Teito Monogatari

Being that this OVA has only one other review I decided to write my first review on Teito Monogatari. Directed by Rintaro as you all know from Astro Boy and Metropolis, Doomed Megalopolis is an adaptation of a historical dark fantasy novel that was written by Hiroshi Aramata. While I have not read the novel I have done some research and found out that this OVA adaption is much darker in basically every aspect. This OVA is in a way incomplete since it was based on the first 4 books of the novel so be wary while watching because like Berserk (Anime) you'll have tofind out what happens in the end by reading the original source. Since this OVA was created in 1991 do not expect too much. While at times it was ugly and hard to watch it also had some moments that really surprised me. The story itself had a lot of potential but the focus on a more sexualized and violent direction held it back from becoming something much better. It had a good back story but hardly any character development made it lose it's depth and otherwise complex symbolism. What I did enjoy however were the crossovers between Japanese history and the world that Hiroshi was trying to create in his novel. It goes to show that past events can be interpreted and displayed in a artistic manner without losing the viewers attention. I won't go into detail as to what these events are since I would be spoiling the story but if you want to watch something that is not only bloody but visually striking at times I suggest watching Teito Monogatari at least once. I give it a 6/10.

Darker, meaner and sleazier than the live-action adaptations, Doomed Megalopolis stands firm on the tradition of simple carnage, relying on an overwhelming sense of terror to create its mood. Covering the same material as the first live-action film, this OVA greatly benefits from not being compressed into a two-hour runtime. It allows for a more in-depth exploration of its broader narrative. Granted, this is still the first third of a 10-book epic, mind you, so not everything is tied up as neatly as you’d like, and threads that seem essential can be left behind without a care. It can be confusing at times, as ithas a habit of introducing unwanted or unnecessary plot lines and characters, making it almost impossible to keep up with the storyline. However, that being said, the animation by long-time heavy hitters and personal favourites of mine, Studio Madhouse, is frequently excellent and genuinely unsettling at times. Shadows that creep into the corners of your mind, old Japanese-style theatre techniques and its use of old folk songs that crawl under your skin and chill you to the bone. They even bought back Kyusaku Shimada from the live-action films to play the role of Kato again, and he’s just as terrifying here. On the whole, Doomed Megalopolis offers up a steady balance of action and character interaction with a strong dose of disquieting supernatural horror.

Story: 6/10 The base is there. I mean, it's based off a novel, so it's quite literally there. However, it feels incomplete, since it technically is- it's based specifically on the first four books of the novel (which is around 1/3rd of it). It's a darker (AKA more violent and sexualized) adaptation of the source material, which I'm okay with, but I can see that driving away potential viewers. The nudity is almost, if not always, unnecessary. Even if you don't mind the darker aspects of it, you'll most likely find that the story feels unfocused and even rushed at times. There's lots of confusing plotelements, which can be explained with the knowledge that this isn't actually the full story, but that doesn't help anyone who's unfamiliar with the novel viewing this for the first time. Art: 6/10 Pretty standard for the time. Nothing really stood out to me, be it in a good or bad way. I personally really like this type of old anime styles that are a bit more on the realistic side, but that's personal preference. Again, too much unnecessary nudity, that's really my only complaint with it. Some of the animation was pretty good, too. Sound: 5/10 I watched the original japanese version, and there was an instance where I couldn't hear what was being said (or sung, in this case)- I thought something was up with either the video or my headphones, but nope. The sound was just meant to be really, really quiet. Other than that, it sounded okay for the most part, keeping in mind that this is an old anime, of course. Character: 6/10 None of the characters are fleshed out properly. This is a huge shame, especially with the main antagonist, Katou, and Yukari, another main character. These two are the focal points of the story, but just about nothing gets revealed about their past. The lack of development is a shame, especially in the case of Katou- we get to know he wants Tokyo to be destroyed, but not why, and that left me wanting more. Enjoyment: 7/10 I know I've been complaining for about the entirety of this review, but I actually really enjoyed myself watching this OVA. In fact, there wasn't really a point where I was bored viewing it. It's just a shame that when analyzing it further I couldn't get more than what I saw. Overall:6/10 It's not awful. In fact, I would recommend it to people who are into weird and/or old anime that doesn't get talked about much. But if you haven't watched it, don't set yourself up to be disappointed- it's fun and short, but it's nothing spectacular. I can see that there was effort put into it, but it could've been better. And hey, it actually left me wanting to read the original story, so I guess there's that too.

Part of my "Rewatch all the Manga Entertainment UK we used to have on VHS", watching them in chronological order. This has been one of the weaker entries so far. Art - it's a weird mix of lifelike and Lupin/Harlock comical - very 80s. Story - the base idea is "Evil Wizard just wants to take over the city" - No real reason given, he's just evil. The rest of it is shallow just carrier. It's got a large amount of "Edgelord" about it - not quite Goblin Slayer or Urotsukidoji, but it does it in a much lighter way. There's some nice set pieces in amongst itall, Episode 3 was the stand out. Dubbing - Mixed. Some of it is really well done, other you can tell the performer didn't care. As others have said - some people are going to love this, but if you're looking for something with a bit more depth... you're not going to find it here.

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