Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Intro

Geneon continues it’s string of interesting releases with this one.

The Story

In the 20th century there was a war fought between humans and monsters. The blood shed was terrible and in the end, it was the monsters who won the war but as time went on and a new century began, humans began to forget about the war and the bloodshed that came of it.

This series takes place after that war and follows a young man named Bocca. Bocca is in high school but he really is pretty miserable. His parents are constantly upset with him for not studying harder in school and are bribing his way through school so that he’ll get a good job like his older brother and his girlfriend is constantly pressuring him for sex (again, I’m trying to figure out why that last one is a problem). He really doesn’t see the point though. His classes feel pointless to him and all his life he has felt like he was destined to become a warrior but no one believes in warriors anymore.

One night though he discovers the truth. The war between humans and monsters is not over and there are still those who call themselves ‘Warriors Of Melos’ who answer to a phantom goddess who appears to them in spirit form called The Melody Of Oblivion. The rumors are that if a warrior can find her and free her then the war will finally be over.

Now, after meeting up with another young girl named Sayoko who knows more about this war than he does, Bocca is taking up the fight as a warrior of Melos and leaving everything behind… his family, his girlfriend, everything. To become a warrior and fight for a cause he knows almost nothing about.

The Good And The Bad

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this series when I put it into my player but as soon as the opening credits were done on the first episode I found myself captivated and for two hours I could hardly blink.

The story in this series is definitely something that has to be experienced. What I find good and bad about this volume is that the story is very intense. This is not a series that you can just have on as background noise and expect to be able to follow it. This is a series that you must pay attention to but once you start paying attention you had better hope that your mind can deal with everything that is going to be shown to you. The story is very intense and honestly I’m nursing a small headache after watching that first volume. It’s not just the story and characters though that brought that headache onto me though.

The animation in this series is very dark with occasional bursts of light through special effects and such but it’s the darkness that really sets the mood for this series. It’s a very dark series and it has a very gothic feel to it.

The only thing that I didn’t really care for in this series is that the writing can sometimes feel over the top during some of the battle sequences but since those scenes are actually fairly short it isn’t that big of a bother.

Music

I really enjoyed the music for this series. I thought that opening and closing themes were really well done plus there is a fabulous violin solo that is played whenever Bocca draws an arrow and fires. I know that I’ve heard that violin solo somewhere before but for the life of me I just can’t think of the title.

Dub vs. Sub

Both tracks were well done but it’s always kind of interesting to compare them sometimes. I really thought it was interesting how in the Japanese track the actor who played Bocca played him as very young with a voice that hadn’t changed very much but in the dub track, he was played with a much deeper voice as though he was already a grown man in the body of a boy who is about to become a man. It was quite the interesting disparity but neither one was wrong. I thought that both performances had something interesting going for them.

Neither track was better or worse than the other and I really can’t choose a major standout performance.

Extras

Almost none. Just the clean closing animation. Really quite disappointing in this case.

Overall

This is definitely a series that I will be watching more of with an eager anticipation. The plot is definitely one of the more original that I’ve seen lately and I’m quite anxious to find out where it goes from here but I can’t say that this is a release that will please everyone. This is not a series that you can expect to walk out of it with a smile on your face. This is something that is going to draw you in and effect you in one way or another.

Final Grade: 89% - B


Related Reviews

Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 2: Monotone
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 3: Metronome
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 4: Solo
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 5: Refrain
Melody Of Oblivion Vol. 6: Final Score


©L.B. Bryant 2005




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older