Karas Review

story 8.5/10

In the streets of Tokyo, demons walk amongst us, but only they know we exist. The protector of the city is Karas, a man who transforms into a crow-armored persona when evil threatens humanity. Saying much more about the plot of Karas would be borderline spoiling (don’t worry, the AniRec description doesn’t spoil), so that’s really all you need to know. Creatures are draining humans of blood, and a sinister villain wants to take control of Tokyo. Who better to stop the nefarious plans than Karas?

Karas is touted as being like Batman Begins, and that’s a damn accurate statement. From the evil fighting superhero to the plethora of villains to the cinematic and haunting soundtrack, Karas definitely has a great deal in common with Batman Begins, and that’s a good thing. The story is definitely darker --as the humans tend to die in very grotesque and brutal ways—but in general the overall tone is the same: good guy fights bad guy, new bad guy appears, repeat. Behind the scenes is a story that surpasses the variety of similar anime out there; we just aren’t fully introduced to it in this half of the Karas story. Reading the mini comic that accompanies the DVD will be a complete spoiler, but will help make sense of the story. For those who don’t have the DVD or don’t want the story to be spoiled, just keep in mind that this is a preliminary look at what’s going on, and will make the most sense if you watch it at least twice. Literally the only reason I docked points in this section is the same reason as points were docked from the characters section: how confusing it was. There are still some things that I didn’t understand about Karas, and I watched the movie twice. Admittedly these things might be explained but for a newcomer, I think the story should be a bit more accessible.

In general though, the story and the way the story was laid out was fantastic. It shifts from character to character, scene to scene, in a fluid manner. Rarely do I feel so immersed in an anime world; Tokyo Godfathers was another movie that was designed and executed so well that you felt like you were watching a real movie, not something animated. If you are looking for a violent, badass and dark story, you can’t go wrong with Karas.

animation 10/10

Let’s not beat around the bush: the animation in Karas is freaking gorgeous. If I had to choose my top 3 impressive anime, visually, Karas would hands down be one of them. While some studios choose to make fully CGI animated features (such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children), Karas flawlessly and seamlessly merges both the 2 and 3D elements. I’m not talking occasionally either; literally the entire length of Karas is a constant mix of 2D and 3D, with incredibly cinematic "camera angles" and scene transitions that will impress you. The only other film I’ve seen comparable to the movie-like quality of the "filming" is Tokyo Godfathers. It, too, made me feel like I was watching a real life movie, the entire time.

Honestly, I was sucked in during the first few minutes of the film. First of all, the credits were Japanese characters in trails of fire, while a fight played out simultaneously. Later in the credits, tiny bugs swarm around to form the characters. And it just gets better from then on. It would take too much time to discuss everything impressive about the film, but there are plenty to choose from: the ethereal glow of Yurine, the cinematic panning shots in the city and hospital, the transparency of the demon world, the strange eye pieces that looked like they came right out of City of the Lost Children, the horrific violence of a person getting torn apart, the glowing red eyes of the Mikura, and the stunning glow of Karas’ armor. There literally are dozens of things to be impressed with visually, and they never lets up for a second. Even if the plot of Karas doesn’t sound interesting to you, do yourself a favor and watch this simply for the visuals. You won’t be disappointed.

sound 10/10

I have to admit, I’m probably a little biased about Karas’ audio, since I watched it on the DVD in Japanese 6.1. This made the listening experience so, so much better than it could have been, though I’m guessing it still would have been wonderful otherwise. As with the animation, everything about the music screamed ""REAL LIFE MOVIE!" The songs are mostly orchestral but in a very cinematic way... not reminiscent of anime at all. I hate to keep bringing up the Batman Begins comparison, but the songs definitely had a super hero-fighting aura to them. The sound effects are superb, from the sounds of Karas’ transformation to the clinks and crashes of armor colliding, and beyond. Quite a few of the effects reminded me of sounds from Zork Nemesis, an old classic adventure game. Voice acting is amazing both for the Japanese AND English actors, which is a rarity in itself. My only issue was with ONE character, Mary, who looks like a 60-year-old prostitute... yet they gave her the voice of a young girl. Not sure if this is the fault of the character designers (probably) or the people who chose the voice actors. In general, Karas is truly wonderful to listen to, especially if you are listening to the 6.1 I honestly can’t think of one thing (except the extremely minor secondary character’s voice) that would make this score go down.

characters 7/10

Karas is filled with characters, yet this strength also is a weakness. From the get go we are shown several characters fighting, then more characters are introduced, followed by even more characters. Unfortunately, none of them, for the most part, are explained or developed right off the bat (and honestly, I found a second viewing of the movie to be the only way I was able to really understand who everyone was). It’s sort of like reading the original Dune: nothing makes sense at first because you are in an information overload. I don’t think it helps that we don’t get to see the second half of the story right now either; perhaps in that half, the characters will be explained and developed more. In general though, all of the characters are very interesting and unique. The demon child is one of my favorites, with his childlike voice and fondness for Nue. Yurine’s ethereal character is somewhat of a mystery, so I’m hoping she is developed more in the second half. The Mikura creatures are superbly created and designed, and live up to any expectations I’d have of the "villains" of the story. I even enjoyed the brief encounters with secondary characters, such as the naïve and foolhardy women who were in search of bathroom spirits. If it weren’t for the confusion and sheer quantity of characters, I probably would have rated this section higher.

overall 9.5/10

Karas is an absolute treat to watch. I came into it expecting nothing and left highly satisfied. The dark, violent and gorgeous nature of Karas make it a perfect recommendation for fans of Batman Begins, and the uniqueness of the villains and animation will make you want to watch it over and over. Truly, Karas is almost virtually flawless. The only thing that brought down the score, in my mind, was the confusion about the characters. Then again, when you think about the stunning animation, cinematic soundtrack and badass story, the character score matters a little less. All in all this is probably one of my favorites now, and rarely do I score anything this high. I’d recommend Karas to almost everyone... well, except those out there who only like magical girl or ecchi series. Otherwise, for a wonderfully dark and violent masterpiece, check out Karas immediately.