Human Crossing Highly recommended

Director
Kazunari Kume
Production
Shogakukan, ACGT, Tomax, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 episodes
Year
2003

Human Crossing (aka “Human Scramble”) DVD Volume 1 : The 25th Hour

By David Rasmussen
29th Jul 07

The human condition.
That which makes us what we are.
The good and the bad, the beautiful and the profoundly ugly.
That which can’t be seen, touched, or truly understood yet also makes us the sum of what we are.
The human element. Something you don’t see in, say, the Monied Media.
O’Reilly want a banana? The Oil Companies need to take Kabuto for a walk?

Tired of the Monied Media talking heads who don’t know Bill (O’Reilly) about Anime? Here then talking heads at FOX News/CNN/MSNBC/Broadcast News and Katie Couric, from the fine people at GENEON slash Pioneer slash Dentsu is a series that is about the human condition. Now, next time you fluffernutters flippantly whine about Anime think back to this series (and the many others of similarly high quality) and remember your Japanese Anime shortcomings oh Monied Media.

First off, as you no doubt guessed, Human Crossing is NOT a series about the humans of the Animal Crossing franchise of games. Not that that wouldn’t be a great idea for an Anime series, but this just isn’t that if you’re wondering.

Alternatively, Human Crossing also is not a maniac depressive horror cringer that beats you down with mondo depressive blood splattering evil wins all the time horror. No, oh no, Human Crossing straddles tripping the lite fantastic and the dark dread by giving you this honest straightforward testament of the human condition in these singular tales of ordinary human beings in the daily pepper grinder of life.

Now stay by me, dear reader, as we spend some weeks sat down on the street corner of Humanity & Existence as we watch the players of these minor plays of human life perform before us.

As I said above, Human Crossing is the tales of the “average” person.
Ordinary people whose life drift in and our of the great expanse of what we call “existence”, interacting with each other at random crossings in life, in random ways. Ironic, in a sense, since this is about the crossings of people’s lives and I just so happen to be a crossing guard. Yes.
Only without the whole me living vicariously through the lives of those I cross, which you seemingly will do with each of these people. 13 Episodes. 13 lives. Let’s start.

DVD Volume 1 : The 25th Hour
This title comes from the second episode’s title, which you’ll see in a few sentences.

Episode 1 : The Wound
Let’s see… who does this series point us to first? Take a seat, and we’ll people watch… hmm… how about him? That man who looks more than capable of defending himself in a pinch? We’ll start with him.

Meet Akira Noguchi, champion boxer. He sure looks tough, doesn’t he. Apparently he is, but not just in the ring as he seems to have put up a tough barrier around himself in the “normal” world as well. And this all, including how he came to become a boxer in the first place, comes from an incident in this childhood that left a scar (physically and emotionally) on him. That scar, which relates directly to his estranged mom (a hard working woman successful in her own right), made his what he is now.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance that he and his mom can’t reconnect, right?

Episode 2 : The 25th Hour
The title from which this first DVD’s title is based on, “The 25th Hour”.

When an accident of FOX News if it bleeds it leads proportion takes a loved one away from an underprivileged young mother, and her child is stripped from her by the now dead husband’s overbearing (rich) parents she finds herself in a terrible bind. Luckily this story isn’t so much about her as about a down on his luck idealistic lawyer of Phoenix Wright potential who seems to not connect with his greedy corporate (Michael Moore would probably do a documentary on them sooner or later) “clients”… well, potential clients since they never get past the meet, greet, choke on lawyer’s ideals part of the relationship.
Of course it’s not just his would be clients that trouble him, he also has trouble with his rich mentor whose daughter he’s trying to keep from him because he’s not cutthroat enough (and he seems to not be the direct kinda guy and has been kinda neglecting his duties to woo her). So idealistic lawyer meets troubled mother struggling to get her child back, gets his girlfriend/fiancée to go with them on the important moment of the episode meet between the two rival factions over the little kid of this story, and you have the feel good lawyer drama of the year. Case closed!

(NOTE - If the makers of Phoenix Wright’s game can get the rights to add him, his fiancée, and the lovable transvestite landlord of our down on his luck street lawyer in as unlockable characters in a future game I wouldn’t mind one bit).

Episode 3 : A Promise
Remember that movie with Harrison Ford where he played a total jerk of a workaholic who had to get shot down and messed up in order to find out what was truly important in his life? Hopefully this workaholic in this episode doesn’t have to get shot down in like fashion to learn the same lesson.

Episode 4 : Direction
No, not the directions you might ask me if you’re lost heading to either Hilo or Kona.
It’s more of a lack of direction, or a change of direction, possibly even a new direction.
Independent woman + deadbeat dad equals… you’ll find out when you see it.
Hint : It’s occasionally laced with that kind of special Dr. Phil moments folks, and yes I probably do mean exactly what you think I mean.

Human Crossing the 1st Crossing
Can a tale of the random crossings of everday normal human beings amount to a hill of cred in this crazy Anime world? Yes, yes it can.

Beautifully done, thought provoking and filled with intelligent writing topped with the works (musical scoring, animation, voice acting all done well though I only span the Japanese language version), Human Crossing explores the human condition in a fine intelligent way that makes you truly appreciate it as a series. This simple down to Earth drama of humanity at it’s best and worst will truly make an impact on you, face you with it’s strengths and powers while also confronting you with the daily grind that is normal ordinary human existence at the same time. This will leave you humbled, reflective and awed by it.

Now quick, somebody take this to the Monied Media and awe them with it’s own version of “intelligent design”. A 5 out of 5.

-- David Rasmussen 29th Jul 07

Human Crossing Images