As I'm the first to give this review some love, have to admit you did a great job on it. Nicely structured, detailed and lacking in spoilers, good job.
Steel Angel Kurumi tv Review
Story & Characters
Steel Angel Kurumi is the story of a special android girl named Kurumi. Created by the military, and the scientist, Dr Ayanokoji, and infused with the experimental Angel Heart Mk II, this Steel Angel was to be the greatest weapon ever built. However, Kurumi's destiny was changed when a young boy, Nakahito, awakened her with an accidental kiss. Since he was the first person Kurumi saw upon awakening, she claimed him as her "master", and vowed to love and protect him.
Not willing to lose their precious Steel Angel prototype, the military turns to the second prototype, Saki, and Ayanokoji's assistant, Dr Amagi. With help from a mysterious scentist, they activate Saki and send her to destroy Kurumi. Unwilling to fight her "sister", Kurumi does what she can to defend herself. When Saki deactivates, Kurumi decides to awaken Saki the same way Nakahito awakened her. With a single kiss, Saki is fully activated, only now she has secret feelings of love for her would-be sister, Kurumi.
However, just as things start to calm down, a mysterious group attacks, and kidnaps Dr. Ayanokoji. Now, Nakahito,
Kurumi, Saki, and Dr Amagi must make a journey to discover the whereabouts of the good doctor, and also to discover the
secret of the Steel Angels.
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Other than being filled with loads of yuri and fan service, this series isn't half bad. I won't ruin the storyline for you, but it contains a subtle twist at the end that surprised even me. Setting aside the yuri, the story actually contains a decent love story.
However, it wasn't without it's flaws. A lot of the content is pretty generic for an anime. Boy finds mysterious girl, girls falls in love with boy, boy is too embarassed to love her back, girl almost kills herself trying to protect boy. Also, the yuri scenes almost seemed forced in there. Saki, in particular, makes a habit of constantly daydreaming about kissing Kurumi.
Rating:
Art
The art style used in the anime seemed pretty fluid, almost OVA quality. At times, the characters will switch to chibi form and back to normal, yet it would seem pretty smooth in transition. Very rarely do they have speed line effects or other cheesy scenes. I never noticed any last minute art edits (some anime experts will know what I mean by that, I hope), so it's all uncut. The outfits the girls wear all resemble strange maid outfits, with the exception being Karinka, the third Steel Angel. She looks almost like a futuristic Cammy! (Street Fighter series)
Rating:
Sound
I've watched both the subbed and dubbed versions, and surprisingly, I found the dubbed version to be just a little bit smoother in acting. Don't get me wrong, the Japanese voices are good, but this time, the dubbed version wins, hands down. When Kurumi starts arguing, it sounds high pitched and desperate in both languages.
As for the music, it has a beautiful assortment of orchastrated melodies that fit each scene perfectly. There's no grunge metal, rap, or rock, even during the fight scenes, which is a refreshing break from other anime series I've seen. I'd almost swear John Williams had his hand in it.
Rating:
Presentation
Steel Angel Kurumi presents itself as a comical love story, and it pulls that off perfectly. It's very enjoyable to watch, whether you're a guy or a girl. A few scenes, such as the bathhouse/hot spring scenes, are a little less original than most, but for the most part, it flows with the story. As I also stated above, some of the fan service and yuri scenes seemed forced in there at times. Also, a few other scenes (such as one where Saki is beaten and tied to a peice of debris shaped like a cross) seemed a little out of place.
Also, the beginning of the series seems to move at a slow pace, taking almost 2 episodes before they even reach the train. However, once you see the other Steel Angels appear, things heat up pretty quick. Plus, the bond between Kurumi and Nakahito is put to great tests throughout the series. And even though he has all these girls fighting over him, it never once seems like a Tenchi Muyo ripoff.
Now you might be asking, "How can combat robots that look like cute girls exist in early 20th century Japan?". Well, that's part of the plot twist at the end, which I don't wish to spoil for those who haven't seen it. This anime isn't for everyone, but it's still a fun one to watch. I highly recommend viewing the series.
Rating:
Final Verdict
6.5000 (above average)
Reviewed by ChaosCroc, Aug 24, 2005
Comments
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UberDog Mar 23, 2015
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