Kurozuka

“Visually Stunning….But The Plot?”

Anime fans are devoted to their favorite shows, but some hidden gems slip through the cracks. One such anime that is frequently overlooked is Kurozuka. Critics ignored Kurozuka because of its complex plot. Still, I found it an enjoyable blend of several of my favorite genres (vampires, folklore, and cyberpunk) and an animated film on par with the best of its kind from 2006-2008.

Kurozuka is a Japanese anime series based on a novel and manga series of the same name. The story follows Yoshitsune no Kuro, a Heian period swordsman who, along with his servant Benkei, flees into the mountains to escape from their pursuers. There, they meet a strange, beautiful woman named Kuromitsu, and Kuro falls in love with her. However, he soon realizes she has concealed a dark secret: she cannot die and continues to live for thousands of years.

Eventually, Kuro's pursuers catch up with him and severely hurt him. Kuromitsu shares her blood with him to save Kuro's life, turning him into an immortal being. However, before his vampiric transformation can be completed, someone beheads him. Instead of dying, Kuro wakes up again and again, centuries apart, seemingly having not aged a day and with his memory in shambles. His one all-consuming desire is to find Kuromitsu, and thus begins his journey through the ages of Japan from the 12th century to the future.

Kurozuka blends science fiction, horror, action, and Japanese folklore. Kurozuka also explores universal human emotions like love, betrayal, redemption, and hope. Due to its excessive violence, the anime is rated R-17+.

Baku Yumemakura is the author of the Japanese novel Kurozuka. Shueisha released it for the first time on August 25, 2000. Shueisha republished it in bunkoban format on February 20, 2003, and in digital form on November 1, 2013. Takashi Noguchi provided the illustrations for a manga adaptation, which Shueisha serialized in the seinen manga magazine Oh Super Jump beginning in 2003 and finishing in December 2006. The Japanese anime television network Animax announced an anime adaptation by Madhouse in May 2008, and it aired for 12 episodes between October and December 2008.

The anime was directed by Tetsurō Araki, with Yoshinobu Fujioka, Tsutomu Shirado, Araki himself handling the series composition, Masanori Shino designing the characters, and Kiyoshi Yoshida composing the music. Tetsurō Araki is best known for the classic Death Note, the ecchi favorite High School of the Dead, and Guilty Crown.

The plot revolves around Kuro, a samurai who becomes infatuated with the mysterious and beautiful Kuromitsu. However, when Kuro learns that Kuromitsu is a vampire, the tone of their love turns dark and ramps up to 100. In other words, there’s action to the extreme, to the point that Madhouse made sure you immediately bought into this anime.

The plot develops into an epic journey through events and time, with Kuro facing enemies and obstacles. If you are a patient person, you can enjoy this anime. It takes a few episodes, but once you get there, you can't help but want to watch all the episodes in a row. The story is non-linear, with flashbacks and time jumps to keep you engaged.

Many viewers may find nonlinear anime off-putting. Ironically, it's one of my favorites. Once you notice the subtle details, you'll realize that a flashback is occurring.

Kuromitsu is the woman of legend, the “it girl,” if you will. Stories of her immortality begin to spread as she has lived so long and has not aged. To some, she is regarded as divine and a heroine; to others, she is the solution to the dawn of a new world; still, she is a focus of love.

Regardless, she is the object of undying desire, and as the viewer is taken forward in time through what I can only describe as the “Chaos;Head” effect, we enter into the story that will take up most of the viewing time—caution: minor spoilers ahead.

As the chase wheel spins, Kuro follows a dream that will never end and only seems to bring him pain. Kuro is beheaded and then wakes up in the modern day, a thousand years after the Heian period. After the Great Disaster, he arrives in a devastated Japan and a world without hope. The Great Disaster resulted in a nuclear winter for the entire planet. Those who are left fight for their lives as the Red Imperial Army relentlessly pursues them to wipe out what little civilization is left and experiment on those who remain in its quest for the Mitsu.

Lost in this new world, he has no memory, only fragments, and a burning desire to find Kuromitsu.

