Strait Jacket

This anime reminds me a bit of Karas but even though Karas had a twisted plot with a number of holes it was still enjoyable. Strait Jacket clearly should have been longer to develop the characters just a bit more...it feels more like a preview to a possible 13 or 26 ep series which i would be interested in watching since i like this particular universe. If you want a nice quick slugfest and carnage mixed with magic then this is your show.

In Brazilian Portuguese:
Com uma boa arte, e até uma boa idéia quanto ao uso da magia e tudo mais, este anime teria sido melhor se os roteiristas tivessem tido mais episódios pra desenvolver a personalidade das personagens.
Com apenas esses 3 episódios, somos obrigados a supor o que os personagens pensam, como se sentem, ou como reagem.
Agora se você assiste um anime como esse a procura de apenas lutas e sangue, talvez você se sinta satisfeito. Embora eu tenha achado a ação deste anime bem "fraquinha" também.

Translated to English:
With a good art, and a good idea for the uses of the magic, ... this anime could be better if the writers had more episodes for developing the characters' personality.
With only 3 episode, we have to imagine by ourselves what the characters are thinking, or feeling, or even how they react.
But if you watch an anime looking for fights and blood, maybe you like of this anime. Although, for my "taste", the action of this anime is very "weak" too.

Looking for a quick dose of mutant slashing with overpowered flashy magic spells by mecha suits? This might be something to waste an hour and a half on, if you're looking for a quick anime to complete for your MAL-list.

Story: 4/10 - Could've evolved into a greater story, but revealed too much.

It generally feels rushed and sloppy. The story could've been more than okay. It has the things you expect from a sci-fi fantasy anime, but lacks progress. That being said, they don't waste time with side-plots or dead-ends not related to the main story. What I really enjoyed was how the story built up ... for a bigger franchise, but that is also the downside. The main villain is badly written, so bad in fact that you know who it is almost instantly, but they still try to hide it. I despised the way they made that part. The fighting is really cheaply animated with a lot of standoffs and no movement.


Art: 7/10

Late 19th century England with magic and modern looking-weapons. Some mecha armors and mutant monsters. Not a lot of gore, but some blood and beaten up characters. Would've liked some more action in the fighting scenes.

Sound effects and OST: 8/10 - Enjoyable, but not that memorable

Opening: -

Ending of EP 2: 8/10 - Enjoyable French duet
"Le Chemin" by Kyo feat. Sita

Ending of EP 3: 9/10 - Epic orchestral piece with a choir
シュ・クール by KYO

The soundtrack is good, and I liked the special effects of slashing and spells, but it's not something I'll remember for more than a few hours. Voice acting is just how it should be.


Characters: 5/10

* Female main character that is useless for anything but encouragement: check
* Badass and overpowered fighter with a troubled past: check
* Mystic little girl who accompanies the badass fighter: check
* White knight with a grudge against badass fighter: check
* Terrorist villain that is part of a bigger plot: check
* Grotesque mutants with a love for hack 'n slash gore: check

Just the type of characters you expect, but they do not progress through the series. That might be because it's only 3 episodes, but I still would like something to evolve.

Enjoyment: 6/10 - Kind of okay, but they killed the plot too early.

I enjoyed some of the characters a bit, but you don't get under their skins and feel them. They all feel too two-dimensional with no progress. Hated the main character, because I think she's about as useful as a bikini armor in a blizzard. All she does is either whine about the badass or investigate his past. I'd say she's interested in him, but there's no progress. Did I mention they killed the mystery around the main villain too early?


Overall: 6/10 - Not something I'll rewatch unless they make a sequel and think things through.

This is another anime that will fade into my oblivion of not-to-be-watched-again, because it simply lacks reasons for a rewatch. The plot is straight forward, and almost all details of the whole series is revealed in 3 episodes. It feels rushed and they killed the mystery waaaaaaaaay too early. You get what I mean if you watch it.

* Would I recommend for normal viewers? If you have nothing else to do, barely.
* Would I recommend for fans of mecha/sci-fi hybrid genres? no.

