Kurau Phantom Memory Volume 1
Hawkeye
In the future there are beings with special abilities. People who have been genetically altered so they can run faster, jump higher and do amazing things that normal people can’t. But with power comes being hunted and if you are one of the Rynax beings you have no choice but to run or be contained by the government.
Kurau started as a simple kid who wanted nothing more then to be with her father. But her life changed the day her dad took her to the lab where he worked to witness a science experiment. The experiment of course went horribly wrong and Karau was exposed to foreign cells called Rynax that mutated her into a being that gave her special powers. Being a super powered girl would be exciting and fun if it wasn’t for the fact that her consciousness was merged with the cells and so she became a whole different person. To make matters worse there’s another being lying dormant inside as well. This inner being that sleeps inside is the other part of Rynax since Rynax beings always come in twos, when the sleeping one awakens in theory it’ll take its own form outside of Karaus body. Karau now both Rynax and Human grows up the best she can and becomes an elite freelance agent doing dangerous missions and hiding from the government.
The story was strange to say the least. One moment Karau was fighting as this super cool free-lancer, the next she was playing house with a girl who appeared from inside of her some how. While there’s nothing wrong with well done variety the story was just a bit too disjointed in this anime. The transactions between plot and action were like two separate entities and made the main character hard to relate to. I applaud the show for having a unique story and an interesting world setting, but I really wish that the plot had been carried out better.
The artwork was fairly well done. The character designs were original, the settings were visually pleasing but I had to wonder why exactly each character only wore one set of clothes. It’s like no one owned more then one outfit. Also the main character who’s a woman was very masculine in appearance, so much so that I mistook her for a guy on the cover. The animation itself was very smooth and crisp. They did an excellent job on he fight scenes, and there was no strange blending of 3D with 2D that a lot of the sci-fi animes try to do.
Voice acting was average on this one. It was nothing to write home about but also nothing really wrong with it. I think its mediocrity was partially due to having a script that wasn’t very plot heavy, most of the story was carried out visually giving the voice actors only a supporting role. The extras listed on the back were over rated. The production art was at a low resolution making it not very enjoyable to look at and they claim to give you a booklet with interviews. In actuality it’s a piece of paper folded three times with some very short interviews. The interviews themselves weren’t all that bad, but when the box says a “booklet” I expect something that’s big enough to require a staple or two.
This is a strange show and I’d suggest it to Yuri (include link about Yuri) fans since it seems to be heading in that direction. However I’m not sure there’s even enough to keep the Yuri fans entertained since the plot is poorly balanced between relationships and action.
Entertainment: 6
I would have enjoyed either more of the home life aspect or more of the action, it just wasn’t well balanced.
Technical: 7
Technically it was pretty good, ok sound, ok art, and ok extras.
Overall: 6.5
DVD Features: Episodes 1-4, English 5.1/Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles
DVD Extras: Clean Opening and Closing Animation, Key Words, Kurau Phantom Memory Promotional Video, Production Artwork, Booklet with Interviews and More, ADV Previews
