Customer Reviews

Arjuna, Vol. 1: Rebirth

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, "Arjuna" was created by Shoji Kawamori of "Escaflowne" and "Macross" fame. This series is definitely on par with those two masterpieces. Animation, character designs, voices (even the dub), music (two words: Yoko Kanno!) and story are all as amazing as Kawamori's other work, but that is where the comparison ends for the most part. Further, Arjuna's story is unique, with a intricate, yet not convuluted depth rare in anime. In short, it makes you really think about the subject matter it explores. Rather than just throwing out abstract ideals, Arjuna really examines a less common point-of-view about nature, as well as human nature. Finally, the perspective is offered from a 15-year-old girl as she searches for her identity and faces a lot of very normal stuff along with the supernatural, magical-girl adventure.

I recommend this series for fans of Kawamori, those who love beautiful animation, those who like great character relationship development or anyone who wants to really stop and think about the man vs. nature conflict. Its not a stereotypical shoujo, magical-girl, mushy plot at all, in fact, its a refreshing mix of top-notch animation and music with introspection. The DVD release is well done with nice extras and very good A/V. The soundtrack is a typical Kanno masterpiece too!

It starts out with this ordinary highschool archery student named Juna, and her boyfriend Tokio. At the start of the movie, Juna is feeling bumed that she didn't do well in the archery contest, buckling under pressure. Her boyfriend decides to cheer her up, and wishes to take her to "a real coast," to see the sunset.
What is meant by "a real coast" is due to the fact, that where they live, the ocean water is so unhealthy and dirty. So Tokio takes her on his bike to the ocean. But this is where things take a turn for the worst. The bike hits some distortion in the road, and Juna is flung off the bike and begins fighting for her life.
She sees herself dying on a hospital bed, and her boyfriend praying that she lives.
It it at this point she recieves a vision, where she becomes the sole witness to the destruction of earth, and everything on it, by this evil life form called the Rajah. It is here that Juna is given a second chance at life, under the condition that she becomes the Avatar of Time, and wields the powers of the Earth.

Anime (as film) is a work of art that tells a story. As we all learn with age, there is an infinite variety of ways in which a story can be told. Remember that an animation artist struggles to be creative and to convey his, or her, ideas in the most captivating manner. An artist does not deliberately negotiate his work with the intent of producing an unappealing result in the end. There is a lot of personal effort that goes into the act of creation. Arjuna happens to be one of the best combinations of story and creative animation. The entire series deserves six stars!

This anime is one of the best "serious" movies I've ever seen. I'm usually in into action/comedy type of anime but this takes the cake. I'll give a short synopsis since everybody else whose written a review gave one already. So, I'll just give you my opinions and what I liked about the anime.
If you seen Macross or Escaflowne, this movie is similiar in terms of how the audience would react to it because it is a great emotional tugger. However, unlike the other two anime MOVIES (series), this one is a lot longer in terms that it is an anime series and it develops the characters a little more than Macross and Macross Plus.
I guess many people can identify themselves with Juna. The director portrays her as an ordinary girl (in the beginning until you are shown her potential) who just does things like everyone does, what they feel or like to do. However, her life is a routine even though she has a boyfriend. An event, her death, changes her life and she is "recruited" by an organization called S.E.E.D. and becomes the Avatar (incarnation or embodiment) of Earth. What is interesting is that she is though she is the Avatar of Earth, she is filled with the "impurities" that distorts her connection to it. The theme seems to be how humanity is "a plague" (not trying to steal from The Matrix) that causes these "demons" to appear to run rampant, destroying the Earth. I'd have to admit that the storyline is really well done in terms of character development and how it flows. Unlike Escaflowne the Movie, it doesn't jump around as much though you still get the urgency for her to become the Avatar.
Overall, this anime is great. The graphics are the same as Now and Then, Here and There and the fight scenes are pretty cool. Though they don't have guns blazing and all, it is still pretty cool. What I really liked was the music. It fits the mood and theme of the movie. I'd recommend this anime to add to your collection. I can't wait until the next set in the series comes out.

I was first introduced to Earth Girl Arjuna through my anime club, where I promptly fell in love with the gorgeous animation and compelling storyline. I soon realized that I was one of the only people there who was enjoying it.

The story of Arjuna is not one that everyone will take to - many people prefer not to be confronted with the realities of the world we live in, and the manner in which "Earth Girl Arjuna" uses to showcase the problems with society and the environment has been criticized as "preachy" and "too Captain Planet-esque" for many anime fans. I cannot disagree more.

The most eloquent review of Arjuna that I have ever read stated this: "Arjuna condemns no one... it is after all a 'cartoon' that's meant to entertain. However, it seems to ask the viewer to stop and consider one's place in the world and to deeply ponder the things that we do and why we do them." (Mark, The Black Moon)

Within Arjuna, fans of most genres will find something they like. Arjuna is a social commentary disguised as a 'magical girl' show, wherein an ordinary high school student is given fantastic powers. However, these newfound abilities come to Juna, the main character, with several unhappy effects: first, she has to die before she gets them, and once she has the ability to resonate with the Earth, she discovers that a normal life is no longer an option for her. Eating a fast food hamburger becomes a form of torture as Juna is forced to see and experience the process through which the meat was made; everywhere she goes, Juna is the only one who can see the giant worms called Raaja that are intricately connected to pollution and societal breakdown. Juna's family is not the happily clueless bunch so often seen; her newly divorced mother cannot accept Juna's new life and is breaking down because of it, her sister wants nothing to do with her, desiring only a typical teenage existance, and her father only shows up once in the entire series and has no idea how to handle his child.

