The following text contains spoilers for the Onimusha anime.
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The main character of this anime is the Japanese historical "MIYAMOTO MUSASHI", who is considered a legendary Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and ronin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 61 duels.
STORY:
The story revolves around how Musashi defeats the evil demon lord 'LEMON' (they could have come up with a better name) with the help of an ONi gauntlet that absorbs demon souls. They introduced a Monk a child and 4 samurai henchmen of the Daimio to accompany Musashi on this journey. The timeline for the whole story doesn't give us any info about the Oni gauntlet or the Legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. His story can be fleshed out and articulated in a more serene and captivating way to capture the audience. The villain was poorly designed and written into the story. and bring Western aesthetics and design out of nowhere to the whole story. The story as a whole comes off as bland, with an ending that feels rushed, notably in Musashi's lacklustre demise.
CHARACTER DESIGN:
Masterfully crafted by the renowned illustrator Kim Jung Gi, the character designs for the show generated significant anticipation among fans. Regrettably, the execution by Studios Sublimation and director Miike Takashi, along with art director Sugai Shinya, diverged from Master Kim Jung Gi's original work. The 3D CG visuals failed to capture the essence of Master Jung Gi's brushwork and intricate character details. The end credits, however, feature the authentic character designs created by Master Kim Jung Gi. This discrepancy was particularly evident with the monk and child characters, as they deviated significantly from the original character design.
ANIMATION:
As a CG-based anime, the animation delivers moments of quality but falls short during fight sequences and character movements and expressions. While the fight choreography initially impresses, it loses its smoothness as the series progresses. The final fight scene is notably choppy, failing to do justice to the character Miyamoto Musashi.
CONCLUSION:
The Onimusha anime, while potentially serving as promotional content for the game, does not do justice to the iconic figure of Miyamoto Musashi or the renowned illustrator Kim Jung Gi. It is unfortunate to witness the portrayal of such a legendary character in a manner that falls short of expectations. Furthermore, it is regrettable that Master Kim Jung Gi's final project was executed with shortcomings by the Sublimation Studio.
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If you are a devoted fan of Onimusha, you might find elements to appreciate. However, for a wider audience, it's a rather unengaging series with visuals that do not stand out and a narrative lacking in excitement.
