Medium: Anime
Episodes: 13/12
Rating: PG-13
Dub/Subs: Dub (FUNimation)
Let's take a moment to talk about zombies. Everybody loves zombies, right? Well Shikabane Hime is an anime that's bursting to the seams with zombies- They're not the mindless shambling undead, mind you, but they're no less violent or dangerous. The story centers on Ouri Kagami, a teenage boy who grew up in the care of an orphanage. His adoptive brother is a priest of the religious sect that runs the orphanage, and his friends are divided between the little kids who live there, and his classmates at school. And one night, Ouri sees something he really shouldn't have. You see, the Kougon Sect that sponsors the orphanage secretly battles monsters called Shikabane from behind the scenes. Shikabane are the souls of humans whose regrets are so strong that not only have they prevented them from moving on, they have twisted them into literal monsters who take out their pain and anguish on still-living humans. There aren't many ways to kill them, but one certain way to destroy them is to employ the help of a specialized warrior. An undead girl who can get knocked out of an 8-story building, torn from limb to limb, and keep coming back for more: A Shikabane Hime.
By a combination of sheer dumb luck and a vaguely malicious ghost cat, Ouri starts to cross paths multiple times with a Shikabane Hime named Makina. Despite her best efforts to keep him out of the Sect's business, Ouri is drawn deeper and deeper into the secret world of the Kougon Sect and the war on Shikabane.
Now, let me say that Shikabane Hime is a bit of an... interesting case. It's divided up into two differently named seasons, Aka and Kuro. Aka is a fast paced action anime with intriguing enemies and fantastic gunplay. Kuro slows the heck down and takes its time to explore the backstory of Makina, the Kougon Sect, and the series' main villains, the Seven Stars. And since the story keeps moving forward from one to the other, it's extremely jarring to transition from one to the next. Not that Kuro doesn't have action- there's just a whole lot less of it. And while I enjoy plot, Aka set up a pacing that was enjoyable and easy to follow.
It's not a wholly bad show, but I have problems with the second season- which, unfortunately, is where plot threads start tying together- The Seven Stars begin their plan to try and destroy all who would oppose them, Makina and Ouri find themselves conflicted by a certain event, and the sect's biggest secrets start getting cracked, revealing truths that were hidden for very good reason.
In the end, I think Shikabane Hime's seasons are named differently because they're actually two different shows taking place in the same universe, focusing on the same cast. So I can't give this one a simple score... And recommended? ...Well, I suppose I'd recommend the first season, but...
Score: 8/6
Pass/Fail: Pass/Fail
Episodes: 13/12
Rating: PG-13
Dub/Subs: Dub (FUNimation)
Let's take a moment to talk about zombies. Everybody loves zombies, right? Well Shikabane Hime is an anime that's bursting to the seams with zombies- They're not the mindless shambling undead, mind you, but they're no less violent or dangerous. The story centers on Ouri Kagami, a teenage boy who grew up in the care of an orphanage. His adoptive brother is a priest of the religious sect that runs the orphanage, and his friends are divided between the little kids who live there, and his classmates at school. And one night, Ouri sees something he really shouldn't have. You see, the Kougon Sect that sponsors the orphanage secretly battles monsters called Shikabane from behind the scenes. Shikabane are the souls of humans whose regrets are so strong that not only have they prevented them from moving on, they have twisted them into literal monsters who take out their pain and anguish on still-living humans. There aren't many ways to kill them, but one certain way to destroy them is to employ the help of a specialized warrior. An undead girl who can get knocked out of an 8-story building, torn from limb to limb, and keep coming back for more: A Shikabane Hime.
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| Which did you see first? The short skirt, or the machine gun? |
Now, let me say that Shikabane Hime is a bit of an... interesting case. It's divided up into two differently named seasons, Aka and Kuro. Aka is a fast paced action anime with intriguing enemies and fantastic gunplay. Kuro slows the heck down and takes its time to explore the backstory of Makina, the Kougon Sect, and the series' main villains, the Seven Stars. And since the story keeps moving forward from one to the other, it's extremely jarring to transition from one to the next. Not that Kuro doesn't have action- there's just a whole lot less of it. And while I enjoy plot, Aka set up a pacing that was enjoyable and easy to follow.
It's not a wholly bad show, but I have problems with the second season- which, unfortunately, is where plot threads start tying together- The Seven Stars begin their plan to try and destroy all who would oppose them, Makina and Ouri find themselves conflicted by a certain event, and the sect's biggest secrets start getting cracked, revealing truths that were hidden for very good reason.
In the end, I think Shikabane Hime's seasons are named differently because they're actually two different shows taking place in the same universe, focusing on the same cast. So I can't give this one a simple score... And recommended? ...Well, I suppose I'd recommend the first season, but...
Score: 8/6
Pass/Fail: Pass/Fail
I really loved this show... well, the first one, at least. As you said, it slows way down and starts getting more convoluted in the second portion, but it's still a very interesting show.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a big fan of the demon car that eats people, nice idea on that one as far as I'm concerned.