Karas

I chanced upon this anime when aimlessly browsing through the internet and it has totally changed how I look at animes. So far, no anime has ever managed to surpass Karas in terms of visuals, action or storyline. The storyline unfolds as you watch the movie. Nothing is explained to you beforehand. You are brought straight into the midst of action. The visuals are simply astounding. Never have I seen an anime which places so much emphasis on detail. The visuals are even artistic and abstract to a certain extent. Truly a work of art. The action is truly breathtaking. Watch this anime and immediately every other anime you've watched will pale in comparison. This is like The Matrix of animes. A definite must-watch. The cool factor alone will keep you watching this over and over. I've watched this over ten times.

First of all, do not watch the movie without having Karas: The Revelation, too. It basically ends abruptly and Revelation starts abruptly at the same point in the story.

The film is a Japanese anime, but in a style that is not often met. The characters are designed in an original way and the usual great Japanese animation is complimented with 3D-like, very fast, action sequences. And, before you say it out loud, it looks good, not like the usual 3D crap, and it blends very well, without that feeling of changing art style.

The plot is a bit weird and not easily grasped and felt, however once you get it, it's OK. Every city is alive and it creates a creature that looks like a punkish little girl to blend with a human soul and create a Karas, which is raven in Japanese, not a golden fish. The Karas is the city protector, both in physical and spiritual senses. Also, the city is full of demons that normal people cannot see, but that are essential to the functioning of the city. The demons do feed off human blood, but usually in a non violent way, and they gain strength from the human belief in them.

Now, the bad guy comes, a disgruntled former Karas, bent on destroying all humans, which he sees as spoilers of the city. The demons can't do much about it, since people have stopped believing in them and so are weak to the point of dissolution. The bad Karas is merging demons with machines to create monsters that eat humans and obey his commands.

The premise is pretty fun, the characters are also interesting, and the conflicts, while being pretty obvious and a bit childish, are also with enough complexity to add to the film. Where Karas chines is the action sequences, which are great in term of design and scale and animation. You often get these slow motion scenes where humans just seem to freeze in time, while supernatural creatures take long conversations and battle at ridiculous speeds and power levels.

Bottom line: not as complex as many anime that I've seen, but with great animation. It's like a Japanese blockbuster anime movie: simple plot, great special effects.

The DVD summary box says: In a futuristic Tokyo, humans and spirits are sharing the same living space without realizing it, thanks in part to the guardian raven Karas and his masters, who maintain the precarious balance between both dimensions. But when a former Karas named Eko decides to challenge the system by seizing control, it's up to the entity Yurine, who represents the will of the Japanese people, to secure the future for humanity.

This animation is a first-class piece of artwork. Visuals are stunning, and the audio (and audio options) on the DVD is as good as it can get. However if you don't know much about the anime, you WILL be lost in the first few minutes of the movie. On the plus side, you won't mind watching it again just because of all the cool CGI and fight sequences. I promise it makes more sense the second time around.

Just keep in mind that the ending of this movie leaves something to be desired because this is supposed to be a two or three part production. Hopefully there won't be too long a wait for the sequel.

This movie is sick. The animation is some of the best I've seen. That being said the first time through I missed a lot of the story so it didn't make much sense. Watch it again! The story is really good once you can see past the amazing visuals, the colors and different approach to storytelling is so good I can't speak enough about this DVD. One of the few DVD's I can watch multiple times with out ever getting bored, it's like watching art in motion, you don't have to understand it to appreciate it.

The better the system you run Karas on the more you will enjoy it. This was made to push the limits of your audio and video equipment get ready to be blown away.

After being rushed to an emergency ward in a hospital, a man is called to protect the spirit world by becoming both a doctor and a guardian. By battling a man who once had his job in the past and the spirits whom he took under his wing and turned them into machines that feed on human blood, Otoha has to preserve the balance of the human world and the nether world by using his power as a Karas.

Guaranteed that if you love action, you will be drawn into the movie by the first 10 minutes of this film. The story strikes as odd but the action completely makes up for it, for every minute of boring talk and calm scene, there is an equal minute of hardcore fighting. Combining both CG and Japanese animation, this is truly a masterpiece of anime. If you're a first timer, I would highly recommend this film.