Tentacle-Free Anime: "s-CRY-ed" (2001) Review

- by Kazekun, 4 August 2014

When I was a little kiddie, anime to me meant the same as cartoons. There was Digimon, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and whole host of others that were made for kids. Although, Yu-Gi-Oh & Digimon got darker as they went. It wasn’t really until I introduced myself to Cartoon Network’s late night, Adult Swim block that I discovered anime for what it can be when it really shines: mature, smart, and really, really good.

s-CRY-ed (2001); 
Episodes: 26; 
Director: Rion Kujou & Goro Taniguchi;
Studio: Sunrise;
Rating: PG-13

Summary: A strange environmental phenomenon 22 years ago in the Kanazawa prefecture caused the land to split and protrude upwards reaching unprecedented heights, creating the secluded area known as the Lost Ground. Kazuma is a young mercenary who lives in the Lost Ground; looking for any work he can find to sustain his livelihood within the harsh environment. He is one of the few people that are gifted with the Alter ability, which allows him to plaster his right arm and torso with a metallic alloy. When this mercenary encounters HOLY, an order whose purpose is to suppress and capture what they call Native Alter Users, and one of the elite members of HOLY, Ryuho, an epic rivalry begins. [AnimeNetworks.com]

Looking back on most of the anime of the late 90s/early 00s, it seems the decade was off to a good start. Because, and this is just me, it seemed as if more experimentation was going on to see what hooked and what didn’t. And a lot of good seem to come from it. An era where 26 episodes was the norm, this is the era I eventually became entrenched in and the one I am still most familiar with.

Promo image

Chief among them is s-CRY-ed, which I believe to be one of the best anime ever created. And captures the #3 spot on my top 5 favorite anime list.

What makes this series so good though? Let’s explore:

At 26 episodes, the series takes a rather large cast of characters, fleshes them out (even side characters) and makes everyone important. It tells a beginning, middle, and a conclusive end. There’s no having to go read the manga to find out what happens next and in fact there’s not even a need for a sequel. Everything is there; from the moment Ruyuho and Kazuma have their first fated battle, to their bloody final brawl at the end; and everything in-between.

The characters are also very real; making very real decisions in an environment where being harsh is the best way to survive. This can make it difficult to root for some characters, but you can at least see it from most of their perspectives. You’re not shut out and told: “Well this is just how everyone is.” Progression happens, and by the end no one is in the same place as they were when they started.

The expanding rivalry between Ryuho & Kazuma is also steadily built. Eventually involving other characters in their troubles, but never without meaning to. Apart from other well-known rivalries such as Goku and Vegeta, or Tetsuo and Kaneda, I firmly believe this is one of the best rivalries ever created in a form of media; and who the strongest is between the two is left up for debate by the viewer, but I personally feel that was for the best.

Kazuma & his Shell-Bullet alter.

The animation is solid in the action department, but on the slow bits it lacks. It’s nothing special, and sometimes character’s faces can look like putty. This is a series where the creators definitely knew what they wanted, but also knew how to handle their budget in order to do so. The alters too, are... interesting. If it had been me writing this, I don’t think I would’ve made some the psychic manifestations of some characters so... behemoth looking. That being said, all of the alters are unique to their user and fun to look at. Some look human, and some look extensions of one’s own physical self, which is really cool.

Ryuho and his Zetsuei alter.

This is a series that’ll keep you guessing, and will also never give you all the answers. Some things you’ll just have to figure out on your own, and that’s okay. Fan immersion is something that I truly love in stories. And you’ll definitely feel rewarded by the end, or if you figure something out before it happens. s-CRY-ed is a very fun ride, it does slip occasionally when taking the main story slow but never does it feel like you’re bored or ready for it to end.

It’s a fist-pumping, fun-loving, action series that asks all the right questions about its characters and leaves the audience to answer them (well, some of them, not all I promise). The action is stellar, the story is well-paced, and the characters are real. The animation can lack in places, but it never takes you out of the story.

A couple things to mention right quick though, one thing I always find nifty about this series is while the opening is virtually the same throughout, every time a new revelation is made, certain spots of the opening are changed to accommodate it and that’s pretty freaking awesome. s-CRY-ed is also the anime where I get my username from: Kazekun; because one nickname for the main character, Kazuma, is Kazekun in the show, and I’ve always loved it. I’ve been using the nickname online since 2006 and I’ve never looked back.

The Crystal Alter.

s-CRY-ed is damn near perfect, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I highly recommend it, along with Cowboy Bebop it is a shining shell-bullet burst in the catalog of Sunrise’s animated projects.

“Shine brighter!” – Kazuma the Shell-Bullet

Final Score: 5 Unique Alter Abilities out of 5


Have you seen "s-CRY-ed"? How did you enjoy the movie and the review? 

Tagged: Tentacle-Free Anime.

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