What I watched in January: Digest Version (1 of 2)

Casshern Sins: This is a series that demands to be watched on a perfect HD screen with perfect lighting where each gradation of black can be enjoyed in every sad, bleak, twisted scene of this dark, moody, melancholy, post-apocalyptic, violent, tragi-fest, art-film show.  There must also be surround sound.  If you didn't guess, it's an acquired taste sort of show.  How high is your tolerance for angst?  (If there are good reasons for the angst.  Really good reasons.)  And the music, wow.  There's some really good jazz and fusion stuff here.  Lots of great synth-work, which fits with the show, too . . .

Darker than Black: You know, this show has super rewatch value.  Such detail.  Sometimes so much I can't actually watch because of the gross, but that's rare.  Some people say this show is only cool because of its premise and the bizarre fights between contractors.  They're missing at least 64% of the show.  The fights are great but the world and characters are so much richer.  This is a show that begs to be dissected with other careful viewers.  And that line between heroes and sociopaths?  Yeah, I hope you don't mind it being pretty blurry . . . Chinese ElectricBatman Forever.

Eden of the East: So you're on your way back to the airport to go home, but you decide to throw a coin in the fountain on the White House lawn for good luck, and the police see you, and you're about to get in trouble when you are saved by a completely naked man holding a gun and a cell phone.  Well, that's awkward.  And hilarious.  What would you do?  I have no idea, but you can watch what Saki did.  This complicated and breathtaking show was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, writer-director of the popular Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and the less-popular but no less amazing Moribito.  He's done great adaptations, so I'm psyched to see what he does with original material.  Extra points for having the artist from Honey&Clover do the character designs.  Everything just clicks so far.

Monster: If you saved the life of an individual who grew up to be a serial killer, what would you do to take responsibility?  That's where this story starts out.  Part mystery/psychological thriller and part something else, this anime is based on a manga that seems to move with brisker pacing.  There's something intensely creepy about seeing things animated/moving, though.  I feel like I heard this one was being contemplated for live action movie treatment, and I don't think I'm a huge fan of that idea.  This is a somewhat epic story, and to try to condense all the intrigue and mystery into something short would just destroy it, more likely than not.  I'm not a huge fan of the English dub, but the care taken with the animation is kind of amazing.  They went several extra miles in pursuit of realistic movement.  I think it works since the story is so weighty (something that would have been undermined by cut corners and jerky, fake-looking, cartoony images).  Anyway, the ethics and moral quandries are just as interesting as the action and suspense.