I'm not much for violent anime, but the sleeper hit of the season for me is the unheralded Madhouse show Kurozuka. Even if you aren't into bloodbaths, this show just grabs your attention and runs with it. Give it a try.I'm not sure what genre this might fit into. Maybe it's a genre of its own: vampire historical science-fiction bloodbath erotic romance. It's from a popular manga that I just couldn't make head nor tail of, but director-writer Araki Tetsurou has fashioned the story into a gripping anime. Araki-san was the director of Death Note, and he has brought back Paku Romi and Miyano Mamoru as the leads. They are both terrific, but Paku-san is just brilliant. Absolutely riveting.Add Nakata Jouji, Fujiwara Keiji, Kuwashima Houko, Miki Shinichirou, Ohkawa Tohru, and Irino Miyu, and you've got one heck of a cast. I won't say much. I don't want to spoil the plot for you. And there's a lot of plot. Suffice it to say that the setting has changed in each of the first three episodes, so don't expect anything to last. Whatever the case, it's a beautiful show. The dark backgrounds are gorgeous. The animation is the rough perfection that Madhouse can provide. The overall feeling is lush, sensual, romantic, dark. Gore and flying limbs abound. Animation director Shino Masanori did Black Lagoon. The pics here are a selection from episodes one and two, just to whet -- or perhaps dampen, lol -- your appetite. For more info, check ANN. The show doesn't even have a proper official site. Here is its Animax introduction page. I think what got me onside with this show from the beginning is the fact that every episode is prefaced with a brief Noh recitation and dance. And the OP (YouTube), by Wagdog Futuristic Unity (basically Maximum the Hormone) is a great driving punk shout that really gets your blood moving. The ED (YouTube) by Shigi is beautiful and beautifully sung.Search "Kurozuka" on YouTube to see streamed versions of the episodes themselves.
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