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Karas: the Prophecy (2005) is the first installment in an OVA marking the 40th anniversary of Tatsunko Productions, the studio that made Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Generator Gawl. Karas was obviously a big-budget production, and the English dub features Jay Hernandez, Matthew Lillard, and Piper Perabo. Karas ("The Crow") is the guardian spirit of Tokyo, but the city is thrown into disarray when Eko, a former Karas, returns and attempts to seize power. Yurine, an entity who embodies the will of the people, summons Nue, a sort of Karas-in-training, to defeat Eko. The two-part fantasy saga borrows from numerous animated and live-action sources, including Ghost in the Shell II, Demon City Shinjuku, Spider-Man, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Action fans may enjoy the aerial combats, sword fights between armored foes, 2-D/3-D transformations, explosions, monster attacks, and car chases, but director Keiichi Sato's nervous camerawork and choppy cutting rob what should be show-stopping scenes of their punch. Although highly anticipated, Karas is an overproduced mess. (Unrated, suitable for ages 17 and older: graphic violence, grotesque imagery, profanity, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Stills from Karas: The Prophecy (click for larger image)
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:DVD
Imagine if every city chose a special champion to defeat monstrous mechanical demons -- becoming the armored superhuman known as Karas.
That's the concept behind "Karas - The Prophecy," the first half of a sprawling, lushly animated series about a mystery hero who spans the worlds of demons and humans. The rather underdeveloped characters hamper the story somewhat, but the scintillating animation and explosive action sequences make this a brilliant experience -- and the twisty-turny plot doesn't hurt either.
Two black-armored men engage in an explosive aerial battle, until ex-Karas Eko triumphs over his successor. Three years later, a young doctor named Otoha awakens in an enchanted house, under the command of the city's avatar Yurine.
At around this time, Tokyo is being attacked by the gruesome cyborg demons called Mikura, and harmless small demons are falling seriously ill. Otoha -- the new Karas -- is charged to destroy the Mikura, who are also being hunted by the mysterious superhuman Nue, and investigated by demon-obsessed cop Sagisaki and his skeptical partner Kure.
But Eko has a plan in mind for defeating this new Karas and getting ahold of Yurine. When a battle between Otoha and the Mikura takes a nasty turn, Nue's true nature is finally revealed -- and when the Karas is called on to defeat a gruesome spider-Mikura, Eko takes the opportunity to target the source of Otoha's power... and his life as well.
"Karas - The Prophecy" is a bit of a brain-teaser -- several parts of it (including the first several scenes) don't make any sense until you see all of it. And there are three subplots which seem only mildly connected to each other. Then you go back and watch again, and suddenly all the little hints and disjointed puzzle pieces snap neatly into place.
Fortunately the twisting plot is riddled with moments of quiet beauty (Otoha tending to the sickly demons), humour (Nue chatting with an adorable little snail-child), and poignancy (the whole story about Sagisaka's mentally-ill daughter). And there's plenty of horror speckling the story, especially the Mikura with their glowing eyes and metallic roars. The height of freakiness is undoubtedly a girl dessicating into a mummy as she talks to her friend.
But what truly sets "Karas - the Prophecy" apart is the action and animation. Every fight with a Mikura is a kinetic, razor-sharp mingling of swordplay and acrobatics, full of bloody spiderwebs and water attacks. And the animation is simply stunning -- everything is depicted realistically, but with exquisitely glowing colours, deep soft shadows and lots of brilliant little details. For example: the spiky raven armor, the blinking Karas talisman, and the vast epic sweeps across a snow-covered Tokyo.
Unfortunately "Karas - The Prophecy is recognizably the first half of a story. Not only does it end on a massive cliffhanger, but some of the characters feel... unfinished, as though their development is yet to come.
Otoha is one of these -- he's a nice guy with a good heart, but he's something of a blank until the last scenes, though Stan Staley is brilliant here. Eko gives off a feeling of ennui and bitterness as a Karas-turned-supernatural-mob-boss, which is somewhat dampened by Matthew Lillard's lifeless performance. But Nue is a brilliant piece of work -- a monstrous, unnatural creature struggling to overcome his base self.
"Karas - The Prophecy" is obviously the first half of a whole, but it's a brilliant half -- richly animated and haunting. And it leaves you hungry for the second part.
That's the concept behind "Karas - The Prophecy," the first half of a sprawling, lushly animated series about a mystery hero who spans the worlds of demons and humans. The rather underdeveloped characters hamper the story somewhat, but the scintillating animation and explosive action sequences make this a brilliant experience -- and the twisty-turny plot doesn't hurt either.
Two black-armored men engage in an explosive aerial battle, until ex-Karas Eko triumphs over his successor. Three years later, a young doctor named Otoha awakens in an enchanted house, under the command of the city's avatar Yurine.
