Karas (anime)
| Original video animation | |
|---|---|
| title | Karas |
| Original title | 鴉 -KARAS- |
 | |
| Country of production |
 Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| Year (s) | 2005-2007 |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Production |
| length | 30 minutes |
| Episodes | 6th |
| genre | Action , drama , fantasy |
| Theme music | Selenite from Rurutia |
| Director | Keiichi Sato |
| idea | Masaya Honda , Shin Yoshida |
| music | Yoshihiro Ike |
Karas ( Japanese 鴉 -KARAS-, German "The Crow") is a six-part original video animation from 2005 to 2007, which was produced by the Japanese animation studio Tatsunoko Production in commemoration of the company's fortieth anniversary.
The anime tells the story of Otoha, a former yakuza who lives in a fictional city with the yōkai . Due to special circumstances he is named Karas by Yurine (a kind of patron goddess of the city) and is supposed to restore the balance in the city after the former Karas Eko rebelled and the city threatens to sink into chaos. At the same time, the influence of this situation on the life of Yōkai Nue and some people is discussed in more detail in side stories.
Karas won the award for Best Original Video Animation at the Tōkyō Anime Awards 2006, where the critics were enthusiastic about the optics, in which traditional drawing techniques were fused with three-dimensional computer graphics. According to them, the plot also reflects the conflict between traditional culture and modern society. In the international criticism, however, it was repeatedly emphasized that the plot was structured too confusing and would thus distract from the actual strength, the artistic implementation.
scenario
Karas takes place in a fictional world of the district Shinjuku , Tokyo served as a template. At the beginning of the production, however, this was not specified and the first sketches showed extensive areas of Tokyo. However, according to their own statement, the producers moved away from it, since these cityscapes were too often the motif of other animations. The artistic director Hajime Satō then designed a new cityscape. In this he combined influences from different cultures. The characters on the numerous, brightly colored neon signs are based on the Chinese model . But they share the style and curves with those of the Korean Hangeul . On the roofs of the houses, western gargoyles and figures that resemble the Merlion statues from Singapore decorate the streetscape. The buildings are largely based on images of the Shinjuku district from 2003, which were combined with the architectural style of the Shōwa period . In this fictional city live both the people and the ghosts from Japanese folklore that are no longer visible to them - the Yōkai .
The cities are represented as independent beings that are able to create physical shapes with which they can enforce their will and regulate the activities in them. The concept is based on traditional Chinese medicine , whereby a special role is ascribed to the flow of body fluids to the organs. The Yōkai should correspond to the Qì , the people to the water and the Karas to the blood of the city. At the same time borrowings from Celtic mythology were added. In Karas , the city is treated like a male being ( Yang ) and the Yurine ( ゆ り ね ) as a manifestation of her will as a woman ( Yin ). Similarly, the Yōkai are described as peaceful, but also joke driving spirits, whose counterpart are the mechanized Mikura. The Mikura are characterized by their seemingly mechanical bodies and, as fallen beings, need human blood to survive and strengthen themselves. Based on these ideas, the entire plot of the characters appearing should have been constructed.
action
Ibira initially imagined Karas to be a revenge-motivated horror story . It is said to have had a simple plot that was comparable to that of the manga Dororo by Osamu Tezuka . The protagonist should stand against the Mikura in order to recapture the body parts of his murdered lover. In the final version of Karas, however, they moved further and further away and it developed more into an action-packed superhero film adaptation. The three characters Otoha, Nue and Kure should be the focus, but mostly Otoha was the focus. Despite the fictional scenarios, Karas' plot is kept "pseudorealistic" throughout and dispenses with humorous interludes, exaggerated facial expressions or super-deformed depictions. The dialogues are also kept very short and the viewer is thrown into the middle of the action, where he has to find out for himself what Karas is actually about. A lot of the background information that was only included in the supplement to the last DVD release has been completely left out.
Characters
- Yurine
- Yurine is an entity who takes the form of a girl with very light hair. She has the power to create and command Karas.
Karas
Karas are people who, on Yurine's orders, become capable warriors, are given armor and sword, and fight against yōkai. Your armor is particularly versatile and can, for. B. take the form of a futuristic fighter jet or armored vehicle. Otoha, Eko and a still unknown person are Karas and play the key role.
- Otoha
- Otoha is the newly elected Karas. When he is not fighting, he is a doctor in the spirit world who helps the beings who have become sick through Eko's actions in both worlds. His actual body is in a hospital, apparently in a coma.
- Eko Hoshunin
- Eko Hoshunin was once a Karas who protected Shijuku during the Medieval Edo Period. However, he turned his back on humanity and killed the new Karas.
Mikura
Mikura are called ghosts who have been drawn into Eko's spell and become mechanical. They feed on human life force and can take on human form.
- Nue
- Nue is a former subordinate of Ekos who decided to fight him. He suppresses his true form as Mikura and favors two gold pistols and a gold rifle as weapons. Apparently he is still important for Eko, because he wants to take him alive.
