Tentacle-Free Anime: "Aku no Hana" (2013) Review
When it comes to anime, I really like psychological stories. Especially the kind that drag the protagonists through the emotional ringer, all the way to the lowest point in their psyche, with no hope left and then, suddenly, something great happens. But once in a while, the story is told in such a way that only bad things can happen from beginning to end and all I can think is… may God have mercy on these character’s souls, and feel okay about it.
Aku no Hana is a new series, having just finished airing a couple of months ago. And despite how the summary reads or may imply when people read that Takao has become a slave to a girl, this series is nothing like you would expect, in other words: it isn’t about sex in any way. It’s all about what happens when you get pulled into a situation of your own design, and those involved with knowing your secret begin to level your psyche like the Hindenburg, until there is nothing left but a fiery shadow of what you used to be.
Though it reaches its apex at the end of the middle arc, making the final few episodes a little jarring and not as interesting to watch, I feel this series is still worth checking out, especially with the possibility of more to come; as the manga this is based off of is still ongoing. One of the most easily noticeable traits of the series isn’t its admittedly awesome soundtrack and unique way of approaching sounds, but its unique way of approaching animation. The series uses a technique not often seen anymore, and probably never seen in anime before called rotoscoping. Those of you who know animation styles you already know what you’re in for, for those who don’t, rotoscoping is when animators tape live footage and then trace over it and reanimate it, which can often give characters awkward looks of having no faces what-so-ever from afar, or when lines bend together so hands look like they’re a massive blob. Which to that, you may ask, why not just use the live-action footage then? And I have no argument for that, there’s no reason why they couldn’t, but it’s certainly a unique visual experience that can really give scenery a beautiful painted atmosphere. The first few episodes are not very pretty to look at, but if you can get past them even the rotoscoping becomes very beautiful and the series becomes a lot more digestible to the eyes as it goes. [Some of our readers may remember rotoscopy from the movie "A Scanner Darkly" - Ed.] While I will admit I was very much against the idea of finding out this isn’t the entire story to the series at first, I have to admit to myself that we live in a world now of seasonal anime, instead of series that have a clear start and finish. So it’s like watching western television, except if you don’t want to wait for the next season, you can go read the manga or light novels these shows are popularly based on nowadays. While the series gets sluggish near the end, as if it’s stalling for time, and the rotoscoping can be uneasy to look at first, the series as a whole is an interesting emotional experience and I still recommend it for those who are wary. Final Score: 3 Sickos out of 6 Have you seen "Aku no Hana"? Enjoyed the review? Let us know in the comments! |
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