Review of Detroit Metal City
Detroit Metal City, when i first saw the art for this show it like so turned me away for it for the longest time. Eventually i picked this up flipped it over and read what it was about, regret filled me soon after. This anime OVA is by far one of the best i have ever had the pleasure to view. I am embarrassed how long it took me to get into this. DMC is a really unique experience among anime, i can not name anything like it. It really took me by surprised and showed me it has like everything an amazing anime needs. Eventhough each episode is 2 segments each 6 minutes long it conveys a interesting and exciting plot. Shockingly the plot does not have a huge amount of holes or sloppiness, this show functions perfectly on such a condensed level.
The sound was amazing having actual musicians compose more than a handful of songs to comprise the soundtrack i really grew closer to the idea of this band and understood what it stood for a lot more because of it. The opening song is incredibly memorable titled simply "Satsugai" the animation video for it was what i can only describe as epic. This is opening sequence is defiantly my favorite part of this shows animation by far.
The majority of the animation is done in a soft color pallet to contrast the dark under tones of the time spent in the Metal world. The duality of Negeshi is really focused on and emphasized in almost every aspect of the show. Though i would expect to get bored of it at some point the opposite happened, they kept it so fresh when the OVA was over i picked up the manga(Very Rare). The characters are all very simple but the animation style is very unique with a different type of body per-portions and even features. The one thing i have to say is that it takes obviously a lot of inspiration from metal bands and especially the band Kiss using similar iconic face paint and costumes as well as the Title of the the band.
My favorite character of this entire series is the over the top Record Producer. Being a foul mouthed sadist with nothing on her mind other than producing the ultimate metal band is by far the best fuel for this fire of awesome. Demanding and beating her own musicians into writing new songs and living a metal life style the word "Refuse" is not in her diction.She really drives the plot forward in a lot of ways cause with out her constant abuse and threats Negeshi would be left floundering in his life. I consider her the single most important character in this show cause without her the plot would nearly never progress, even in episodes where shes not present her influence carrys on to intimidate and scare Negeshis very way of life.
The general atmosphere of the show was fun and enjoyable to watch. The pacing was good and it kept me entertained threw the entire show. They always kept things understandable for the viewer even if they had never been a fan of metal to begin with.The humor was excitingly original and unique and it can't be replicated easily. Even though it was about a Death Metal band it still did not make it ever feel really dark and scary, it kept that aspect light for the audience. The show frequently utilized the fans in plots even when not specifically at concerts or events. I really liked the fact random DMC fans would spring into action at the sight of Krauser even if it cost them there jobs.
The one thing i can say should have been improved in DMC was the focus on the other members of the band. The bassist and drummer got about 1/2 Segment each threw the entire show and not much is show about them. There is some general talking between Negeshi and them but for the most part there left a mystery. Though the Pig actually gets a portion of the show which i thought was a good touch in general since it really shows he is not just a prop and can have some development.
I really Enjoyed DMC as a fan of music and anime i can say this is a great anime. You must be able to handle the adult content and Metal music tho. The show is fun it works with a culture not seen in anime and it takes the music genre of anime in a new direction. This left me wanting so much more i wish i could only express it more clearly but in the chaos of metal nothing is ever very clear.The show is incredibly fresh and vivid and i have not had a viewing experience like it ever before. 10 across the board no part of this anime is a slacking.