View Full Version : Red Garden
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I've been looking forwards to this series ever since I saw the promotional images for it several months ago. I've been following the official site (http://anime.excite.co.jp/redgarden/index.html) updates, which have yet made me even more excited about this series. And finally, the first episode has been released (raw). Unlike most anime fans, to me Gonzo does not equal 'awful' or 'sucks'. Sure, they have made terrible terrible things, but they have also made quite a lot of personal favorites of mine, so when it comes to Gonzo, I hope for the best and if it turns out to be a disappointment, I just look on to their next project. Why am I rambling about this? Because I honestly believe that Red Garden could potentialy be another excellent Gonzo series.
Lets check who's involved with this one:
Red Garden is directed by Kou Matsuo, currently well known for directing Rozen Maiden and Traumend. The script is by Tomohiro Yamashita, who's only earlier work has been none other than the Gankutsuou script itself. The character designs are by Fujijun, a complete new comer who's given this series an extremely unique and beautiful look (unless you have anything against Escaflowne-like noses and characters with lips). The music composition is by Akira Senju, a master of operatical and orchestral soundtracks. Most of the seiyuu cast worked with Kou Matsuo in Rozen Maiden. A very strange quality of this series is that the dialogues have been pre-recorded, or prescored, that means that the seiyuus gathered, spoke the lines, and then the studio makes the characters lips move according to the dialogue, instead of the other way around that is how most animation studios in Japan handle it. In fact, it is exactly how it is done with Western animation.
Summary:
Kate, Rachel, Rose, and Claire are classmates at a high school in New York City for the rich. They all see this dream at night, and wake up in the morning feeling strange, not remembering anything. Rose and Kate (a student council member) are tardy, and Claire skips school entirely. At school, they are informed that Reese, another classmate of theirs, was found dead. That night, for some reason, the four girls walk to a park, as if summoned by something. They realize that they saw something the previous night. Just then, a woman called Rula and his partner JC arrive at the scene, and tell the girls that she is their instructor, that the girls are already dead, and they must slay this beast-like man who is approaching them.
This series has a style that will remind many of Gankutsuou and Paradise Kiss, and as far as plot goes, the last line from the summary screamed GantZ to me. The OP has a beautiful sequence (Gonzo is turning OP sequences into an art lately) and has a very upbeat song compared to the rest of the episode, and an ok ED song that mixes footage previously aired during the episode. I loved the first episode, loved the mood and atmosphere, loved the character designs and soundtrack, now I'm just waiting for someone to translate the dialogues to get a better idea of what everyone in the series is talking about, though the summary above pretty much covers episode one. It will be 24 episodes long, and I hope more people besides myself (and Trem, if I'm not mistaken) are looking forwards to it or at least will be after reading this.
Images (not taken by me):
From the OP (http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6278/redgardenopct1.jpg)
From the episode I (http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4492/redgarden1ps6.jpg)
From the episode II (http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2617/redgarden2le0.jpg)
From the episode III (http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/115/redgarden3dp4.jpg)
Links:
Wikipedia link for Red Garden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Garden)
ANN link (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6804)
(A bit off topic here, but Pumpkin Scissors had a very good first episode and Welcome to the NHK! continues strong, could this be a sign that Gonzo will stop being associated with horrors such as Gravion, Kiddy Grade, -which is, by the way, getting a second season sometime in 2007...- and Zaion? As long as we forget that they are working on Marginal Prince, I think that could be a possibility)
soundchazer
10-04-2006, 07:30 PM
Preach on sister! Preach on! I also hold Gonzo in a higher esteem than some of our coleagues. When they miss, they miss bad, but when they hit, the hit homeruns.
Mouse
10-04-2006, 07:43 PM
I hope more people besides myself (and Trem, if I'm not mistaken) are looking forwards to it or at least will be after reading this.
Well, worked for me. That summary sounds intriguing so I'll at least watch the first few to get a feel for it. Once it's subbed of course. Thanks for the write up Rove. :)
Grasshopper
10-04-2006, 08:07 PM
Dead girls fighting beast-like men you say? I'm so in.
Dead girls fighting beast-like men you say? I'm so in.
Actually, I don't think this series will play that way. The four main female characters are not the kind of girls-with-guns at all, they are snobish rich girls who most likely do not know how to use a gun or defend themselves all that much. So far they follow the stereotypes of the naive, timid one (Rose), the serious one who knew the girl killed and seems to have problems of her own (Kate), the rebel one (Rachel) and the one with a past involving theft (Claire). Of those four, probably Claire would have the highest chances if this turns into a Battle Royale, since she seems to be the 'sportish' one; which is why I believe this will not turn into a Battle Royale, or the series would end in episode 2. Unless they develop some sort of conveniently placed mental/spiritual powers due to the fact that they are dead, I don't see how they could save themselves. Or perhaps the beast-man will just back off, or be attacked by someone else, who knows. The fact is, this is not an action series at all.
I still hope you watch this even though it will not be an action-filled show. Who knows, it could prove more interesting this way.
Grasshopper
10-05-2006, 01:31 PM
Yeah, I didn't think it was action oriented when I first read about it. I still like the idea of psychokinetic dead girls fighting beast men though.