Tetsuro Araki pulled from a lot of ideas when he directed Kurozuka. With the additional characters, I often felt I was watching everything from Ninja Scroll to Jin Roh to Heavy Metal to Total Recall while listening to Tom Petty’s “Running Down A Dream.”

Mr. Araki also borrows a page from Total Recall and inserts Kuro into the Haniwa Movement. Finding himself in a dystopian Japan, he meets Rai and Karuta. The duo is a part of Haniwa, a band of resistance fighters who guard the Mitsu.

The Mitsu, as it were, is a sphere containing a blood sample from Kuromitsu. Comprised of Rai, Karuta, Saniwa, Izana, and Kuan, their organization guards the Mitsu against the Red Imperial Army. The Army has existed since the 12th century and has been in pursuit of Kuromitsu and, as the story evolves, Kuro.

The Haniwa arc, as I shall refer to it, ushers in a slew of protagonists and antagonists. It's hard to take sides when there are so many supporting characters; you know they're all there to help the main characters grow. And when you just wipe them out, it's even worse. If I gravitated toward any character, it would be Kuon, who reminds me somewhat of Ray from the anime GunxSword. Rai and Kuon were the most realistic of the side characters, allowing them both to add life to the remaining cast.

If you're going to have a complicated plot that some viewers might have trouble following, you better have excellent voice acting and animation, and damn it if Madhouse didn't deliver. Between 2006 and 2008, Madhouse produced some of its most popular shows. They probably spent all their money on recent anime releases like Death Note, Claymore, Cashmere Sins, and Batman:Gotham Knight, which may explain why Chaos:Head was an animation failure (I’m sorry I still haven’t moved on from that anime, still in therapy.)

Kurozuka is an absolute anime masterpiece in terms of its visuals and music. The show's atmospheric art direction from the first episode complements its dark and ominous tone, creating a fully realized world where viewers can lose themselves. It doesn't let up until the ninth episode, when it finally begins to slow down and prepare us for the big reveal. I get it; there can only be so many fight scenes and Kuro’s Preditor-style rage mode for the audience to stay vested.

Masanori Shino did a fantastic job with character designs that are truly impressive. Arashiyama has got to be one of my favorite villain designs to date. Arashiyama was part of the Red Army’s plan to build genetically enhanced super soldiers.

Masanori Shino and his crew also receive praise The stained glass hallway, used in episode 5, served as a great segue point. It was well-designed and well-used.

The animation in Kurozuka is impressive; that much is granted. Most graphics focus on the many action sequences, which vary significantly in their setting, from swordfights to firearms. The foes vary equally, ranging from Japanese samurai and kabuki actors to zombies and cybernetically enhanced monsters. The use of Kabuki actors added a theatrical dynamic to this anime that kept me interested and hooked. The theater-like recaps were on par with the rest of the series, like a cliff note, and they added backstory to help with any confusion.

Kurozuka's art direction isn't the only aspect of the show that sets the mood. The voice acting is excellent, and if you need an example, I refer you to Takashi Matsuyama, who I believe voiced the wheelchair man. His conversation and character are priceless.

The soundtrack is another integral part of the viewing experience. Kiyoshi Yoshida's music perfectly complements the stunning visuals to create an immersive experience. I went sub over dub for this anime, so I can't comment much on the opening and ending themes in the dub version. The opening theme is "SYSTEMATIC PEOPLE" by WAGDUG FUTURISTIC UNITY, featuring Maximum the Ryo-kun [Maximum the Hormone], and the closing theme is "Hanarebanare" by Shigi.

Kurozuka was an enjoyable anime with a good buildup, though sometimes “head-scratching." In the end, everything is revealed and explained, and while we are given answers, we will still be left with questions.

At the anime’s conclusion, I felt more sympathy for Kuro than for the inhabitants of Dante's Inferno's Ante Hell. Wanting to die but unable to because, even if Kuromitsu's actions, particularly her repeated attempts to save Kuro, appear cruel, the insanity of an eternity without love becomes a reasonable excuse for her to beckon him through time.. Her heart is filled with the one thing that truly matters to her—their love. “It may seem cruel, but possession is always a slippery slope in love.”