Skull Man

This is based on an old manga by the legendary Ishinomori Shotaro, which would later pave way for Kamen Rider. Despite that, it is very much different from that series. The Skull man is a background character shrouded in mystery as well as why people turn into monsters. The anime is very slow if you don’t give it much attention, it isn’t really action oriented and emphasizes more on cracking the case, and yet defining what true evil is and covers a lot of philosophical and social issues on a local to international level such as corruption in relation to martial law and organized religion.It takes awhile to really develop the characters but the wait is worth it. Because some of the main characters are adults at a certain age, the only thing they have left to develop is a defining moment in their life that will define their respective careers or something like that. But if you give it your full attention, it will be fast and you will be fascinated at the plot twists and resolutions it delivers, and how it loosely connects to another creation of Ishinomori-sensei. Due to the nature of this anime being mystery and suspense, I really don’t want to give away much because I believe this is one of those things you really have to watch. What kind of disappointed me about this anime is that very little of the character design is faithful to the style of Ishinomori-sensei like how the recent Cyborg 009 was, but there are some that obviously are faithful at specific times. He had this distinct way of drawing that further helped define what anime and manga is today, and I felt a large portion of that was absent and that a majority of the design didn’t really come across as distinguishing. Maybe it’s a modern day interpretation to his art style, I don’t know, but I felt that Ishinomori-sensei should have been owed that much. However, some of the design of later characters are also very unique and faithful to his art style, but once again, that’d be a spoiler and I don’t want to get into that too much since it relates to that other creation he did. On the other hand, I loved the monster design and the design of the Skull man himself. You can easily tell that not only just story wise, but in an artistic sense, how this paved way for Kamen Rider such as his fondness of motorcycles, the scarf, and the martial arts action that is present in certain times. The action is exciting and intense and it picks up in the 2nd half of the series. It’s high octane but not excessively over the top or ridiculous, cliché, or cheesy like in tokusatsu. However, it is quite bloody, but not necessarily gory like in the recent Rambo film. What I also found very unique is that even though some of the vehicles and the architecture are very modern, they still use some old fashioned items such as audio tapes and records to represent some feeling of the old school influence and to probably give the viewer a possible sense in time it could take place in. I also liked when they showed vehicles, it was in the cel-shading style that the recent Initial D seasons and Wangan Midnight uses and it blends very excellently. One of the best traits this anime has is its soundtrack. I love the opening theme sung by the band Tokio. It is really intense as well as the scenery in the song. But I felt that because it is nearly 40 years old, I felt that some of the soundtrack could have been a little old school with the use of the instruments. But the music for the most part is very dark and eerie and gives a noir and horror like feel to the show. The ending theme I felt was kind of out place with this anime though it is a nice song. I felt it belonged more in a shoujo anime that a graphic and cerebral one like this. In the same way, I guess you can say it felt out of place like the ending theme in Elfen Lied though they are still good songs. Hayato, the main character is played by Yasumura Makoto. I really don’t know much about him. But I thought he did a great job as a tabloid reporter who knows how to get his scoop. He can be funny, and he can be serious. And Kiriko is played by Kawasumi Ayako, who plays Natsuki in Initial D. Her voice in this role in comparison to Natsuki is more childish and higher pitched. In addition to these two, the cast has some pretty big names. Like Tomokazu Seki, who played a lot of roles such as Miyata from Hajime no Ippo and Kenichi from History’s Strongest Disicple Kenichi plays the detective assigned to follow Hayato. In comparison to his other roles, he sounds a whole lot more gruffy which I felt was awkward for his high pitched voice, but later got accustomed to it and further expands his talents. And further elaborating who is in this anime and who plays who is another spoiler which I don’t want to get into and feel you should watch it. Even though this paved way for Kamen Rider, don’t expect Kamen Rider. In comparison, this series is much darker, gruesome, and more though provoking, but doesn’t really try to mess with your head. I really want to explain the nature of Skull man’s character, but it’s very difficult for me to say in this review because this is truly an anime I want you to see for yourself, and I hope you watch this with high expectations that this is truly something unique and distinctive. It is very engagingly philosophical with very effective unpredictability, and exciting action. It has many themes that everybody can relate to or reflect upon.

