Casshan is Back!!

Ryujin · Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:46 am

So, ep. 5 further emphasizes that certain of Casshern's actions are completely involuntary and are triggered because of what I presume to be programmed directives.

The plot itself starts to rear its head with an intriguing cliffhanger, and we get to see what drives Lyuze to hunt down Casshern.

Unfortunately, imho, this episode seems to be structured rather awkwardly. It feels as if either Lyuze's story was shoehorned in to make the cliffhanger ending possible, or that Ringo's part was tacked on because there wasn't that much of Lyuze's story to tell. Either way, this episode left me with a feeling of 'too much, yet too little.'

bluemax151 · Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:36 am

Ryujin wrote:So, ep. 5 further emphasizes that certain of Casshern's actions are completely involuntary and are triggered because of what I presume to be programmed directives.

Definitely gives off the feeling of some kind of overriding self preservation program.

Darth Nader · Sun Nov 09, 2008 3:05 pm

I'm liking the way they depict Casshern's violence against the robots he fights. On numerous occasions he's ripping them apart, tearing pieces out of them in some cases, almost as if he were removing internal organs from a flesh and blood person. When you see the look on that freaky-looking little girl's face, its meant to be one of horror, which I thought was a very interesting take.

Just guessing, but I wonder if Casshern's regenerative abilities were passed on from Luna, which is probably what she used to sustain the other robots to keep them from breaking down. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the series, the robots will end up having a more human lifespan.

mal_tiempo · Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:43 pm

What did you guys think about the fight in the latest episode? And also the "revelations"?

Ryujin · Sun Nov 16, 2008 1:00 am

mal_tiempo wrote:What did you guys think about the fight in the latest episode? And also the "revelations"?

Gorgeously animated & choreographed fight, as usual. More to the point, it showed that there are individuals who are as formidable as Casshern (although I get the impression that Dio has a bit of a second son/inferiority complex to him).

What Dio does reveal leads to an interesting line of thought: if he and Casshern are similar, then whatever applies to Casshern should also apply to him, unless Casshern's previous interaction with Luna has somehow made him 'special' or 'cursed'. I'm not sure if his extraordinary regenerative abilities were courtesy of Luna, as it seems that Dio might share the same ability to some degree; he didn't seem to be that badly hurt when he was brooding in his chair afterwards. Perhaps it comes from being 'not a human, nor a robot,' whatever that is. Synthetics emulating organics on a cellular level? A fusion of both? Nanotech? Anyways, one thing this series apparently likes to avoid are long-winded exposition scenes.

Nagato21 · Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:47 am

Just finish ep2 to 6, I was so busy lately didn't have time to catch up.
The mystery about Casshern is deepening. It is ironic that Dio and Casshern are not the same person as in the previous serie Dio downloaded his mind inside Casshern. So far my favorite guy here is Friender, no matter what he always keep an eye on Casshern. One thing I am wondering here is that little girl, is she a human?

Ryujin · Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:55 am

Nagato21 wrote:One thing I am wondering here is that little girl, is she a human?

You mean Ringo? She was shown to be a robot in the first ep.; iirc, her cranium showed signs of previous repair.

Ryujin · Tue Dec 09, 2008 9:39 am

The plot's admittedly moving slowly, but fallen to page three?!

Anyways, ep.10 was a welcome change from the melancholy ep. 9 with Nico & Bolton, & the previous, introspective-heavy episodes. Looks like things are starting to come together.

To begin, Ep.10's pre-op scene was disturbing in light of the possible context.

It appears my previous speculation was incorrect. Leda pretty much confirms that there is something about Casshern's involvement with Luna that makes his regenerative abilities unique; it's shown that Dio hasn't even fully recovered from his last encounter with Casshern. Then again, there's the matter of Dune, one of Luna's guardians, who appears to return back to the same condition as he was at the start, dribbling screws & pieces of his inexhaustible supply of ragged clothing. On the other hand, his rugged good looks are long gone.

One good thing about those rumours regarding Luna, it's given Casshern an actual direction.

