Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Casshern Sins: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

His bad.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 8, 2011

Where would anime be without a post-Apocalyptic future? If we all end up in happily ever after land and manage not to blow ourselves to smithereens, chances are the fine minds who create one anime outing after another are going to really, really depressed. Casshern Sins is yet another anime set in a dystopian future world, only in this case it’s a really, really dystopian future world, one where rampaging robots have attempted to do away with Mankind but who themselves are facing extinction due to a long ago mistake made by our title hero, Casshern. This re- boot of the Casshern franchise outright jettisoned several of the original version’s plotlines, recasting them in a really interesting new light which made Casshern at best an anti-hero, one whose errors (hence the title Casshern Sins) have led to untold death and destruction. Saddled with a sort of Jason Bourne skill set, along with a similar Bourne amnesia problem, Casshern spends much of Casshern Sins attempting to find who (or what) exactly he is, what he’s done to invite the wrath of the remaining robot population (not to mention humans), and perhaps most importantly if there’s anything he can do to set things right. Casshern Sins is a frequently compelling piece that is perhaps a bit too brooding for its own good, but which at least has the courage of its convictions in its depiction of a future where things aren’t exactly rosy (far from it, in fact) and where just about every character is wounded both physically and spiritually. Casshern Sins is one of the rare re-boots that reinvents and references almost with equal abandon, and it’s a uniquely satisfying, if often incredibly dour, combination that sets its desperate tone from virtually the first frame of the first episode and rarely relents afterward. This may not exactly be “feel good” anime (and, frankly, there aren’t a lot of feel good animes in any case), but it’s consistently interesting and even thought provoking.

A staple of series television in the 1960’s is what could be termed the “road show,” i.e., series like Route 66 or Then Came Bronson, or even in a way the somewhat similar The Fugitive and Run for Your Life, shows where the lead character would travel from town to town, get involved in that week’s guest star’s personal life, resolve issues for them, and then move along, thank you very much. About the first half of Casshern Sins falls into that genre, with Casshern on a quest to recover his lost identity and memories, and coming into contact with a host of both robotic and human life forms, many of whom don’t exactly take kindly to meeting the character who is widely held responsible for the planet’s current state of disarray. Casshern moves through an ostensibly alien landscape that is bracing in terms of the devastation it’s undergone. Robots rust, humans die agonizing deaths, and the mere appearance of a lone flower can trigger unexpectedly deep emotions.

While the overall pace of Casshern Sins might be charitably termed as “relaxed,” the traveling episodes at least offer a wealth of variety in terms of characters and situations, something that helps provide some momentum to the flow and story arc, even if several niggling questions as to what exactly is going on remain. Alternatively, when the second half of Casshern Sins settles down to solve the central mystery of the show, things come to a relative screeching halt, and a more philosophical, ruminative bent enters the series which may not be to everyone’s liking. In fact, while this series is yet another design triumph from Madhouse, a production entity that routinely pushes the envelope with its offerings, the overall storyline here is so depressing and enervating that some prospective fans may simply give up after awhile, not willing to invest their time and energy into something that is almost vampiric in its ability to suck the lifeforce from everything. This is post-Apocalyptic dourness taken to its most extreme levels, so caveat emptor.

Casshern Sins may in fact appeal most to those who harbor fond memories of the original series, Neo-Human Casshern. Not to be too facile with inappropriate analogies, Casshern Sins is in its own way to Neo- Human Casshern as Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz, only in this case we don’t see a familiar story from a new perspective, we see the altering of the main character in radical ways, which in and of itself puts a whole new spin on the basic premise of the series. This sleight of hand is really artfully done, recasting four major characters in completely new (and often unexpected) ways, giving Casshern Sins its own distinctive flavor. That said, even newcomers to the Casshern franchise will probably find a lot to maintain their interest in this series, despite not knowing the “backstory” (if it can even be called that) of the characters’ original incarnations.

There are some issues with this re-boot, notably its lugubrious pace, and the somewhat weird bifurcation between the two seasons, which almost seem to be separate series which nonetheless feature the same characters. The pace issue will probably be the most immediate turn off to many viewers who will come to Casshern Sins expecting some sort of kickass mutant robot action series. While there are certainly some fantastic action sequences sprinkled throughout many (even most) of the series’ episodes, this is by far a more thoughtful enterprise than the typical action oriented anime. In fact Casshern Sins might be thought of as the polar opposite of mindless entertainment, for this is most definitely a series that explores some tough issues of mortality and decay and doesn’t shirk from examining the dark side of the human (and robotic) soul.

Casshern Sins: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Madhouse has consistently proven itself to be a leader in brilliantly designed and executed animes, and Casshern Sins is by no means an exception. Offered on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1, this is an intriguing looking series that is intentionally soft at times, especially with regard to some of its painterly, Impressionistic backgrounds, but which bristles with excellent line detail with regard to the pointed, highly angular Casshern and several of the other major characters. This is a really fascinating visual presentation, with several disparate styles existing side by side, and while that may sound like an incoherent jumble, in the skilled hands of the Casshern Sins artisans, everything works very well together and this Blu-ray looks fantastic. While colors are intentionally muted a lot of the time, especially when the series is showing the Ruin, the devastating results of the "plague" which has infected the planet, that actually makes the splashes of color which do dot the proceedings all the more startling when they do appear. Casshern Sins is one of the most unusual and dare I say gorgeous looking animes in recent memory, and FUNimation has delivered a superb looking high definition presentation.

Casshern Sins: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Casshern Sins is presented with two lossless audio options, an English dub in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and the original Japanese language track in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. Purists will probably want to stick with the original Japanese language track, despite its lack of surround activity, and it does sport excellent fidelity and an overall pleasing mix between dialogue, effects and music. After toggling back and forth between the two, I ultimately settled down with the English dub. While some of the voice work isn't quite as compelling as in the Japanese language track, the increased immersion makes up for it, especially in some of the viscerally exciting action sequences. As with most recent animes, the score is an exceptional addition to the entertainment value of the series, and Casshern Sins' score sounds fantastic in the 5.1 mix. Fidelity on this track is top notch, dynamic range is exceptional and the balance between dialogue, effects and score is also excellent.

Casshern Sins: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Pre-Air Event HD; 11:58). A September 2008 Q&A with the cast and crew of Casshern Sins.
• Disc Two Textless Opening Song "Aoi Hana" (HD; 1:32)
• Disc Two Textless Closing Song "Reason" (HD; 1:32)
• Mini-Concert (HD; 3:33) features Color Bottle's "Azure Flowers," the opening theme of Casshern Sins.
• Original Commercials (SD; 00:33)
• Disc Four Textless Opening Song "Aoi Hana" (HD; 1:32)
• Disc Four Textless Closing Song "Hikare to Kage" (HD; 1:32)
• Trailers for other FUNimation Releases

Casshern Sins: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Relentless downers don't always offer an easy sale to entertainment enthusiasts, but Casshern Sins is compelling enough that it should lure in viewers who might otherwise not be willing to spend a lot of time on something which frankly may coax them toward less than happy thoughts. This is a series which absolutely requires patience on the part of its audience. That patience may not be as obvious a necessity in the early going, when Casshern is "on the road," but the show doesn't exactly zoom along like a traditional actioner. Instead, Casshern Sins is a deliberately slow, often very meditative, piece that worms its way under the viewer's skin and ultimately delivers a rather surprisingly solid emotional punch. Highly recommended.