At around this time, Tokyo is being attacked by the gruesome cyborg demons called Mikura, and harmless small demons are falling seriously ill. Otoha -- the new Karas -- is charged to destroy the Mikura, who are also being hunted by the mysterious superhuman Nue, and investigated by demon-obsessed cop Sagisaki and his skeptical partner Kure.
But Eko has a plan in mind for defeating this new Karas and getting ahold of Yurine. When a battle between Otoha and the Mikura takes a nasty turn, Nue's true nature is finally revealed -- and when the Karas is called on to defeat a gruesome spider-Mikura, Eko takes the opportunity to target the source of Otoha's power... and his life as well.
"Karas - The Prophecy" is a bit of a brain-teaser -- several parts of it (including the first several scenes) don't make any sense until you see all of it. And there are three subplots which seem only mildly connected to each other. Then you go back and watch again, and suddenly all the little hints and disjointed puzzle pieces snap neatly into place.
Fortunately the twisting plot is riddled with moments of quiet beauty (Otoha tending to the sickly demons), humour (Nue chatting with an adorable little snail-child), and poignancy (the whole story about Sagisaka's mentally-ill daughter). And there's plenty of horror speckling the story, especially the Mikura with their glowing eyes and metallic roars. The height of freakiness is undoubtedly a girl dessicating into a mummy as she talks to her friend.
But what truly sets "Karas - the Prophecy" apart is the action and animation. Every fight with a Mikura is a kinetic, razor-sharp mingling of swordplay and acrobatics, full of bloody spiderwebs and water attacks. And the animation is simply stunning -- everything is depicted realistically, but with exquisitely glowing colours, deep soft shadows and lots of brilliant little details. For example: the spiky raven armor, the blinking Karas talisman, and the vast epic sweeps across a snow-covered Tokyo.
Unfortunately "Karas - The Prophecy is recognizably the first half of a story. Not only does it end on a massive cliffhanger, but some of the characters feel... unfinished, as though their development is yet to come.
Otoha is one of these -- he's a nice guy with a good heart, but he's something of a blank until the last scenes, though Stan Staley is brilliant here. Eko gives off a feeling of ennui and bitterness as a Karas-turned-supernatural-mob-boss, which is somewhat dampened by Matthew Lillard's lifeless performance. But Nue is a brilliant piece of work -- a monstrous, unnatural creature struggling to overcome his base self.
"Karas - The Prophecy" is obviously the first half of a whole, but it's a brilliant half -- richly animated and haunting. And it leaves you hungry for the second part.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
61 reviews
29 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breakout of 2006
May 1 2006
By Antonio D. Paolucci
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even though this is only the first volume of a two part series, I'm sure that Karas is going to be one of the best, if not the best, anime of 2006. It has everything that all good anime have, including excellent animation, both 2D and 3D, which is blended in Karas so perfectly it's difficult to tell difference between the two; the music is good as well, with emotional tracks that highlight the intense, non-stop action; and of course their is the excellent voice-acting on both the English and Japanese tracks. The only thing I was unsure of was the story, that's because it wasn't yet finished.
From what I gained, though, it follows a Karas, a warrior capable of entering both the spiritual and physical world to do battle, who is thrust into a battle with a former Karas known as Eko, a man who is meddling in the two worlds of existence in Tokyo. Spirits are growing sick and humans are dying left and right. To make matters worse, monstrous, robotic demons known as Mikura are prowling the streets and Karas must put a stop to them in order to save the humans who are the Mikuras' food source.
Karas is somewhat of a cross between Blood (for it's dark settings), Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (for the crisp animation), and Kakurenbo (for the elements of horror). So for fans of the mentioned anime, this will definitely be an anime for you. What am I saying... Karas is an anime that really shouldn't be missed if you consider yourself a fan of anime. It has the power to stand right alongside Akira, Ninja Scroll, and Ghost in the Shell as anime's classics.
A quick note on the DVD: It's very cheap, as in inexpensive, yet it's loaded with special features, including a mini-comic book (not manga) with a special Karas adventure. You don't expect a DVD to have this much for so little, which only adds to the appeal of Karas.
From what I gained, though, it follows a Karas, a warrior capable of entering both the spiritual and physical world to do battle, who is thrust into a battle with a former Karas known as Eko, a man who is meddling in the two worlds of existence in Tokyo. Spirits are growing sick and humans are dying left and right. To make matters worse, monstrous, robotic demons known as Mikura are prowling the streets and Karas must put a stop to them in order to save the humans who are the Mikuras' food source.
Karas is somewhat of a cross between Blood (for it's dark settings), Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (for the crisp animation), and Kakurenbo (for the elements of horror). So for fans of the mentioned anime, this will definitely be an anime for you. What am I saying... Karas is an anime that really shouldn't be missed if you consider yourself a fan of anime. It has the power to stand right alongside Akira, Ninja Scroll, and Ghost in the Shell as anime's classics.
