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Mar 1, 2025
Sign me up whenever manga or anime is referencing the Bible and spiritual traditions in general, albeit seriously. Here the framework of the narrative is based on the Qabalah, of course it’s sketchy occasionally throughout (Adam Kadmon having a gender), but still clever in general.
The drama and action drags a bit long for thrills that don’t make the story richer, I didn’t like that, but it seems to be common amongst certain types of manga and their audiences, so that was forgiven.
What makes this special to me is how the author handled different serious ontological issues within the Qabalah and related systems in her own
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way, not very intelligently though. It was the twisted and post-apocalyptic take on the structure and layers of the Tree of Life that made it work for me, she does ponder very important questions just around the end. The whole heretic take on the angels and their relationships is cool enough for teenagers, but it was rather the destiny they faced manipulated by the system itself that made the story work.
I find these stuff fascinating coming from the 90s by an eccentric Japanese woman, as they contemplate subconsciously on very serious matters; questioning and revolting against the Biblical narrative, turning it upside down. Instead of celestial realms/spheres we have an artificial system connected by some sort of “supercomputer”. Man do I love these stuff, kudos to that.
There’s a feeling of dread and romanticizing of violence that seems to be a signature of the author. Also, she is clever in how to abstract a mystery around some characters. It’s a pity such epic was not produced as anime series by a talented group instead of that sorry excuse of an OVA, she wanted to use Kuroyuri Shimai as the soundtrack, imagine the joy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 11, 2023
Intriguing experiment in visual abstraction. The story doesn't have self-awareness thus even its "surrealism" wasn't cohesive neither rewarding, I hate how these projects want to attain everything, both the common masses and the intellectuals to finally have these monstrous creations, why do that? I do love the Japanese post-apocalyptic narrative, but so much of it is produced nowadays you'd have to be so gifted and dedicated as an artist to make a masterpiece, contrary to what was happening in the manga scene in the past decades since the 60s.
To sum it up, all the good aspects are contained in the main character Darkside, he (and
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Katari) are the main devices shaping and bending the folds of reality and imagination within the story. I loved the way he appeared and how he carried his darkness with him, also the visual aesthetic and ornamentation accompanying him, there's always a shift in reality whenever he appears. Also the clever visual implication of associating negativity with light, while darkness is rather vague if not positive, that was something.
I indeed want to follow the stories this mystifying figure might create, I'm crossing my fingers the original manga by Hideyuki will have what is lacking here.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 26, 2023
Here's a classic anime movie from the early 80s. I remember it was aired and dubbed in Arabic on TV back in the day, though I haven't watched all of it at the time but I was absolutely mesmerized by its aesthetic, this kind of stuff deeply resonate with me, I could watch the most incompetent sketch of a story if it had vibrant and unique visuals.
This is a simple structure and we welcome it as so, there's barely anything innovative even within that rich vein of literature, but it's done so well and pleasing you let yourself into it. Except the visuals, where it's
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a wholly different matter. I've never seen any work of art that has an abundance of the "fleur-de-lys" symbol as this one, let alone the fact it's in an Arabic set, so strange and beautiful. Also another striking detail is just how much the buildings and environment looked as if they were some sort of monuments or incomplete works by the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, he's known to be influenced by Islamic art and the Japanese are one of his most loyal admirers, the infamous director Hiroshi Teshigahara made a documentary about him.
Groovy and awesome soundtrack too!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 15, 2023
This is one of the most spiritual anime movies I've ever seen in a long, long time. It's profoundly so. My mind just couldn't help but chatter and reason while watching, I tried to let myself fall into the thing as much as possible, I'll definitely watch it again as a meditation. It's remarkable how lyrical it is, the mood and atmosphere building (especially sounds) is so neatly engineered, it really gets under your skin and you let it do so willingly.
So far, the story seems to be about the inner and secret lives of animals, this is a very compassionate ode to our friends.
