Ranked #1245

Kurozuka

It's often strange how some anime can divide opinions on how good it actually is, and the reasons for these divided opinions are often logical and plausible. In the case of Kurozuka however, there is a definite misinterpretation of the story as a whole.

Kurozuka began life as a novel written by Yumemakura Baku, which was later illustrated by Noguchi Takashi in manga form. The manga was serialized in Super Jump magazine from 2003 to 2006, before being turned into an anime by Madhouse in 2008.

The story in Kurozuka is where many of the divided opinions stem from. Many people consider the story to be confusing, especially at the very end, however this can confusion can somewhat berectified by watching the first five minutes of the first episode again.

At heart Kurozuka may seem to be a story about vampires, love, betrayal, and revenge, however I found it to be more than just the sum of it's parts. Kurozuka is very much a "what if" tale, and the ending is actually very appropriate when considered in this light. There is a lot of action in the story, and the viewer will sometimes wonder what the hell is going on (as I did), but if you stick with it then you may find the story strangely captivating.

The art and animation are top notch in this show. Madhouse pulled out a lot of the stops when designing the characters and animating the show, especially during the numerous action sequences. CG is incorporated very well overall, with only a few minor faults that are barely noticeable. The characters are designed very well on the whole, and I especially liked the incorporation of traditional Kabuki players into the series as it gives the show a far more surreal feel. Each episode begins with a small kabuki play which recounts the events of the previous episode, and I found that the designs, animation and sound for these scenes were excellent.

The sound is another excellent area, especially the music and sound effects. The BGMs never overpower the sound effects during the action sequences, and the use of non-traditional animation techniques for these sequences made them exceptional.

The VAs are, again, excellent. Paku Romi is excellent as Kuromitsu, whilst Miyano Mamoru's monotonous tones are strangely suitable for the amnesiac Kurou. The other VAs are just as good as the two leads. Fujiwara Keiji, who plays Karuta, manages to imbue his voice with a certain "roguish" quality that suitably matches Karuta's design and personality.

The characters are actually one of the bad things about this show, however I say this with a certain amount of trepidation. On the whole the characters are well done, however there is very little development given to them - they're just there for the most part. However, this would only really be a problem if you were watching this as a straightforward story rather than a "what if" tale. That said though, even a "what if" tale would need it's characters developed to a much greater degree than Kurozuka manages to do.

That doesn't mean I hate the characters though. I thought the characters were. on the whole, fairly decent. My problem is that I would have liked to have known more about them as characters - their motivations and such.

Kurozuka is a great action anime, however it can be very confusing at times. There is a definite story there, but many people will find it confusing for the most part, especially as the story doesn't really hint at what's really going on until the end (suffice to say I found it a very "Dallas" moment).

This is a good show to watch if you're after some good action and aren't overly concerned with the story. It may not be everyone's cup of tea though, especially with the scientific angle it takes on the vampirism issue. This is a story about love, loss, betrayal and revenge, and these aspects of the show are very much at the fore. However there are some elements of the show which can leave you wondering why a particular event happened in the first place, and this is only compounded by the continued lack of an explanation. read more

I liked this anime, but had difficulty in rating it. In some ways, it is either more or less than the sum of its parts, depending on the point of whoever is watching it.

The story is presented in a manner which involves a lot of flashbacks, dream sequences which are not clearly distinguished from reality, surreal imagery, explicated metaphor... in short, it is overwhelmingly confusing.

Even after watching the entire series, all I can say about the plot is that it is designed to mess with my head... anything else is questionable, so even if I wasn't wary of spoilers, I can't really give you any details (I mean, I could, but, not really).

If you've watched Serial Experiments Lain, or Memento, then this probably belongs in a similar category in terms of the way the story is presented as a plot.

Sound, Art:both Great! (9/10)

The sound and art have very high production values... but I would put the Art one step below perfect because, although somewhat intentional, they are so many time-jumps that not only the story, but even the action is at times difficult to follow.

The characters... (8/10)

well, they are somewhat well developed but I really had to think about that for a bit. For certain, it is an interesting way of presenting common themes by changing various details... so I will just say that the characters are very well thought out, but are overshadowed a bit by the non-linear presentation and even the "flashiness" of the art style.

They are few "slice of life" moments in this series, so it is hard to connect to even the main characters... even when background history is being given, it is usually in the midst of a battle or tense situation.

Enjoyment... (7/10)

Ouch, my head hurts!

I appreciate that the production values were high, and the plot was well thought out and spans a vary long time... but at the same time, I had to just stop the series and go to watch something else, whilst my brain adjusted to "normal time flow", least I start walking backwards or something.

In that sense, I enjoyed it less than the more linear (in terms of time presentation, but perhaps, more incomplete in terms of story details) Serial Experiments Lain... and there was so much going on, involving several major "players", that I actually found Memento easier to follow.

Overall... (8/10)

I would say this series is very good, but its presentation pace will overwhelm even people who like non-linear story presentation (anyone who claims different, just shut off their brain or something and is lying to themselves), and the ambiguous ending sparks more questions... unlike Serial Experiments Lain, which I have re-watched several times, I am deeply hesitant to even glance at Kurozuka again... it does something to stretch the mind, but perhaps in ways that it would be best not to attempt too often.

If "Ringu" and Serial Experiments Lain are mindfucks, then this is a hardcore mind-gang-rape... but by a very beautiful flock of fangirls.

Or something.
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