really pick up, but once it gets there, its well worth the work of watching all those pointless episodes. It's a fairly short series, so it's not too troublesome. All in all, a great show, but not for the action hungry, though the action that is in this show is extremely brilliant and well-choreographed, though sometimes a little hard to see.
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Anime: Casshern Sins

Title: Satisfying But it's missing something.

About the Anime: In a dark future, the world is in ruin and everything is slowly crumbling away into dust. Humanity is almost extinct, while robots desperately seek out new parts to replace their rusting bodies. Their only hope for survival is to devour the one known as Casshern… or so they believe. Meanwhile, Casshern himself has lost all memory of his past. Why are these robots attacking him? Did he really kill the one known as Luna; the Sun that was called Moon? And why is he, alone, unaffected and undamaged by the ruin?

Story 5/10: Despite being a remake to a kitschy 70’s anime “classic,” Casshern Sins begins promisingly. In the first few episodes, the creators lay out a post-apocalyptic setting that manages to feel both unabashedly retro and grimly bleak at the same time. The resulting mix of camp and angst is weirdly intriguing, especially when the solid supporting characters and mysterious titular protagonist are factored in.
Sadly, Casshern Sins fails to live up to its initial promise due to its unfocused overarching narrative. Rather than develop any core theme in the early to middle stages, the series meanders among flavor-of-the-week plots and half-hearted attempts at a main story. After countless thematically tangential episodes, the anime barely has room to resolve its main plotline and is forced to squeeze a half-hearted conclusion into the final few episodes. The final episodes seem to assert that death is needed to make life worth living. However, the distracted narrative and conflicting themes beforehand causes this moralizing to feel hollow and unconvincing by the time the creators decide to tack it to the end. At the end of the series, Casshern Sins doesn’t feel like it was ever actually about anything, and this is perhaps its greatest flaw.
The anime’s plot is further diluted by lame fight scenes that lack context or relevance. In many occasions, a group of mooks will simply appear in the middle of an episode to suicidally impale themselves on Casshern’s foot. These scenes appear to have been inserted to please the action junkies, but the problem is that Casshern Sins tries to be something more than just another shounen action show. By mixing mindless action with serious science-fiction, the anime fails to appeal to fans of either.
Still, in spite of all these weaknesses, the series is not without merit. Casshern Sins’ main strengths lie not in the actual meat of the plot, but in the assorted one-shot episodes that pepper the overarching narrative. While they disrupt the flow of the actual story, many of the disjointed plotlines are well-written enough to be entertaining in their own right. Granted, not all of the self-contained stories are good, but others are genuinely compelling. This alone prevents Sins’ story from being an outright failure.

Animation 8/10: Fortunately, Casshern Sins has an excellent idea of what it wants to look like, if not what it wants to be about. Put simply, the style of the series' dystopian setting is wonderful. Casshern Sins uses carefully chosen color schemes and crisp animation all to great effect, and the final visual package is one of the most impressive I've seen this year. A particularly impressive aspect of the visual package is the dramatic use of light in just about every scene. It's not Makoto Shinkai obsessive, but the shadows drawn across the hero's face do a lot to darken the mood.

Sound 7/10: Voice acting as a whole is uneven. The protagonist’s seiyuu is so hideously terrible that I genuinely wondered if he was trying to sound wooden on purpose, while some of the supporting roles turn in excellent work. On the other hand, the background music is almost universally excellent. The music grimly underscores the anime’s bleak mood without ever becoming a distraction. The soundtrack’s one flaw is its frequent repetition, but this never becomes too much of a problem.

Character's 3.5/10: In addition to the haphazard plot and the hamfisted ending, the creators botch the characterization on nearly every major player in the show. Casshern himself is the most egregious example; his deadpan voice acting, terrible dialogue and unconvincing development combine to form one of the most ineffective protagonists that I've ever seen. Dio and Leda, the two main villains, are almost as bad; not only are their motivations left woefully unexplained, they're just flat-out boring characters.
Fortunately, some of the supporting characters fare better; Lluyze in particular is a welcome exception to the bad characterization. Casshern Sins dedicates an entire episode to dissecting her psyche in a weird and decidedly Freudian fashion, and the result is arguably the highlight of the show. Sadly, she is a comparatively minor character and simply can't carry the show on her own.

