Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful art but the story can be confusing, January 30, 2008
To really understand Karas, you need to buy the whole set and both movies should be watched together. Otherwise, it just won't make a lot of sense. There were many times that I felt that I was missing something important, but by the end of the set most of my questions were answered. Despite that, I really enjoyed watching these movies. The art work was an amazing and a beautiful blend of 3D and 2D. The English voice acting is superb. Also, the fight scenes are incredible. The series opens with one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. It runs through the whole credits and really sets the tone of the two movies. You really get the feel that the Karas is otherworldly, not to mention really fast. There are times when the rest of the animation slows down and stops while the Karas is moving. It gives you the sense of immense speed and power.
This movie does contain adult language and a significant amount of blood. However, the gore level is not excessive and fits into the setting. Even when there was a lot of it, I got the feeling that it was supposed to be that way to add to the scene and not for the gross factor.
All in all, a good watch. Just pay attention to everything. Things will be unclear for a while, but eventually it makes sense...for the most part.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Box Set, October 28, 2007
I actually bumped into this box set this weekend. I like how they did the box design. They kept the two dvds in their original clamshells, but I only opened the 2nd one and didn't find any inserts (not sure if all are like that or if the separate dvd does have promotional materials).
The box set is definitely worth getting if you want to continue the widescreen experience in the second part.
The pacing of the story seems to be bit slower in some areas, and the sound isn't as fantastic as the first part. I just felt the music, pacing and sound was excellent especially in that hospital chase in the 1st one.
There was a change in cast, as Yurine is done by another voice actress, but although noticeable, she was still an excellent replacement. In a lot of ways I find the dub surpasses the original Japanese voice acting. For example in the first DVD I really love how they changed one of the characters with a creepy electronic voice.
You will get backstory into Otaha which is great, in the second DVD you'll learn more of what a Karas is. I'm very much hoping for a spinoff due to the potential of the series.
I think there are some drawbacks in the second part, such as the animation quality seemed to have dropped a bit. Example is when characters are doing attacks it looked like they forgot to render some backgrounds as they would in the first dvd.
I found the conclusion very fitting, and I'm definitely not upset at the ending. Otaha is an extremely interesting character.
I kinda wished they'd have more interaction with other characters like Nue and the Snail guy in the second part, but I was amused by the female character that accompanies the other Yurine.
I had thought about knocking this down a star, but in all honesty I find that the series is just an excellent addition to add to anyone's collection. The drawbacks are *extremely* minor. I found that their approach on mixing 3d with 2d elements of anime was just refreshing, they didn't bother making everything realistic and I found it worked just right, unlike the Final Fantasy Advent movie where it started looking cartoonish when they went through all the trouble of making something realistic and then added in cartoony moves on the characters.
Karas is an excellent animation to show to people at the very least in technical aspects that won't bore people like Ghost in the Shell may.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Work of Art, January 19, 2008
Yes, Karas is indeed a beautifully crafted piece of art. The animation is top class, seamlessly fusing CG and hand drawn animation. The story itself is nothing groundbreaking, but the action sequences will blow you away. The story starts at a fast pace, and may be a little confusing at first, but don't be discouraged and just go with it till the end as all will be revealed eventually. I was also hoping there would be more character. Perhaps 6 episodes is too short for such a task. Despite that the story is still engaging enough. So if you're thinking it's just another senseless action blockbuster, then you're sadly mistaken.
As a DVD package,it does not offer much extras. However considering the price, it is definitely still worth it. For anime fans, this is one you must have in your collection.
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