I just posted this to my profile as a blog entry (and it was originally posted to my LiveJournal on September 16, 2010) but I figured I'd cross-post it here. Since this club needs some real activity. =/
So. Does anyone else think Velvet Underworld is just Takehito Koyasu's attempt to re-live his glory days with Weiß?
I remember when the project was originally announced back in 2007. I read about it at ANS. I felt a morphing range of emotions at the news, from fangirl glee, to slightly appalled.
It is so obviously inspired by Weiß kreuz it's almost pathetic. As a fan of all things Weiß, I was of course intrigued for this new endeavor. Yet when I noticed way too many similarities in the titles, it started feeling like nothing more than a rip-off, like watching a horribly lame Hollywood remake of what was originally an awesome Asian movie. If that's the case, I would've rather Koyasu-san just push to make Lunatix into an anime. Anyway, when nothing solid came of the teaser poster and theme song, I basically lost interest. I admit, I had not been following its progress the past few years.
But I've been getting into the character image songs and music videos thanks to my friend tsuki, and am once again interested for the anime version, though my feelings are still mixed. I'm not quite sure about the characters and events depicted in the MVs as a whole plot, and I can't tell if some are actually antagonists or recruited under AYA; but yes, I already have a favorite:

Volt
Song: Eight Line Poem
VA: Souichirou Hoshi
( Watch on YouTube )
What the heck? Apparently I'm into the freak boy villains now. (LOL) I used to like the pretty boy designs, but ever since I got back into anime, I've been enamored with characters like Tendou Kodzunu (Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho: Tou). Although I still like 'em pretty, I suppose I'm drawn more to hardcore guys with the abnormal psychologies. I always did like crazies and misunderstood villains.
Volt seems to fit that bill. Design-wise, he looks like a blend of Farfarello and the Weiß OVA character Akira Hibana. It's the combination of white hair, yellow eyes, and the motorcycle attire. When you listen to the lyrics, you'll also hear "Kill You, Kiss You", which is comparable to the title of Farfarello's character image song.
Like Farfarello, he seems quite sympathetic. I'm amused by his deranged idea that he's some sort of superhero, but it's also rather sad. You can tell in the ending moment his disillusioned mind comes to before he kills the girl, and he looks shocked that she's not the alien-thing he thought. I feel sorry for him, and there's something appealing about that. I'd like to see his character progress into a full-length feature.
And when did Hoshi-san learn to sing? Granted, I've only known him as a singer from his slow, boring ballads from the NeoRomance events, but he wasn't impressive and seemed almost passive about singing; he looked uncomfortable, as if he were thinking about it too much. Here, he has passion, and sounds great! Yeah, not the best technical singer, but a lot better from what I recall. Now I wanna hear more from him! XD
As for actual music and songs, my favorites are:
Dry
Song: Labyrinth
VA: KENN (Kenichirou Ohashi)
( Watch on YouTube )
I love this song! Love, love, love it! And so far, Dry seems to be the only protagonist character I even like...
Vulcanus
Song: Live Danger
VA: Tatsuhisa Suzuki
( Watch on YouTube )
This character is very realistic (for a serial killer) and flippin' psychotic, it's great! :D The song is dramatic and wicked, and definitely showcases Suzuki-san's range as both an actor and singer.
The rest of the MVs are available from the same user (as well as most of the Weiß kreuz songs). Look them up ( here ). |