Casshern Sins

ruin. That is all that is left in our world. As humans fade away, and robots rot into the dirt, those who are left cling to life. Casshern is the man who killed the sun, and the show goes on from that point. This story is mature. If your into shonen, this isn't for you. Its dark, gritty, and depressing. The story follows Casshern, as he regains his memories, and meets people who are affected by the Ruin, a plague that kills both humans and robots. The soundtrack fits the show very nicely, fitting the dark mood of the story very well. The dub is also very good, FUNimation clearly put their all into this dub, including Eric Vale, Brina Palencia, and Trina Nishimura, who did amazing jobs. The animation is splendid, as the character designs are beautiful and dark. The action scenes, and the coloring really bring out the tone, the backgrounds are dreary and depressing, fitting the tone, and it was done by Studio Madhouse, so nuff said.

CASSHERN SINS (2008-2009) is a dreamy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi anime, with heavy melancholic vibes and thoughtful philosophical undertones. Soft, abstract, moving...with bouts of fluid, vibrant action, this series is really different from the everyday cyborg / robot / mech series out there. It has such a powerful although abstract story, and leaves lasting impressions long after. Powerful and poignant. Nostalgic, as well.

"Casshern is a robot that wakes up to a world in Ruin, a dark plague brought on by his past sins, the killing of the being Luna. He has no recollections of this sin, but everyone he crosses paths with hold him accountable. Somehow he must right his wrongs and find redemption for his sins."

Overall, this was a haunting series. The storytelling is sad and mesmerizing, though quite vague. It often leaves the viewer to use their imagination. Artistically, the anime is quite vague as well; it's abstract and sometimes minimal, which works to its benefit. The music is very stirring and emotive, but suitable for the overall atmosphere. The character development and world building really made this series strong and memorable. Casshern's journey for redemption is moving.

The series follows Casshern in his journey to find himself and combat the Ruin, a devastation that causes his fellow robots to rust and die. An immortal killing machine, Casshern must watch everyone around him fade away. The Ruin began with the death of Luna; and rumor has it she was murdered by Casshern himself.

It's a very nice setup with strong philosophical questions. I feel, however, that the series doesn't dive deep enough into the issue of immortality vs. death. It doesn't matter though because the stylized visuals, excellent voice acting, and ferocious action keep the audience entertained. Think about the series' plot and philosophical conclusions too long, however, and you'll be disappointed.

I can't reveal anything, but let me say that after watching the whole series....it makes no sense. The plot has several glaring holes in it. It wouldn't be so bad, except character's actions and motivations HING on these plot holes. So their actions end up not making any sense either. The series concludes with nonsensical violence and philosophical posturing. Do any of these characters understand what's going on, or why they have to accomplish their strange goals? Do they even know what those goals are??

There's a strong theme of madness and desperation in the face of eternal death, but it's nothing anime viewers haven't witnessed (and better done) before. The ending is such a let down, and the main characters' motivations so nonsensical that the slow build up to the final climax hardly seems worth it. Don't get me wrong, there are genuinely insightful moments here and there. Opening sequences before the song and titles are helpful to fill in the mysterious back story, creating tension.

But the series ending? Sorry, such nonsensical rubbish is a Sin (ho-ho! zinger!) 4 out of 10 for wasting my time.

This anime fits alongside other shows like Wolf's Rain, Here and Now Then and There, and Grave of the Fireflies in terms of its pacing and its tone. A truly dark and emotionally uncompromising show that explores some of life's darkest aspects through a dystopian Sci-fi lens.

You can watch this show at face value, but I got more from this show by interpreting some of the shows themes not in a literal sense. Especially some of the episodic episodes in the first half of the season, which really take a life of their own presenting unique characters exploring wildly different themes. You could fit many of those episodes into the Twilight Zone.

It won't be for all audiences. It's pure tragedy and unflinching in depicting the pain and loss the characters experience.

For me, the only negative is that the show loses some momentum in the second half as the show starts to wrap up the story and the characters. Certain character beats are repeated as well. The story regarding Luna and her motives gets jumbled and can be hard to follow.

I still feel mature audiences should watch this as it shows the potential of anime to reach the emotional heights of live action.

Casshern Sins is probably one of the most philosophically heavy animes to date. It focuses primarily on why we live and for what purpose. This is done through a barrage of small stories throughout the series. The main story has a somewhat coherent plot on the same matter, but it often fails to explain what's going on and assumes you can make out details through inferred explanations (found myself rewinding here and there to catch various points).

The worst thing I can say about the anime is it takes about 3 episodes to get going. Despite its flaws it has an amazing soundtrack, VERY memorable characters, and some truly spectacular stories to tell. If you aren't into heavily philosophical concepts this anime is not for you. For those who enjoy this kind of thing, you wont find anything quite like this out there.

Please note that I haven't seen the originals, so my review is from a fresh perspective.