Reviews

Asura Cryin is a series that seems to be about ghosts... but then turns into a story about mechs and humanoid demons. It is a combination of comedy/mystery/action/mech. I originally jumped on this series due to some fairly interesting teasers and good OP/ED. However, the series seems to hide everything from the viewer to the extent that I ended up confused after each episode. The character development seems half-hearted and the story, though eventually interesting, is cryptic for the majority of the show. If you have a short patience, this isn't your show.

Animation:
The animation quality is fairly good throughout. Colors are vivid, effects are of good quality, and characters are well drawn, though I don't know how being a demon entails multiple eye colors... Sadly, all the mech scenes, and a significant part of the fx, are done with CG, and not in a good way. It is used enough that it seemed to be a huge cost-cutting measure.

Sound:
The OP and ED were above average with an electro based OP and eerily dark ED. The bgm is average but decent. The only VA that stands out here is Misao. I didn't find anyone that outstanding. I was also wondering why one of the girls is like monotone all the time (explained near the end of the show).

Music: 4/5, VA: 3/5

Story:
Asura Cryin seems to merge verbally-named special attacks from with the random appearing mech aspect of Kyoshiro and a ghost/apparition aspect of . The combination of so many disparate bases doesn't mix very well, yielding an angry fruit salad based product that is anything but smooth.

There are constantly mysterious themes that repeat throughout the show that are either only explained near the very end or (for the most part) are totally unanswered. It was very displeasing to finish the show and still have no idea what the majority of the show was about. The only consoling aspect is the fact that there will be a second season. The second season does yield more dividends, see that review for more details.

Character:
The characters feel very underdeveloped in this series, mostly since additional background will be given in the second season. For this series, much of the characters pasts are completely unknown and the rare flashbacks that the series provides tends to beget even more questions. The lack of story focus carries on here as well as numerous secondary characters appear, play a significant role in a single instance, and then join the gang and from that point onwards play a minor role (until maybe the second season?). Regardless, it was difficult balancing so many seemingly unimportant characters.

Value:
There are some humorous moments, some occurrences that are just wrong, a bit of fan service, and a few relaxing moments. However, the majority of this series can be described as chaotic and anything but normal slice of life. It tries to bolt on too many features to the extent that none of the characteristics stand out in the end.