Quick Stats
Title:  Kurozuka
Directed by: Tetsuro Saraki (Death Note, Black Lagoon)
Total # eps:  12; 8 currently subbed
Opening Theme:  “Systematic People” – Wagdug Futuristic Unity feat. Maximum the Hormone
Ending Theme:  “Hanarebanare“ – Shigi
Genres:  action, horror, dark romance
Fansubbing:  Ureshii, gg, anistash, osu

The Story
Plot Summary: Kuro, a 12th-century man, flees into the mountains after losing to his brother, where he meets a strange, beautiful woman named Kuromitsu. Kuro falls in love with Kuromitsu but realizes she conceals a dark secret. She is unable to die and continues to live for thousands of years as Japan evolves into a future society. Courtesy of Anime News Network.

What dj thinks:  vampire+samurai+hot woman who can’t die+monsters = pretty cool, yet cliché

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a review, so I thought that I would jump into one of the newer ones out there.  Get ready for this series kids, cause you’ll be saying “FTW?” a lot. XP

Storyline
Ok.  The storyline…  Well, it starts out pretty basic.  A guy meets a vampire in the forest, and they somehow fall in love.  That’s as simple as it’s going to get, because after that, things go all over the place.  The one thing I will mention about this series is that if you plan to pick it up, don’t try to understand the first couple of episodes.  Just watch it.  First of all, the setup for each episode is similar to a Japanese Noh play.  It adds a strange, yet eerie intro, and I think it works in setting the “stage” for each ep.  Next, for the first 3-4 eps, it’s going to feel like something out of a pulp fiction novel.  The storylines are disjointed, confusing, and provide no flow whatsoever.  You’ll start to feel as if the fansubbers messed up and released the eps in the wrong order.  In a nutshell, it’s confusing as hell.  HOWEVER, there’s a really good reason for this.  Given that the series is only 12 eps long, I can’t really go into detail without spoiling it.   BUT, the fact that the eps seem so random to the point that you feel lost, allows the viewer to associate with the main character and his situation.   It’s a pretty nice effect, and I think it works.   Just remember that if/when you watch this, keep in mind that every episode ties into each other.  You just won’t see it right away.

Characters/Animation & Design
The anime has a combination of both CG and traditional animation.  A good job was done in blending to the 2 together to create some really nice scenes.  The artwork and backgrounds are for the most part dark, drab, and grungy.  This is contrasted by some really bright and flashy action sequences (ep. 6 fight scene at the end is my fav).  Action is really fast paced and is very reminiscent of scenes from the movie “Ninja Scroll”.  Also, the main character Kuro likes to yell……a lot..to the point where you start to say “he’s gonna scream again..”.  Lol.  There’s also a fair amount of head rolling, arms being chopped of, and the occasional spray of blood that shoots about 7 feet high in the air (ala Takashi Miike).  All in all, there’s a lot of dynamics in the scene, at it’s plenty of fun to watch.

As for the characters, well, there’s not that much dynamic to them.  The story focuses on the main character, Kuro, and his girl, Kuromitsu.  Everyone else is either a support character or badguy.  Unfortunately, to me, the makes the story fairly shallow, but can be understood considering the length of the series.

Closing Comments
I can’t really go into to much detail without spoiling this anime, but I can honestly say that if you can deal with the “WTF” moments of the first couple of episodes, it’s not to shabby.  Eventually, the plot does start to make more sense.  The action sequences are really fast and flashy.  I have to admit, if it wasn’t for one of the members on the forum, I would have tuned out of this one.  It’s not an epic anime, but, it’s a great show to sit down with if you not in the mood to watch 200+ eps of bleach, and if you want to see some heads get sliced off.

Story: 3.5
Visuals/Animation: 4
Entertainment Value: 4
Characters: 3.5
Music: N/A
Overall: 3.7

Next time: Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Freedom” OVA