I've been itching to write a review for this anime. I finished it just a few hours ago, and it left a (pretty darn) big impression on me. Story: The story revolves around a young man named Hayato, who decides to revisit his old hometown and look into the mysteries revolving around the masked murderer, "The Skull Man." It is only later on that he finds himself and his female partner, Kiriko, deeply involved in the dealings of The Skull Man, and something must be done to stop these events from happening. The story holds HEAVY religious mention I would want to say that it was anundertone, but oh gosh would I be wrong. The entire story revolved around two religions, and their views. Now, I found this topic very interesting: its rare that you see it in anime, nowadays. The plotline easily intrigued me from the very beginning, and new twists and turns seemed unexpected which I loved. Obvious anime are never fun. And so, I would give the story a 9. The pacing was very fast as times, given the amount of episodes it had, so its one of those anime that you really couldn't let your mind wander away from. First they're talking about The White Bell Association, and the next thing you know they've delved into the past of something relating to the Association who's name you missed (one of my experiences, actually. xD; ) So the story was unbelievably unique and compelling, but I would have to give it a 9 due to its execution. Art: If you're a BONES fan, you will get a g-r-e-a-t vibe of Wolf's Rain mixed with Darker Than BLACK from the characters. The designs were simple, yet colorful, and the design for the Skull Man himself was neat. I would not say that this art is groundbreaking, but it certainly mixed well with the storyline. A bit of eyecandy here and there for the fights, but otherwise, nothing hugely special. It recieves an 8 from me. Sound: The soundtrack was a neat combination of classic jazz and orchestral speedy pieces. Overall, the music sounded nice together, but it didn't make me stop and think, "This music fits PERFECTLY with this scene." The Opening theme was certainly one of the catchier songs I have heard in awhile, but the Ending theme was slow: real slow. Is it only me who can't stand slow ending songs? I mean I know its the end of the episode, boo-hoo, but if you're going to make an ending that makes the fans lose interest, why bother? Thus, it recives only a 7 from me. Character: I LOVED the characters to death in this series. Hayato and Kiriko are easily two of the coolest anime characters out there, and the Skull Man's intent, though slightly evil, was mesmorizingly great. It added an air of mystery to the guy, which was a nice touch. Also, there is an old man in this anime who basically makes an appearance in every episode (with good reason, after who he is revealed as by the final episode) and he is just a riot. Not only is he cunning, but he also has a sense of humor, and, by the final episode, a classic intent for revenge. I think I liked his character the most, even if he was a supporting role. Character gets a 10 from me! Enjoyment: Looking at the anime overall, I really, truly enjoyed it from the depths of my soul. It was an anime that was so unique, it was simply gripping and thrilling. I loved practically every minute of it right up until the final episode. Well, if you're a BONES fan, you'd know what a BONES ending is usually like: rushed, left open, and leaving the audience thinking, "What the HECK just happened here?!" Really. I honestly believe it to be BONES' most confusing ending ever created by them. Now, that's not to say that it doesn't make total sense. One of my pet peeves is when people say, "This made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER!" Well of course it made sense, just not in a context which you can think of. And its apparent that you're too lazy to Google some discussion on its ending. I always looks forward to an ending by Studio BONES, because I love deciphering them if I don't understand it. If I can't figure it out at all, I look to Google and lurk through forums discussing said ending. I've been doing it ever since I've started watching BONES stuff: some of their endings can be rather thought-provoking, you know. Anyways, I can honestly say that I sat in my chair for five minutes after the final episode ended, completely dumbfounded and lacking any sort of answer to its ending. So, I went to Google. I shall not spoil anything, but I will say this: be familiar in Ishinorii Shotaro's works if you plan on watching this. Apparently, the ending is some sort of prologue to another of his works, and some of his original characters make an appearance in the anime. Who doesn't love pointing out those? =D Overall, I really enjoyed this anime. Its issue for me was mainly its pacing, seeing as I believe it could have gotten the same message out in 24 episodes rather than 13. The ending hints a sequel, which I do hope is on the horizon as well. If the pacing had been perfect, I'd have given it a 10. But alas, it recieves a 9 from me. If you really love detective work, views on religion, supernatural occurences, AND a totally win opening song by TOKIO, then you should really check out this anime. =) Thanks for reading!

The thing which initially drew me into watching this anime was the poster for it. The skullman kneeling in a pool of blood. When I first saw that glorious picture I thought to myself, "yes! this is going to be legendary!"...little did I know that this would be the hope which propelled me into watching the whole series and not to drop it half way through. Let me explain. The anime starts by introducing the characters and setting the mystery at hand, which is good. It doesn't just drop you into the story without any explanation. However, as I continued to finish one episode and goonto another, I felt a sort of heaviness. This was because I had the preconceived notion that this anime was going to be action packed, and due to this dissapointment, one after another in the first 9 episodes I felt like stabbing myself in the face with a spork. Contrary to what I thought it would be, the first 9 eps reminded are a has a more mystery-drama air to it. It's only from episodes 10 to 13 that things start to pick up pace and all the pieces fall into place. For example, you now receive the intriguing action scenes you had been waiting for, you're now at the edge of your seat and you cannot wait to click onto the next episode. These last 4 episodes were what really saved the anime for me. In conclusion, don't go into this thinking it's going to be action packed from the very beginning because it's not! If I had known this beforehand, I would have probably enjoyed this anime a lot more instead of constantly being disappointed for 9 episodes straight. However, it is still a very good anime. If you like mystery dramas which then turn very dark and somewhat 'traumatic' with good fighting/action scenes close to the end, you'll like this. (it's pace is sort of like in 'higurashi', it slowly builds up but then the ending is absolutely brilliant!)

