Review of Casshern Sins

“Humans are always contradictions.” Early in Casshern Sins, a character makes this observation. It wasn't lost on me that Casshern Sins is full of seeming contradictions itself; the series features fast action and snail's-pace plot development, “oldschool” character designs presented with new technology, extreme violence and quiet speculation, and a tone that wavers schizophrenically between “uplifting” and “grim.” The end result is something unique enough to merit a cautious recommendation. Casshern Sins centers around the titular Casshern—a character who wakes up on a barren futuristic world knowing nothing of his past. The only thing he seems to remember is how to brutally kill others; he only knowshis own name because it's what his enemies scream as they attempt to kill him. The world is ravaged by The Ruin, a plague that slowly destroys robots and humans alike. Casshern quickly learns that in the distant past he was responsible for killing Luna, a life-giving savior. Her death caused The Ruin. Burdened by this knowledge, Casshern attempts to navigate the unknown world while gradually learning more about his past, and the sins that he cannot remember.

The story itself is a strong one, with many intricacies that are revealed as time passes. Two stories are actually being told at once; one of the present and, indirectly, one of the past. The parallels between them drive the series forward with the feeling of a classic tragedy. “Complete amnesia” is a plot device that seems to be very popular nowadays, but this series manages to present a pretty original spin on it. It's not used for cheap emotional content. Instead, it's an integral part of establishing the plot. It allows other characters to show Casshern just what he did wrong, but since the explanation is actually a necessary one to get Casshern on the right track, it doesn't feel like needless exposition.

Thematically, Casshern Sins doesn't seem to be about sin/atonement (as the title suggests) but, rather, about life and death. Specifically, whether or not immortality would really be “worth it,” so to speak. In this world, robots and humans have been equalized by The Ruin—robots were once immortal, but now certain death lies on the horizon for both races, and how each party reacts to the looming threat is an integral part of the show. Some fight The Ruin, gratefully embracing any semblance of hope, while others give up entirely and await their end in silence. The series poignantly debates whether it's better to live in a calm eternity, like a placid lake, or to live a short but fulfilling life before succumbing to death, like a fire burning in the night.

Now, while I was a fan of the story and themes, it's tough not to be put off by the pacing of the show. For the first half of its running time Casshern Sins is episodic, meaning that each episode tells a self-contained story that's connected only loosely—if at all—to the overarching plot. The problem with most of these episodes was that, while they connect well to the repeated ideas of life and death, most of them lack any connection to the central storyline. Sometimes it feels like the series is just buying time, and to be honest, there are points where these episodes do drag a little bit. I wouldn't say they're “filler” episodes, but some of them do merit the question: “Did this really need to be here?”

In fairness, Casshern Sins does find its stride around episode 13, when the series switches to a continuous story thread that puts more focus on major plot points. But whether or not you can wait it out until then to see the pacing pick up is a different story. Even after that point, it's still a pretty slow-moving show, with many, many exchanges of dialogue, but the change from “gut-wrenchingly slow” to “slow but deliberate” is noticeable and welcoming once you get there.

To talk about the characters in Casshern Sins, it's necessary to know that the show features two different “sets” of characters: Episodic characters, who exist only in the context of one episode, and the main cast, who persist throughout the show. The episodic characters are generally well-written and given a lot of emotional appeal, but they suffer from the same problem I described above; that is, they connect to the show's themes, but not its story, and therefore some of them can end up feeling a little unnecessary. The main cast, on the other hand, features several memorable characters that get fully fleshed out as the series progresses. Casshern is the central figure for most character development. Whether Casshern is to be hated or sympathized with is a running argument throughout the show, and you can tell a lot about a character based on which side they take. As Casshern grows to learn more about his past and present, and develop thoughts of his own, this creates a sort of ripple effect in which the other characters change along with him. The central cast are all given appropriate backstories that are revealed at strategic points in the show, adding a sense of depth and believability to their personalities.

When it comes to visuals...man, I really need to stop reviewing Madhouse shows, because they're always great looking. Casshern Sins features extremely detailed background art that turns the world of robots and humans into a beautiful dystopia of vast deserts, barren mountains, and shining seas. When there is an oasis in the middle of this hellish world—a spot of pink and blue flowers, perhaps—it looks even more gorgeous by contrast. The art seems to echo the show's themes; everything that's still alive seems to be encircled by the empty land, besieged by death from every direction.

As mentioned earlier, the character designs in Casshern Sins are decidedly more “oldschool” than what most of us are probably used to. Most of the characters have sharper, thinner, more angular bodies than what's common nowadays, and in truly classic style, everyone seems to have ridiculously massive and spiky hair in every color of the rainbow. All gentle mockery aside, these designs look great; I always welcome a unique departure from the norm. Casshern himself seems almost iconic, a spot of white and red in a world that's completely black and brown.

Needless to say that Casshern Sins also has some great action sequences, which are lovingly animated. Casshern is an elegant killing machine who seems to almost dance while he's fighting, bringing a strange sort of beautiful brutality to the table. He pirouettes and spins, all while violently dismembering his opponents, splitting them in half, or ripping out pieces of their inner workings with his bare hands. The scenes of action are well-choreographed, a real treat to watch, and there's no shortage of them in the series.

Casshern Sins also shines in the sound department, where a beautiful orchestral soundtrack is used to great effect. Most of the songs feature string and wind instruments as the lead sounds, with an occasional chanted or choir element of background vocals. Despite the high quality of the soundtrack in general, I took some slight issues with two songs that occasionally play in the show: They have English lyrics, and pretty hammy ones, at that. While the singer (Nami Miyahara, who also voices a main character) has a great voice and puts in an admirable effort, she still sings with a noticeable Japanese accent. This, combined with the cheesiness of the lyrics, means that these songs will probably not have the intended effect on an audience of native English speakers. This is a relatively small complaint, and since English speakers were (obviously) not the originally intended audience of the show, it's really not anyone's fault, but it's there nonetheless.

Casshern Sins has a lot going for it—it boasts a great plot, mature themes, memorable characters, refreshing art, and a top-notch soundtrack. When it comes right down to it, I'd say that the only thing holding Casshern Sins back from true greatness is its pacing; it's the biggest flaw in an otherwise excellent series. Whether or not you're capable of enjoying this series is completely up to how patient you are. If you're the type that doesn't like to wait, and wants a story that's always in high gear, watching this would be a nightmare. But those with a high degree of tolerance for things that are slow to develop might find Casshern Sins to be well worth their time.