Are you sick of seeing the usual criticism, mostly composed of empty words about something people were expecting, and it never came? Are you tired of reading reviews with exaggerated requirements, full of nonsense and comparison of aspects, which actually can't be compared? Then this review might be especially for you.
Today we will concentrate on one of the most underrated anime, reboot of anime classic, Casshern Sins. Despite of some present signs of original pattern Casshan (or Neo-Human Casshern), the story of Casshern Sins is actually something completely different, most likely reminiscent of some OVA or anime original series.
The series presents a haunting concept of Madhouse classical theme "Memento Mori", which regarding their production is not a solitary matter. In the next paragraphs I will try to respond to the issue, if their work was really inconsistent babel or modern, anime masterpiece.
Story:
Self-aware robots which subjugated humanity, are taking their life for granted until the cataclysmic event, caused by unfortunate assassination of mankind almighty salvation Luna, usually called sun, that was once named moon. This is but just a prologue to the deep, diverse journey of mysterious warrior Casshern, which has forgotten all his past and currently wanders through the wasteland seeking a chance to redeem himself.
The pacing is mostly episodic, except latter episodes which are more or less connected. The each one of these episodes has its own charge, which forces viewer to look further, not just watch mindlessly. The way how Casshern encounters people who have been affected by the cataclysm is just out of this world. Without doubt one of the strongest feelings I have stumbled across watching anime. Saddened with his past deeds and confronted by the many, Casshern recognizes the true meaning of death, which himself cannot experience as a punishment for what he has done.
I would be lying if I write, that series does not possess any mistakes. As one of the may be understood the unbalanced blending of episodic and non-episodic chapters of Casshern journey, which is inadequately dragging or on the contrary rushing the plot, leading to unsatisfactory conclusions. As another flaws could be considered aspects as recurring lack of explanation, idle usage of some characters or even not concluded end of the series. One way or another, these things mostly depend on the personal preference of a watcher, so I don't think it is outright to deal with them more than is necessary.
(8/10)
Animation:
The art style succeeds in creation of depressive post-apocalyptic world, filled with ruin, hatred and destruction. Most of the time we are able to see simple but excellent sceneries of the ruined wasteland, a desert which contains unwelcoming rocky mountains and nearly abandoned cities. This eventually changes when Casshern starts entering more unusual places like land of lakes, seaside or rare gardens, filled blooming flowers.
Character design is neat and memorable, simply outstanding. This only outlines the concept of the action scenes, which are by the way, Madhouse notorious forte. Accompanied by the incredible soundtrack, which is soon to be discussed, Casshern Sins brings immense amount of action, violence and the brutality, excused by the fact, that we are dealing with the robots nor human beings. All of the presented colors blend in the work of perfection, disturbed only little by several repeated action scenes (for example - three robots penetrate Casshern's body). In any case, this could be just a matter of insufficient budget.
(9,5/10)
Sound:
I know that it is mostly based on personal preference, but when someone starts to claim that Casshern voice actor did a hideous job, he should clearly seek his ear specialist or stop watching dubbed versions of anime. Everyone of the seiyu did one hell of a job. I'm not just talking about the following of a script. They obviously brought in more than that. They have given characters an emotion, which outlined the severity of pervasive death.
Mistaking opening theme song and ending(which are certainly very decent) for soundtrack I also consider as one of the grave mistakes when evaluating the sound of some particular anime. Kaoru Wada with his unforgettable themes created entire new dimension of the world of Casshern Sins. By overlapping of individual tones with dominant trumpets and bass with the tracks like Loss of Memory, Casshern or Dio and Leda emphasizes the atmosphere filled with ruin and despair. On the other side, with soundtracks like Ringo, Roamer, Peaceful or Human Nature brings back the lost sentiment and cheerful nature of never-ending days.
10/10
Characters:
Portraying the characters is one of the most difficult tasks in the process of creating a story. To really maintain it, there are several rules which are needed to be applied. American author Kurt Vonnegut reminded an important requirement, that every character should want something in order to make the story consistent. Casshern Sins clearly succeeds again in creating versatile scale of outstanding and memorable characters. It is obvious that each of them is made from the scratch, disregarding the original pattern, totally different in terms of character affections.
This diverse palette offers many interesting encounters, even with the characters that are appearing only once in entire series (you also wish they appeared more). The recurring characters on the on the hand actuate reliably and more direct. The viewer is very early able to make an opinion about these characters like Lyuze, Luna, Ohji and Ringo, including our very protagonist, Casshern. On the contrary, viewer inspects also the fates of the charismatic antagonists like Dio, Leda, not excluding still undefeated villain Braiking Boss. I liked how the series maintained its original concept and didn't intrude with its own opinions - it gave a space to the viewers to make an opinion about the characters on their own. Every single one of the characters has its own voice and motivation, which smoothly guides them trough the story and causes executed intersections of each other's interests.
(10/10)
Overall:
In the end Casshern Sins appears as the haunting example of neatness and elegance. By listing on many sites and databases I wasn't able to find any sufficient equivalent, which would give me the more prevailing feeling of death than this series. It was not only the overlapping of the specific motives like revenge, meaning of life, love, human nature or redemption which made an impact, the characters, music and overall atmosphere made it as well. Like I wrote before, this project seems like a living thing, it has its own soul. Maybe that is the reason why I was so influenced by it. I'm well aware, that most of the watchers were disappointed with the series and I can't blame single one of these people. The issue with this series it is almost urgent need to look between the lines. The themes presented trough the series may not be visible for the first time, even the second. To understand it better, the most necessary item is the time. Only the time can bring you the expected answers and the key knowledge with which you will surely approve, that Casshern Sins is an impressive masterpiece, which needs its deserved recognition.
Screenshots
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