A quick note on the DVD: It's very cheap, as in inexpensive, yet it's loaded with special features, including a mini-comic book (not manga) with a special Karas adventure. You don't expect a DVD to have this much for so little, which only adds to the appeal of Karas.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
3 times through
July 29 2006
By Spencer K. Hudson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
After watching this one time through you will either think it was an awesome production of action and effects (geared towards those with a small attention span and thirst for raw action rather than a good story line) or that it is a complete mess. I admit that I enjoyed what I thought was mindless entertainment, but at the same time was left slightly disappointed with what I thought was a Hollywoodish Anime (not a good thing). However I was fortunate to see one OVA at a time, therefore I watched the first OVA about three times, the second two times and at last all three together (these three are what make up the contents of this DVD). So by the time I finished this first half of the story I pretty much understood it.
This DVD entails a complicated kaleidoscope of events that eventually jumble into a collage of a story. Honestly this is a very good anime with a very good story once you are able to breath it all in. It appears as a mess because the director throws everything at you almost at once; however I believe that is what he intends. As the story goes on the knots that make up the story untwine (OVA to OVA). So expect the first OVA to be the most complicated and confusing. but if you Read the summary first the story will make more sense the first time you watch it.
Finally, the animation and CG is second to none. It is an extremely beautiful anime.
Sooo, I highly recommend reading the summery on the back of the box first.
This DVD entails a complicated kaleidoscope of events that eventually jumble into a collage of a story. Honestly this is a very good anime with a very good story once you are able to breath it all in. It appears as a mess because the director throws everything at you almost at once; however I believe that is what he intends. As the story goes on the knots that make up the story untwine (OVA to OVA). So expect the first OVA to be the most complicated and confusing. but if you Read the summary first the story will make more sense the first time you watch it.
Finally, the animation and CG is second to none. It is an extremely beautiful anime.
Sooo, I highly recommend reading the summery on the back of the box first.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Forget Advent Children
Jun 1 2006
By Keonyn
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
What we have here is a highly underrated title with some truly impressive animation, music, voicing and an engaging story. I'll start with the story however as that is where this title gets most of its complaints. It is a complicated story that certainly isn't told in the clearest of fashions. Of course, it is still told and though it probably takes two viewings to really grasp the story it is all there clearly enough aside from the obvious factors that will show in the 2nd volume. It is a story that makes you to pick up on it rather than simply forcing itself on you and to really fully understand it I seriously recommend viewing it at least twice.
Now on to the animation, which is an amazing display of hybrid traditional/CGI animation which is put together very effectively. Neither type seems lower quality than the other, both the CGI and the standard 2D are very well done and have very fluid movements. The detail is quite impressive and the budget for this title really shows in the animation.
The music has a very cinematic and dramatic feel and is one of this titles strongest points. The voice acting is well done as well, both in English and in Japanese.
The latest big hit in the anime world has been Advent Children, but I must say honestly that I enjoy Karas so much more than Advent Children. The animation isn't quite as detailed in Karas but the movements seem a lot more real and organic and the action actually gives the illusion of action more effectively than anything in Advent Children did. The story, while a little difficult to pick up on at first, is a much more in depth and quality story than what Advent Children provides and while I will freely admit that not everyone may be able to "get it" from the start all the elements are there, you just need to pick up on them and it will take a few viewings to do so.
I highly recommend this one though, it's a very well done anime in every department and while the story isn't laid out for the viewer perfectly it is still all there regardless and just requires some perception to really get it. It's a relatively inexpensive title and it's worth every penny.
Now on to the animation, which is an amazing display of hybrid traditional/CGI animation which is put together very effectively. Neither type seems lower quality than the other, both the CGI and the standard 2D are very well done and have very fluid movements. The detail is quite impressive and the budget for this title really shows in the animation.
The music has a very cinematic and dramatic feel and is one of this titles strongest points. The voice acting is well done as well, both in English and in Japanese.
The latest big hit in the anime world has been Advent Children, but I must say honestly that I enjoy Karas so much more than Advent Children. The animation isn't quite as detailed in Karas but the movements seem a lot more real and organic and the action actually gives the illusion of action more effectively than anything in Advent Children did. The story, while a little difficult to pick up on at first, is a much more in depth and quality story than what Advent Children provides and while I will freely admit that not everyone may be able to "get it" from the start all the elements are there, you just need to pick up on them and it will take a few viewings to do so.
I highly recommend this one though, it's a very well done anime in every department and while the story isn't laid out for the viewer perfectly it is still all there regardless and just requires some perception to really get it. It's a relatively inexpensive title and it's worth every penny.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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