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Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade - Special Edition

Jin-Roh The Wolf Brigade - Special Edition

List Price: $59.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: We Are All Wolves, Though We May Not Know It
Review: This movie is exceptional. I bought it one day when I was at like a borders and they were having a huge sale, and I was like this movie looks cool. I bought it and ever since I think its great. The story is about the main character Fuse and how everyone is playing each other. You may think Fuse is getting... but you have to see it to beleive it. Highly entertaining. A must see.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'd give it six stars if I could...
Review: The guy who said this was the most emotional movie since Schindler's List was spot-on. I still cry at the ending, and I must have seen it a dozen times now. The most intelligent, artful, beautiful, profound and (admittedly) pessimistic anime I have seen since AKIRA.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Love story meets intrigue meets action
Review: Okay, the middle was a bit slow, but otherwise Jin-Roh starts off fast and ends with a swirling, twisting bang.

My Japanese girlfriend, who is very particular about what anime she likes (e.g. she doesn't like Ghost in the Shell, but likes Princess Mononoke) liked this a lot...she said it had all the sophistication of a 'real' movie. She even thought that the painted backdrops were so good that you could have inserted real actors on to the 'sets'. Great music, too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Something that you will not soon forget
Review: All right, honestly, it can be bit confusing and somewhat boring. It goes from slow and thoughtful to fast and intense in a heartbeat. It is political and disturbing, but it makes a fierce point without making you feel swayed. The characters are beautiful and deep and you feel drawn to them, sympathizing and identifying yourself with them. It also is quite beautiful how the story is weazed around the fairy tale of "Little Red Riding Hood." I must warn you, there is a harsh amount of violence and it is psychologically disturbing, but it is all worth it. The ending just left me sitting stunned and profoundly moved. Another note is that Hajime Mizoguchi (best known for other animes like Please Save My Earth), the musical composer is a magician. His music moves this story to heights that are beyond heaven and the ending them "grace~omega" will leave you haunted. That is why getting this special edition is so worth the money.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Complicated, Beautiful, Disturbing Movie
Review: It's by far one of the best animated movies that have ever been created, in my opinion. Perhaps the people that expected an action packed cartoon were disappointed to find that Jin Roh is an animated, plot driven drama.

The first thing that struck me was the originality of the plot. It's not another sci-fi flick set in the future. Jin Roh is set in an alternate past after a World War II with a different outcome. The plot is very intricate, and to fully understand it, one might need to watch the movie more than once. This could be viewed as a positive or negative aspect, but I enjoyed the complexity. Aside from its complexity, it's also extremely unpredictable as well, which is always a plus.

The art in the movie is some of the best to date, but it's more subtle than other animated films. Expect to see dark tones that convey the cynicism in the plot. However, that's not to say that it's hazy or difficult to see at all. To the contrary, the animation is crisp and vivid, and the refreshingly Japanese looking characters are both realistic and stylized at the same time.

The darkness of animation is a reflection of Jin Roh's disturbing plot. The reality that the movie paints is a violent, pessimistic one where peace is constantly interrupted by warring factions in a bitter struggle for power. The conflict has intense ethos because of the quality of the acting of a movie, and the realism of the dialogue and actions of the characters. Although the violence is not terribly frequent and it is certainly not gratuitous, it is very vivid. This should be a consideration when deciding whether or not your child should watch this movie.

Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a fantastic movie by any standards, animated or otherwise. It can best be enjoyed by adults and mature teenagers. To those who thought it was boring, I suggest you watch it again, but this time purge any preconceived ideas you have of what an animated film should be and enjoy it for what it is, a masterful cinematic experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: NOT BORING
Review: How anyone could say this movie is boring is beyond me.. Yes its true, don't watch it at 2am lying in your bed in the dark as you will likely fall asleep.. Does that mean anything? No.. I challenge anyone to stay awake through all of Akira (best anime ever) in the same environs.

This movie is a 'what-if' portrait that shows man's darkest sides.. The characters in the movie are unemotional, as if the cruelty of their world has simply beaten the humanity out of them.

This is a movie that every time you watch, you will notice some new subtlely you hadn't picked up before.. An excellent movie for anyone who is a fan of thought-provoking anime..

If you want to see things explode and blood everywhere (which is ok too), get Fist of the North Star instead.. :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent--reflective, dark, and well-composed
Review: In an alternate post-WWII scenario, Japan is on the brink of social chaos. The occupation has failed to turn Japan into a stable society by the late 1950s. Anti-government protesters and terrorists regularly battle with the authorities, setting off napalm cocktails and bombs. To combat the disorder, a storm-trooperesque division of the police--the Special Forces--is formed. This force is decked out in Nazi-style helmets with glowing red infrared eyeholes, and they are as ruthless as wolves in hunting their prey. But one day, Fuse, an ordinary member of the Forces, encounters an innocent Little Red Riding Hood-like girl clutching a backpack full of explosives. He survives the blast, but she does not. In the aftermath, Fuse goes on a soul-searching journey to discover why he didn't have it in him to shoot her first, all while poltical forces conspire to get rid of the Special Forces altogether.

