Imagine We Still Had VHS: Kurozuka

*This blog post was started on September 19, 2023.

Lets see how quick that I can release this post. I do not intend to rush it, but, after further work on setting up a couple of podcast episodes with a follower to my Mastodon account (@russstevens@mastodon.social), staying up past midnight yesterday was not wise. Eventually, the body will give up on me, and that means I may be held responsible for a poor start to the next season of Whaddayaknow trivia.

I should not be so hard on myself. This is because, it seems that I am realizing my bad dreams. A couple of Fridays ago, my day at the primary retailer started with an old, entitled, xenophobic woman expecting me to accept an exchange or refund for ink cartridges that were three months past the return period. She had to drive 10 miles to get to the store, so she does not find it unacceptable to expect satisfaction despite the fine print. The woman did not understand that you cannot buy products you did not need and expect us to take in them back because they did not work five months later. My previous unconscious period featured a dream about me being stalked by two elderly people demanding I give them a printer despite my lack of knowledge about the products. Why did this dream get manifested?

Perhaps I need to return to therapy. There needs to be a way for me to have dreams that will result in a windfall of millions of dollars. Am I up for that gamble of possibly $50 weekly? As I found out from the last attempt, my schedule just does not allow for that. And I just cannot get to Peoria enough to find my dancer friends who are using BetterHelp.

Big Al's has got to get their shit together to actually encourage the stages to be staffed. And I cannot help to wonder if some Jewish hackers have attacked their Facebook. The business hardly posts and now nothing but weird Hebrew memes. At least I am not the only one who needs to get my life in order.

If I had all my ducks in a row, I probably would not be complaining about this anime gamble. It is 11 pm, and I am feeling gassed. What should I have expected for betting on myself after my history of losing? Not that same bitch coming back to my store expecting me to give them a replacement product despite they did not bring that product in.

This was handed off to a manager, who hated that headache, but I was not going to be the guy to make the decision to lose $40 of product based on her promise. A widow should feel free to demand accommodations. The moment she once again said that I did not know how to read a receipt, the other customers hearing my response to that manager asking why I drug him into this scenario was not something I will regret.

The irony, that manager stopped by my liquor job after they got off work. If only I could drink away the previous shift instead of providing the escape to my primary job's reluctant coworkers.

I suppose I should mention that I decided to drink Wild Turkey 101 as I watched this anime followed by half a bowl of indica. For those who appreciate my Japanese animation reviews, my going above and beyond to make this post happen needs to result in them passing this blog post around. If not, they are sucking my midweek lifeforce away.

And there is your (hyperbolic) transition to the topic in the title.

Kurozuka: Episodes 1-3

*This blog post was resumed on September 20, 2023.

In twelve century Japan, a member of samurai royalty, Kuro, is on the run from a seemingly demonic rival clan alongside his retainer Benkei. After fending off another attack, Kuro's exhaustion results in the need for shelter. It seems fortunate that Benkei finds a house off in the distance that seems to be occupied. There is a risk of an ambush, but what options do they have?

They arrive to find the only person living there is a woman. The beautiful Kuromitsu takes immediate pity on the two and seems fascinated by Kuro. Benkei requests to stay the night, but Kuromitsu notices Kuro's fever and offers the two board until he is well. There is just one stipulation. She lives in the backroom of the house. Be it privacy or embarrassment over the state of the room, the two samurai are not allowed to enter it.

The next morning, Benkei leaves to find a friendly village to find medicine for his master. While he searches, under Kuromitsu's watch, Kuro slowly recovers. It maybe Florence Nightingale syndrome, but the host and guest start developing feelings for each other. Sadly, Kuromitsu assures Kuro that hey can never be together.

One night, Kuro awakens to a sense that something is wrong. Following his intuition, he enters Kuromitsu's forbidden room to find her feeding on the blood of a dead man. Before the two can makes sense of what is going on, Kuro's enemies have arrived at the house and severs the right hand of the host. Our protagonist puts up a great fight, but is eventually mortally wounded. Before his foes can finish him, Kuromitsu kills them all with little effort.

