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Ripples...
+ Learn Some Japanese
Reviews,,,
Here you will find a few opinions/overviews of an anime/jpop concerts (or CDs) that either myself or a friend viewed. Hopefully, you'll get a better idea of these shows after reading these.
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
Title: Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (Divine Wind Thief Jeanne)
Genre: magical girl, romance
Original Creator: Arina Tanemura
Grade: A (91%)
Age Rating: 13 + (language, violence)
Episode count: 44
Format Viewed: English Subtitled
I first saw some art from the manga a year or so ago. I loved it. It's beautiful. I didn't really investigate the actual storyline or anything. However, I recently borrowed it from a friend and decided to watch it. I'm glad I did.
Yes, it's mahou shoujo with romance everywhere. You could say it's a more modern Sailor Moon with better animation. But don't let that discourage you! Though the episodes do get repetitive, I was still compelled to keep watching. Let's get into the plot, shall we?
It's about a junior high school student, Marron Kusakabe, who lives by herself in an apartment complex. As the story goes on, you find out why she isn't living with her parents (besides the fact that they don't like each other very much). She goes to school and hangs out with her best friend Miyako Toudaiji, daughter of the town's head police detective.
What makes Marron so special is that she is in fact the living reincarnation of Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), a French war hero in the 1400s. Marron, with her power borrowed from Joan of Arc and aided by her angel-in-training guardian, Fin Fish, she transforms into Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne.
Unlike in Sailor Moon, Marron DOES change her appearance so that it is harder to tell who her real identity is. (I felt like saying that). What does this thief steal? Although most of the detectives in the police force are under the impression that Jeanne actually takes possessions from different places, her motive is quite different. She seeks out precious items (usually paintings or statues) that have been infected by demons sent to take control of a human with a susceptible nature. With a cute little procedure resulting in the demon turning into a chess pawn, (a "checkmate"), Jeanne's episodely work is done, and that's another point for God.
What's the conflict? Miyako, her best friend, wants to become a detective, and wants to win her way to fame by catching the notorious Jeanne. So, to deter Jeanne from her nightly heists, Miyako and her detectives set up traps. Do they ever really work? No, but they keep on trying. What's the bigger conflict? Marron meets Chiaki Nagoya, a boy at school (love interest!!), whose alter ego is Kaitou Sindbad. Sindbad, like Jeanne, seals demons, only for the other team. So, while Marron is falling for Chiaki, Jeanne shoos Sindbad from trying to seal the demon before she does, not knowing who he really is (duh!). There is also Iinchou, the class nerd, who grows a backbone during the show and forever fails in romantically wooing Marron. Also, in the second season, you meet some *gasp* tangible baddies, like Noin and Myst.
Although it was repetitive and the same thing happened in almost every episode, I enjoyed this series. The animation was as gorgeous as the manga art, and I didn't mind watching Marron's transformation (which is very, very short in comparison to other magical girl shows). I also liked how the anime didn't start off with Marron receiving her powers. (so�.clich�.gah) I liked the romance (when they finally got around to it!), and enjoyed the drama. The end kind of jumped in my face, with Fin's secret coming out, but I liked it nonetheless. I loved how they welded some of the history of Jeanne D'arc in the last few episodes! That made me happy.
In conclusion, it was a good series. If you're looking for lighter, relaxed anime that you can watch at a casual (or rapid pace, whichever you desire), this is a series for you. Wonderful voice acting, and great music. Also, I'd like to comment on the character development�it's great. It may be magical girl and school girly with crushes and demons, but that won't stop KKJ from being a great show!