Indeed, this type of story has not been done before. One that deals with the concept of minds and how it's ourselves, but with Kaiba, it's like a journey you go through with our main hero, Kaiba. He meets different characters from his trip who all have distinct characteristics that make them stick out from the rest, who may or may not help him in his search to find the memories that have been lost after his long slumber. As we follow our likable hero, we discover how the world that Kaiba inhabits has begun to crumble under its dystopia. Although they portray the setting in a surrealist manner to give it a distinctive look, there's still a lack of depth to the world itself. In other words, there's not enough to go around from the lack of exposition it gives to the history of this world that Kaiba has to offer, and it only succeeds halfheartedly.
With that said, even though the plot features some mind-bending, philosophical facets that incorporate Kaiba, the story-telling that helps guide them through the narrative is lacking. Nonetheless, when the show starts, it makes an excellent first impression by showing us first-hand what the world is like and how the other people who live in it go through the absolute turmoil that plagues their way of life. Some moments were even strong enough to invoke tears from my eyes. However, it doesn't take long until we cut away from the protagonist and then go into the character back story of another named Chroniko. To explain this clearly, Kaiba implants his memories into Chroniko, and from then on, we get to explore Chroniko's past and how she was brought up in the world. This plot point might seem admirable to make us know that there are, in fact, more than just Kaiba that might matter. I feel it wasn't even needed in the first place when we already have to follow Kaiba and his journey to get his memories back, even though technically, he's inside of Chroniko in these scenes.
Furthermore, we follow other characters, such as the sheriff, named Vanilla, and his fascination with Chroniko, or in this case, the body that Kaiba inhabits. This story plays off more like a desperate attempt to make the show longer. After that, we discourage that whole moment involving those characters, and we follow Kaiba like nothing ever happened previously. One could say that those plot arcs were necessary for Kaiba to understand the meaning of human emotion and the human condition, but it comes across as a bit trite and forgettable once the next episode rolls in.
Although with that said, the conclusion to the story felt incredibly fulfilling to experience after a brilliant romantic setup between Kaiba and Neiro, who play off each other very well. Their immediate feelings for each other might seem a little cliched, but how they direct the dialogue they say to each other comes off rather fluently and feels genuine. Near the very last frame of the previous episode, it felt like the best way to give Kaiba a sense of closure.
The art and animation are fascinating aspects of Kaiba, making it somewhat of an indistinguishable show amongst the anime community. This man is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, who also produced the classic The Tatami Galaxy, directed the animation, and wrote Cat Soup's surrealist film. This man knows how to transform his visions into reality and make us clamor for more of his artistic creativity. Kaiba's hook from its animation relies not just on an unconventional art style but also on its seamless implementation of the story and tone it tries to convey to us. Once we see the art style that Yuasa executes in constructing Kaiba's world, the result is no less than jaw-dropping. It might seem even a little forceful in some areas to make things a little too wacky and cartoony. The moments where it shows how people can invade someone's memories look incredible at face value.
The fluid motions that the characters exhibit in Kaiba's animation feel reminiscent of western-influence and the works of the great Osamu Tezuka. The abstract shapes of the buildings and vehicles give the show its unique identity and ultimately becomes very memorable in that aspect. There is about as much creativity as one could get from a studio named Madhouse, who's no stranger to producing shows similar in nature to Kaiba.
On the overall quality of the sound production, the voice acting is serviceable, with the veteran voice actresses Romi Park and Mamiko Noto giving out terrific performances. Even with the limited dialogue that the character Kaiba has throughout the story, Houko Kuwashima plays out the amnesiac archetype rather convincingly. Her voice emotes perfectly as an unemotional character who has lost all sense of meaning in his life because memories play a massive role in him and how that was perpetually lost. One thing to note in music is the opening song for Kaiba, which is composed quite beautifully from the sublime electronic ambiance mixed with subtle orchestration. On top of that is the beautiful voice of Seira Kagami, giving a dazzling performance that sets a tone of pure melancholic loneliness, one of the main themes of the entirety of Kaiba.
There's nothing quite like Kaiba's style in most anime shows. The animation is the only significant aspect of the show that makes it worth watching, but that's not to say that the story is bad. There's more to be seen in Kaiba than just the art and animation, but if it were only focused a little more tightly and given more world-building to be memorable, this would've been ranked higher. There is no doubt people will be looking at the art style and start thinking it's nothing like other anime they're used to and reject it immediately. These days, distinctive qualities are a rarity, and I'm okay with this. No doubt we need more creative measures put into the medium, but when one show comes out in that particular season that puts a lot of effort into its aesthetic qualities that challenge the norm, that makes that one show all the more special.
Grade: B+