Circumstances have obviously changed. Kuromitsu takes Kuro into the forest. She invites him to be at her side...for eternity. Not wanting to die and being infatuated with Kuromitsu, he takes her up on the offer. The two drink each other's blood, and Kuro's wounds rapidly heal. This is good because his attackers have returned, but their leader makes it clear, they are their for the woman.

Kuro fends them off until Benkei returns. As he and Kuromitsu try to assess the situation, Benkei beheads his master.

Being immortal now, Kuro regains consciousness and finds his torso attached to his head. As he searches for his lover, he finds a huge, former metropolis. It is a metropolis that must be at least 800 years younger than the one he knew. Kuromitsu is still his obsession, so regardless of the world he finds himself in, his only goal is to find his lover from centuries prior.

This task will be a greater challenge than he could expect, because it maybe trivial to what is happening to the rest of the world. The Imperial Red Army seems to rule this new Japan. They bare the mark of Kuro's rivals, and they are even more evil than before, eliminating any civilians that inconvenience them. For Kuro, it maybe convenient vengeance. For the resistance, he maybe their only hope.

*This blog post was resumed on September 21, 2023.

Pardon the start-stop nature of the blog. The lesson is to watch the videos on Wednesday and write the post on Thursday. Mondays can be late due to the podcast production. Tuesdays should be dedicated to recovering from Monday. Wednesdays should leave me somewhat recharged.

"Kurozuka" has an enticing premise. It is like "Interview with the Vampire", but centered around action instead of drama, let alone horror. The samurai twist makes it accessible to anime fans and for those wanting something different from their vampire entertainment.

This series was part of a $15 DVD set which I purchased for "Ultraviolet: Code 44", a spinoff of the Milla Jovovich movie. All of the series were productions from the Madhouse animation studio. It is a studio that I was very familiar with, but the entire concept of three, seemingly forgotten series, I thought the studio had been stretched thin. Hell, they sold out to Sony to try and make something worthwhile from a bad movie.

"Kurozuka's" art is not as bold as most of the anime that has made it stateside, and I find that refreshing. It has more of a manga feel instead of shows that have obtained international attention. With that said, there is nothing innovative about it, just comforting.

Unfortunately, when bundled with two other series that feature the same style, I think that hinders its ability to be sold. It just does not look exceptional. And after writing that, the realization that they all have a cyberpunk aesthetic. 39 episodes of the same means that only the "Ultraviolet" apologists would buy this. One would hope that parents have the sense to know anime is not for kids.

This show is not for kids. The violence is too much fun for that, at least in the first two episodes. Once you introduce the innocent, persecuted masses, they hold back at times on the graphic violence. It successfully uses hip effects of the time (Vivid colors during our hero's crazed moments.), but does not innovate. As for the soundtrack, the score and songs are of the time, thus, not something I will go out of my way to download.

Despite not looking or sounding unique, I cannot help but be encouraged by the story. Vampires are an easy concept for me to bite at. (Pun was not intended.) Demons versus samurai never really intrigued me. Maybe that is Eurocentric bias. All of the old, Japanese demon stories that I have come across seem too convoluted, at least when they try to incorporate it with other Japanese-centric genres. It just seems more fun to clash two totally different cultures.

What I found fascinating about "Kurozuka" is that the tale takes the time to establish different time periods. If you like both the feudal and the dystopic setting, this series allows you to have your cake and eat it too.

Now did it do this in the best way possible? Probably not. You do not realize the twist (unless you take into consideration the frantic open credits) until the end of the second episode. They could have taken some pointers from "Highlander: The Series" or anime "Highlander: The Search for Vengeance".

If it was a multiple episode OVA, the surprise of our vampire awakening 800 years later would work. Having a first episode that takes place entirely in the 12th century, it is just another vampire show. All it would have taken was a cyberpunk intro to let us know what the hero is currently dealing with. A clever transition to a flashback, and you have fried gold.

"Kurozuka" is a unique premise and an exciting enough series to keep the audience intrigued. It just does not start off correctly to provide intrigue. If you did not buy this as a package (DVD set), I do not know if you would stick around for another vampire cartoon. This may not have worked as a TV show, but a $5 anime collection, it is indeed worthwhile.