- Suiko
- Suiko is a kappa who disguises himself as a professional wrestler in the human world . Nue would have shot him during a performance if Yurine hadn't intervened and also wanted to kill Suiko with the help of her new Kara.
- Wanyudo
- Wanyudo chases after drivers in a tunnel. He seems to enjoy frightening his victims before killing them.
- Tsuchigumo
- Tsuchigumo is Eko's right hand, who takes the form of a spider (see Tsuchigumo ).
- Kamaitachi
- Kamaitachi speaks in a metallic voice that is so indistinct that subtitles had to be added to his text. He is a deranged robotic figure with most of his body covered in blades.
People
- Narumi Kure
- Narumi Kure is a young police officer who has just been transferred to the Tokyo Police Department. He doesn't believe in ghosts and the like, but he can't explain the events he follows, so he has the ambition to explain the mysterious murders.
- She Hinaru
- She Hinaru is the only surviving witness of a yōkai attack, but has not yet been able to help the police.
- Minoru Sagisaka
- Minoru Sagisaka is an inspector of supernatural phenomena. Aware of the world of demons but declared insane by everyone including the new police officer, he investigates the cases. He wants to discover the secret because his daughter was also the victim of an attack.
- Yoshiko Sagisaka
- Yoshiko Sagisaka is the daughter of Minoru Sagisaka who, like She Hinaru, is the only survivor of an attack by a Mikura. All of her classmates were killed in the attack. Since then, she has been held in an asylum because of her poor mental health.
Voice actor
The names of all characters and their speakers are given in western order (first name, family name)
| role | Japanese speaker ( seiyū ) | German speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Yurine | Kasumi Suzuki | Gabriele Wienand |
| Otoha | Toshihiro Wada | Simon T. Roden |
| Eko | Takahiro Sakurai | Stefan Schleberger |
| Nue | Keiji Fujiwara | Heiko Obermöller |
| Suiko | Kiyoyuki Yanada | Reinhard Schulat-Rademacher |
| Narumi Kure | Hiroto Torihata | Lars Schmidtke |
| Hinaru | Asuka Shibuya | Corinna Riegner |
| Minoru Sagisaka | Tetsuo Goto | Hans-Gerd Kilbinger |
| Yoshiko Sagisaka | Saeko Chiba | Sarah Brückner |
Origin and publications
The anime was created in the animation studio of Tatsunoko Productions . The anime was produced by Tatsunoko Productions to commemorate the 40th anniversary. Directed by Keiichi Satō , who also provided the idea for the animated series.
In Japan, the first three episodes were released individually on DVD from May to November 2005. The story continues, episodes four to six were released two years later in the period from August to October 2007 again individually on DVD. In the United States and Great Britain, the first DVD Karas: The Prophecy , which includes the first three episodes, was released in April 2006. On the second DVD Karas: The Revelation , which was released in October 2007, there are episodes four to six.
The first three episodes of the anime also appeared in Germany ( Panini Video ), France ( Dybex ), Russia ( MC Entertainment ) and Poland ( Vision Film Distribution Sp. Z oo ). Episodes 4 to 6, in German, were also released on July 15, 2008 by Panini Video.
Awards
Karas won at the fifth Tōkyō Kokusai Anime Fair in 2006 the Tōkyō Anime Award for "Best Original Video Animation" together with Sentō Yōsei Yukikaze .
Web links
- Tatsunoko Official Website for the Anime (Japanese)
- Information-rich site about the anime (German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ タ ツ ノ コ プ ロ, 40 周年 記念 OVA 「鴉 -KARAS-」 を 発 表 - 国民 的 美 少女 や 和田 聡 宏 、 鈴木 か す み が 声優 に 初 挑 戦 . In: AV Watch. Impress Corporation, February 8, 2005, accessed July 6, 2010 (Japanese).
- ↑ a b Supplement to the third Japanese DVD release: Metsu Kakusei ( 滅 覚 醒 )
- ↑ Interview with director Keiichi Satō in the supplement to the second Japanese DVD release: Kaenwa ( 火炎 輪 )
- ↑ Karas Lakes . In: Newtype USA . AD Vision, ISSN 1541-4817 , p. 20 .
- ↑ a b Brett Barkley: Karas Vol. # 1 (of 2). (No longer available online.) AnimeOnDVD.com, April 26, 2006, archived from the original on March 25, 2006 ; Retrieved July 6, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Supplement to the sixth DVD release Shin Densetsu ( 真 伝 説 )
- ^ RL Shaffer: Karas: The Prophecy (2005). dvdfuture.com, accessed July 7, 2010 .
- ↑ Supplement to the third Japanese DVD release: Kaenwa ( 火炎 輪 )
- ^ Dan Mancini: Karas: The Prophecy. DVD Verdict, April 25, 2006, accessed July 7, 2010 .
- ↑ Don Houston: Karas: The Prophecy. DVD Talk, April 13, 2006, accessed July 7, 2010 .
- ↑ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-03-27/tokyo-anime-fair-award-winners
- ↑ Awards Winners Archive - Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008. Archived from the original on April 26, 2008 ; accessed on December 1, 2013 .
