Shingetsutan Tsukihime
Director
Katsushi Sakurabi
Production
J.C.Staff
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
25 min x 12 Episodes
Year
2003
Tsukihime Lunar Legend Volume 2: Lunar Dance
By otaku_kei
4th Aug 05  Tsukihime Lunar Legend: based on a series of video games, manga and TV show; none of which I have seen, my first exposure to this title being Volume 1 released back in June. A vampire story, but not of course the typical run of the mill vampire variety. Most vampire stories focus on the loneliness of being a vampire, living out their immortal days with the ever-present hint of eroticism that is played out in vampire tales. But Tsukihime does not follow that well trodden path. This story focus' instead on the character interactions and odd family lineage of high school student Shiki Tono, who just so happen manages to be caught up in a secret war within the vampire nation. The first volume covered how this innocuous high school student became embroiled with the undead. This volume then takes us deeper into that war, and its effects on Shiki and those he cares for. Shiki is still coming to terms with the upheaval in his personal life that his involvement with vampire princess Arcueid has brought about, mixed with the problems of moving back home under his sisters rigid house rules. Of course not everything is right at home anyway, and it appears that there are a few skeletons in the Tono family closet. This distrust that underpins everything that Shiki does, or who he knows is used to good effect throughout these episodes. The uncertainty borne of this distrust, and Shiki's attempts to overcome those barriers make for some good character showdowns, but also provide moments of reflection on the plot intricacies and lies that are being weaved in this show. The art direction, and atmosphere being created in this show is also to be applauded. Every locale and scene are generally set out to show how alone the principal characters are, and how in this world of vampires and monsters the dark is a place to be feared. The Tono household is one such example, having almost taken on its own character of an oppressive link to an unknown past. Every scene that takes place within its grounds serves to remind the viewer of the dark going ons that are the foundation of this show. The streets of Tokyo are no better, serving only to heighten the tension as the city nature of the masses serves to block out all that does not directly concern them leaving our characters isolated and alone. The horror genre in anime has a generally rough time in the UK. At first tarred by titles such as Overfiend, and then put on the back burner apart from intermittent releases. Over time that has changed with titles such as Boogiepop Phantom, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and others coming out over here. Tsukihime continues this trend of bringing action/horror anime back to the UK, and owes more to the new wave of Japanese horror than any of the gore-fests of the 80's era. This show continues to impress, and with just one disc left to go before the closing of the final curtain the scene is set for character revelations, and brutal vampire destruction. For fans of vampire and horror shows then this is a definite purchase as soon as it is on high street shelves.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: Japanese Language 2.0; English Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Non-Credit Closing; MVM Trailers
Release information: COMING SOON - 15th August
Notes: This disc once again exudes the quality that MVM have come to represent in the UK anime market. The audio and visual aspects are nigh on perfect, and the subtitles are well timed in a clear font. The extras though are insbstantial with only a creditless closing and MVM Trailers on offer. Of course this cannot be held against MVM as they try to licence any extras they can acquire. Perhaps on the final disc we get an extra to give some background on the computer game and manga from which this series is derived. Well, one can hope!
-- otaku_kei 4th Aug 05
Shingetsutan Tsukihime Images  
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