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Interdimensional cats who guide people to heaven (and beyond). The hermetic references are so deep, notice the parallels as they go through the galaxy and that the higher they go they actually end up at the same place but in a different abstraction, what is the meaning behind the crosses and apples? Not to ignore other metaphors, but these are the ones that stayed with me the most, we actually see the cross even before we enter the train. It's also unsettling in a surreal and calm way.
Could it be that the whole thing is the result of that circle in the Festival of Stars? What a masterpiece of a fading art.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 20, 2023
This is something special. I should take more time to digest it, but I couldn't resist writing about it immediately after finishing. I watch lots of stuff, and many of it is crap or mediocre to say the least, but I do that because I'm mainly interested in the craft and process itself, also because I'm just a geek who's curious about cognition in general, art is an ocean of wealth when it comes to that.
Haibane Renmei is one of those titles that you rarely come across in your anime life, you know, the ones that transform you and how you see the medium itself
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as well. I watch lots of different stuff because I know I'll come across a hidden gem or a novel detail even within average stuff. This series was so rewarding and touching, loved every minute of it. It's truly an artist's ace.
Let's start with why I think so:
1. This series can be watched on different layers, one naturally subjective to us as viewers, another related to the piece itself, and finally as an indirect continuum of Serial Experiments Lain. If you're looking at it in that third way, the experience will be mind extending, and will possibly answer some questions from the prior series, in the most gentle and humane way possible. Try that.
2. The art is so unique, I actually watch anime mainly for the visuals, which has its own narrative. Everything about the visuals here is so pleasing and encompassing in a haunting, eerie and childish way, it's the closest thing in anime to express an early Sigur Rós aesthetic and mood, but it's also part of a certain trend in Japan which I appreciate. It's remarkable as well in how they animated emotions in the face, very subtle. I think it's the closest thing to watching a child's drawing or dream come into life, remember that when it comes to the height of the final episode.
3. Two aspects make this powerful, the art of space/erasing, and containing serious or existential themes within inviting and calm atmospheres, it's way more hard to master this than most people assume. There's one single scene that struck me the most and exemplify this particular aspect. It's when Rakka was working in the Temple when invisible laughing children were walking above the water, the composition of every detail in that scene was shattering, I'll never forget it.
You owe your life to watch this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 19, 2022
I enjoy revisiting the Banner/Crest of the Stars series every now and then, this is supposed to be the second part. Its impact wasn't as lasting on me as the first part for some reason, but it's decent stuff for the fans. I have to say though that it was way too stretched for its content, six episodes would've been enough, or even as a movie.
The whole story revolves around a single battle, and as audience we are invited to join the crew, it's not novel but fun, I wished for more creative and technical exploitation of the art and craft of space wars,
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I'm geeky when it comes to this. I'm sure I'll be rewarded somewhere else in this regard, but I'm content because I like the premise here. It's like the Japanese version of Avatar, but the Abh people characterization is far more appealing to my taste, and here we get an insight into that. No elaborated narrative though.
Again, this could've been better if it was properly trimmed, the whole space battle as some sort of symphony, the fighting parts were really epic and worth watching, but maybe the makers behind this themselves should've heeded that Abh commander when he said that he "sometimes despised physics", maybe he was the one supposed to win haha.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 9, 2022
Talk about inconsistence...
I really don't know what's the dynamics behind the creation of these OVA oldies, I partly like them though regardless of the mishaps and low quality, it's remarkable how different they feel and look compared to the stuff we have nowadays. Unfortunately, projects like Utsunomiko are usually better in their original form, the adaptations are always lacking, I might check the light novel one day. Back to my earlier point, I'm assuming this inconsistency is the result of different unsynced minds working on a single project, along possible economic pressures.
