The 2008-2009 lineup has a bonafide winner in Casshern Sins, the latest entry in
the long running Casshern franchise. While I must admit that I have only a
passing familiarity with the franchise, only having seen the flawed technical masterpiece Casshern (2004), so I went into this show with a bit of
trepidation. They mostly retain the titular character's tried and true design
which looked a bit hokey to me. However, a few minutes into the first episode I
was hooked. The show opens with Casshern as an amnesiac hero, which admittedly
is a bit of an overused plot device but here works perfectly. Casshern awakes
in a post apocalyptic planet, and for reasons yet to be revealed he himself
seems to be the cause of the world's destruction. This doesn't exactly endure
him to the remaining inhabitants, cleverly designed robots (so far) who want to
take out their vengeance on Casshern. The series makes the interesting choice
to show his destructive side early on, leaving little doubt that he could have
been responsible for so much anarchy. Besides seeking vengeance some robots
seek Casshern because of a legend which proclaims that they can achieve
immortality by consuming him. In this world robots have a death sentence called
the Ruin which they all fear as obsessively as humans fear death. By episode 2
the show actually achieves some genuine poignancy by having Casshern travels to
a town where some robots have gathered because they want to accept their ruin
and pass gently into that good night. In the next two episodes Casshern meets
with more interesting characters all with their own quirks and unique points of
view.
The art for the show is slightly minimalist which works well with the idea of a
planet on the verge of the abyss. The animation is fast and fluid and the music
is passable if not exactly memorable. The character designs are very creative
and so far the main characters are very distinctive both in design and
personality. What really works for me is the writing which presents as the hero
a variation of the angsty anime hero, but so far making no heavy handed
attempts to make him likeable. He does some very objectionable acts in these
first episodes and while there are questions as to motivation and free will,
the events do not lend themselves to a neat conclusion, and I hope that they do
not provide one. To paraphrase John Cassavettes, drama is about life and death,
everything else is comedy. Casshern is drama. It is violent and laden with
heavy philosophical questions, so this one isn't for those seeking escapist
fare. But for those looking for a superhero drama with fast action and
something on its mind, Casshern can't be beat and I highly look forward to
finish this series.
