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When They Cry
This very cool box set
is not your average anime and merges well with the horror genre in this
very unpredictable series. Containing all 26 episodes, When they Cry
definitely breaks the mould of big breasted Japanese school girls. The series is
broken up into six chapters which revolve around protagonist Keiichi
who has moved from Tokyo to the Japanese countryside in the small
village of Hinamizawa.
Initially Hinamizawa seems like the perfect
country village, however as Keiichi Maebara discovers, there's
definitely more to a book than its cover which is where the horror
bubbles to the surface in this "sleepy" down. When Keiichi discovers that there have been a
number of unexplainable deaths at a failed construction project, he
decides to investigate, only to discover that the deaths and missing
people may be responsible to the village's god called Oyashiro.
According to the rumours in the village, this god has cursed all who had
any involvement in the creation of this dam.
As the six chapters are
irrevocably linked, we discover that there are many similar themes such
as the strange god that the villagers worship and that the townsfolk are
not as innocent as Keiichi first believed, including his friends. Without spoiling the story too much, another one of
Keiichi's friend Rena is the star of the final chapter who decides to
take matters into her own hand when she discovers that her father's
girlfriend has a very dark secret.
Needless to say, the result is
quite bloody and as per usual, things don't always go according to
planned which is where the twists come into play. There is an element of black comedy in this series but overall,
it's a very dark series with lots of elements of bloody horror and reminds me
of a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland with its black Alice's.
Video, Audio & Special
Feautres
Video and audio quality for this
series is above average and features sharp images, vibrant colours and
some really cool animation. Containing both the Japanese and English
soundtracks, both are quite good but you cannot beat the native tongue
of this series. Unfortunately for special features, this collection
lacks any oomph and only contains the textless opening/closing and some
trailers.
In the end, When they Cry is a
very unpredictable series as it revolves around Keiichi and his strange
world. There is an element of the Twilight Zone thrown into the mix as
well, especially when the
Watanagashi Festival
comes around, once a year and like clockwork, murders and missing
people. Needless to say when
Keiichi does become
involved in the town's business, some don't take kindly to strangers!
Very deep! |