Sae-chan is in! I must check this out! I love the drawing style! I wish they would change the escaflowne-type noses, but that's about it! And Rove, you were right, this does look A LOT like ParaKiss! Great find, Rove!
Sae-chan
When you dont expect anything from Gonzo they have the ability to suprise you, thats what ive learned at least. I used to completely utterly hate Gonzo but then they made NHK so ive given them a pass at the moment. At the very least i now give them a chance with most of there releases before i judge them.
kLaUS
10-06-2006, 04:20 PM
It really looks pretty good, apparently a very stylish animation, and although im one of those that hates escanflowne type of characters, the story sounds like a keeper.
Hey, i dont think anything that gonzo has made in the past has made people completly hate them. Maybe, only some of their work can have the "suck" calification. But they dont deserve a label from now on. I mean, there are people in here who ignore all of gonzo's work ?¿. We can all agree that they have had some saviors in the past...
soundchazer
10-06-2006, 05:12 PM
The way I see it, Gonzo redeemed itself starting with Last Exile. Their success / failure ratio has been balancing out since then. And even before that, they had some anime that were above mediocre: Blue Submarine, Full Metal Panic!, Saikano and Hellsing.
soundchazer
10-10-2006, 08:37 AM
Well... the first episode is out in subbed format.
Great opening using an upbeat jazzy tune. The visuals are gorgeous, but then Gonzo has been known for doing those for years. As for the anime itself, this is a very intriguing show that gives me a Speed Grapher vibe with better graphics. My only complaint is the girl singing in the middle of the show. I hope it doesn't become a staple of the anime. While I enjoy musicals, I like them in the period they were intended for (40's and 50's), and it was indeed a very odd choice for the way the story was unforlding anyway.
The ending is also very nice, using a Soul'd Out song (and I dig that group).
This will be a perfect anime to dub, since it is situated in New York, and all the characters so far have Western names. That should make the work of the voice actors easier.
Tremolo
10-10-2006, 08:46 AM
I thought the first episode was pretty superb overall. It looks great, although I can imagine that people will hate the character designs - what the hell is the big deal with the Escaflowne noses? Will someone please explain this to me because it leaves me baffled everytime. I'd rather have more anime designed like this than the horrible, horrible designs in Air and Kanon with their soul-destroying eyes and ****ed-up faces, but no, it's always with the noses. Leave the noses alone!
Anyway, the story is intriguing, and I was very impressed with the voice acting. Apparently it's all pre-recorded like Western shows, but it's done in a very naturalistic style which I appreciated. And yet despite that and the relatively slow pace, it wasn't boring in the slightest.
And I have to say, I loved the random bursting into song. I hope there's singing in every episode - it'd be great!
Very promising. Could this be the next Gonzo masterpiece? WE SHALL HAVE TO SEEEE.
currywu
10-10-2006, 08:23 PM
This is definitely a keeper. I had forgotten just how good GONZO can be in the visuals department. The atrocious singing in the middle is my only complaint, though I never like musicals anyway. I'm not a fan of the occult but the intrigue has me hooked. One potential downfall is if GONZO goes the monster-of-the-week route which would be a real shame.
And the elongated noses fit this show well due to its heavy Western presence. Unlike Kanon and Escaflowne, which had some truly fugly character designs. Imagine if they combined with each other...
http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wtfub4.jpg
There's a face only an otaku could love.
Yeah I saw this last night and was WTF zombie person chasing 4 girls, one of them tries to beat the crap out of him. Blonde girl in school wakes up in her class then goes back to sleep and runs away from the zombie salary man again. Yeah I was intrigued at 2:30am so I will watch the subs to find out what is going on in more clarity. I think last night's show was episode 2 or 3.
Two-twenty
10-10-2006, 10:12 PM
It looked good, but nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnno.
Unlike everyone else, I was not intrigued. I spent the whole episode watching spoiled american teenagers wonder about wtf happened to their memory. Not fun. Although I do kinda want to know why:
They're all dead and why they now have to kill zombies.
It's not enough to keep my interested. I really don't feel like commiting myself to watching another series based around girls fighting monsters (no matter how pretty they're dressed up).
On that note, I do love the artwork. It's well beyond the realms of cookie-cutter, but I can understand how some people may not like it. Although, it's definetly one of the more stylized versions of urban America I've ever seen. I've never been there before, but I was under the impression that there was more fat people http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/v.gif. Then there's the musical number. That was the one of the biggest where-the-christ-out-of-left-field-did-that-one-come-from I've seen in a long while. Musicals rarely work, even less so in a drama, and witnessing the one I saw in this episode was freaking horrific. On another positive note though, I am absolutly in love with the opening theme and sequence. The ending, however, is just too laughable.
I'm sensing danger here. I'm predicting monster-of-the-week, more shitty sing-a-longs and and a probable drop of animation quality in a few episodes time (Gonzo lol). I'm bailing out now.
