Review of Requiem From The Darkness: Vol. 4

Introduction

Oops! When I opted to do a review of `Requiem` I assumed it was for the whole series and not just volume four, the last in the set - never a good place to start! However, with a little background research I noted that despite there being a continuing strand of narrative, each new episode should be watchable in its own right, with its own unique tale of horror and mystery.

If you`re reading this I guess you`ve already either seen the previous volumes of `Requiem` or have read the previous reviews. If so - skip this bit which is a whistle-stop catch up based on some judicious web-research. Yamaoka Hyakusuke, a children`s writer, decides he`s going to write a spooky novel called Hyakumonogatari based on old myths and legends which he decides to set about researching. On his travels he comes across a mysterious trio of `detectives` calling themselves the Ongyou; a trickster, a puppeteer and a bird caller. They`re researching the myths to bring any wrongdoers to justice. Every time Hyakusuke meets the Ongyou he has to face some diabolical truths, a healthy dose of violence, and usually a moralistic battle with his conscience.

In this trio of episodes, Momosuke finds out that the have gone missing during their latest mission and he sets about trying to find them. The first episode has him visiting a small village by the sea where none of the villagers dare go to sea for fear of the ghosts that are in it who are angry at how many accidents and `incidents` have been taking place in their waters. Momosuke goes out to Twin Island where one twin remains, along with all the people who were exiled to the island all those years ago.

The people on the island have a secret - an incredibly powerful weapon that they intend to use for their own ends. Even stranger then that the trio seem to be there too, guarding the weapon and making sure that their former boss doesn`t get his hands on it.

The remaining two episodes form a single story (with a part one / part two thing going on) where Momosuke and the trio take on the evils at an old castle. Plenty of gore, torture and killing in these episodes make this queasy viewing and renders the series unsuitable for the younger teen market - those most likely to be attracted to the series in the first place perhaps.

Video

I daresay the stills accompanying this review will look very fine indeed. All the images are wonderfully transferred, with rich blacks and little pixelation except where intended. The problem is that this is as good as it gets. The screen barely moves…it has more in common with `Jackanory` than with `Spirited Away`.

Audio

A good stereo soundtrack with some fairly decent English dubbing, as well as original Japanese stereo option. I had to laugh as the US Voice-dub read `You`re planning to exercise him?` rather than the intended `exorcise`. Oh well…

Features

There`s a line art gallery as well as trailers for `Ikki Toussen` and `Gun X Sword` amongst others. And that`s it.

Conclusion

`Requiem` certainly looks good on paper. Production stills and line-art look stylish and the context (gothic horror) all make the programme thoroughly enticing. Sadly, based on this set, it falls far short of the promise. What I wasn`t expecting was animation so primitive that it had more in common with Captain Pugwash than with Studio Ghibli.

It`s not that I`m a complete traditionalist. I like innovative animation (stuff like `Lain` in particular) and I`m open to fresh new ideas. But when the big idea seems to be to cut costs through cheap CGI stunts and barely moving images, I feel myself losing patience quickly. I like my manga to be still frames and my animé to move. Is this too much to expect? This all looked frighteningly like an `animatic` - where the storyboard is put into a soundbed to give a flavour of what the finished piece might look like.

Despite the promise that each episode is an enjoyable story in its own right, the plots seemed complex and convoluted making them confusing to follow, or perhaps just not worth the effort. Some of the dialogue may have got lost in translation too. What teenager wants to hear lines like: "Death spreads exponentially…"?

With so much great anime out there, I`d give this one a miss.