Shangri-La Part 1 DVD review. CO2 emissions, class divides, boomerangs, and more. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what this Anime was about before I started watching it. Is that a good or a bad thing? Find out after the break.
Name: Shangri-La Part 1 DVD
Studio: Gonzo
Licensed by: MVM Films
Release Date: 18/11/2013(UK)
“The show had an opportunity to create a powerful female lead”
Shangri-La is a strange one, and I am still not fully sure what to make of it. For example, I really liked the political messages, the transsexual mother figure had her moments, and despite the dress sense; the main character at times was amusing. But, eugh here he goes spoiling the positives, Shangri-La had some not so good points. Mostly in the form of poor storyline pacing, lack of battles despite a storyline that suggests lots of conflict, and questionable character designs. I don’t see why the main character is wearing what she does? As a result her character cannot fully be taken seriously.
Let’s take a look at some of the points from the last paragraph. First up are the political messages, as usual without spoiling the story, that Shangri-La deals with. Population is a main them, and reminded me of China’s ‘ghost cities’ that could easily house many people, the homeless for example. Another theme is manipulating markets in the form of CO2 emissions control, the lower your CO2 the better your stock as a country, and how people cause untold damage to countries with a somewhat confusing story mechanic. I’m still not fully sure what ‘MEDUSA’ is. Maybe I’ll find out in part 2 of the series?
Kuniko Hojo, the main character is another point of discussion. Me personally, I don’t get the outfit. A Sailor uniform wearing freedom fighter? Surely with the serious political messages this show provides; a better character design was possible? The show had an opportunity to create a powerful female lead, brought up in a diverse environment in the form of a transsexual mother figure and a stereotypically wise grandma figure, ow and the hard working laborer is like a father figure. Seems like a real shame. One positive? Her boomerang weapon isn’t so bad.
Some of the points above paint a picture of a politically driven storyline, well don’t get too intrigued as this isn’t Gundam. The storyline seems very slow to develop, and can be irritating as a result. I genuinely believe that the show could of offered much more. It takes 12 episodes for the storyline to get to a point where it feels like it will really start to move forward faster. Hopefully the part 2 DVD will bring more emphasis on the social divide elements of the show, which see one part of Japan’s population in ‘Atlas’ – where the rich and lucky live; then the others in Duomo who are surrounded by a killer jungle and frequently hit by damaging hailstorms.
Animation? It’s not bad. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t anywhere as good as the recently reviewed Guilty Crown, but it isn’t bad. I found the Akihabara area to be well animated. It really seemed like a run down Tokyo impression. That extremely busy vibe, lots of adverts, and yet the grime that comes with constant battles with nature still covers the city.
This next sentence will amuse anyone who knows me, and it only happened after a conversion with fellow writer Kavita. I watched the English dub! I thought I would give it a shot. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I do find the style of voice acting strange. It almost feels like an impression, and not a character. I mixed it up with the Japanese track, which I have to say is the preferred choice. Assuming the 2.0 audio output doesn’t bother you. On another sound note, I found the soundtrack to be largely forgettable. While some of the orchestra pieces were nice enough, they just didn’t pull me in like say Blue Exorcist’s did.
Bad guys. I always find myself fascinated by them, and Shangri-La has a quite straight forward bad guy. Well, women. Bad girl sounds wrong? Surely bad guys is a universal term? I dunno, let’s just say it is and stop this pointless part of the review? Ok, Ryoko Naruse is far too straight forward. I feel we need more reasoning behind her absolutely ruthless behavior. I mean she is brutal in her methods, and treats her staff, if you will, like crap. What gives?
Overall thoughts:
Shangri-La, so far, doesn’t offer enough. A shame, as some of the themes the show presents are genuinely interesting. Next month we will be reviewing part 2, and hopefully this will see a focus on the political elements; with a faster pace of storytelling. Hopefully answering many questions.
Shangri-La Part 1 DVD is available at Anime On Line, right now!
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