Customer Reviews

Moribito: Guardian of The Spirit Two Pack

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The fantasy anime "Moribito: Guardian of The Spirit" is based on the novel by Nahoko Uehashi. Although I did not read the original Japanese version of the book, nor did I see the series in Japanese as Karen Weiss did, I have been following it since it's TV debut here in the USA on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim (currently playing as part of the Saturday Night lineup, although it airs at 5:30am on Sunday mornings as of the date of this writing on October 27, 2008). I must say that so far, I agree with everything Karen wrote.

This is a truly spectacular piece of artwork that will feed your soul. The story (written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama) takes place in an unspecified country at a time when the Emperor was thought of as a God to his people, and so HONOR for the Imperial throne is paramount. The Emperor must do whatever it takes to protect his people and avoid any appearance of being connected with evil.

The story opens with the land in a period of drought, and the Emperor and his court of Star Readers are working feverishly to find a way to end the drought before it gets any worse and people begin to starve. And we learn that an Emperor is allowed to have multiple wives to be certain he can continue the family lineage. Each Empress and family, however, are housed in separate palaces of their own. The second Empress, in the second palace, has two sons, Crown Prince Zaku and Crown Prince Chagum. Prince Chagum is the younger one, and he has been having terrible nightmares. The Star Readers attribute Prince Chagum's nightmares to an Evil Water Demon possessing him.

Having a member of his royal family possessed by a Water Demon would bring shame on the Emperor. And more importantly, a Water Demon would certainly be the cause of the drought. And this was completely unacceptable in these times. But they could not just "kill" a Crown Prince, or people might ask questions and learn of the Water Demon.

And so the storyline goes like this: To keep his honor intact and to end the drought, the Emperor orders that his son (Crown Prince Chagum) be killed in an "accident" so no one would learn of the Water Demon issue. But after a few close-call accidents, the last of which an outsider from another land, Balsa the Spear wielding Bodyguard (our heroin), saves Prince Chagum. And it is at this point that Prince Chagum's mother, knowing that her son is marked for death by his own father, calls upon this outsider from their land who has already saved her son once. After determining Balsa is not just a bodyguard out to make money but a women of true honor, the Empress asks Balsa to take Prince Chagum and protect him for the rest of his life. They set a fire in the Prince's bed chamber to throw off suspicion.

But with no body, the fire doesn't fool anybody and the Emperor's court learns of the existence of the female spear wielding bodyguard and they suspect she has taken off with the Prince. A chase and some bloody battles ensue where we see Balsa's true nature, meet many of her friends and ally's, and learn more about the other characters that surrounded the Prince, the court and Balsa. With help, Balsa intends on helping Prince Chagum rid himself of the demon, but I won't tell you more or I would spoil the story.

The characters are well developed and the voice acting is very good. The music is upbeat (the opening theme is "SHINE", sung by L'Arc-en-Ciel, and this one is completely in English for the American audience) and the landscapes and scenery are breathtaking to behold. This is a great story, and it is really nice change to see an anime where a woman is the strongest character of the series.

I am looking forward to the complete DVD release here in America with great anticipation, as this is another one I want to add to my diverse collection.

By the way, this is my first review, so if you like it, please make certain you mark it as good so I will know to write more reviews. Keep reading and watching and have a great day!

Moribito: Guardian of The Spirit Two PackMoribito: Guardian of The Spirit (Collector's Edition)Moribito Vol 1: Guardian of The SpiritMoribito Vol 2: Guardian of The Spirit

Balsa, a female bodyguard for hire, saves young Prince Chagum from what appears to be a horrible accident. When it's revealed that the boy is possessed by a demon, and that his father, the Emperor, is trying to rid himself of the boy before his condition becomes known and undermines the divine Imperial authority, Balsa is tasked with Chagum's protection by the boy's mother, the Second Empress. She goes on the run to save Chagum's life, while enlisting the aid of two shamans to discover how to cure Chagum before it's too late...

Nothing is quite as it seems, and even the "bad guys" are acting from noble motivations, as it seems that the demon inside of Chagum may cause a horrible drought to descend over the kingdom, killing thousands in thirst and famine.

Gorgeous artwork, wonderful music, and well-rounded characters--"Serei no Moribito" is a delight from start to triumphant finish. After having watched this series during its initial broadcast run on Japanese TV, I can honestly say that this is the most beautiful, well-characterized, well-written, and emotionally satisfying anime series I've ever seen. I'm eagerly awaiting the North American release on DVD, so I can add this one to my "keeper shelf."

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is a refreshing change from typical anime fare. While it features a spear-weilding heroine, you'll see no overly-sexualized stereotypes here, and our heroine Balsa is refreshingly well-built and believable as a spear-wielder.

Protagonists are portrayed as tough yet compassionate, with real vulnerabilities and human foibles, while still avoiding the temptation of having them make obviously bad decisions to put them in harm's way, as so many reckless heroes of recent popular anime series seem to delight in. Likewise, the antagonists of the series are not portrayed as wantonly evil - they are simply carrying out regrettable tasks which they feel are necessary to save the kingdom. While magic is a seemingly common part of this world, the fights seen so far are very much grounded in reality. No superhero-like moves are seen in this volume, which helps in creating a somewhat deadly air of reality. Wounds received in battle are not simply ignored. They have a painful and lasting consequence, and this gives a real sense of mortality to the characters involved.

The art of Moribito is absolutely gorgeous, accompanied by a suitable soundtrack. The dub is also spot-on, with appropriately cast and well-acted roles throughout. I've not watched the subs yet, but I'll presume they're up to par as well. 3D CG animation is used sparingly but effectively.

