Reviews

Jin-Roh has some of the most gorgeous hand-drawn animation ever created, with an art style I absolutely adore. It has an interesting alternate reality storyline that seems a realistic depiction of political strife and government crackdown. The characters are realistic as well, with no over-exaggeration. While this lends to the realism and serious tone of the story, it also means that there is little in the way of character development. It is difficult to get characters to change believably and seriously in 100 minutes in a story of this type. This leaves a me somewhat unsatisfied with the whole storyline, as there also isn't a hero's ending to make the whole thing feel meaningful. This movie overall feels more like an artistic expression of themes drawn from the world and set up by the circumstances rather than a purposeful story about characters and decisions. I think some people will love this movie while others will think its a little dry, either way its an appreciable and beautiful depiction of alternate reality japan.