Kurenai OVA - Episode 2 (Completed)

Watching the first episode of this Kurenai OVA back in July was a bit of a tough one in many ways, with a hugely different art style from the anime I fondly remember while the story's manga form has clearly moved on a long, long way from where the anime left off.  Nonetheless, I kind of enjoyed the experience, so here I am again for the second of these two OVA episodes.

As per the first half of the OVA, this half hour instalment is split into three.  The first of this trio is the most vaguely serious of the bunch, with monosyllabic and shy killer Kirihiko deciding to pay Shinkurou a visit at school, only to bump into Murasaki who has ditched her own school in an attempt to do exactly the same thing.  Cuo a montage sequence of this unlikely duo goofing around at school, before a slightly ridiculous moment involving blowing out a school wall with a knife from Kirihiko in the name of saving a falling Murakami.  Aww, isn't friendship grand?

The rest of the OVA is played purely for laughs, first via a search for the cause of a leak sending Shinkurou's "fan club" rifling around under his sink and finding what seems to be a "treasure trove" of "interesting material", leading the group to try and test him out to see if the magazines in question really do belong to him.  A handful of misunderstandings later, everyone is seemingly in a worse position than they started off in mentally, not least Shinkurou himself.  Finally, the last segment of this episode sees Murakami taking on a job as a counsellor of sorts after getting the idea from TV, interviewing all of her friends about what is troubling them before thinking up a rather convenient solution which again drops Shinkurou into all sorts of problems.

So, almost all of this episode (and most of the OVA as a whole) turned out to be pretty light and fluffy, and it certainly had none of the intriguing elements of the initial TV anime, yet at the same time there's a certain charm to Kurenai and its cast of characters that you can't help but be drawn in by - for all its simplistic slice of life-esque fair, it can be pretty fun and the character interactions work surprisingly well however predictable they may sometimes be.  It's almost enough for me to wish for another full series of the anime rather than this simple spin-off of a manga which has clearly moved and changed a lot in the past couple of years.

Kurenai OVA - Episode 1

Has it really been too years since the rather wonderful Kurenai anime came to an end? To answer my own question, yes it has, but July and the fifth volume of the franchise's manga has brought us a one-shot OVA (there will be a second in December, incidentally) to allow us to revisit the series.


This episode splits itself into three short stories, the first of which fills any kind of required action quota by bringing Shinkurou, Muraski and company to a swimming pool in a hotel which has apparently been booked out specifically for them. Of course, there's a little more to it than that, as this hotel is also the scene of a terrorist plot in progress, with Shinkurou and his friends clearly placed there to do their part to stop a plan involving copious amounts of chlorine gas from ever being carried out. Both sides of this coin are controlled by one woman, Lucy May, who works for the Akuu company, and I can only assume that they are tied into Shinkurou's work in some way.

The rest of the OVA takes in some rather lighter topics, with the first seeing Ginko's notebook breaking down at the worst possible moment, with a time-sensitive client waiting for her input. When another laptop is offered up for her to use the problem seems to be solved, but Ginko's attachment to her prized possession threatens to ruin everything. The final part of the episode sees both Ginko and Yuuno press-ganged into helping the ever-adorable Murasaki with creating a picture diary for her homework; a diary which ends up involving vast quantities of physical activity, which suits neither girl but does serve to ramp up the obvious love rivalry between them.

I have to admit, it took a while for me to get back into the groove of Kurenai - It has been a while after all, and the huge drop in animation quality here compared to the original series (as I remember it at least) didn't help. As I haven't been following the manga I felt rather lost early on, but as things progressed I began to remember just what a rather likeable protagonist Shinkurou can be, while that aforementioned rivalry between Ginko and Yuuno seems to be a lot more blatant than I remember. This might be something of a shadow of the series I loved a couple of years ago (and I really should start reading the manga, shouldn't I?), by necessity you could say for a one-shot OVA such as this, but even as a brief reintroduction to some of its wonderful characters I at least started to rediscover some of the warm and fuzzy feelings that the spring of 2008 granted me. Perhaps the second OVA in December can go one step further and bring us another taste of Kurenai at its best.

Kurenai - Episode 12 (Completed)

For a series that has barely put a foot wrong for its entire run so far, there is perhaps added pressure to make sure that said series finishes in a suitably fantastic manner. This kind of stratospheric expectation is never good for any show in all honesty, as virtually no ending can live up to what has gone before, and that is perhaps true of Kurenai in exactly that fashion.

Having said that, the finale of this show excels by giving us a conclusion that is actually unexpected, with its ending managed to duck out of the simple black or white view of life that we have come to expect from any kind of visual medium these days. Kurenai has excelled in portraying the nuances of real life throughout the series, so perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that it managed to fashion its ending in a similar fashion, but either way it should be highly commended for not only attempting it, but for pulling it off in the process. It may not be the dream ending that everyone watching the series hoped for, but when has anything in life ever had a perfect, dream ending?


