Set in a world in which one’s memories can be stored in small devices known as “chips”, people can live on, even when their body has lived passed its physical limitations, or has been badly destroyed, and have their memories implanted into another host, thus living on. In addition, the inhabitants of the world of Kaiba can chose to have their memories altered in several ways, adding new happier memories, or removing those memories that are too painful to bear. However, this comes at a catch, as only the rich and powerful can afford to transplant their memories into new hosts, with them ruling from the top, whilst the rest of the world is left at the bottom, a world without authority, in which the illegal alteration and trafficking of bodies and memories runs rampant. In this world, our main protagonist, Kaiba, travels throughout the land, with no memories of his own, as he meets new people and encounters new planets, eventually gaining his memory once again.
Kaiba’s narrative can essentially be split into two halves; the first of which deals with Kaiba in a more episodic narrative structure as he travels from planet to planet, meeting new people, learning about their experiences and the world, with the second half becoming more plot-heavy involving a resistance group fighting against the tyrannical rule of Warp, the ruler of this world. Now, it is not my proactive to insinuate that you have to wait several episodes for Kaiba to “get good” or more plot-heavy. I’d argue in fact that the first half of the series is more emotionally heavy in many ways than that of the second half, with each episode being its own self-contained emotional rollercoaster, all of which were able to resonate with me on some kind of emotional level. Every character Kaiba meets in the first half of the series, despite their simplistic characters as a whole, are still able to convey a wonderful story in their own respective episodes, packing an insane emotional punch at the climax for each one. Every episode explores something different about the world, and adds on to our understanding of said world, and the sheer number of themes and ideas that is pumped into the show, all the while allowing each respective theme time to develop and breath, is staggering and a true testament of the writing of the series. From episodes in which one has to come to the reality of losing a loved one, and having to come to grips with that loss, to a deeper look and understanding of sexuality and gender, and what this truly means when we see both Kaiba, whom now has moved his memories into a woman’s body, and another character, whom he meets, who has done the opposite, to how memories are stored in this world, and how they’re managed. Each episode in the first half the anime is rich in themes and ideas, and keeps building on our understanding of this world, and the way in which it operates, all of which I found to be deeply interesting! It deals with the loss of loved ones, the valuable nature of memories, the cost at which humans are willing to prolong their own, and their loved ones lives, and manages to tell captivating stories around these ideas, with characters that have boat loads of heart. While one may argue that I am being manipulated into feeling something for these characters, through the use of an emotional backstory, something that I myself have complained about in other shows before, but the characters in Kaiba never came across to me as if they were designed as a means of manipulating my emotions. Each one is grounded in their stories, and the fantastic writing and character interactions, as well as their clearly defined personalities, makes them feel incredibly human and real to me, so that when any unfortunate event does occur, I feel the emotional weight the show is trying to convey, and it’s the main reason why I can get so invested in the world and the characters, so much so, that some episodes even brought me to tears! (Real men shed tears when watching cartoons, okay!)
In addition to all this, the world and setting of Kaiba, and all of the locales he travels to within the first half the story, are incredibly memorable, all of whom take on such vivid personalities in my mind. Not only is this incredibly effective at worldbuilding, but the extremely well-designed locals also help me become more invested in the show I am watching, and this also extends to the creative technology the show is filled with too, from belts that can grow legs to help move past terrain quickly, to a strange looking gun that is capable of melting bodies with one simple blast! In addition, during these episodes, Kaiba will often use a similar sort of gun, in order to gain access into their memories and their subconscious. It’s used as a creative way to inform the audience about the psychological implications each character is facing, while laying down the ground work in order to give the audience subtle little hints into Kaiba’s past, making the process of learning about his complete backstory in the second half, feel that more gratifying and satisfying. Each creative element in the show, from the setting to the technology, is used to enhance the narrative, and its clear how much love and thought was placed into making the world as wonderfully unique as possible.
