So there I was,
living out my humdrum existence. Sifting through the sea of generic
shonen tournament fair and bland moe harem fair. When it came into my
life. A transhumanist sci-fi series with an interesting premise and
quirky art style. The honeymoon period was grand. It seduced me with
it's offbeat art style, great music and terrific setting. However as
time when on something changed. The show changed. Gone was the show I
knew and loved, instead replaced with something that looked similar
but lacked the charm that made it so special. It was like I didn't
know the show anymore. We grew more and more distant from that point
on.
I will never forget that show. And that show's name is Kaiba. (No relation to the Yu-gi-oh character of the same name.)
Kaiba
(Which incidentally is the Japanese word for Hippocampus, the part of
the brain heavily involved in memory) is a 12 episode science fiction
anime from director Masaaki
Yuasa,
whom you may know from the short “Happy machine” from Genius
party. The protagonist is a young man called “Warp”, who starts
the show on a strange planet with no memories, the only hints are a
strange triangle mark on his body and a pendant with a picture of a
woman. In his quest to find out his identity and that of the strange
girl, he is taken on a body swapping journey throughout the
galaxy.
Oops. |
The first 7 episodes
of the series are a series of self contained episodes exploring
different planets and the inhabitants thereof. The series is very
reminiscent of Kino's journey at this point. Through this you get a
good look at the setting, and the setting is the best thing about
this series. It is a great piece of sci-fi, taking one technology and
seeing how it changes society, touching on areas like:
consumerism, class, identity, transhumanism. The show is at it's
best when it focuses on the core technology and how it affects the
world and the people therein.
However from episode
8 onwards, the series sticks to one planet and switches to a plot
about a conspiracy to overthrow the “King of memories”, the
elusive monarch who is also responsible for inventing the memory
technology. The focus now is on characterisation rather than setting,
which in this case is to the series' detriment.
The last couple of
episodes feel rushed, it introduces too many new characters who don't
get enough time to flesh out there motivations. It has the feeling of
a series that was meant to be longer but then they found out that
they only had 12 episodes to work with.
The series spent so
much time world building that the main characters are fairly bland as
a result. Even though they get multiple episodes of characterisation,
they are no where near as interesting as some of the characters you
meet in the first half. And you only spend one episode with most of
them. This lack of focus is really the main problem I have with the
series. I mean the premise lends itself to some pretty weighty
topics, and the series is at it's best when the focus is on exploring
that, rather than just using it as another magguffin to advance a
plot.
On
a more positive note, one of the most unique bits about the series is
it's art. Anyone familiar with Masaaki
Yuasa will know that his work has a very distinctive look to it.
It's like a combination of Osamu Tenzuka and the underground American
comic artist Robert crumb, it has that slightly disney-esque tinge to
the main characters with a rough edge to it.
Of
particular note are the opening and ending sequences, which are some
of the best I've ever seen. They are a perfect mix of sight and sound
which produces something ethereal and beautiful. Uplifting and
bittersweet.
The soundtrack is almost exclusively electronica, from fast paced dance music to more melancholic vocal tracks. The songs always do a good job of reinforcing the mood of the scene and it also pretty good on it's own merits.
The soundtrack is almost exclusively electronica, from fast paced dance music to more melancholic vocal tracks. The songs always do a good job of reinforcing the mood of the scene and it also pretty good on it's own merits.
In the end, Kaiba is
one of my favourite series, despite the fact that I only really like
7/13 parts of it. The series had really great potential, and while it
has some really great highs the second half makes it hard for me to
whole heartedly recommend it.
If I had the ability
to remove my memories of the second half, leaving only the good
memories, would I?
No, as I can appreciate it for what it tried to be. A show that aimed high and failed is still better than a show that just went for “good enough”.
In the end, all we really have is our memories.
Sexy sexy memories.
No, as I can appreciate it for what it tried to be. A show that aimed high and failed is still better than a show that just went for “good enough”.
In the end, all we really have is our memories.
Sexy sexy memories.