Karas : The Prophecy trailerKaras impressed its reviewers with its animated imagery. Anime on DVD claimed its lush imagery are enough to hook viewers, and certain 2D-3D scenes matched photorealistic standards. They felt Karas could rival or beat live-action films in the visual department.[5][7][43] DVD Talk commented they saw evidence a lot of effort went into merging the 2D and 3D animations. They, however, felt setting the scenes in darkness and obscuring points of interest with smoke or other effects marred the high quality imagery.[44] Anime News Network stated the richly detailed images; fast moving action scenes; and visual effects of collapsing buildings, explosions, and blood made Karas one of the best action animation.[45] Reviewers praised the fight scenes between the CG generated karas and mikuras, declaring them realistic, tasteful and stunning.[14][46][10] DVD Talk, however, complained the camera jerked and moved all over the place never showing fights cleanly.[44] Anime on DVD stated the fights in the later half failed to match those in the first half in terms of beauty, intensity, and variety; the overlaying of characters' face onto their armored forms in the finale detracted from their viewing experience.[12]
Ike's music for Karas impressed reviewers. Anime News Network stated his long scores set the mood in the scenes with their tone, enhancing the reviewers' watching experience.[45] Prague Symphony Orchestra's performance of the main theme impressed more reviewers who claimed it brought out the heroic essence of Karas with a sense of power and drama, and enhanced the impact of the quick and intense battles.[5][14]
Karas, however, suffered the worst criticisms for its story. Many reviewers and even the voice actors could not follow its dialogue and presentation.[46][47][48] Other reviewers felt the abstract presentation forced viewers who wanted to understand the story, to pay extreme attention to the scant details presented in the show.[7][44][11] Reelfilm and DVD Verdict were more critical, stating the viewer should not have to resort to reading summaries on the packaging to make sense of a story populated with incoherent battles and characters hard to tell apart from.[49][10][50]
The viewers' confused reaction to their story based on the first half, disappointed and frustrated Sato and Ibira. Sato explained the first two episodes were to capture the viewers' attention, and remaining episodes would reveal greater details of the story.[36] Anime on DVD complained this franchising tactic is a poor excuse for initial episodes lacking substance.[5] They said although the later half answered much of the questions raised in the first, it created unanswered questions of its own. IGN and DVD Talk felt the story was darker and flowed better in the later half than the first,[51] but IGN felt the revelation of details came too late in the show.[46] DVD Verdict felt the story was pointless. Despite the protagonist reaffirming himself as a protector of the city, his showdown with the antagonist reduced most of Shinjuku to ruins.[50] Reviewers found if they stripped the plot to its basics, it is a shallow good-versus-evil story made complex by its presentation in the first half.[43][44] They, however, appreciated the surprising deaths of certain characters whose sacrifice in vain rendered a poignant emotion at that point of story.[12][51]
Reviewers felt part of the failings laid with the underdeveloped characters despite them being slightly different from usual anime stock characters.[44][11][5] The story neither properly introduces them nor explains their backgrounds and motivations, making them hard to identify with.[50] Eko's menace only came by force and not by his personality or schemes, making him a weak villain.[50] DVD Talk found it hard to piece together the relationship between the main characters,[44] but acknowledged the later half addressed some of these issues by revealing the background of some characters. They felt the revelations fleshed out Otoha's personality and motivation, helping viewers to sympathize and identify with the protagonist.[51][50]
Overall, reviewers are mixed in their final assessment of Karas. Their common reaction is of a visually stunning show with a confusing story. DVD Talk commented the blending of traditional 2D drawings and 3D CG was interesting; but with a lacking story, the product is a "triumph of style over substance".[11] In spite of the criticisms, Karas won Best Original Video at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award competition, and was one of United States' top 10 best selling anime titles in 2006.
Пет Яну 30, 2009 12:31 pm
