| Plot: In an alternate version of post-WWII Japan, political unrest is happening at an alarming rate. To combat this, the government has created the Capitol Police Special Unit (CAPO), a highly-trained and heavily-armed police force. There are rumors of a secret organization called the Wolf Brigade that watch the CAPO and keep them in check. Fuse is a young member of CAPO and when he witnesses a young girl blow herself up on a mission to stop terrorists, he can't get her out of his head and starts up a relationship with her identical sister. However, the relationship is a very difficult thing to keep up. Review: I expected a helluva of a lot out of Jin-Roh, and for the most part those expectations were met. However, Jin-Roh didn't knock my socks off as much as I hoped. After all, you don't slap "from the creator of Ghost in the Shell" on the box and not expect some hype to be generated. In any case, it was tough for me to figure out exactly what theme the movie was trying to convey and if I had to take a stab at it, I'd say it was about man's beastly nature. The side of humanity where mindless violence resides and orders are executed without conscience, and I must say that the animators have done an exceptional job at giving us a setting that conveys that theme. While this is still Japan, the entire country wreaks of Nazi-era Germany influences. The cities look very European, there's German cars, and the CAPO's suits look just like the Nazi army. The setting isn't as downbeat as it was in Ghost in the Shell, but the setting is certainly dark. The animation is up to par with Ghost in the Shell, and all the characters look very life-like and on top of that they actually look Japanese. Every movement is smooth, colors are rich, and in the end the animation is top notch, this definitely looks like an "A" production. The story unfolds with a tale of Little Red Riding Hood as a parable to Fuse's and Kei's romance, but this is the original version in which it's a dark fairytale in which the wolf eats the girl and there's no happy ending to be happy. On top of the parable, there's also a very complicated political power struggle happening during the film to distract us. Yes, the rest of the story is mushy just like it was with Ghost in the Shell, but the main focus is on the relationship between Fuse and Kei. Though both characters say very little, there is a lot of emotion conveyed between them regardless. It's a sad but ultimately touching relationship between the two characters. Both characters are pawns to the government and various organizations, and Fuse is supposed to be a souless wolf that can kill without asking questions. Needless to say, if you don't dig downbeat endings, then you won't like how Jin-Roh ends. I suppose my only real complaints with the anime is that not much happened, which did keep me focused on its two main characters, but on the other hand it lagged a few times and I'll lose interest. Also the Wolf Brigade motives are never really explained. They watch the CAPO...because? More info on that would've been greatly appreciated. Despite what I said about not much happening, there is some nice action pieces that end up with some people getting riddled with bullets. There's nothing wrong about having a little red slosh hit the screen once in a while. The theme presented might not be as heavy as the one about identity in Ghost in the Shell, but it is something worth thinking about, though, it doesn't pack that much punch. The final verdict? Jin-Roh is a pretty good anime and it met my standards for a good and on an occasion thought-provoking film. However, it didn't make me piss my pants with happiness. A lot of effort and money was poured into Jin-Roh's production and I'm glad to say it paid off. While Jin-Roh doesn't fall into the "must see ASAP" category, it still is a great rental. View it when you get the chance to. |
| Review by Jim |
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| Rating: *** |