Kurozuka is an artsy action show depicting the adventures of immortal amnesiac Kurou who is in search of his lost lover, Kuromitsu. While the show exceeds in animation and offers some well-digested surreality it also has more plot holes than a sieve and characters with less traits than the chair you sit on. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting show in the sense that it tries something new - discards all the substance and concentrates on pure aesthetics, like some sort of Visual Poem or something. I can’t guarantee you’ll like it (it’s more likely you wont actually), but definitely try it out if you want something new.

It is only through your endless pursuit that I am able to live my immortal life.

Originally written as a series of light novels by Yumemakura Baku (The Lion that Ate the Crescent Moon) and directed by Araki Tetsuro (Death Note) Kurozuka is a unique experimental work, which tells a tale about the love story of two immortals, Kuromitsu and Kurou. Adapting visual storytelling Kurozuka visits both feudal Japan and post apocalyptic future, all the while following amnesiac Kurou, the main character, who is struggling in a never ending search of Kuromitsu, his lost lover. It doesn’t sound confusing until you add the fact that Kurou never has any idea why or where is he and is constantly exposed to bizarre hallucinations and vague flashbacks. Though very rough around the edges Kurozuka is indeed a show worthy of seeing at least once, especially for those who are tired of all old formulas and want something new, even at the cost of substance.

Though at first I was pretty certain the plot of this show didn’t lead anywhere, I found it has quite a few neat ideas in the end. Firstly it has a really peculiar approach to immortality. Not labeling it either good or bad, it at least tells us that it’s certainly not a condition for human mind to cope with. Then we have all those post apocalyptic and humans are foolish things, but thankfully they take a backseat here. Finally it offers that “world is relative, just as our perception” idea, I think, but never really wanders far into it. Either way, though it has an interesting story to tell and peculiar ideas to share Kurozuka is a show so full of ups and downs that it’s hard to declare it good… or bad for that matter.

Animation: 4

The one and only section where Kurozuka certainly shines in is its drawings. Produced by Madhouse (Death Note, Trinity Blood) animation adapts a similar style to its closest predecessor. Backgrounds are not only detailed, but also have that “artsy” aura around them. Surreal and vivid color palette makes everything blend very well in the overall bizarre atmosphere of the show. Lighting effects are used professionally and make many scenes even more beautiful, especially when 3D graphics are used, they blend with their 2D counterparts extremely well. There are some seriously beautiful sights here, I’ve particularly noticed one I call bloody palace, that structure is one cool work of art. There also are many camera shots at the moon and unlike many other shows, it successfully conveys that feeling of mysteriousness.

Character designs are also very good. Two main characters both have style and a considerable amount of details in their apparel. I certainly can’t imagine a better design for Kuromitsu’s character. That long straight black hair, blood red kimono and extremely sharp eyes told me about her more than her dialogue did, which she seriously lacks. Kuro is no jackstraw either, he has cool yet feminine looks and his puzzled face always successfully conveys his obliviousness of the world around him. Then we have minor characters and generic guys who have, though not as highly detailed and artsy, but pretty good designs as well. That crazy villain with policemen’s uniform looks real wicked. Anyway, my only gripe with character designs would be that in some particular scenes, usually when camera shows people from afar, their legs get distorted and appear as thin as sticks, very thin sticks. It is indeed quite awkward.

The movement animation itself is usually pretty fluid, though to tell the truth I’ve also seen better. I could still notice one or two frame shortages in the few action scenes. But well, I doubt it can get much better in TV series anyway. Battle choreography is neat, though it never reaches the level seen in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, it does pack quite a punch. Madhouse didn’t forget inbetweens either as the movement of hair and spatter of drops of blood in the air look really good. Even the high tech animation would mean nothing in the hands of amateurish director, thankfully, Masanori Shino (Seikai no Monshou) does wonders in here. I didn’t know he was the one behind animation prior to finishing watching Kurozuka, but now I see why, just like Seikai no Monshou, it simply radiates distinctive style. I’ve fallen in love with his direction from the very first time he masterfully transited camera on moving clouds in episode one. Full points for direction here.

Sound: 3

I really liked the heavy rock OP Systematic People by Wagdug Futuristic Unity. Incomprehensible lyrics and chaotic music is simply a perfect introduction to the warped world presented in Kurozuka. ED Hanarebanare by Shigi is also pretty good. It’s title (separation) suits the plot of this show very well and its lyrical relaxing mood is pretty good to relax after an artsy and confusing plot.

I didn’t find background music by Yoshida Kyoshi (Kaiba, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) to be as good though. Sound direction seriously paled in comparison to animation. Though it’s all great in sound effect department, music lacks. It’s good for atmosphere as most of the pieces are either mysterious techno tunes or very bleak, low volume traditional Japanese music themes I couldn’t hear very well. Anyway, the problem in music lies in the fact that there is very little variation in pieces played and lots of great moments are wasted on silence. Show of this kind should have background music playing non stop, I mean it’s created to aesthetically please you, not to excite you with plot lines.