Despite its 'heavy' overtones, there is still plenty on show in this closing episode of Kurenai to remind us of why we love it so - The dialogue is once again excellent, as is the interaction between various characters, and even in the most deadly series of moments we get some great quips (from Benika in particular) and some even better cut aways to some of the characters that have been left behind and worried by Shinkurou's decision to go after Murasaki... Indeed, the two brief 'interludes' that basically sandwich the episode featuring Ginko and Yuuko are the kind of subtle genius which has made this series what it is.

I do have one major gripe about the episode which amounted to a cop-out to me, and I can't really talk about too much for fear of spoiling the episode for anyone who hasn't watched it yet. All I will say is that people who have been seriously injured in a stabbing shouldn't make quite such a remarkable recovery just a few seconds later. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you'd expect them to die rather quickly.

Anyway, following episode eleven I called this series out as my favourite of this season by far, and I think now is the time to extend that praise to 2008 as a whole. I have to accept that no ending to this series could have lived up to what came before it, and thus I really just have to welcome that this finale was more than good enough to reap my praise. That aside though, Kurenai has probably proved itself to be one the best, most subtle commentaries on modern life, love and the human condition you could ask for. It doesn't preach or teach you anything, nor does it intend to, but it shows such a wide gamut of humanity that I can't help feeling that just by watching it, I've improved myself somehow. A pretentious thought perhaps, but there you have it.

Kurenai - Episode 11

Just how do they manage it? Each episode, I expect Kurenai to somehow slip up, to lose its way, change its focus in a detrimental fashion or just plain screw up. Yet every time, not only does this series manage to keep itself on an even keel, it actually just gets better and better.

I've talked about this show in the past in terms of expecting it to be action-packed before I began watching, then finding myself hoping for a lack of action once it had begun. Well, with Shinkurou on his way to try and save Murasaki along with Benika and Yayoi, the action-centric episode I'd been quietly dreading for some now finally arrived - Yet despite my concerns, it was magnificent.

Perhaps one of the joys of this show is that, despite its quite sombre core subject matter, it has never ceased to be not far short of rolling on the floor hilarious, and even this episode takes joy in those little exchanges between characters that can't help but bring forth a laugh or a smile, often due to their absurdity or ironic meaning when passing from the lips of those involved. It's a very subtle kind of comedy, but it works wonders here.


Beyond that, this episode of Kurenai is simply so many things that it's hard to pin-point a single positive badge for it to wear with pride. Its fight scenes though are perhaps the best epitome of the episode of the whole - Intense, elegant and claustrophobic yet at the same time swift and absolutely brutal. Make no mistake about it, no punches are pulled here be they emotional or physical, hence that intensity I just spoke of. Given how we've been drawn so tightly into the lives of so many of these characters (and indeed we learn yet more snippets, about Benika in particular, during the course of this episode), watching these urgent, penultimate moments is actually quite an intense and sometimes harrowing experience.

In other words then, Kurenai simply goes from strength to strength. If its finale can keep up this fantastic level of quality, then this is easily going to be the best anime to come out of the Spring season, if not 2008 as a whole.

Kurenai - Episode 10

After seeing Murasaki snatched away by the Kuhouins last time around, this was never going to be the most cheerful of episodes of Kurenai, as we see Shinkurou trying to come to terms with the whole situation, while those close to him each try to sway his thoughts with their own - Should he just forget about his 'failed job' and move on, or or should he look beyond that at the person he was trying to protect to help him decide how he should proceed from here? Needless to say, despite his best efforts to detach himself from Murasaki's plight he finds himself unable to do so, eventually challenging Benika to demand that he be allowed to at least try and see her once again.


Although this episode was arguably a little heavy on the flashbacks, it otherwise proved to be another excellent example of what this series has been all about from the outset. On the one-hand (and despite its sombre tone) we had a couple of brilliantly uplifting and funny conversations, while on the other there were some really quite emotional moments that were subtly played without ever feeling overblown. To add to the ever-superb dialogue and characterisation, we learn a little more about Yayoi, and I also get a chance to gloat about reading Benika's true intentions regarding taking Murasaki away from the Kuhouins correctly - In short, it was never about allowing her to escape their grasp forever, but simply for long enough for her to experience the outside world and real love, as requested by her real mother. A very odd thing to ask for your seven year-old daughter (although I suspect her mother knew it was the one thing that would make her fight to achieve a proper life for herself), but I think I can let it go for what is otherwise a most excellent episode of an amazing anime.

