I find with shows such as this, it is difficult to balance the action and comedy in a way that allows you to take the important fights serious. In the case of this OVA, the balance was not there. The comedy seemed more goofy than anything. It reached the point where it seemed more childish than anything. What is ironic is that even though the comedy seems as childish, the content is more for older audiences. There are times in the OVA when some boobs hit the screen but not enough to offset the childish humor.
For the most part, it is unfortunate that this story was not better designed. The animation is well done but needs the story to match. Many of the characters are well designed and quite interesting. If you are looking to watch something that is good background noise then this OVA will suffice. If you are in the mood for something with more substance, then keep looking.
I find this a situation with many of the medieval style shows. Its a case of extremes. It's either goofy and filled with comedy, which would be fine, except they often put some form of crisis which is very real in nature. It would almost be like watching the three stooges but with a hard edged die in the wool gangster villain out to get them. You can add comedy to a serious thing, you almost need to in order to not make it to depressing. Or you need to make the gangster as goofy in his own way as the stooges. By making the crisis real and the heros goofy it just doesn't work somehow. Slayers had some goofy villains.
ReplyDeleteTheir other extreme is the gritty to the point of sandpaper approach. Shows like Beserk where the main character kills a kid brutally in order to save his own ass. All things considered it was probably in his character to do so, but it leaves the viewer more often than not with a feeling of loathing for the very character we are being excpeted to believe in. With so many good shows out there it makes it hard to sit through one where you no longer give a crap about the leading man.
I completely agree with you. When you float too much to extremes the show often becomes unbearable to watch. When its too serious I tend to find the show depressing and that causes it to drag on. In the case of Samurai X, I was told that the writers had to throw in some comedy because the first arc was so serious that it was depressing the staff to work on it.
ReplyDeleteI liked Samurai X, but it was pretty full on in the early stuff with a high body count. Not everyone he killed always deserved it, which makes it hard to relate or like him.
ReplyDeleteThat is true. The idea of giving the second personality where he changes into ruthless killer when he fights and acts like a kid when he is living his day to day life was much needed. Kenshin may have had as much intensity as Bruce Lee.
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