Samurai Deeper Kyo - Shift in Time (Vol. 6)

Rating:
Summary: Strong Ending
Review: For 22 episodes we have followed Kyoshirou Mibu and the Onimeno (demon eyes) Kyo as they work their way through a distorted mirror of Japan. Since the battle of Sekigahara. And Kyo's awakening they have been on a quest for Kyo's original body. Now it is time for final battles and moments of truth. The characters, temporarily split apart, converge on Mibu Castle, each with some confrontation to face, some ghost to put to bed. But for Kyoshirou/Kyo the greatest challenge is the spirit of Nobunaga, who has taken Kyo's true body from the Mibu Clan for his own.

The five bearers of the Muramasas not face something unbeatable - the demonic mind that was once Japan's rightful master and now only wishes for war and chaos. If they are to win and return history to its correct path it will take more than fighting skills and magical attacks. Something must happen to the inner nature of Kyoshiro and Kyo, his brother spirit.

Writer Akimine Kamijyo and Director Junji Nishimura are to be complemented in enabling what originally seemed to be a straightforward Samurai tale to develop rich veins of deeper meaning. Yin and Yang mix so that nothing is just heroic or evil. Instead each character contains his opposite. Time after time, what we thing is true dissolves into something else. But still, the series retains its hold on the action genre right through to the end.

And what an ending! The climax builds through four episodes, on multiple planes. While most viewers will have suspected facets of the conclusion, there is too much for anyone to anticipate the entire scope involved. An interview with Nishimura pinpoints many things that might otherwise be missed. His comments about the narrative viewpoint and the nature of Yukimora were genuine surprises.

Several other series lately (such as Saiyuki) have demonstrated that there is still a great deal of life in the anime form of samurai drama. A tremendous amount of acting talent went into Demon Eyes Kyo (take time to listen to the Japanese). The characters ring true and the action well plotted. The artwork could have been a bit stronger, but anime budgets aren't infinite, and the money put into the dramatic content was well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Strong Ending
Review: For 22 episodes we have followed Kyoshirou Mibu and the Onimeno (demon eyes) Kyo as they work their way through a distorted mirror of Japan. Since the battle of Sekigahara. And Kyo's awakening they have been on a quest for Kyo's original body. Now it is time for final battles and moments of truth. The characters, temporarily split apart, converge on Mibu Castle, each with some confrontation to face, some ghost to put to bed. But for Kyoshirou/Kyo the greatest challenge is the spirit of Nobunaga, who has taken Kyo's true body from the Mibu Clan for his own.

The five bearers of the Muramasas not face something unbeatable - the demonic mind that was once Japan's rightful master and now only wishes for war and chaos. If they are to win and return history to its correct path it will take more than fighting skills and magical attacks. Something must happen to the inner nature of Kyoshiro and Kyo, his brother spirit.

Writer Akimine Kamijyo and Director Junji Nishimura are to be complemented in enabling what originally seemed to be a straightforward Samurai tale to develop rich veins of deeper meaning. Yin and Yang mix so that nothing is just heroic or evil. Instead each character contains his opposite. Time after time, what we thing is true dissolves into something else. But still, the series retains its hold on the action genre right through to the end.

And what an ending! The climax builds through four episodes, on multiple planes. While most viewers will have suspected facets of the conclusion, there is too much for anyone to anticipate the entire scope involved. An interview with Nishimura pinpoints many things that might otherwise be missed. His comments about the narrative viewpoint and the nature of Yukimora were genuine surprises.

Several other series lately (such as Saiyuki) have demonstrated that there is still a great deal of life in the anime form of samurai drama. A tremendous amount of acting talent went into Demon Eyes Kyo (take time to listen to the Japanese). The characters ring true and the action well plotted. The artwork could have been a bit stronger, but anime budgets aren't infinite, and the money put into the dramatic content was well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: This anime has moved to the top three in my list of favorite animes. I love Berserk, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Big O, Armitage (all of them), Escaflowne, Rocord Of Lodoss, & many more. Demon Eyes Kyo is now tied at second place with Cowboy Bebop.
I absolutely loved each of the main characters. They had great humor and complete loyalty to one another.
I purchased the complete collection because of some happy reviews that I read. I had no idea what to expect and I fell in love with the series ten minutes into the first episode. It felt, somewhat, like watching the FOX TV series '24' in the fact that you just couldn't get enough and had to keep watching to see what was going to happen next.
To me, it was completely worth every dollar spent. I wear my new 'Samuri Deeper Kyo' t-shirt with extreme pride!

Rating:
Summary: Yes!
Review: This anime has moved to the top three in my list of favorite animes. I love Berserk, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Big O, Armitage (all of them), Escaflowne, Rocord Of Lodoss, & many more. Demon Eyes Kyo is now tied at second place with Cowboy Bebop.
I absolutely loved each of the main characters. They had great humor and complete loyalty to one another.
I purchased the complete collection because of some happy reviews that I read. I had no idea what to expect and I fell in love with the series ten minutes into the first episode. It felt, somewhat, like watching the FOX TV series '24' in the fact that you just couldn't get enough and had to keep watching to see what was going to happen next.
To me, it was completely worth every dollar spent. I wear my new 'Samuri Deeper Kyo' t-shirt with extreme pride!