With that, I leave you with this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/redgarden1.jpg
Looks like someone set the make-up shotgun to "whore". http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/Twotwenty/v.gif
Apolyion
10-10-2006, 10:30 PM
I'm not sure what to think yet. I'm not too impressed at the moment - the character designs are okay, but all the characters seem to use firehoses to apply their make-up. That might, however, just be because of the contrast with the really unhealthy looking skin tones that everyone seems to have.
The one girl's musical interlude or whatever it was, turned what might have been a decent greiving-for-a-friend scene into overwrought melodrama.
And it seems finding out that you're already dead is the new black in anime.
soundchazer
10-10-2006, 11:05 PM
And it seems finding out that you're already dead is the new black in anime.
Yep... that is so very true. But I guess we will have to wait and see where they take this. At least they are keeping in intriguing, unlike Busou Renkin, which has the same dead but alive premise and falls flat in its face. And about the makeup thing, I just think that is the way Japanese picture American girls: loud, wild and full of makeup :/
7Raven7
10-10-2006, 11:23 PM
I just think that is the way Japanese picture American girls: loud, wild and full of makeup :/
Only if they are under the age of fifteen. If they are older they have huge chests, have sex with everyone and can pull a gun from pretty much anywhere.
Dirty Harry
10-10-2006, 11:39 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/DampeRIP/vlcsnap-2592772.png
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE
Oh God. The disappearing noses. This show fails at being interesting, and having decent noses.
That combined with how gangly and ugly everyone is, is just terrible.
This show fails, hard.
Taleweaver
10-12-2006, 02:23 PM
I've seen worse character concepts in a few of my favorite shows *coughescaflownecough*, so they don't really put me off here. I definitely love the attention to detail Gonzo again is paying, and the series shows some promise as an action/mystery/thriller mix. If the next three or four episodes expand what we have already seen, this might really be one of autumn's winners, aside from Kemonozume and Chevalier d'Eon. I'll have an eye on it.
Apparently the Japanese think Americans all have big noses. The Americans in Ouendan also had incredibly large noses.
Mouse
10-12-2006, 07:54 PM
Just saw episode one and all I can think is this show is really weird. Like most everyone else, I wasn't really feeling the sudden musical number, it was just... too out of place... >.>
Otherwise, character designs don't really bug me and so far, I'm on board to see how this story will unravel. Can't say I'm on board with the music though. While I like the opening, I didn't think the jazzy upbeat song matched the general tone of suspense and mystery, and the ending was even more out of place. Maybe after a few episodes they'll grow on me. The opening sequence was really cool though.
Even though Gonzo made some weird choices in execution, I like what I see. On to episode two.
Ghostmaster
10-29-2006, 02:03 PM
I saw the first episode. It is really werid and the animation style is definately odd. I kinda want to see where it goes though. I don't know really what to think of it.
soundchazer
10-29-2006, 02:46 PM
I saw the first episode. It is really werid and the animation style is definately odd. I kinda want to see where it goes though. I don't know really what to think of it.
THere is nothing weird about the animation style... in fact it is very crisp. Are you talking about the character design by any chance?
Ghostmaster
11-02-2006, 05:56 PM
THere is nothing weird about the animation style... in fact it is very crisp. Are you talking about the character design by any chance?
Yeah probably.
Two-twenty
12-11-2006, 07:11 AM
Just out of curiosity, for those who are still following this show (if any) is it turning out to be alright? Or was it the abortion I was hoping it wouldn't turn out to be?
Sorrow-kun
12-11-2006, 03:23 PM
Ignore the singing, and it's actually really good. The action has taken a total backseat and the focus has been on the character drama, which has been done really well, thanks to some realistic character interactions and a cast that is just not afraid to express emotion at all, which is refreshing. The absolute highlights are the verbal confrontations: characters speak out of turn, interrupt each other, let their emotions get the better of them, yell and scream at each other... it's very authentic and very refreshing since you don't see that sort of thing in anime very often, but here it's an almost episodic event. It gets very emotionally charged at times though, so if you don't like that sort of thing, etc, etc. The characters are all in various stages of depression and, as such can be accussed of being weak... although I'd say it's quite realistic given that they're just normal high school girls, faced with a pretty bad situation.
The singing can get pretty grating, though... but I suppose you can skip it if you must.
hayama22
12-11-2006, 07:14 PM
I actually really like it when the episodes include singing. It's like the final coating of pretension that allows the series to pop out as something utterly different. I disliked hearing the blond guy sing, though. The background music was nice, but his voice was very weak (as it's intended?). It bothered me so much that I had to sing along with more strength in order to feel satisfied.
Apolyion
12-11-2006, 07:40 PM
I feel this show just careens between being brilliant - the character interactions, the brutality of the violence when it occurs, the characters' life problems... and terrible - the character art, the many recycled plot concepts (like being dead but not), and the artificially slow pace (plot revelations are few and far between so far).
The singing is so-so. It's at least different and memorable, and some of it is pretty good.
Mouse
12-11-2006, 10:11 PM
I've been meaning to pick this back up after episode two killed any enthusiasm I had for this show. I know that's not very far in, but the entire episode was one hugely annoying scream-fest with, of course, a terrible musical number toward the end. Sorrow-Kun's making me think I should keep watching but the execution of this otherwise interesting story is near unwatchable.
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