Jin-Roh is a deeply intelligent, mature animated film that seems to belong in a seperate category from most Japanese anime. The dystopian 1950s Japan depicted in the film is bleak, but believable. Oshii's reflective, meditative style serves him well this time, unlike in the pretentious Ghost in the Shell--by keeping the focus on the main character's self-discovery and on the theme of the effects of violence on the human soul, as well as the deft parallels to the original Little Red Riding Hood tale, the film achieves a kind of resonance and significance rare in anime. Sometimes the political relationships between the two different police forces are confusing, but the dramatic core of the story--the budding relationship between the suicide bomber's sister and Fuse--is strong, and is a vehicle for character exploration. Also, the memorable soundtrack by Hajime Mizoguchi (with a little help from Yoko Kanno) shines, accentuating some deeply powerful and unsettling scenes. The film may not be for everyone, as its pacing is deliberate and its politics are tangled. But for those with the patience to look under its surface, there is a rewarding amount of depth to discover. The Special Edition DVD, with a soundtrack CD and an extra disc included, is highly recommended for purchase.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I cried
Review: I have been stabed, had open heart surgury, and got hit my a baseball bat on the back end of a ground ball.

This is the only thing since I was 8 to make me cry. The story was so amazingly emotional and sad. I couldn't help myself. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever considered themselves a fan of anime. It has enough action to keep the pace from getting drawn out, yet is story driven enough to keep you captivated until the end. I hope you see this movie, I know it will invoke an emotional response.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Be sure to know what you are getting into!
Review: I am very sorry that I was not prepared for this anime in the slightest. The first time I watched this anime I was expecting a fast paced-action film with a straightforward plot. Instead, what I got was a much slower-paced film that focused on animation rather than character development or excitement. I will admit that the story was interesting, but I couldn't stand how the characters showed little to no emotion throughout the whole film.

All in all, stay clear of this film if you are looking for action or adventure, but if you are an otaku, like me, check this one out just for the sake of expanding your horizons.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A powerful, haunting, and teriffic anime movie.
Review: Anime is best known for its sci-fi and fantasy-themed works. With the power of animation, creators can craft stories that are almost impossible to recreate in real-life without some kind of sacrifice. But anime is also used to craft stories based in reality, stories that can also work in real-life but are more powerfully told in animation. Some of the best examples of such stories include the heartbreaking "Grave of the Fireflies" and the psychologically disturbing "Perfect Blue", and now the profound movie "Jin-Roh" joins their ranks.

Contrary to what the front cover might indicate, "Jin-Roh" is not an action movie; it is actually a military drama. While there are scenes involving combat, the main focus of the movie is Constable Fuse and how he deals with the events around him. Set in an alternate history version of Tokyo, Fuse, a member of the Capital Police's Special Unit, is on a mission to eliminate members of an anti-government group known as the Sect. But when he fails to follow orders to shoot a young girl, who kills herself before his very eyes, he has to live with the emotional scars. And soon he is forced to face not only the girl's almost-identical sister but also an intricate plot involving the Special Unit, a plot of which he is unwittingly a part.

Truthfully, "Jin-Roh" cannot be summed up in a single paragraph. The underlying plot is so intricate and complex that it may take several viewings for it to make sense entirely. But even so, the plot is so wonderfully crafted that the viewer really won't mind a repeat viewing. The underlying tensions that Fuse goes through are presented exquisitely, and the movie's close tie-in with the original "Red Riding Hood" story is a stroke of genius in storytelling. And while the movie is quite short for a drama, it never bogs down with needless exposition and seems to present exactly what is necessary, nothing more nothing less.

Visually, "Jin-Roh" is a marvel. While it hardly can be said to possess visual flair, it still looks good enough to amaze. Everything is dark and moody, projecting the movie's atmosphere marvelously, and animation flows smoothly. Character designs are realistic and very well done; you won't find the typical big eyes and long hair of anime in this movie. "Jin-Roh" is most certainly a movie for those who demand quality eye candy.

Audio-wise, both the English track and the Japanese track are in Dolby 5.1, and sub fans also have the added bonus of the Japanese track in DTS, so audiophiles need not complain here. The music is also a breathtaking accomplishment, creating rich atmospheres of sound to emphasize the movie's emotional strong points. As for the dub, the Oceans Group ("Gundam Wing", "Inu-Yasha") have given "Jin-Roh" one of its best performances. With no melodrama or lag of any kind, all of the voice actors manage to get into their roles from the beginning and give solid performances. Anime fans that can't stand subtitles need not worry; "Jin-Roh" is an excellent example of how dubbing can be done well.

Overall, "Jin-Roh" is an excellent movie for those wanting quality and deep storytelling in their anime set in a realistic backdrop. However, this movie is certainly not for everyone; those who don't like psychological drama need not apply here. But for everyone else, "Jin-Roh" just might be the anime movie you're looking for.


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