Strait Jacket

::QUICK REVIEW::
Story: 6 (what do you expect from 3 episodes)
Art: 10 (Edge of your seat action sequencesl)
Sound: 8 (A lot of bodies ripping apart)
Character: 7 (Typical bad ass action buffs)
Enjoyment: 10 (I've seen it twice already)
Overall: 41/50 = 8.2 = ~8 (So much action in 60 minutes)


::FULL REVIEW::
Strait Jacket manages to put more action, violence, and drama in 3 episodes than some action drama series can put in 50+ episodes. If you are a complete action aficionado, this is one that you CANT MISS. Theres not much you can explain in terms of story but they manage to make a good beginning middle and end ... to this OVA. Basically magic technology is advancing civilization so much that everything requires magic. But overuse and misuse can have its drawbacks and thats where we start this show. An elite armed force unit hired to dispatch these anomalies.

The story is obviously second to the action because these fight scenes take up over half of each episode and thats perfectly fine with me. Just everything about the fight scenes screams completely over the top. From ripping people to shreds to using super powerful guns that rips holes through buildings. It all just screams edge of your seat action. Now I'm sure you're saying, "a lot of anime do the same thing what makes this one so special?" Details my friend, details.

First off, the monsters they cook up for this show is something only to be seen to be believed. Although for the most part they're pretty ridiculous, but they will still make you go "woah" when you see them. But the artwork, camera angles, and detail to everything is just amazing. You actually feel the sense of destruction and power when watching a show like this. For seasoned action freaks like me, thats very hard to do considering we are usually numbed by things like that.

Overall this show, was completely awesome for a 3-episode stint. The story had a pretty reasonable beginning, middle, and end with even a plot twist that even surprised me (but I think that was mostly because I was still amazed with the action). For being such a short series, I highly recommend this to anyone who likes action, violence, and amazing artwork. Although, those who doesn't like gratuitous violence you might want to watch this.

Strait Jacket is a 3 episodes OVA. Which is, no matter how you look at it, finished within a flash.
But truth be said, after seeing some of the artwork and reading a synopsis about Strait Jacket, I just had to watch it.

Good thing It wasn't disappointing. The scenes were quite well done; though you always see details that could have been better. Such as battle scenes being done too fast and the magic not being well explained. But what do you expect from 3 episodes; there wasn't any time to do so.

However, Strait Jacket did a perfectly fine job on making 3 episodes ... worthwhile and actually make sense. A lot of short Anime series (OVA in particular) explain nothing and/or let nothing happen due to their short time. Some even rush things through a few episodes and gives us an open ending.

Strait Jacket isn't one of them. Though you might consider it to have an open end; it is not a cliffhanger and doesn't really disappoint you. It's just what you'd expect it to be. Nothing too flasy, nothing too fancy, nothing weird, awkward or lame. It is quite enjoyable and can be watched with a coke and some popcorn. See it as watching a movie; since it in total is almost as long.

I give this series a 7 overall, though the sounds get an 8 from me. It really adds up to the series, creates suspense and isn't repeated too much. Other words, it's perfectly fine, just like the OVA is.

So really, if you have little time to kill and want to enjoy a good serie within a short amount of time; this is a pretty good choice.

I take it from the number of recent reviews that, much like with Negadon, most of the people will probably be familiar with this through Sci-Fi's 10/20/08 airing. Strait Jacket is definitely an OVA worth watching, and a pretty easy one to watch at that. Not too hard on plot elements, backstory, or technobabble/magibabble, it's not exactly a laid-back anime but it's something that can be enjoyed with a full bucket of popcorn, just be careful not to spill any after seeing a few "OH SNAP!" moments here and there.

Before going into detail, I should add that what makes this OVA work for the English-speaking ... world is its nearly spot-on dub. The dub isn't perfect, and in some areas can be less than stellar (I'm less than impressed with the dub of Mary Simmons, who comes off as a pretty weak character, despite being voiced by Bridget Hoffmann) but with a cast made of up, get this: Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, Vic Mognogna (yes, you read that right: all three in the same OVA!) Kari Wahlgren, Jamieson Price, and Lara Jill Miller along with the aforementioned Bridget Hoffman, you just cannot go wrong.

Story: 7 (Good)

The story is not exactly exceptional but far from bland and unoriginal: it's the late 19th century, and people have figured out how to mechanize sorcery, basically. Since practicing too much sorcery can have nasty side effects, mainly turning people into homocidal demons, sorcerists wear "mould suits" which allows them protection. However, sometimes these suits fail, and the number of demon transformations have risen due to mold suit sabotage by a terrorist group calling themselves "Oddman." It's up to the Tactical Sorcerists, or "Strait Jackets" to deal with these demon outbursts. Hammond is one of these sorcerists; he considers his rival Steinberg to be an extreme danger due to his unlicensed status, unrestrained methods and sometimes downright suicidal attitude, which may have something to do with the relationship he has with the strange little girl Capeltata.

