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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-See for Musicians, August 3, 2010
This review is from: The Legend of Black Heaven - Boxed Set (DVD)
Yes, you've probably seen the Macross series, and you probably are having a hard time getting excited about another series where aliens need Earth music to save the world. Here's why you should watch this anyway.
The themes in this series will resonate with musicians of all sorts. Instead of the cute idol singers from Macross, we have Oji Tanaka, an unhappy thirty-something middle-management schlub, and very much an unremarkable everyman. He copes with his dead-end job and joyless family life by reminiscing about his days fronting a short-lived but wildly popular metal band. When Layla Yuki invites him to play for her in a strange "nightclub" (actually an alien battleship) Oji's world is set on its ear.
As the crew of the ship try to operationalize music and its power for the purpose of fueling their superweapon, they touch on interesting themes, such as the strange ability of music and the people who produce it to attract and move others, the role of rock as a vehicle for self-expression and validation, the importance of emotional investment versus technical showmanship, and the sheer crazy joy of making music in general, solo or with a group. Oji's struggle to balance his rekindled passion for music and the aliens' demands on his time with his family life speak to the difficulties most any artist will come up against and the hard choices that have to be made in reconciling those spheres of existence and growing and changing as a person in a long-term relationship.
This anime is pretty unique in that it focuses on a mostly middle-aged cast of characters, with home and work environments and social situations that are quite realistic for urban Japan in the 1990s. If I made that all sound academic and unexciting, it's not. It also has a fair share of goofiness and hilarity intermixed with the more serious storytelling.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Black Heaven, March 28, 2009
This review is from: The Legend of Black Heaven - Boxed Set (DVD)
The series is too short, is my only complaint. Like one other reviewer stated, it need's to be fleshed out.
Really like the opening music of this series, and the very last song, in ep 13.
Not particularly into rock or anything, but this series does okay with that theme.
Well worth the money if you like anime series that move the heart.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome series, February 14, 2005
This review is from: The Legend of Black Heaven - Boxed Set (DVD)
Whether you're an avid anime fan or total metal head, you'll love this series.
It follows the tale of a middle aged guy named Oji who used to be in a huge metal band called "Black Heaven", but the band came apart, and he lives a normal, middle-class life. However, one day, a woman at work talks to him, showing some interest. She later informs him about her being part of an alien race that is at war and needs the sound of his music to help them fight.
Also, if you're a huge fan of Michael Schenker, than you'll have to pick this up! I urge you to buy this.
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