As Juna learns to deal with her powers, her fledgling relationship with her best friend Tokio, and the great responsiblity thrust upon her by a mysterious organization called SEED, the viewer is shown scenes of heartbreaking beauty and disaster in a magnificent use of CG-animation. I never really felt that this series was slapping me over the head with a message: on the contrary, "Arjuna" expects you to walk away with your own moral, just as Juna is left to solve her problems on her own.

Do not pass this series up - one of the best to come out of Japan recently should not be missed.

I have only seen the first episode of Arjuna, as it was made available on a bandai promotional DVD given away at Otakon. Arjuna is a very compelling little story that although follows a different story line, reminds me very much of Escaflowne. Just like Escaflowne, Arjuna follows a struggling high school girl athlete as she takes a mysterious trip leading to what may hopefully become 26 episodes of Anime Goodness.

Sharp mix of computer animation coupled with the painted cell artwork. In fact, This is the first Anime I've seen with this much CG effect. Great music, the opening track sounds like a slow paced Yoko Kanno original (although it is not)

I am looking forward to the full release of Arjuna, I can only hope that Bandai rushes these out instead of torturing us with one volume every few months.

After reading less than stellar reviews about this dvd, the only reason I really picked it up was for the composer of the music, Yoko Kanno, the same genius behind the music of Cowboy Bebop. I figured she wouldn't lend her name to a project that was totally awful. I was pleasantly surprised, with some reservations, by Arjuna Volume 1.

Teenager Juna Ariyoshi and her boyfriend, Tokio, are riding his motorcycle to see a beautiful sunset when an accident kills Juna. While she is dead, a mysterious entity known as Chris offers her a deal. He promises to resurrect her in exchange for her becoming the Avatar of Time. You see, Earth has become infested with demons known as Raaja which in time will destroy our planet. It is Juna's task to purify the planet of these spirits in order to save mankind. She won't be alone. There is an organization named S.E.E.D dedicated to saving Earth who will back her up. She also has some weapons, such as a sacred bow, and a protecting spirit she can summon. She'll need him because the Raaja make Godzilla look like a midget. These first three episodes are mainly setup of the story with Arjuna's origin, her first battle, and her struggle to become the proctector of the earth. Struggle, because as is usual in these types of stories, Chris, supposedly her mentor, talks in riddles, and doesn't just come out and tell her everything. Add to this the fact that Tokio is at a loss as to what has happened to the person he loves.

I felt like the premise of exorcising spirits from the earth and the appearance of these wraithlike Raaja was very copycat-like of Final Fantasy:The Spirits Within. This wasn't helped by the fact that the Raaja are CG animated just like in FF. The CG of the monster looks very clumsy and out of place in the film.

There are some very beautiful scenes in these episodes. It had film quality animation except in the CG Raaja. The soundtrack, as expected, is great. Arjunas's costume takes a little to get used to, a little too Tinkerbell for me, but the series is very good about taking its time to develop her character. It does have a 5.1 Japanese along with
English sound. You can also isolate the score. You can also pick up all the volumes in one Arjuna complete collection set. Would've given it 4 stars except for the CG.

In this aptly titled CD, Juna Arioshi (Jun), a young woman who has awakened to an intense awareness of the natural world, finds that her new powers can solve nothing if she is not settled within herself. She is named after one of the great archers of Indian mythology, and like him is caught in the tension between the need to fight and the need to bring peace.

The ecological focus of the series continues, but at a somewhat lower pitch and the first DVDs. It is still one of the driving themes, but lectures are fewer. Instead, the plot and characters step into the foreground to get the message across. In this DVD Jun discovers that her sister is pregnant and seeking an abortion. This puts Jun in great conflict, and triggers the theme of the effect of ecological abuse on unborn children. She discovers one of her co-workers at S.E.E.D. has had to pay a terrible price for human indulgence.

Much of the story is concerned with the relationship between Jun and Tokio, her boyfriend. As in the DVD, Jun's new sensitivities and responsibilities interfere with their level of communication. In addition, Tokio is troubled by how little he has to offer the magically empowered Jun. Even though they try repeatedly to heal the rift that is growing between them, happiness eludes them. Nor is this helped by Jun's erstwhile friend Sayuri, who is trying to capture Tokio's attention for herself.

With all this going on, the core story line - fight against the wasting of the world seems to step into the background. But that is illusory. First we find that the plant where Tokio's estranged father works is about to release a deadly mutated virus into the environment, then Jun must fly to New York City to fight a Raaja. Finally, Tokyo finds itself on the brink of destruction.

This set of episodes is far better balanced than those of the first two DVDs. Characters develop and deepen as Jun comes to understand the motivations of those around her. The plot also moves along at a better clip as sub-themes begin to weave together into a strong story. And the ecological focus integrates better with everything else. It is unfortunate that it took 11 episodes to get here, but the viewer will find the overall effect is compelling rather than pedantic. I think the viewer who is looking for more than a mindless tale of monster slaughter will find Arjuna a satisfying series.

For anyone who loves the environment (and is into anime, of course) this is a wonderful anime, simply because it does make the veiwer aware of the faults of our modern day world - sort of an environmental epiphany.

But as well as having the nice message, the musical score is simply amazing (well, what can one expect from the same person who did escaflwone and macross plus), and teh animation is skillfully blended adn detailed cg, with teh essential simplistic shading of tradtional anime.

THere is also enough interminglign of relationships to satisfy us shoujo fans.

After watching the first and second disk of Arjuna, I couldn't help but earger to count the number of days left until the releasing of the thrid Arjuna disk. This animation is among one of the best anime series I have ever seen.
Its unique theme, characters and story draws me deeply into the Arjuna universe. The relationship between the characters is really detailed. I recommand this animation to everyone above 13 :p.