The story alone is not what makes this OVA great, but it's not something just tacked on either.

Art: 7 (Good)

Anymore, the art really can't be considered all that special, but given the average state of art in anime in recent years (a pretty big jump in quality, and pretty much light-years over some of the darkest days in the medium; see M.D. Geist, Mad Dog 34 or Vampire Wars) that's almost becoming a compliment, and if you can't be spectacular, at least being average beats the other alternative, especially when "average" is becoming pretty darn decent lately.

Though, speaking of M.D. Geist this OVA doesn't spare on the blood and gore either. It lacks the sheer cheese factor of that particularly ancient and bad OVA, but take it as you will in regards to whether it drags the OVA down or props it up.

Sound: 8 (Very Good)

It's hard to determine, really, whether all the points that contribute to this category being so high really deserve to belong here or over at the character column, because the voice acting really goes far towards making this OVA work. But even if you take all that out, we get some pretty awesome sound effects.

Character: 8 (Very Good)

Ahh, now we get to the best part. The characters are great, and its entirely thanks to their English VA's. Mary Simmons, despite having Bridget Hoffman behind her, does tend to fail, but given the opportunities for the rest of the cast (hey, it's got Steven Blum and Crispin Freeman as the leads) there's not much that can be said other than you simply can't go wrong. If you want to experience just how awesome Freeman and Blum can be, let alone together, you owe it to yourselves to see this.

Enjoyment: 8 (Very Good)

And that's just what this OVA is: awesome, and Blum's and Freeman's voices are just dripping of it. Trust me, you may not enjoy all 90 minutes but you'll enjoy darn near close to it. The only real damn shame about Strait Jacket is that unlike Read or Die there's no series to follow it, but given how recent this OVA is hopefully that will change soon.

Which gives Strait Jacket a final score of:

8: Very Good

Put simply, Strait Jacket is what would happen if Fullmetal Alchemist and Hellsing were fused into one show. It is a world where magic is studied like a science but misused by the powers that be in service of some grand conspiracy to horrifying effect, but also a story where a jaded and irreverent loose cannon with a haunted past hunts monsters for a living all while dragging along some poor public servant who just wanted to do her job as she becomes attached to him over time. Alternatively, it can also be described as rated R Fullmetal Alchemist. All of this is to say ... that it comes together to great effect, especially if you have a penchant for unapologetically edgy 2000s anime. I actually have a past with this anime that I had totally forgotten about until I stumbled upon it, beginning what I suppose could be called a rewatch. Back when I was a kid, the Syfy channel used to show a lot of mature, thematically heavy shows, and this was one of the ones I managed to catch. I distinctly remember the first demon transformation scene scaring the absolute shit out of me, but also that the show in general was simply magnetic. Beginning with the story, right off the bat, it's the strongest aspect of the anime, which is impressive considering it's only a few episodes. The worldbuilding is rock solid, with an engaging, three-dimensional concept that allows for a lot of room to improvise and grow. Then, Strait Jacket puts this intriguing world to use in service of a story which is gritty, gory, and effortlessly cool. I found myself moved by the tragedies and the trials of this world and the characters in it, rooting for their successes and feeling for their many losses as smooth, contemplative dialogue takes place in just the right amounts at just the right times. The whole arc of the story felt controlled and well-paced, reaching its conclusion with an artful finish. Speaking of which, the art is broadly quite good, embodying that edgy 2000s vibe flawlessly. The gunmetal machines, the armored trenchcoats, the small shades, they're all there and their presence can't be missed for a moment. The backgrounds are amazing, especially the architectural and interior aesthetic of the city, making for a gorgeous built environment drawing from western design philosophy, which contrasts starkly with the bloody gore and the horrible monsters. Furthermore, the gore, which is ubiquitous and gratuitous, is 'gross' in a way that can be appreciated and not gross in a way which provokes a sense of disgust. It adds to the story, especially when all the body horror monstrosities are turned into meaty chunks of flesh. The character design is very strong, with a sense of identity that marks this show out as something all its own, while still obviously being a product of the era in which it was produced, the only real visual flaw being the occasional instance of emotional stiffness from certain character expressions. More succinctly, my feedback on the character design also speaks to how I feel about the art design as a whole- it's just very satisfying. This show knows what it is, and boldly pursues that vision of itself, reaching that goal and surpassing it. The vision of Strait Jacket is one which has been translated almost effortlessly into anime. The sound is good, meeting all standards of quality, with a strong soundtrack and well-made dub. The characters are strong, though some of the more peripheral individuals have a tendency towards some mild flatness. Of the characters, my favorites are Isaac Hammond and Kapeltetha. Isaac is such a strong character that one could even argue that this tragic tale is meant to be his own, viewed from the outside. At first it seems like he's going to be your bog standard coworker rival type character, but then he evolves and transforms into this brutal tragic antihero, even putting our MC's edge to shame. Then, Kapeltetha is a unique case in that besides being rather unusual herself, her relationship with Reiott is one that's complex and interesting, adding much-needed depth to him as the two interact, contrasting with her aloof and almost analytical attitude, which itself contrasts with her physical appearance as a mysterious yet decidedly unimposing girl that one would initially expect to be nervous or unsure of herself. Overall, Strait Jacket is severely underrated, and deserves recognition as a solid 2000s edgelord gorefest. I'm glad to see it held up after all this time, and as such, it's an easy title to recommend.

