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KURAU PHANTOM MEMORY: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS (VOL. 1) [ADVANCE REVIEW] |
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Saturday, 24 March 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | ADV FILMS | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL FRAME | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH DD 5.1 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV 14 | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/10/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/25/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | ROMMEL SALANDANAN |
In an era where humans have created a perfect society, a tomboyish innocent young girl's life will change as she watches her father's high-profile experiment for a new energy source go awry and release a binary entity deep within the micro-space of an atom. One of the Rynax, as it is called, touches the girl's body and was decomposed and reconstructed to form a new life form called Ryna sapiens. As the girl now shares her conscience with an alien life form, her body also becomes a vessel for the other entity as it recuperates from its weakened state.
Ten years later, having superhuman ability Kurau becomes the perfect mercenary "agent," a high paying yet stable job where agents take on cases that the local authorities cannot handle. As an agent, she manages to keep a low profile while she uses her powers in secrecy and to her advantage, but her ability to resolve cases precedes her. On the other hand, her life as a whole is incomplete as she is forced to live separate from her father without any contact, and as she waits for her other half to be born from within her.
The day her other half finally emerges from her body, Kurau, filled with overwhelming joy, names her Christmas to describe the happiness she is feeling. Kurau treats her as if she were her younger sister, but it seems that she doesn't possess any Rynax powers. But all is not well, as Kurau is unaware that she is under the watchful eyes of a freelance investigator and the GPO (Global Police Organization), which has been investigating her for sometime now and are aware of the existence of other Ryna sapiens.
Now on the run, and making a mistake by using her powers out in the open to escape capture from the GPO, Kurau continues to take cases to make a living for both her and Christmas. While on a rescue mission, Kurau starts feeling fatigue, and barely has enough energy to defeat the mecha she is up against. But just after the battle, an energy sprouts out of her body and splits into two – one diminishes in thin air, and the other comes back to hit the pilot of the mecha.
Kurau Phantom Memory is full of intrigue as it starts off with great character development - a staple that was brought into the series by the creators of RahXephon and Full Metal Alchemist. The start also gives a foretaste that our heroes will always be on the run and going up against the GPO as they try to live a normal life. It somehow resembles the 80's TV series Star Man, where an alien father and his earthling son are always on the run from the FBI. But unlike Star Man, the series holds promise as it add some mysteries: why is the GPO aware of the existence of the Rynax? Who is the freelance investigator, and what is his purpose? Does Christmas have the ability of the Rynax, and why does Kurau suddenly feel weak? How will her current state affect her in future episodes? While the start of the series doesn't lack mystery, the story paces itself nicely as it balances mystery with great action sequences, and throws in emotionally touching scenes throughout its progression.
The series also comes with great character and mecha design, and the overall animation is simple and clean. The soundtrack is engaging to the scenes and action that it accompanies, while the clean and closing theme songs feature soothing music to start and end the show.
EXTRAS:
The Extras comes with Clean Opening and Closing Animation, Key Words to describe and explain some of the concepts in the series, a 7:15 second production artwork, Japanese promotional videos, ADV Previews with the first preview of Ah! My Goddess: Everyone Has Wings and DVD Credits. The Clean Opening comes with the seven minute introduction of the first episode.
IN SUMMARY:
A clever and engaging series about two alien girls on the run, where the story is further elevated by intriguing plot development. Kurau Phantom Memory is a series that will stay in your memory for a long time. |