Utsunomiko is supposed to be a historical fantasy, but it's far from it. The
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whole thing look and feel like a mecha space opera disguised in a Japanese traditional attire, the final result is tacky. Dare I say some of the frames with their opaque and hard-edged color saturation felt like going through one of those small furniture shops common in some Middle Eastern countries, they make cheap replicas of European and Victorian furniture. I'm being harsh because I really wanted to like this, almost everything here as content is of personal interest to me, sigh. Such grand themes shouldn't be tampered with as recklessly, just hand it to someone who can do a better job at it. Annoyingly fast and patched narrative escalation. I have to say though some moments were sublime, mostly the frames when the surroundings are darkened and there's less colors, pay attention to these and you might be rewarded. Also all the moments with the Princesses.
Got to agree with the former review, that this is barely Buddhist and rather resembling Arthurian Christianity. Other than that, you might better look somewhere else if you're into similar themes and aesthetics in general, stuff like Ginga Sengoku Gunyuuden Rai, Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi or even Fushigi Yuugi.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 14, 2022
I like this. I'm constantly baffled by the subconscious intuition and sense of abstraction of the Japanese people. Always remember that our life (and culture) is driven by stories, there are certain narratives that have a far reaching influence and do branch into many other sub-narratives, and we encounter them constantly in many different forms and guises.
This one caught my attention in unexpected ways, I never thought one day I'd come across a 90s OVA based on the Gnostic narrative. Yes, the main character here is an "evil spirit" named Fahlei (of course, she's red) who wanted to steal a light for her own and
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thus was bruised by the devil. I mean, if that doesn't retell the story of Sophia then I don't know what is. It's interesting because this narrative thread is then superimposed upon a youthful and innocent lovers and their friends, some real nesting going on here, and in the most inconvenient of places haha, I could drown myself in these OVAs all day.
What I also find fascinating is how that is subjectively layered into each viewer's own perception and background, that's where all the magic happens. Also, the animators behind this are most likely the same ones who did the Vampire Miyu OVA, or at least in the same tradition. I pay lots of attention to the visuals and I'm usually rewarded because of that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 4, 2022
We all come with our personal and subjective package that adds a layer to any art we experience, some (both the artist and the consumer) do that consciously, and it's a rare and precious thing. I'm guilty too as I've come to realize that rather late in my life. I've mentioned that because one of the few things that struck me in this OVA is how the still backgrounds were handled, the ephemeral and almost vapory forms and darkly enveloping spaces of 18th century European aesthetics, even the hair and eyes of some characters; there's a certain feeling and curvature you won't see anywhere else,
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and it's something peculiar to the Japanese. Their lens of European culture is so different, dare I say they reinvent that spirit.
That's mainly the reason why I watched this, but also there's the poetic sexual violence. What is it about that blonde tall androgyne Rosemarine and Gilbert's groomer? Why does he hate the latter? And is it possible that he's the head of another "secret school" of that sort of thing? I live for these gray areas in narrative, most of the time they're not intentional but worth observing. It's truly something this fixation by women on pretty boys in love. I'm mostly speaking of classics in the vein of Moto Hagio and her peers.
I think we will soon see a resurging interest and appreciation of these works.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 29, 2022
I really wanted to rate this higher, but it just fails in its execution. Those who know me, know I'm deeply interested in the Alice in Wonderland narrative, it's way more important than most people would assume. Figures like Aleister Crowley considered it a sort of allegory on the Qabalah, and cognitive scientists are studying its structure and significance, just to name few things.
Here we have the simple template, so I'll just mention the things that stood out for me. As usual with the Japanese, they twist things their own ways, but it's remarkable and worthwhile when they ace it. Alas, the staff behind this
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obviously are not familiar with the original text and its cosmic potential. Licca is introduced to the Dodo bird before entering the other world, and strangely the role of her cat (Dinah, here named Ine) is far more present with a different role in the dynamics of the story, these are worth observing details and I wonder what would come out of it. Just around the middle the story starts transforming almost into a Wizard of Oz narrative, those people most likely did this without smoking hash and the like, think of it.
Another detail that I liked is the dreams distillation part, cute stuff.
Only for fans of the Alice narrative.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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