A nice action anime OVA with 3 episodes. Set in a 90's scenario it is a world where both magic and science coexist, with a persons experiment which made magic come into this world from some other.

The main protagonist Reiott Steingberg (Leiott Steingberg in some dubs), is a character well built as per the story's current situation and very little reference to his background/childhood. The main story is about the work of the protagonist as a tactical sorcerist (people who are qualified to take down demons).

Along with magic came a problem to the human world, people who used magic too much became demons. Tactical sorcerists ... take down these demons again using magic.

Every episode ends with a spiritual touch whether its right to kill another person/demon just because people say its right or good for them. Doesn't it make the person who kills, even though a good person in others eyes, a sinner. So what does a sinner need, how should a sinner be judged.

The action scenes are very nice. A very nice watch, and I definitely recommend it. I give it a 8/10. The main reason for giving it an 8 is because of very little reference to the background of the protagonist which is the reason for his current behavior.

Story: 7.5/10
Art : 9
Sound: 9
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 8
Overall:8

Well this is my first review and I have just finished watching all 3 episodes of Straight Jacket.

Story:
... Although only 3 episodes long I believe the story, at its most basic level, was flushed out quite nicely. Yes, of course more details could have been given to fully explain the relationships between characters, especially that of Reiott and Filisis, but for a 3 episode series, I cannot say that anything truly important in terms of the continuity of the show.

I can't say I truly enjoyed the ending as well, as much of the story was wrapped up very quickly but then again what can I expect from 3 episodes?

Art:
For a modern show the animation is pretty standard. This anime is much darker than most I have seen and the dark scenes really bring that aspect of this show to the forefront with the exception of any scene with Reiott's house which is used to help bring forth the concept of redemption which the show centers about.

Sound:
Mostly rock-type songs are used in the show and one specific one in the 3rd episode that really stands out. Nothing really bad about the music and the sound effects during the action scenes were pretty standard.

Character:
For only 3 OVA's, there was plenty of character development. The viewpoints of Reiott and Kapel Theta regarding redemption changed in much the same way, although I was unimpressed at how all it took to change Kapel Theta's view was a one sentence line from Filisis. Isaac was a strong character who displayed a lot of emotion and really was the main person one could identify with.

Other than those main characters however, I disliked most of the other characters especially Mary. Mary really didn't serve much of a purpose in the show except for whining in one specific scene.

Enjoyment:
On the whole Straight Jacket was a very well done story. The action scenes were not all that action-packed, but it was more of the thrill factor that made it enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall I would recommend this anime and suggest you watch all the episodes in one sitting. :) enjoy

Pretty good anime. Hope they will make more episodes. the characters here are pretty impressive as well. The only thing that sorta sucks here if you look away from the fact that its only 3 ovas is that the action sequences are short and their are not really alot of them. Hoped for more of them. Otherwise not bad. Would recommend ths for everybody. Great anime. Should be at least at the top 500 if you ask me.

Strait Jacket takes place in the past but there is both technology and magic. The way they handle magic is similar to the concept of an all powerful mutating virus that has a vast usefulness but also big consequences.

Basically, though magic does challenge logic, it eventually mutates the body when it is used too much, causing people to become big murderous insane monsters that cannot be turned back into humans. To be able to use magic without turning into monsters, they developed the molds, which are small mecha armors.

The story revolves around a man who feels guilty over an event that is later ... revealed about his past. He has adopted a little girl who was born partially mutated from a human mother and mutated father. This further makes him question if there is some humanity left in the rampaging monsters.

The story deals with a plot of how people's greed cause them to put lives at risk, terrorists fighting the police force and society holding on to the belief that they have no choice but to do certain things to console themselves and justify the actions taken against those who were once humans.

The setting and somewhat systematic approach to magic reminds me of Fullmetal Alchemist, along with the hidden plots and guilt trips, and the occasional mutated human, though Strait Jacket is far more violent and bloody.

