Kekkai Sensen 02-03
Whether it be demons or aliens or anything else, it ain’t New York without the Pizza
Hi everybody! This is Samsura here, and this is Samsura’s very first post! OK, I’ll ditch that third person stuff right away. Anyway, I’m pleased to be covering this jazzed up and demonic version of The Big Apple for you all. In my heart of hearts I still believe Mad Bull 34 to be the best/most horrible and racist and sexist and offensive version of New York there is in anime, but this show is pretty neat too!
…In a City that Never Sleeps
I love what they did to Cony Island
After taking a look at the characters being all awesome and stuff in episode 1, its time to enter the rat pack! For Leo that involves being a pizza boy, Klaus likes to play board games in his off time (more on that later), and Zapp lives at the Hustler Club (located on 666th Street West and Times Square). But this is the kind of show where you can never just deliver a pizza. After Leo is repeatedly jumped and beaten up by Zapp, who really likes pizza, the two invoke on the truest form of male bonding: Nearly dying. For this is also the kind of show where a dry cleaner is never just a dry cleaner.
Easiest spot the difference ever
So turns out in a city teaming with demons, humans are a hot commodity. But thanks to something called the Chrysler-Galadona Accord, apparently humans are on the no munch list. Therefore, a bunch of demons are going around NYC, wrapping people up like you would a mint condition figure disguised as a friendly dry cleaning service. However, since Leo does have those super awesome eyes, he sees through the villains cunning disguise. And then gets immediately kidnapped. But thanks to that, we get to see one badass chase scene; with a trail of burning blood, car jumps off the free way, and one special attack that just screams over kill. And sure Leo ends up in a full body cast, but I’m gonna put this in the “Win” category.
Empire State of Mind
Episode 3 is all about Klaus, the vaguely bestial boss of Libra and all around Gentleman. There is some stuff about some super drug called Angel Scale, which makes your regular meth addicts look like someone from Greenwich Village. But all of what happens in this episode is just part of proving how much of an utter awesome person Klaus is. In order to get info on this wonder drug, Klaus goes to visit a high ranking demon called Don Arlelelle. This Don is a giant mass of brains hiding under a very ominous black cloak, and he only deals with those who play a game called Prosfair. The only way to describe this game is what if chess was played by a giant brain monster, where you are lucky to survive the game without being crushed. Its the kind of game where one strategy lasts for 36 hours! Before we get to see Klaus up at bat, a man named Ulchenko goes to play against the Don, with hopes of getting some nukes into Ukraine (this more than anything else proves the events of Kekkai Sensen are happening RIGHT NOW). He has to play Prosfair for 10 hours straight, only to lose and be left a broken shell of a man. Which is the perfect moment for Klaus to step in and prove his manhood. If he plays Prosfair for 99 HOURS straight, he’ll get the information he needs and Ulchenko gets to live.
Does this look like the face of a man about to taste defeat? I’ll just say that when the game ends, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy plays, so you know happy ends are in store for this gentleman.
Its not a secret society if you can’t have fun
While I may have summed up the past two episodes, I in no way have been able to explain how absolutely fun this show is. The walk to Don Arlelelle is a twisting labyrinth devoid of gravity and direction. The chase to get Leo back is scored to a jazz track that makes me want to put on a tux and swing. The ending theme has what is possibly the goofiest dancing I’ve seen in an anime ever, the classical music screams victory, and a small piece you would hear on a radio from the 50’s can be found hiding in the background of episode 2’s opening scenes. By the time the series ends, I will have to devout a post to just how great the soundtrack for this show is. There are countless visual tricks going on in almost every frame, and even the captions that introduce new characters get people laughing. Oh, and if you couldn’t tell by reading this review, I am very familiar with NYC; I plan to keep adding more local references.
Now a small bit about myself. I’ve been around Metanorn for about a year under the name Bobob101, but with my level up to blogger I decided to change my name. While I will be doing episode reviews like everyone else, I plan to do some more editorial writings here when I get the chance. I’ll be watching plenty of other shows besides the ones I’m blogging, so expect me to keep commenting in the manor you may or may not care about. I have a bit of general non-anime related blogging experience under my belt, so I’m sure we will hit it off just fine. I’m always willing to be told exactly why everything I just wrote is completely wrong so please comment away!
About Samsura
As someone of questionable tastes and even more questionable ethics; if we laugh at the same things you are one of two things: A person of discerning taste or a weirdo. Guess where I fall.
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Manga readers say Ms. White, the girl Leo meets, is an anime-original character.
Wonder how she’ll shake things up.
Samsura: Welcome! Are you a native of Manhattan, BTW?