Finally I have mixed feelings with voice-acting. Despite possessing a real all-star cast, Kurozuka manages to make most of the voices in the show indistinct thanks to the lack of good dialogue. Mamoru Miyano (Death Note as Light Yagami) voices Kurou in this show and simply can’t demonstrate his wonderful talents because he has very few lines to say. Even a seiyuu of his level can’t make himself distinctive with repeating “what?” all the time. Other seiyuu include an all-rounder Paku Romi (Fullmetal Alchemist as Edward Elric), Nakata Jouji (Hellsing as Alucard), Miki Shinichiro (Bleach as Urahara Kisuke) and Houko Kuwashima (Inuyasha as Sango). However, with an exception of Paku Romi, who got the role of Kuromitsu, seiyuu had very few opportunities to shine. Seriously, a seiyuu team of this caliber was simply wasted on the lame script this show presents. They still sound great when they speak, but for the most part they don’t.

Story: 3

The setting of Kurozuka is pretty interesting. You get to see the feudal Japan at first, but the plot suddenly runs off to post apocalyptic Japan in a few episodes. Though the transition between two settings is not given any light and you pretty much unexpectedly find yourself wandering in post apocalyptic world soon after a vague fight in feudal Japan, the world itself is still quite interesting. It’s pretty much the same world we find in Fallout games, people are deranged and live like savages in wastelands of rubble, prostitution runs high and there are those mutants who kill humans around. The only questionable addition to the setting is the “Red Army” which takes the role of an evil organization, basically bad guys in need to be killed. To my knowledge it is never explained how did it form nor what the hell is it really supposed to be doing. Viewers do get some vague hints of what their purpose is though, hints at best.

The plot itself is very surreal and hard to follow. I usually like surreal plots which make your head spin, but here in Kurozuka the whole surreality stuff feels superficial, because, unlike let’s say Boogiepop Phantom, the creators simply didn’t have any intelligent stuff to hide beneath it. Everything basically revolves about Kurou who is going all around the world in search of Kuromitsu, all the while being tormented by the memories he doesn’t understand, nor you do. There are some cool action scenes during the trip, but it gets annoying when you notice that show wastes time on letting the main character die over and over. He resurrects later anyway… usually in some other place at a different time. There was this instant in one episode where some slapstick humor concerning food flew in action from nowhere, it was way too awkward to be funny, thank god that was the only time they used it.

Anyway, the story seems not to make sense up until the very end as nor you nor the main character get what’s going on, but it’s all connected very well in the ending. I was seriously disappointed with the plot up until episode twelfth and then I went wowing around in disbelief that it actually managed to make sense in the end. Though originally a one man versus army show, it feels awkward all the time because death is not really treated as a significant thing, people die left and right, main character dies left and right. It kind of kills the suspense, but makes it compelling to watch and see where the hell is it going. And I must say, it did go where I liked. The last five minutes of the last episode pack more substance and depth than all other eleven episodes combined. This show kind of struck me as a visual poem like media: awesome animation, surreal plot and insignificant goal were all just there to create the mood and aesthetically entertain, until finally revealing the real plot in the last five minutes.

Characters: 1

It’s not as much a problem of being good or bad, it’s more like not being there at all is what plagues the character department of this show. You basically learn that Kuromitsu is mysterious and Kurou is indecisive in the first episode. Later you learn that Kurou wants to find Kuromitsu in post apocalyptic world. That’s it. Seriously, that’s it. You don’t learn anything else, you just observe Kurou kill things, die, or walk around, but you don’t get a single trait of his personality to the very end. Kuromitsu is not even in the action until much later and even then, all you learn is that she is weird. I hope you don’t expect me to talk about development as obviously there is none, I mean, characters don’t even possess traits to develop from.

And I might have given the show a slightly higher value if it only had Kuromitsu and Kurou, who though bleak and below one dimensional at least have presence. Unfortunately we have some side characters who are just way too awkward to put up with. I mean, there were times when I thought this show deliberately makes its characters look emptier than the void. Be it villains or guys who accompany Kurou, none of them possess a single characteristic and not even the most basic of backgrounds. They just pop out of nowhere say a word, do something and disappear. Heck, I couldn’t even define their personalities, I could only guess around since some of them appear to try to mirror some known stereotypes, for example the mad scientist. But even then, they don’t have much dialogue and even if they do, it doesn’t mirror their feelings, you barely even see them do something coherent. They advance the plot, so whatever, let them advance it, but if they were replaced with walking fresh formatted cyborgs nobody would even notice… Wait… Could it be?!

Conclusion: Suited for anyone over 17 years old due to violence and profanity Kurozuka has its ups and downs, but is an entertaining show nonetheless. If you are looking for an action show, check Hellsing, if you want a good mind boggling show go for Serial Experiments Lain. However, if you want to enjoy a surreal visual poem exclusively as a form of art and not a form of storytelling, then, yeah, go for Kurozuka. Recommended for hardcore watchers who are tired from the generic shows, it’s so far from what you usually see in anime it might as well start a new genre. I wouldn’t be a huge fan, but I’d find it peculiar.