“Edgy Kamen Rider”? You wouldn’t be wrong, in fact, we’d be quite congruous. The concepts of Ishinomori Shotaro are what pushed what would become Kamen Rider forward and into the public eye. I can’t help but poke around and find this show very similar in many respects to the latest foot into the Samurai Jack franchise, both creators penned an idea that was censored and had its vision change to a different audience, and both made series afterwards that were more true to their original creation - Ishinomori has gone down and said this is the closest to the original spirit of his design. Whatdoes it do to separate itself from its nescient precursor? Quite a lot, and that’s not always a good thing. The show itself, produced by studio Bones, is cold and roughly drawn in a dark, almost 90’s comic book-esque way, dim lightning, trench coats everywhere, minimalist animation and filled with so-so characters. Our main protagonist, Hayato Mikogami and Kiriko Mamiya are in a, what the show believes to be, thrilling cat and mouse game hunting a mysterious vigilante figure in this bordering dystopian town known as the: “Skull Man”, who fights those shadows prowling in the night, whether they be man, monster, and even other things entirely? I say what the show “believes” to be a cat and mouse game because due to some odd pacing issues, it devolves into less of that and more of a slow and monotonous formula each episode until the last-fourth. While I admittedly came into this show with a conceived notion of seeing a fair bit of action, I love having expectations killed and hung dry in the place of an enjoyable subversion, but it’s less of this and more so of our forgettable cast interviewing and stalking around the city to get information about this mysterious figure. Which brings me to the big guy himself: Skull Man. . . he’s really boring. Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing to watch on screen but it’s less of spectacularly-animated-action and badass character design that makes him enjoyable, but the fact that you don’t have to watch the bland cast anymore and can watch Bones tear something to hell, which to be fair is, once again, done spectacularly. There’s no reason to truly care about him other than getting a sigh of relief when he shows up because you ironically feel saved yourself when he gores something to shreds. Granted, there are some cool elements to the world this show is set in and how the lore of the city itself is interlinked with this Skull figure, a great deal of time is spent setting him up, like a good puppet master or chess player the show is dedicated to meticulously hiding him in the shadows and making not just our protagonist but the viewer get dripples and rations of whatever information you can about him from other characters and scenes. This is by far the best aspect of the show. Furthermore, the show does have some fairly so-so tap dancing around its thematic throughlines, such as political corruption and religious zealotry but in my opinion; it’s less of a throughline and more of a poorly tackled aesthetic that much like the show itself accomplishes little to nothing by the end of it. I oddly find a strange connection with Kyouda, Tomoki who was the episode director who I have referred to as this: “Chess player” writing the show, this is because we have a very similar flaw when playing - we can both get ourselves into the perfect position to win the game - but don’t have the knowledge to execute it a lot of the time and end up a bust. Indeed, the show does toy around with some interesting concepts and presents them in a reliable and fashionable manner, but what’s the point when your guides in this world are so cookie-cutter? There is no reason to get attached to these characters in the slightest, they feel like less of people who are obsessed with the Skull Man and more a cast riding his coattails, barely hanging onto his excuse to allow them to be in the show; that is to have them hunting him. Also, this show has an obsession with quoting and referencing philosophy and religion but once again, it’s poorly tacked on and is, in many cases, a non sequitur - no the Skull Man is not Lucifer or something cast down from heaven and attempting to cleanse the world of - please. Please spare me. What if our main character was solo, and had a traumatizing memory of this figure as a child? What if they were truly, intrinsically linked together and bound to confront each other eventually? What if this memory drives him to become a detective and do some questionable things for information, all while slowly and surely making him become a target for the creature that he has been chasing after all along due to his moral code becoming corrupted? Doesn’t that sound a lot more fun to you?! Don’t mean to brag, but it sure as hell does to me. This really drives home the main problem with the show. We have the ONLY interesting element dancing in shadows and appearing for 5 minutes each time, and you know what? Even during the times he appears, is weak too. All the mystery about him begins to fade away and that badass image of him you saw on the cover of the show seems less cool and more of an artistic leniency with what is the true character - a generic superhero. He’s not a gritty “Grim Knight” Batman and more and more like a cartoon character who can make the hilariously cliche and exaggerated monster of the week bleed and die.I’m super intimidated. The Skull Man overall is trapped in confusing juxtaposition and feels as if it cannot commit to any side of anything it is putting out to the viewer. Is it a methodical and well paced game of hunting a knight of the darkness? Nah, not really. Is it a corny monster of the week brawler with a nocturne paint job? No, because that’s only the last five minutes of every episode before the last three. Some okay voice acting, a dregging OST that doesn’t say or speak much to the tone of the show. Eh? Why was this show made? What did it try to tell me about its cast, Kamen Ri- I mean Skull Man, or about politics, religion, etc? Quite honestly, I’d be far more satisfied watching a super sentai series that, while cheese-beyond-belief, does have a consistent throughline in its ideas that it longs to present to the viewer, like Jetman or some other variation. With this in mind, Skull Man fails at what it even set out to do - explore the more censored topics its precursor explored lightly, but didn’t fail at doing entirely like this show did. I cannot with good consciousness recommend it to those who are not prepared to endure a slogging battle of attrition to try and understand and grasp the “deeper” meanings this show plays around with. Hate to break it to you; but it’s not there. Many thanks for reading.

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