Karas – The Prophecy
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Feature: B-
In yet another attempt to do a distinguished work in the
Animé feature in a huge sea TV production and the occasional feature, Karas
– The Prophecy (2005) is rich in sound and trying to come up with a new
configuration of characters, places and artwork that sets itself apart from
other franchises in the field. Though
the look is the next step at best of so many other things we have seen before,
it has its qualities and even its moments.
With Jay Hernandez, Matthew Lillard and Piper Perabo
voicing the English dub, the story involves the title crow that guards the city
against evil and literally the supernatural.
Oddly, that supernatural seems practically Science Fiction when it
decides to have these demons and the like manifest themselves. That does not cause the story to be
schizophrenic, but it does not cohere as well as it should. It is worth a look for those who like Animé
at least, though Horror and Sci-Fi fans might not be as impressed.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a mix of
computer animation, hand-drawn work and many composite layers of either or both
depending on the scene. This is on the
dark side and as good as it can look, with limited color range. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (6.1
matrixed) sound is not bad either, though despite its punch, DTS ES might have
served the animation a little better, while the 2.0 Dolby mixes in English and
Japanese with Pro Logic surrounds are sufficient by comparison. Extras include a mini-comic book inside the
DVD case, while the DVD itself has a concept/animation comparison, TV spots,
Japanese trailers, interviews with the creators and a behind-the-scenes montage
on the making of the franchise. Karas
is a distinctive Animé that may not be for everyone, but cannot be faulted for
its ambition or energy.
- Nicholas Sheffo
