I don't usually write reviews so please bare with me here about the lack of... well anything that u might expect of a proper review.
To start, the story was about child who was abandoned as an infant. Struggling to survive, it did what it could and what it needed to and hence became something like a wild beast child if you will. The child, Asura, goes through a series of events which then leads him to learn about humans and slowly regain some of his humanity. But then again, happiness never lasts long and well the rest you'll have to watch for. :)
Mind you, beware
...
of spoilers o.o, I'll try to refrain from them though.
In terms of story, personally I loved the plot. Some may dislike the drama and the darkness of the story, but thing is, life back in the day for poor people could really be that harsh. For the poor, their lives' work could be ruined by one disaster and one disaster can kill entire cities. As well, the story has so many interesting themes such as the nature of humans, the difference between humans and beasts, survival ...etc. It brings up the idea that humans are rational creature but when it comes to survival, we can also do crazy shi- I mean beasts. Ahem. (SPOILER, SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF U DON'T WANT TO READ IT........I want to say another thing about the story before I move on and that's about how the story ends. If you like happy endings, well then, just watch it for the action because a happy ending is not what's waiting for you at the end of this tunnel. Ok, maybe that was an exaggeration, but surely even if this was to classify as a happy ending it's not your generic one. The bittersweet ending of this story, in my opinion, was very suitable. It once again reinforces another idea that's repeated throughout and that's the fact that no matter what horrible things happen, humans can cope and continue to live. Not everyone copes, but we can cope.)
Rating for story is 10/10
Next is art. Art was also something special in Asura. Unlike the traditional stuff, this anime movie uses a blend of cg and 2D art. Course, when I first saw it, my first thought was "Oh no..." and I fully prepared myself to sit through the whole thing solely for the sake of the story. Fortunately, this seemingly awkward blend grew on me, and now that I look back on it, I feel that it was done quite well. The beginning scene was a little effie, but the whole cg thing really brought the story to life (haha, get it? To life? ...... I'm so lame). Especially for the Asura character, he actually looked like a demon which makes his beast to human transition that much more compelling. In terms of animation, cg can get pretty, well choppy? Uh, yeah. Anyways, the cg for this anime was relatively smooth and none of that physics defying hair going on. Things followed the laws of physics and to me, that was more than enough. :) Lastly, I just wanted to say that the general use of color was great in the sense that it help to portray the mood and emotions at different stages of the story.
Rating for art is 10/10
Third is sound. Ok to sound. To be frank, I didn't really pay much attention to the sound/music. But perhaps that could be a good thing too in the sense that the sound and music were realistic enough and matched the story so much that I didn't even realize it until the end. One thing I did notice is the manipulation of the volume, louder as the story became more intense and gentle (or even silence) as the violence ceased. One memorable moment was the volume manipulation at the end, and I'll leave it at that. :D
The rating for sound is 8/10
Next is character. First I like to say: I LOVE ASURA O.O in an omg-his-character-was-so-awesome-I'm-bawling-my-eyeballs-out-and-it's-so-sad-but-I-can't-stop-watch-OMG-I JUST-WANT-TO-GIVE-HIM-A-HUG sort of way..... o.o...... ahem. As much as Asura looks and acts like a demon/beast, there are moments where you realize that:
A. He's just a child
B. He doesn't know better than to act like he does given his history and
C. YOU JUST WANNA GIVE HIM A BIG FLUFFY HUG :(
ahem....
As for the other characters, there's Wakasa, a young female in the village who (SPOILER) Asura becomes attached to. Romantic or not, that's up to you to decide (SPOILER END). Wakasa's character design is the equivalent of a desert rose or a female version of Moses except not religious.... and Japanese... which ever works for you. She portrayed in a very pure manner but also a very human manner as well. In a sense, if Asura is the wild and beastly side of humans, then Wakasa is the kind, and rational side of humans.
I also want to mention character development. As the story was focused on the humanization of Asura, all the development was centered on Asura while the rest of the characters took a guiding role that interacted to shape Asura's change. And I think, given the length of the movie, worked out nicely.
My rating for character is 10/10
Finally over all enjoyment. I think it's pretty apparent what my opinion on the movie is from my previous out bursts, but I really think this is a fantastic movie. I mean it was relatively realistic and meaningful and really exciting to watch. Then again, upon reading some of the other reviews it seems this is the type of movie that people either hate or love. So if you love drama, tragedy or action themed stories with a good plot, take a stab at this movie. And if you don't, well then that's up to you, but I'd try it :3
Thanks for reading.
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Apr 5, 2013
I don't usually write reviews so please bare with me here about the lack of... well anything that u might expect of a proper review.
To start, the story was about child who was abandoned as an infant. Struggling to survive, it did what it could and what it needed to and hence became something like a wild beast child if you will. The child, Asura, goes through a series of events which then leads him to learn about humans and slowly regain some of his humanity. But then again, happiness never lasts long and well the rest you'll have to watch for. :) Mind you, beware ... |