And really, Dio, you should tone down that inferiority complex of yours, or it's gonna be the death of you. Leda's pulling your strings blind as it is.

hitokirigarou · Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:52 am

I'm enjoying this series so far. Not sure if any of you guys watching this show know this but this is not a sequel. It's a remake /reboot.

It's funny how Casshern, who is voiced by Toru Furuya, looks kinda like a Saint Seiya character.

Leda is voiced by Toru's ex-wife.

I'm starting to think that Friender won't have its transforming gimmick from the original series.

Ryvius · Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:53 am

I'm a few episodes in and am really liking it a lot. It didn't take long to notice the OST was done by the same guy who did the music for Tekkaman Blade, heh (among other shows).

L.U.T.A. · Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:56 pm

Looks good. I really like the animation style and after watching the live movie... its gud to see the big C again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpUWsMzwpAA

Ryujin · Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:27 am

Ep.11 was surprisingly upbeat, with Friender actually getting character development! It's also good to see that there are more humans around, as well as an unambiguously 'good' robot who can hold his own in a fight.

And Casshern finally uses his hip boosters with some frequency.

Ryvius wrote:I'm a few episodes in and am really liking it a lot. It didn't take long to notice the OST was done by the same guy who did the music for Tekkaman Blade, heh (among other shows).

Speaking of which, the BGM during the face-off between Jin, Friender & the robot bandits sounded like it borrowed quite a few bars from the Terminator movie theme.

Also loved that guitar ballad when Jin was speaking to everyone regarding Casshern & ruin; very old-school '70's anime.

Ryvius · Thu Dec 18, 2008 6:32 am

Ryujin wrote:Speaking of which, the BGM during the face-off between Jin, Friender & the robot bandits sounded like it borrowed quite a few bars from the Terminator movie theme.

Also loved that guitar ballad when Jin was speaking to everyone regarding Casshern & ruin; very old-school '70's anime.

Yeah I totally agree. I don't know if it's just the composers usual style (haven't seen a lot of shows with his scores), but his music definitely gives off kind of a classic/old school vibe which I really like.

Destiny_Gundam · Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:08 pm

His work in Casshern Sins is very reminicent of his work on Inuyasha and D.Gray-man.

Ryocha · Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:45 pm

Destiny_Gundam wrote:His work in Casshern Sins is very reminicent of his work on Inuyasha and D.Gray-man.

I thought I recognized the music from somewhere.
Can't unhear now.

Ryvius · Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:45 am

Destiny_Gundam wrote:His work in Casshern Sins is very reminicent of his work on Inuyasha and D.Gray-man.

D.Gray Man, been really interested in checking that one out sometime. Guess this is another reason to get around to that.

mal_tiempo · Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:09 pm

So, the latest couple of episodes have been pretty good, and it looks like 13 is gonna get into the REAL story line. What's everyone's take on where the series is headed?

Ryvius · Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:50 pm

I'm still a few episodes behind, but I'm loving it even if it's been fairly episodic. Good to hear the real story might unfold soon.

What do you guys think of the older OVA? (not the original series). I have that and plan to watch it, it looks pretty good. It'll be interesting to compare and contrast with the new one and maybe someday I'll have to check out the original series (even if it's supposedly a lot more lighthearted? lol).

Destiny_Gundam · Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:43 pm

I watched the Robot Hunter OVA the other day. Some good fight scenes, but it's still old school cheese. Definitely worth the watch.

And yeah, it's good to see that episode 13 will expand on the plot. Though I do find it a facinating story telling method how they keep showing a little bit more during the scene before the opening. Let's you piece things together little by little and keeps you guessing.

Kavik Ryx · Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:49 pm

So far this has been for me the best anime of 2008. And the past four episodes (9-12) have only strengthened that. I want to say that I feel some similarities between many of the episodes and Mushishi or Kino's Journey. However, not having ever seen either of them, I can't make that assumption. Are there some parallels storytelling wise, or am I speaking out of my ass?