Product Details

• Actors: Eric Vale, Trina Nishimura, Jerry Russell, Paul Slavens
• Directors: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
• Format: NTSC, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Language: English, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Funimation Prod
• DVD Release Date: August 17, 2010
• Run Time: 288 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003NE8B2O
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,207 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In the wake of a devastating plague known as the Ruin, Casshern – a cybernetic assassin with no memory of his past – must fight to save a civilization he pushed to the brink of destruction. He hunts the one they call Braiking Boss, the robotic overlord who ordered Casshern to serve as the executioner of Luna: bringer of salvation. Surrounded by dying eyes that look upon him with fear and disgust, Casshern walks the wasteland of his own creation, driven to destroy Braiking Boss and remind Luna of her duty. Should she fail to heed his warning, Casshern must assume the specter of death in order to salvage what little beauty remains in a ruined world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thankfully, everything was done right., August 29, 2010

By 

Ryan T. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casshern Sins: Part 2 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

NOTE: This review was copied and pasted from the product page of "Casshern Sins: Part 1," since this is Part 2 of the same anime.

I like Casshern, I really do. But around my area it seems like I'm the only one who's ever heard of this series. I'll give a very brief rundown of the origin of this franchise:

Shinzo Ningen Kyashan, or translated as Neo-Human Casshan, was an anime series created by animation studio Tatsunoko Productions in 1973. This series was never localized since the Japanese super-hero genre was never really that popular here in America. Years later in 2003, the OVA (titled "Robot Hunter Casshan") was subtitled and released on two DVDs (both of which you can find here on Amazon, at the time of this review of course). In 2007, the live-action version was re-cut, subtitled and officially released by Dreamworks here in America, titled "Casshern." In early 2010, Casshan made an appearance as a playable character in the fighting game "Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom" for the Nintendo Wii. I'm really not sure what's going on with the translation of this character's name; they just can't seem to decide which one to use. But anyway, just know that "Casshan" and "Casshern" are the same character.

Now it's mid-2010 (again, at time of this review), and here we have Casshern Sins. Suffice it to say, FUNimation did a fantastic job of localizing this great anime. If you've never seen it before, you don't need to know any of Casshern's back-story to get into it, but I think it's a lot more fulfilling if you do watch the other Casshern material. I won't go into the story, since that would make this review more lengthy than it already is and that's something you can probably find anywhere on the internet, but rest assured that it's one you won't soon forget. All of the English voice actors sound nearly identical to their Japanese counterparts. There are a few misses if you compare it to the Japanese version, but these differences are negligible. The script was also well translated, and I feel it isn't watered down for U.S. audiences, which can be the case for some translated animes. Also, from what I've noticed, no violence, language or any scenes were cut out from the original, which is greatly appreciated for any kind of fan for anime.

*IN SHORT: If you are a fan of Casshern, or have seen the original Japanese version of this anime, this is well worth the investment. If you've never heard of this franchise or anime, you owe it to yourself to pick this up and experience a story you won't soon forget.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Anime, February 17, 2011

By 

Brenden Ryan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casshern Sins: Part Two (DVD)

This is the second half of the Casshan reboot. Casshern Sins part 2 starts pulling back the viel of unkowns from the first half of the series and closes out very well. The voice acting (including the english dubbing) is good and has some great music to go along with it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for softies... unless you're a masochist, January 22, 2011

By 

Justin Heng "Draconis March" (Blair, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casshern Sins: Part 2 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

First of all, I'd just like to say: DO NOT TAKE MY MERE 3-STAR RATING FOR FACE VALUE. If I didn't hate the ending so much, this would've easily been a 5.

I'm going to divide this review into two parts. The first is a generic, spoiler-free review to try to sell this to you. The second is going to be a spoiler-heavy reflection of my thoughts and emotions. You should only read it if you've either seen it already, haven't seen it but don't plan on buying it (I hope this isn't you), or don't care about massive spoilers. Don't worry; I'll warn you when the transition occurs.

Okay, so first of all, the voice acting is phenomenal (I listen in English). The actors did a top-of-the-line job, and were one of the things that helped make me really FEEL for the characters. One of the best examples are the times when Casshern cries out in emotional agony. The parts of physical pain are pretty good too, but the emotional agony parts are obviously much heavier. The only problem is that sometimes, the lines just could've been better.

The music is incredible and beautiful. It does an amazing job setting/fitting the mood for certain scenes. My favorite is the song that Janice sings that is repeated a few times later in the series. It WILL make softies cry. The only gripe I have with the music is that the intro(/theme) song is simply out of place: It's way too upbeat, energetic, and happy for the series it represents. The outro songs do not have this problem, however; the one for the first half is particularly good.

