Karas: The Prophecy (2005)

Good luck finding the double disc set.

Shinjuku has become a hotspot for paranormal activity in recent years. In their investigation, two detectives find that these disappearances, mysterious murders, and other altogether unsettling phenomena bear the earmarks of demonic activity. Mikura (demon vampires) have infested Shinjuku and are preying on the city's inhabitants. But a glimmering blade of hope cuts through the darkness. A mild-mannered doctor named Otoha has risen up to stop the Mikura horde. Clad in armor darker than the blackest night, he is Karas. Opposing Otoha is a mysterious man named Eko. Not only is Eko leader of the Mikura however, but he is a Karas as well. Why are there two Karas in the city of Shinjuku? What is Eko's objective? Can Otoha stop him? Can anyone?

Written by Shin Yoshida and directed by Keiichi Sato, Project Karas commemorates the 40th Anniversary of Tatsunoko Productions, creators of works like Gatchaman, The SoulTaker and many others. Karas was originally released as a six-part OVA available on Japanese PPV. For its DVD release, the first three parts were edited together as a nearly seamless film entitled Karas: The Prophecy while the last three were re-released in a similar fashion as Karas: The Revelation which concludes the Karas saga. The release history sounds more complicated than it actually is and simply put, Karas is two movies: The Prophecy and the Revelation.

Karas vs Karas

Karas: The Prophecy is a fascinating movie which tries juggle a lot of different stories in its overarching narrative and more often than not succeeds. In Karas: The Prophecy we have no fewer than three major stories being told at one-time, with a subplot or two thrown in the mix. Our main character, Otoha is a doctor but he doesn't have human patients. Rather, he tends to the yokai living under Shinjuku. These supernatural creatures are dying off en masse and Otoha cannot find the cause of it. At the same-time, Otoha must battle the Mikura as Karas.

We have two detectives Minoru Sagisaka and Narumi Kure who are investigating these supernatural occurrences for different reasons. Sagisaka's daughter had an unfortunate encounter with the supernatural which left her emotionally and psychologically scared but no one believes an encounter of that nature ever occurred, so Sagisaka has made it his mission to prove demons do exist and vindicate his daughter. Kure on the other hand is a skeptic and doesn't believe the events happening in Shinjuku have anything to do with the paranormal. Despite their ideological differences, the two detectives start to form a student-teacher like bond. While all this is going on, a rogue Mikura named Nue is taking the fight to Eko's henchmen in order to pay penance for the past atrocities he committed while working under Eko.

Otoha is a really nice guy. Just don't get on his bad side.

Because Karas is split into two large parts (or six smaller ones if you count each individual release), Karas: The Prophecy mainly serves as an introduction: showing us the players in this game, setting the tone, and doing a lot of world building. The movie is very dark and while the levels of gore certainly aren't at the level of Karas: The Revelation, there is violence in this film but nothing more graphic than what you'd see in say Akira for example. Of course that's not to say the movie is tame by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, because this is a Tatsunoko production, there is the underlining tone of many sentai works where forces of evil threaten the innocent and a hero arrives, transforms, and saves the day. Don't get the impression that Karas is a cheesy superhero flick however.

You must have gotten on Otoha's bad side.

Otoha is one man trying to protect a city of millions. Further complicating these matters is that his ultimate enemy is another Karas with very much the same experience and power, if not to a substantially greater degree in both departments. In addition, there are personal evils involved in the lives of the inhabitants of Shinjuku and these evils cannot be fought with a blade. If Eko's behavior is any indication, heroes are not immune to the evils in the human heart. There are also personal tragedies that characters must endure such as the situation involving Detective Sagisaka's daughter. Karas: The Prophecy is dark sure, but it's also a very mature story because problems are resolved as simplistically as you'd see in many other anime. The hero must defeat the ultimate villain but the entire world isn't going to just be happy and problem free. The movie doesn't have the typical slapstack humor, exaggerated expressions, or falling down gags you see in anime at the most inappropriate times. While there are scenes of levity, they are very brief and sparse.

This is Eko. All his sides are bad sides.

The animation in this movie is absolutely jaw-dropping. Karas uses traditional hand drawn characters throughout, all sporting a vibrant colors and a wide array of detail, albeit with some weird designs here and there. The fighting scenes however is where Karas truly shines because there is a blend of computer animation rendered seamlessly with 2D backgrounds. These action sequences are liquid smooth and easily rival everything I've reviewed thus far including the likes of Unlimited Blade Works. I'd go so far as to say that Karas doesn't just rival the best out there, it absolutely blows the competition out of the water. The movie opens with an over the top fight scene between two Karas which easily outclasses any other action scene I've seen in years if not ever. High speed combat, slow motion during finishing move, stylish combat poses, and more make this the most exciting, most creative, action anime you'll see this year. Of course impressive action scenes need an equally impressive score and Karas delivers in spades. 

Karas uses a lot of trumpets and horns which are atypical for classic sentai shows particularly when the hero shows up to take down the bad guys. This is less a cliche and more of a throwback as modern sentai shows mainly used Japanese pop and rock music while the classics more often used a score similar to what you hear in Karas. Blending together themes such as the tragedy and sorrow of one who carries the role of Karas, but also the sense of triumph and hope this crusader brings to the people, this amazing score was composed by Yoshihiro Ike and performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Voice acting is another area where Karas succeeds. Granted some seiyuu outshine others but every character was well voiced, however annoying some of them may be. Karas is a spectacular movie but it's not perfect however.

As mentioned earlier, Karas: The Prophecy is part one of a two part saga so there are many questions raised but left unanswered when the credits roll. While these questions are answered in Karas: The Revelation, many viewers might feel turned off when taking stock of what they learn by the time this film is over which - spoiler alert - is not much at all. We're introduced to our cast of characters, the good guys and the bad, but Eko's objective is still largely unknown and is not revealed until part two. Our lead Otoha is very much a mystery man and apart from him pulling double duty as a doctor by day and hero by night, we don't learn anything about him as - much like Eko's history - Otoha's is not revealed until Karas: The Revelation.

Karas: The Complete Collection - Comes with parts one and two.

Overall, Karas: The Prophecy is an amazing anime with so much stylish, over the top action you won't believe what your eyes. The score is impressive, the story has a good degree of mystery to it, and the animation - which blends 2D and 3D is something to behold. It's possible that the characters may not immediately pull you in but it's still an anime you have to check out as it tells a very captivating story which picks up in part two, has a very affordable special edition for anime fans on a budget, and it serves as a very impressive introduction for anyone not already familiar with Tatsunoko Productions.