As with all series you have to see for yourself if it's worth it, but I would not recommend it for anything but short trips by plane, train or boat if you ain't got something else to do.

Strait Jacket is based around an interesting concept, but itdoesn't really go anywhere.

It focuses on Leiot Steinberg and his hunting of these demons as well as a few other characters, but the action is pretty static, since the MOLDS just stand and shoot at the demons and then they usually get taken down with one shot, the characters don't really pull you in and by the end, you're left wondering what the point was. It's just demon encounter after demon encounter and they all play out similarly, and Leiot's guilt over the deaths he's caused just seems too cliché.

but the voice acting (in the ... dub at least) is pretty good, with stalwarts like Steve Blum and Crispin Freeman heading the cast.

Overall, not terrible, but it doesn't excel at anything really, and when the final battle is literally two guys just standing in front of each other and shooting without actually moving it's not very impressive action either.

If you want a demon slaying superhero, Karas is by far superior.

In the fantastical realm of Strait Jacket, the line between magic and mechas is as blurred as your vision after a wild night of binge-watching. In this mind-bending world, forget about traditional magic spells—here, the real magic lies in transforming everyday weapons into futuristic sci-fi mechas! Who needs a wand when you can have a metallic monstrosity?

Our protagonist, the almighty magic user, takes it upon himself to battle these 'demons' in an action-packed extravaganza. Brace yourself for a plot that's as simple as it gets, with just enough twists and conspiracies to keep you mildly entertained. The animation is decent, but the true star of ... the anime: the character designs, were well-detailed and distinctive.

The soundtrack jumps from epic orchestral scores to soothing atmospheric tunes, providing a rollercoaster of musical emotions that somehow fits the dieselpunk setting. Unfortunately, it seems like someone cast a hasty spell on this anime. The rushed pacing leaves character development feeling shallow and plot points as clear as mud.

The anime still manages to deliver some entertainment value. If you're into brutal and exciting action, this anime might scratch that itch. It's a wild ride for fans of fantasy, sci-fi, or those who have an unexplainable affinity for dieselpunk/steampunk settings.

Just a small note: the original release of Strait Jacket was a 3-episode OVA. However, an 'International Ver.' later emerged, offering an updated version with improved animation and reworked scenes. If you're seeking the complete experience, be sure to grab the movie edition for a more refined viewing.

There wasn't much story to this anime. It starts off with history of the "strait jackets" and then dives straight into some action that's not necessarily awesome, but it keeps your attention none the less.

It really feels like this anime was just thrown together. Something to feed the public that has creepy mutants, kick ass robot thingys, magic, and enough of a climax to call it a climax (there isn't much of one).

If they took more time with this anime, it couldn't had potential.

STORY: Very very cool idea! They didn't draw it out or add any twists though ... to make it an actual story! :( 4

ART: Very very clean and clear!!! But it looks like they filled in coloring with the paint bucket on microsoft paint, no shading or anything :( 4


SOUND: Sound was actually nice on this anime. Not because of composition for the movie, but the sound effects! they are great! 6

CHARACTERS: Though there was no depth to them because the movie was so short, the main character is still pretty cool! 3

I might have graded this a little harsh, but only because there are better animes out there to spend your time with.

Try KARAS instead

I'll get right to the point with this review: Cool visuals, interesting character design, lackluster story.

This OVA has a lot of potential and I get that it's a 3 episode tie-in to a light novel that ran for about a decade. Everything is so rushed and it barely makes an attempt to develop the characters outside of one small arc. We get the gist of the world but this leaves you hungry for story. I am willing to bet that an equal length or slightly longer movie with an all encompassed story would have fared better.

The art was fantastic and the animations are ... where this anime does shine. The characters are all designed well and the action scenes are fantastic. Sound design was decent.

If you're a fan of the light novels, you may enjoy this. If you haven't nor ever have any intention of reading them, there just isn't enough here to justify a watch.