Karas

I’ve written somewhere that I am a sucker for a good action anime. It doesn’t matter if it has other aspects such as fantasy, mythology, mecha, or the supernatural; I'm all in as long as it has the action element. But let's suppose it had all those elements. Well, that sounds like a fun ride to me. It may just be a fun ride for you as well.

Karas is an anime that combines many anime elements, swirls them around like a pot of goulash, and feeds them to you neatly in six episodes. This worked perfectly for me, and I felt full and satisfied at its conclusion. So a few caveats before I dive in: Karas is not a typical anime that follows a linear narrative or a clear-cut genre. This can be off-putting for some, but there is plenty to enjoy for newcomers and veterans alike. The animation mediums and the creative licenses may sometimes make it hard to keep up. Watching in low light works best for me.

This anime is for the hands-off viewer and the viewer who likes depth. Karas moves more like a puzzle, requiring the viewer to focus on the details and piece together the clues.

The story of Karas goes as follows: In the city of Shinjuku, a conflict for dominance rages between a rouge Karas named Eko and the "Will of the City." An unnamed Karas, brought about to fight the rouge, has fallen, leaving the city and its inhabitants defenseless. Soon after, Otoha, a comatose patient, is chosen to become a new Karas and face off against the rouge Karas Eko to decide the city's and its inhabitants' fate.

Karas was released to commemorate Tatsunoko Productions' 40th anniversary. Tatsunoko is best known as the studio that created Neon Genesis Evangelion. Keiichi Sato was in charge of the anime. Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Asura, and Tiger & Bunny are among the anime series that Keiichi Sato has directed. Shin Yoshida was the series composer.

Karas's episodes were first broadcast as pay-per-view programs in Japan from March 25, 2005, to August 3, 2007, and were later released on DVD. Manga Entertainment compiled and released the episodes as two features, "The Prophecy" and "The Revelation," which are both available as a complete collection.

The Karas is a katana-wielding human that made a pact to sell his soul in death, serving demons as a doctor by day and hunting evil demons by night. The creators initially pictured Karas as a horror story with a vengeance theme. The protagonist, Karas, is on a quest to slaughter Mikuras to recover the body parts of his murdered lover. However, what ultimately became of the plot was a superhero action anime mixed with Japanese folklore.

As stated earlier, Karas is divided into Karas Prophecy and Karas Revelation. The first part introduces the main characters and the conflict between the two Karas. While the latter ties everything together. The anime, which comprises six episodes, ties in several stories. They include the introduction of our main villain, Eko, and our two main protagonists, Otoha and Nue. Consider these three as introductions to the spirit world, a world that most humans have forgotten.

A side story provides our entry point into the realm of the living. The subject of a subplot is the people that the main plot affects. Sagisaka Minoru and Narumi Kure are detectives from Shinjuku's Intervention Department. You can consider their department similar to the Nocturnal Community Relations Shinjuku Ward Office from the anime “Midnight Occult Civil Servants.” Except they look for supernatural evidence in serial murders.

The Mikura are demons who broke out of the demon world and came to the living. They feed on human blood to maintain their existence. Outside of Sagisaka Minoru, few officers seriously consider the possibility of a supernatural component to the Mikuras' killing and blood-sucking.

His daughter, Yoshiko Sagisaka, has been committed to a mental institution after claiming a mikura was responsible for the mass murder she survived. Sagisaka, her father, is adamant about proving her innocence. The subplot works well with the main plot and is a highlight of this anime.

The main characters are Yurine, the Karas, Otoha, Eko, Homura, Mikura, Nue, Suiko, Wanyudo, Tsuchigumo, Kamaitachi, and Ushi-Oni. For a long time, Yurine and her Kara servants have kept peace and harmony between Shinjuku's human and demonic communities.

Yurine is a seemingly young woman who, along with her servants, the Karas, has long maintained order and balance between the worlds of humans and demons in Shinjuku. Yurine is responsible for infusing human souls into the Karas suits of armor by chanting a spell. She is a mysterious character whose backstory was not fully explored in the anime.

