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December 2009
voice cast (English dub): Dan Green, Christopher Kromer, Michelle Newman, Wayne Grayson, and Veronica Taylor
director: Junji Nishimura
120 minutes (PG) 2002
widescreen ratio 1.78:1
MVM DVD Region 2 retail
RATING: 7/10
review by James A. Stewart
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Samurai Deeper Kyo: 1
Inspired by the magna series of the same name, Samurai Deeper Kyo is an epic story over 26 episodes. Samurai Deeper Kyo: 1 is concerned
with the first seven episodes in the series. The story is one familiar to aficionados of the anime genre; Demon Eyes Kyo is on the hunt for his soul
which has been potted inside the body of, you guessed it, his rival.
Said rival is Mibu Kyoshiro, an expert with the sword and a Red Cross Knight. He is shown as being Demon Eyes Kyo's superior throughout, making
the prospect of the latter winning his soul seemingly a forlorn one. A classic underdog story is manifest throughout. I am sure by episode 26 Demon
Eyes Kyo will have found a way around his seeming inferiority.
It is clear that this anime is a bit more PG (hence the certificate) than other offerings in the burgeoning magna-to-anime canon. As well as the
overriding story of retrieval of Demon Eyes Kyo's soul, there are undercurrents of love, revenge and redemption throughout; well, anything else
would be disappointing. The battle scenes are tame in many cases and the whole love element is a bit too teenage for my liking. But, that doesn't
take away from the fact that Samurai Deeper Kyo: 1 is a fantastically well produced piece of anime. There are all of the usual ingredients
that make the genre appealing; warrior spirits, cold-hearted bad guys, tough choices, identity conflict and a plotline that needs close attention
if you are to follow it through.
In many ways, this is not dissimilar to the much vaunted anime, Inuyasha.
However, Samurai Deeper Kyo: 1 is a tamer version and thus could have a more global appeal. Certainly, as an introduction to Japanese sword
anime it is not a bad start.
The 26 episodes are released across multiple DVDs. Samurai Deeper Kyo: 1 really is all about setting up the latter episodes and by the time
the last episode (Keichou Era Battle Royal) is reached the viewer has a real idea of where the story is going and who the main protagonists
are likely to be in what is essentially an epic journey of discovery and redemption.
Extras on this disc include an interesting director interview, if only you want to understand the genre a bit more.
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