The animation style is awesome. It is SO much better than the s***ty, lazy garbage most anime is. The characters are GORGEOUSLY well-done, and the flowers are breathtaking. (You'll know what I mean when you see them.) The scenery and landscaping is perfect. One of the best aspects of the animation in the series is how perfectly done the facial expressions of the characters are--specifically Lyuze (probably my favorite character in the series). Whenever you see her face, you can tell EXACTLY how she's feeling.

Now that the basic face-value stuff is out of the way, on to the story itself. The story is beautifully written, and has a very interesting plot. You can't use the term "emotional roller coaster ride" unless you specify that the roller coaster seems to like hugging the ground. Make no mistake--this series tends to be extremely sad and depressing; although usually, through these sad and emotional scenes, they're trying to make a point. Prime example: The whole friggin' series itself is bittersweet, but through it all--through the pain, loss, and ever-present death--makes the overarching moral point to live life to the fullest.

The emotional involvement and character development are, in my opinion, the two strongest aspects of the series. The series will tug at your heart strings, yes, but sometimes, it feels as though it's just trying to rip them out of your chest. And the happy moments--though less frequent than the sad--are beautiful as well. Obviously, I'm emphasizing the fact that this is a darker series. If you can't live with that (I hardly could) then I don't recommend it.

As for the character development, of course, Casshern's journey of self-discovery takes the cake. It's hard to really pin any of the characters as being one-dimensional (excluding the mindless automatons) unless I take a more cynical eye. One of the reasons the character development is so good is that most of them offer deep philosophical views for you to consider. And Lyuze's developing relationship with Casshern is beautiful.

Some other random points. There are many scenes where Casshern is fighting a horde of robots who are exactly what many people think of when they think of the word: single-minded, blood-thirsty, mindless automatons. Sometimes, he's defending the weak and helpless. Others, because they think devouring him will grant them eternal life. But the rest is just completely random and pointless: I.E., all of a sudden, Casshern is surrounded by robots, and subsequently begins laying waste to them. The line from the song Gematria (The Killing Name) by Slipknot came to mind every time: "Life is just... a killing field. It's all that's left--nothing's real." And it's pretty much the summation of these scenes in lyrical form.

Without breaking my spoiler-free promise, all I can say about the ending is this: It is bittersweet, you will probably cry, and it leaves me feeling strangely unsatisfied/empty.

All in all, this is a superb anime. It is completely worth your time and money. Like I said, don't let my 3-star rating fool you. I just personally have some problems with it that I can't state without MASSIVE spoilers.

! ===( SPOILER ALERT ) === !

I hate how the series continuously introduces characters that are only there for one episode, then they either die, or are just forgotten. One of my biggest problems in this is Janice. She seemed like she could've been a very significant character for the series, right? Instead, the only part of her that lives past her one-episode-wonder is her song. However, I DO see the purpose each of them serves in teaching Casshern things about himself and about life, and vice versa.

I don't like how slowly the plot evolves in the first 12 episodes of the series. This is where most of the one-episode-wonders occur. Granted, there are various reasons for this which I can acknowledge, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Why does everyone blame Casshern for what he did? As though he just woke up one day and said, "Hmmm... I feel like murdering Luna today." He was only following Braiking Boss' orders, which was what he was made to do. It's not like he had a choice.

Dio is a vain, pathetic thing whose only "purpose" in life is is meaningless and stupid. I actually felt a great deal of pity and sympathy for Leda at the end, even though she was selfish and cold-hearted, she remained loyal to Dio until the end. Casshern should've killed Braiking Boss as soon as he realized it was him. Why did Miko have to die? ='(

Luna's whole character pisses me off. She ends up being a complete and total vain b**** with selfish intentions and an outright evil soul. Why everyone was so sad she died is beyond me. She wouldn't even save Dune simply because he "reeked of death". I wish that when Casshern "killed" her, she actually DIED instead of ruining the world in exchange for rebirth. (But then again, that would mean the series would be pointless.) I wish that Casshern would've at least killed her at the end, and put an end to her precious immortality.

Which is just part of my biggest problem with the series: the end. It's impossible to tell just WHO is really still alive. Are there even enough humans to procreate and rebuild? Did the Ruin ever truly stop? What happened to Janice? What happened to Casshern? (I hate the whole "Casshern was never seen again" thing.) There are just too many unanswered questions and next to zero closure. And finally: LYUZE DIED! >='( Oh how I wish she could have been saved... The love story between her and Casshern was just too beautiful. I would've loved this story sooooo much more if only she could've lived on forever with Casshern. What I REALLY would've loved is for her to gain the ability to procreate like Casshern and Leda. =) I hate bittersweet endings... with all the depression in this series, the least they could give us is a SOMEWHAT happy ending. I don't even know if what it is could qualify as bittersweet; maybe it's just "bitter." What else would he have to live for now, anyways? Life would be extremely boring and lonely.

Damn, I'm a sucker for anime love stories.