I never liked random magic and like it when they give some sort of explanation, even if magic is still magic and defies logic, there are certain established boundaries to it, which allows viewers more insight into the world were the story takes place and more chances to speculate about the upcoming plot twists. This is always a plus to get into the plot, maybe even a necessity for some, myself included.

The art and sound is very good, no complaints there. The story is short, but it does pack a good plot, it feels more like a movie than an OVA. Overall, it is a good anime and worth watching.

Rate of 7
English Dubbed

Battles no matter the gratitude we face them on a daily basis. Toss in added advances in technology doesn't make them go away just changes the order of things. Something that was bad becomes okay, something okay becomes bad. If magic became a real factor on lifes operations my lord the charges that would occur. However, no matter the outcome we must press forward for staying fixated on something is more harmful then good. Such is the basis for this anime.

Story
-negative note: introduction could have greater flair.
-positive: Plot was moderate in length it will take a couple bites before getting to the ... bone.

Art
good characters/ scenes. Good blend to the story.

Sound- no issues

Characters
Good background for most of the main players. Although, with one of the girl character's her story was a bit off putting when she found her alleged 'purpose'. Having that play out could have greatly improved the performance of the movie.

Enjoyment
No clue on what group would get a kick of this. Perhaps, if you enjoy futuristic abilities this may be up your alley.

Well it was ok, animation was great but the story was typical and it had excess gore. It was disgusting and pointless. The story was basic sinner killer/hero looking for redemption and kind of finds it. The whole thing was predictable from start to finish.

I'm impressed with this more than possibly any anime I have ever seen. They did so much with just three episodes. This was short, even for something like a film. And yet they filled it with story & action & twists & drama & it's just so amazing. More anime should be like this!

Considering the short amount of anime the story was quite impressive. IE there was one. Little stories building up a living breathing world & a story not without a few twists along the way. Some felt a little forced or rushed. But what do you expect from something so short? You'll ... however be pleasantly surprised. Maybe I just set my standards to low?

The art's really good too. Amazing designs on the Molds & on the enemies & the tech & just about everything really. It was a shame that the weapons only really amounted to flame throwers & yet looked a lot like gatling guns or mech weapons... And we didn't see more Mold's or more specials (one didn't even have a name!) but it all still looked good, just shame there wasn't more. But what do you expect?

And the enemies, Jesus, they go from creepy to plain fucked up, really amazing work & detail.

The characters are maybe the weakest aspect. I would say, what do you expect? But for what is here, the story is damn good, why can't the characters be too? Although the designs are interesting it ultimately amounted to a series of anime archetypes in a line. Meh.

Now for the amount of anime here, I would whole heartedly recommend this. You will probably set your standards quite low, all for the better! The art is damn fucking awesome. The details are just wow. And the story will probably really surprise you too. A lot happens. It's a rollercoaster of a journey & much like a rollercoaster it's over in a blink of an eye. But hell, that short amount of time will be some of the most fun you'll ever have in your life. Same goes for this!

It's like a brilliant mixture of D.Gray-Man, FMA & Fallout. SO. MUCH. WIN. Go, watch, NOW.

Another short review that should help you decide on if you wish to watch this 3 episode OVA or not.

Story: 6

I'm giving it a 6 not because I disliked it but because it really needs to be expanded on. This anime universe is extremely intriguing and I'd love to know more but you can just tell that this OVA was made to promote the manga. It's like one big ad for the manga (which I do plan on reading at some point). I find anime that do this to always be extremely underwhelming (minus Berserk 1997 anime which was created for the sole purpose of ... promoting the manga).

Art: 8

By far the best part of this anime. The action sequences are pretty top-knotch and there is a lot of well-animated gore scenes. So much gore. If you like gore in anime, then you'll definitely like this one. I mean, it's to be expected from studio feel., with classics such as Bikini Warriors, OhShit: Galko-chan, Suzakinishi the Animation and Ketsuekigata-kun.

Character: 6

The anime is short. You have your typical badass rogue MC who has some development throughout the span of the 3 episodes and you have Isaac Hammon, the goody two-shoes officer that plays by the books. He is by far the best character in the anime who has the most development. His story is pretty satisfying, if not tragic. Then again, the anime is far too short for me to care about anyone other than Isaac and Reiott. A lot of characters pushed to the side and blah blah blah "read the manga you fool!" kind of crap. I'm tempted, damn you!

I give it a 7. It's only 3 damn episodes, give it a shot. You may like it or you may hate it. Either way, it won't take up too much of your time. You might even want to read the manga when you've finished it.

Even though this has only three episodes, it is one of the best anime ive seen ever. And i have seen a lot of animes. One of the reasons there are only three episodes is so that you can view all the episodes as a full movie. A lot of animes are like this (including season 1 of Afro Samurai, i think they are makin a 2nd season). But anyway i gave everything a ten. I also loved how the main character was voiced by the same character in Cowboy Bebop (Spike)