The story moves along at a reasonable pace, but one certainly couldn't call it non-stop action. Younger viewers may not appreciate that the hero spends more time recovering from wounds received in combat than fighting off enemies, but if you give yourself a chance to slow down and enjoy a well-crafted story, you'll surely enjoy what this show has to offer.

As for myself, I eagerly look forward to viewing the rest of the series. With any luck, it will maintain these high standards going forward.

The DVDs included here is some of the best anime i've seen in awhile but at the same time i'm disappointed with Media Blasters/Anime Works marketing methods. Only 7 episodes total on 2 DVDs? What a rip-off when you consider The Twelve Kingdoms first 2 DVDs had 5 episode each. 7 episodes seems more like something ADV films would pull. To top it off, there will be 8 volumes instead of the usual 6... thus more money to spend on the series on longer for it to be completely out on the shelves. Shame on you media blasters.

I like to watch anime with my kids and just finished pre-viewing this set.
This is kid-friendly although very young children might find some situations frightening. There are violent action scenes, but little to no blood except seen as a consequence of fighting and the healing thereafter. Zero nudity/sexual situations and no foul language that I recall.

I am anxious to see more.

Just a gorgeous anime. Okay, pretend this isn't animated for a second (ignoring the fantastic background paintings and consistently well-rendered animations) it is an epic fantasy. There is some mature character development, and this series doesn't inject too much of that typical ADHD geek detail that some animes do (explaining in long run on sentences the complexity of some political maneuver, or intricacy of some technical device). I'll be so bold as say it's as good as a Kurasawa color film (Ran, Kagamusha), with some of the less whiny bits of Lord of the Rings thrown in. Some nice themes about the warrior spirit and overcoming adversity with integrity. Back to addressing the animation qualities: this doesn't have *any* of those spazzy cartoonish moments, as this series is firmly designed as if it were a film, like the Ghost In The Shell titles. The animation style, BTW, looks like the team that did Blood: the Last Vampire. At least 2 or 3 times per episode, I will make yummy sounds, admiring the background paintings.

I bought this first pack (disk 1&2) based on the Amazon reviews, and I was not disappointed. It was a Christmas gift for my wife, and we both loved it so much, I bought the rest of the series for her birthday. Okay, sure, I get to enjoy it too, but it's not *entirely* selfish of me, is it?

In the modern age we all live in, literature and art are merging in some surprising ways. The finest current animated stories is an excellent example and Moribito is one of the best I have seen yet in any area of this cross over work. It is a fine example of the wonderful Japanese narrative tradition as well as a great continuation of the Floating World of Ukiyo-e combined with the great story lines of the feudal times. All of this is rendered in the finest form of contemporary animation, beautifully painted and detailed scenes, fine acting and voice acting and a great story. I cannot reccomend this series enough. But be careful in ordering, like Bleach and Code Geass, this series is being translated and marketed in small segments and you must do your research to find the entire set and keep up with the releases. For instance, the latest translated part of this series is out now, but is only a very short part. It will be released again in December with another part...and this makes it easy to buy individual segments when a larger and more economic set will be coming out soon. This is cheap marketing tactics and does not do honour to the fine quality of this series. I highly reccomend this work of art to any and all.

The once unstopable assassin, or in this case bodyguard has sworn to never take another life after seeing their fair share of bloodshed. If you're familiar with Rurouji Kenshin aka Samurai X than you definitely won't find parts Moribito too ground breaking. Although this time around it's a female warrior with a spear vs. a reverse blade sword, it still does little to change the original idea of a merciless killer that has reformed their ways.

With the obvious aside Moribito is actually a pretty good anime. Although most of the time the main character Balsa comes off more motherly and protective than you'd expect a merciless warrior to be. Actually sometimes when watching you feel like your being lectured as she always seems to give some sort of speech about life and living or whatever have you.

Suprisingly this anime isn't so much centered around fighting battle after battle, and Balsa seems to be more like a woman than a warrior(I.E. she's like a soccer mom with a spear), as she looks after her young companion. There's plenty of dialog but it's interesting, and when action does happen it is pretty good.

The anime is drawn extremely well, and for what it's worth does have a somewhat unique story. However, if your a Kenshin fan like myself be prepared for flash backs. You remember how Kenshin used to be attacked by random people who were obsessed with him or wanted to get even with him for what he did in the past? Well, the same thing happens in this anime. You remember how Kenshin would revert back to his true self "The Man Slayer" when faced with circumstances that pushed him over the edge? Well, the same thing happens to Balsa. You know how Kenshin used to give speeches about the "value of life" and "killing is wrong"...well yup you guessed it the same thing happens here as well. Oh and you remember how Kenshin had that one love interest that took care of him whenever he got injured or was sick and watched over him? Yup...same relationship in this anime.

The redeeming factor of the Moribito series is that it's mostly dialogue then action and more dialogue. It at times doesn't feel so much as an action anime. It's themes and concepts seem more suitable for a mature audience. Overall Moribito is well worth taking a look at if anything else.

You get a bang for your buck in this package of a newly aired anime from Japan. The only thing that sucks is the lack of another episode on the second volume (volume one having one extra than volume two). Otherwise, great buy, a good gift, and it'll leave you wanting more.

In a fictional version of Japan, the spearwoman Balsa saves the life of the second prince Chagum. This act draws her into palace intrigue and the fate of the nation.
Chagum, given by his mother to a total stranger, must learn to live as an ordinary child. No longer a son of heaven he adapts to his new life, without losing his intrinsic sense of right and wrong. He never loses his attachment to his parents and older brother.

These two DVD's played fine.