The narrative is also just incredibly satisfying to watch play out, with constant forks in the road and plot twists to keep things interesting, and to constantly keep me second guessing. It’s that feeling of satisfaction you get when watching a mystery play out, and seeing all the pieces come together in your mind that you say to yourself, “ah!” as a cartoony light-bulb pings above your head. Kaiba in a way, is a mystery narrative, with Kaiba attempting to learn about the true nature of where he came from, and who he is, which comes to fruition in the second half, where the constant questions we were posed with in the beginning get answered. This mainly functions as a means to get the audience invested in Kaiba as a character, and all of the constituent characters in his past too, but I believe that by starting Kaiba with no knowledge of the world or how it works was greatly beneficial to the overall story. Much like how Kaiba knows nothing of this world, neither do we as an audience member, and we experience the world through his eyes. Everything Kaiba experiences and feels, so do we, and not only does this make the emotional moments all the more hard hitting, but it helps us get invested in this character and feel as if we’re really embarking on a journey with him. Information about the world therefore, is offered through the visuals and what Kaiba sees, allowing the audience to try and piece things together, and I believe this is particularly effective in the first episode in which Kaiba watches from afar, the activities of the people of this world. Through their actions, and behaviours, we understand a lot about this world, and the circumstances of what it is like to live there, from seeing a couple having a fight, whereupon the woman walks out proclaiming she has had enough of this world (which sounds a lot like Tommy Wiseau now that I think about it; I swear that was not my intention when I wrote the first draft for this), to a group of people rummaging through memory chips, and selling those they do not want anymore, to an old man who tells Kaiba he has seen the entire world, for it to be known to us, by his wife pulling him away, that none of that has happened, and that he has gone Senile for living in this place for so long. All of these little things help to paint a picture of the world at large without having to resort to expository dialogue, and this may seem like a pedantic thing to praise, but its small little things like this that I notice and end up appreciating. It’s going that little extra mile, is what makes a show truly special to me, and Kaiba is full of this!
Kaiba’s characters are also great, and, as I’ve already expressed greatly in regards to the people whom we meet in the first half of the series, all of whom, despite being rather simplistic, still are able to resonate with me emotionally. One of the better examples, is Vanilla, a character that falls in love with our protagonist Kaiba, after Kaiba transfers his memories into the body of a girl in the third episode. While Vanilla is most regulated to be the bumbling idiot, with a gut the size of a house, and is a complete asshole, this fat bastard did actually manage to make me cry in the seventh episode of the show. He genuinely cares for that of Kaiba (now in the body of a girl called Chroniko) and he even remarks that he is not able to save his mother anymore, as he had been holding her memory chip this entire time, suggesting a more compassionate and caring person then we were lead to believe at first. Kaiba’s other characters, particularly those whom we meet in the second half in the resistance group against the rich high above are hard to talk about without going into spoiler territory, and I don’t want to rob any of those who haven’t seen Kaiba yet of their charm and overall impact in the story. What I will say, is that the relationships between some of the characters, namely that of Kaiba’s and Neiro’s, fills natural and organic, as if they’re really two people who genuinely care deeply about one another, making the events that happen between them, all the more emotional to me, since I was deeply invested in both of them as actual people.
As previously mentioned, the world of Kaiba is amazing, and that also extends to the animation as well. Kaiba utilises so many different animation techniques, and is constantly changing its style during much of its runtime; it’s a visual orgasm! It’s also a show that nails the more cartoony-esque art style, with plenty of stretch-and-pull for that cartoony sort of aesthetic and vibe, with some of the most memorable and interesting character designs I’ve seen from an anime as well. The more childlike imagery and designs, also contrasts well with the more adult-oriented themes, mainly of the cruelty of the world, a tone and juxtaposition I liked a lot in the show. There are even plenty of times when the animation can downright be stunning, such as in the case where Vanilla and Choroniko are represented as two brightly lit neon coloured figures in the night sky. The entire show is dripping with personality and it’s clear how much passion and work was put into the animation. One little feature I also loved was the scale of the world in regards to the size of the characters, and helped to insinuate the difference in power and class between that of the rich and that of the poor. The music, likewise, is also wonderful. The opening track, Never, is nothing short of what I would call beautiful, with its soft, almost melancholic at times, lyrics and singing. Other tracks I adored were Planets, Initialise me and Twinkling Photon. Every track in Kaiba is wonderfully composed and each track I can recite in my head with no problem; they’re that memorable to me, setting the atmosphere for each locale, bringing each one to life! (Also, is it just me, or does the track “Chase to it!” sound like something that would fit right at home in the original Terminator movie?)
In conclusion, if it weren’t evident by now, I love Kaiba! While I dislike using this term, for any piece of media to describe anything, considering how incredibly subjective it is, I feel as if it is necessary for this show, and that is that Kaiba is a beautiful work of art. Through it’s amazing world, characters, charm and personality, Kaiba was a series I was able to get deeply invested in whilst watching, and I loved every second of this show. It succeeds in every area, telling a rich and powerfully emotional story, and while some of the characters Kaiba meets in the first half can be rather simplistic, I believe that the writing is strong enough to salvage such characters, grounding them in a sense of believability and realism. Kaiba checks off all of my boxes for what I look for in anime, and just proves even more why Masaki Yuasa is one of my favourite auteurs in this medium, with his “big three” (that including the show I’m currently talking about, Tatami and Ping Pong) being some of the best works in anime, in my humblest opinion, and I’d recommend checking out all three if you have not done so already. Kaiba is a show that I won’t be forgetting any time soon…