Otoha is the newly appointed Karas of Shinjuku, tasked with preserving the balance between the worlds of humanity and the yokai by the “Will of the City.”

Eko is the series' main villain, the original Karas of Shinjuku, who grew disillusioned with the city's human population over the centuries. He has been around since Japan's Edo period, or about the 17th century. He seeks to replace the will of the city with his own. The Yokai, who became Eko's minions and replaced their bodies with machinery, accompanied him on this mission. Its members include Suiko, Tsuchigumo, Kamaitachi, Wanyudo, and Ushi-oni.

Nue is one of my favorite characters, and in some scenes, he even outshines our main protagonist, Otahu. Amefurikozō, the rain Yokai, often joins Nue. Nue was also a part of Eko's plans, but when he discovered his true desires, he left the team and became the anime's antihero. Amefurikozō adds a touch of sweetness to a very dark anime.

Homura is another supporting character in the anime. Homura is a female Karas who saves Otoha's life several times. She and Yurine are from an unknown city in Japan. As the story climaxes, multiple Karas and Yurine view the finish.

As this is an action anime, don't expect much character development. Our main protagonist is a former Yakuza member injured and left in a coma, and his life is spared. Those he once considered family turned on him, but that is the nature of crime.

Even after his injuries, Otoha Yosuke is portrayed as a nobleman who will mend the broken fence between Yokai and humans. He serves as a doctor for the Yokai and an exorcist for the Makai, who want to harm people. Manga Entertainment portrayed him as a cross between The Crow and Batman. This is a fitting analogy considering the word Kara means crow.

Our antagonist's only motivation is his dissatisfaction with humanity, a common anime trope. The "Oedipus Complex," which serves as the secondary basis for his motivation, is a backstory that should have been fleshed out but would have required more episodes. He sees Tokyo as a father figure and Yurine as a mother figure, and he hopes to fill the city's role in this relationship."

Karas is a visually stunning anime that seamlessly blends 2D and 3D animation. The fast-paced and dynamic action scenes highlight Karas' abilities and transformations. Sometimes, the animation is very layered, with multiple hand-drawn locations reminiscent of a Disney production. If there is one criticism I would level at this anime, it is the use of smoke.

I recall seeing this while recently rewatching Blue Submarine No. 6 and remarking how much it detracted from the animation's beauty. Once I realized what track this anime was on, I became kid-like, or maybe teen-like, and was caught up in the hype of its superhero narrative. A feeling that not even the current DCU or MCU have been able to wrestle out of me.

A few words about the character designs: As much as I love anime with its modern design, there will always be a part of me that loves the style reminiscent of anime like Cowboy Bebop City, Hunter, Soul Bianca, and Wicked City, to name a few. I mention Wicked City because I'm on the fence as to whether Tsuchigumo is a better Spider-Woman.”

Moving on from the animation, I could say a few words about the voice acting, but it would be too much and not enough. The voice acting was excellent in both the Japanese and English versions. Yoshihiro Ike, who also worked on Blood: The Last Vampire and Ergo Proxy, composed the soundtrack. The music complements the series' mood and tone, ranging from orchestral to rock to electronic.

So, if you're still reading, I wrote all this to say one thing. Karas is a great anime to watch if you want something unique, artistic, and action-packed. It's a brief but memorable series that impresses you with its animation and intriguing story.

The anime is distinct in its presentation, avoiding slapstick, exaggerated facial expressions, and super-deformed characters while maintaining a serious tone. Despite its visually appealing animation, some viewers have panned Karas for its convoluted storytelling. One reviewer calls the show "a hollow attempt to sell a book based on its cover while the pages inside are incomprehensible doodles."

Despite its flaws, Karas is an ambitious anime worth watching for its unique take on the genre. I found this anime enjoyable, but hey, we're all entitled to our opinions, and six episodes aren't a waste of time, so you be the judge and leave a comment below.