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 105 comments
Nah, I’m from Long Island
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Geographically close enough. Unless it’s Long Island, not-NY.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Not just the manga readers, ANN’s promo articles before the series started airing confirmed the statement as well.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Ah, realised this is the show with
WolverineBeast. My concentration has been lacking this past week…POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This show really qualifies as weird with a beard. I’m happy to see that they are developing something of a through-line with the characters and story. Whether is it Klaus as the fierce determinator, or Zapp as the agent of chaos, it’s good to see the maddening swirls have something to center on. Which is not to say the show doesn’t revel in a sort of visual and aural din. It very much does, and knows how to play it’s cards right. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with White.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ah, and forgive me for saying so after the fact. Since we did the Skype Team Chat, and that seemed to take care of the welcomes, but it really should be official.
Welcome to the team, and congrats on the first post! I am officially, no longer the Bloody Fresh Meat!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Yes jiji-tama. :3
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
You’ve been the Loli Defender for a while. 😛
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
….I have….but the longevity feels nice….
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Nope, now you’re the Seasoned Meat. Just that much closer to being eaten. 😀
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…lol, please…don’t flatter yourself…you are decades to early…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
*looks at the barrels of honey*
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Doesn’t mean I can’t practice in the meantime.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
101 ways to prepare skylions… Hmmm..
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m really enjoying this series and music is just the icing on cake. This bunch of characters are quite interesting to say the least so I’ll be looking forward to how their background stories are delved into along with overall plot progress.
Btw, congrats on your first post on Metanorn!
POWUH: 800-899 and Self-proclaimed Manga Queen with 874 comments
Congrats on your first post~!
I don’t know why I wasn’t planning to watch this show at first, but I ended up changing my mind and I absolutely LOVE IT. I love the characters, I like the story, and I like how it’s action-y and fun and crazy all rolled into one. Even the music is fantastic!
Episode 3 however wasn’t as great as the first two for me. Not much really happened, but it was neat seeing the Prosfair game. I’m just eager for a more action-y episode is all.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I don’t know why, but this ending reminds me so much of Yozakura Quartet ~hana no uta~’s opening… But a lot better, actually. Specially it’s animation, it’s so much fun watching it everytime.
But, seriously. What kind of fucked up game is Prosfair? It’s like you have to control your pieces from 3.000 different tables at the same time, wth.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…the ED is performed by Unison Square Garden…so that’s the connection, for all the YZQ OP…
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Dammit, Spammy! I like you, and I appreciate your work, but my comment isn’t guilty of any sin, ok?!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I don’t think Spammy is susceptible to flattery.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
It was saved before you commented this, ya know.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Seasoned with colonel’s blend of herbs and spices.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
A new writer appears! *grabs rifle and hat and begins a safari* With a new name as well. So I guess, like a phoenix, you rise from the ashes. Congrats on your first post.
I don’t know why but that sounds like some form of masochism. 😉
In my mind, Jerusalem’s Lot is pretty much what you get when New York has been exposed to the demonic world of Limbo like DmC: Devil May Cry. Only that everything supernatural has already been treated as the norm.
To play Prosfair at all is an unfair rip-off when the odds of winning are mostly on the side of the one who sets the rules. Don Arlelelle’s terms for the game, to call them “unreasonable” would be a sheer understatement. And for Klaus, who isn’t even human, to get away by the skin of his teeth, the end result only cemented the fact Ulchenko had no chance of winning.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…yeah, but it’s very telling that the Don didn’t want someone that could beat him. He just wants someone to go the distance. Besides, it looked like chess got crossed with MTG in a very bad way.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 105 comments
I wanted to compare this to Gun gi in Hunter X Hunter, another awesome sounding game I would love to play.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Nice job on your first post! Keep up the good work!
Kekkai Sensen is such a great show. The OST is wonderful – and it’s used wonderfully to go with each scene in the best way possible. I’ll definitely be grabbing this as soon as it comes out. It makes a great show even better!
I really liked episode 3 with Klaus and the chess game that was so complex they couldn’t even begin to explain the rules to us. Usually I wouldn’t like a cop out like that, but when the pieces started leveling up and like 20 chess boards appeared…Yeah, this is the sort of thing beyond our mortal comprehension. It was really impressive to see Klaus survive 99 hours of that thing. I couldn’t even survive 99 hours without food let alone 99 hours of no food WHILE FIGHTING AGAINST A GIANT BRAIN MONSTER.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Great job Samsara!
Oh this show was on the fence for me during the premiere as it really felt too jumbled and fast paced. However, now, after the second episode, I love it!
Leo is pretty cool and I love his character, and the colorful cast of Libra are just awesome.
But that OST? That is on my want list so much! I loved it. The OP and especially the ED are great as well.
The third episode was not as good, but still great in it’s own way, and it showed what sort of person Klaus was. I look forward to getting to know the other members of Libra now.