Overall 6/10: Overall, I enjoyed myself as I was watching and in particular liked the one-shot episodes, which at times evoke the amazing work done in Kino's Journey. However, the turgid overarching narrative, the bad characters and the incompetent ending make me wonder if these scattered episodes were enough to make the series actually worth my time.
~WhiteBakemono read more

I thought I would really like Casshern Sins, but this was a letdown of epic proportions. My original impression was that the Casshern character would be a modern day Kenshiro of Fist of the North Star, or something akin to it; a lone wolf hero trekking across the devastated wasteland to fulfill his purpose/clear his name/discover who he is. Any one of these would've been nice, but intsead of taking a plot synopsis as simple as this anime produces and making something good out of it, it fails to deliver on any conceivable level that would be considered quality entertainment.
Now this story moves slow, I mean VERY slow, and this is the first noticable flaw of Casshern Sins. This is supposed to serve as dramatic build up, but the schitck wears thin after five episodes, and establishes nothing outside of what the audience already knows. The trick to telling a competent story is to offer mood and then deliver the plot, from there you move on to climax, as opposed to the 12 episode circle jerk the first DVD boxset provides. Calling it a story gives it too much credit, because it implys that anything thats taking place is going to lead somewhere. Humpty Dumpty has more plot cohesion then Casshern Sins because even this nursery rhyme managed to tell a decent plot offering a character (the Egg), the situation (a wall he wanted to sit on), the predicament (he fell), and a conclusion (he died). In Casshern, we get the egg beating up a bunch of rotten eggs and other eggs talking.
There's lots of dialouge, but I lost interest in anything ANY of these characters had to say by episode nine.
Which is Cassherns' other problem: Bland as hell, one demonsional lead characters. Casshern himself is a six page rant in itself, so I'll just summarize the point of my angst in regards to this character and others written like him: I HATE AMNESIA-STRICKEN ANIME LEADS! This is a cliche that's been done to death and I am sick of seeing every other title being bogged down by a main character with a gimmick thats been used to death by Hannah-Barbera in the sixties. Writing a character that doesn't remember anything excuses the author of having to make their hero develop in a chronological sense with the rest of the stroy because everything has to grind to a halt until he says, "OH YEAH, now I remember!" It's insipid and five out of every ten shows is almost guaranteed to use this stunt. As for Lyuze, she's even more worthless than Casshern himself. Her grief against him seems simple enough, but becomes insufferable as time goes on. How do have complex emotions about a guy who allegedly destroyed your past that borders outside genocidal rage?! It's ricidulousluy stupid character writing and diving into her psyche only shows just how egotistical and self-deluded this writing staff really was into thinking they were creating a philosophical masterpiece. The villians Leda and Dio add nothing at all besides generic obstacles who, from what I could piece together, fail as antagonists, and Ringo's only driven purpose is to chew up as much scenery as possible before the Ruin hits. The characters in this show are episodic.
The animation is impressive at first, but gets hammered into your brain with as many cluttered, over-choreographed fight scenes as any given episode of Bleach, and the fights are just as meaningless. If this show isn't talking your ear off, it's showing Casshern laying waste to every rejected Mega Man robot master fans submitted in to be put into a video game and nobody can lay a hand on him! This guy no-sells damage worse than John Cena!!
IN CLOSING: Not since RaXephon have I made it all the way through an anime that could've been promising if it had direction, likable characters, and wasn't so pretentious and long-winded in it's own bullcrap writing. Characters talk, dialogue goes nowhere, then they fight and fight and fight, then stop for more talking. Intrigue was lost halfway through and the climax was God-awful. I'm sorely disappointed that I spent money on this. I'm gonna go turn myself into a robot bell.

STORY: 3
ART: 5
SOUND: 7
CHARACTERS: 2
ENJOYMENT: 1
OVERALL: 3 out of 10

PROS: English dub isn't bad
CONS: Lackadasical writing, boring characters, repetitive BGM, everything else read more