My only concern at this point is that, with two episodes to go, there simply doesn't seem to be enough time to wrap things up tidily. Admittedly I'm not familiar with the light novels so I'm not entirely sure what direction the series is headed, or whether they're hedging their bets on a second series (which I certainly wouldn't object to, far from it), but right now I can't imagine so much of importance being neatly closed off in what amounts to about forty minutes of running time. Having said that, I find it equally unimaginable that they'll screw up the series after reaching episode ten with nary a mis-step, so hopefully my fears aren't justified.

Kurenai - Episode 9

We knew the change in tone was coming, but despite being postponed for the duration of episode eight, it finally arrived this time around with Shinkurou and Murasaki being forced out of their apartment as the Kuhouins finally manage to catch up with their errant daughter.

However, despite that escape to the safety of Benika and a hotel, Shinkurou decides that he and Murasaki need to return to the apartment for one last night to say goodbye - An action which unsurprisingly puts them both at risk.

While I've expounded many, many words on this show's use of dialogue to create much of the fun and hilarity of this show during its run so far, episode nine of Kurenai showcased the script writers ability to use these powers in a very different way here in what is surely an emotional crux of the series. Throughout the episode, there was a very ominous feeling of impending doom, and once again Murasaki seemed to get the best lines, on this occasion some really touching thoughts on loved ones and loss. Also of interest during this episode is confirmation of Murasaki's place in the Kuhouin family, and some real question marks being thrown up surrounding both Benika's true motives and intentions in this whole affair.

I've been a little worried that switching Kurenai away from its simple and truly hilarious formula which has worked so well for much of the series would dent its popularity with me, and although the absolutely heart-rending ending to this instalment has left both me and my slightly damp eyes wishing for a return to joviality, I can't deny that this particular episode proved to be a top-notch construction once again. We've had the rise of Murasaki, now we have her fall, and while I'm braced for futher hardship and sadness in part ten, I still can't wait to see what happens next in this absolutely magnificent series.

Kurenai - Episode 8

After last episode seeing Murasaki's whereabouts discovered by the Kuhouin family, I was fully expecting to see a change in this latest instalment to something a little more fraught and action packed... and bizarrely, despite the fact that I was expecting Kurenai to be action-oriented before I started watching it, I was actually rather disappointed by that thought.

Thankfully, episode eight of this series chose to almost entirely delay anything along those lines for at least another episode, instead opting to give us another episode of beautiful bonding between Murasaki, Shinkurou and the other residents of his apartment block, and yet more glittering dialogue, the like of which has made this show my firm favourite of the Spring anime season.

The mainstay is the episode is the decision to help Murasaki celebrate Shichi-Go-San, something Japanese kids apparently celebrate when they are three, five or (in Murasaki's case) seven years old. You learn something new every day. Anyway, the group's celebration involves taking Murasaki to a shrine, and as Shinkurou takes her home at the end of the day we get one of those wonderful exchanges that really mark out the qualities of Kurenai, a conversation which is in turn amusing, embarrassing and touching. Indeed, the closing minutes of this episode demonstrate just how close Murasaki and her protector have become, and despite the formers view of that relationship perhaps being corrupted somewhat by Tamaki's rather perverted view of the world, it's all really quite sweet. It isn't all good news though, as Ginko's research into the Kuhouin's delivers a real bombshell for Shinkurou.

I've noted before that Kurenai can even be a great series in episodes when nothing happens thanks to some snappy dialogue and great characters, but it should also get kudos for those moments when something important is going on. The tail end of this episode, from Murasaki trying to tell Shinkurou how she feels about him through to the bombshell that is delivered to him by Ginko and the last couple of minutes where everything begins to fall apart are an absolute masterclass in both characterisation and how to convey emotion in anime. Even without any over-the-top emotional reactions from any of the characters I found myself becoming entagled in their feelings and fears - Surely a sign of a grade A series.

Kurenai - Episode 7

Following on from last week's musical interlude, Kurenai returns to business in its usual dazzling fashion courtesy of its seventh episode. Much of this episode is devoted to Tamaki, who decides to take Murasaki to university with her for the day. Here, we learn an awful lot about Tamaki - From outwardly seeming like a highly independent woman of the world who uses men as little more than playthings (to the point where I was starting to develop rather a distaste for her character for a while), we actually get a glimpse of the true person underneath that façade, a girl who is just as eager to change and work hard to keep a guy's attention as the very people she so often criticises.

As per usual for the series, this particular scenario is delivered brilliantly thanks almost solely to its dialogue, which one again proves to be frequently hilarious (on Murasaki's part in particular) and occasionally poignant. Perhaps the funniest moment of all is the fact that this episode has no qualms about bringing up the 'lolicon' possibilities of Murasaki and Shinkurou's relationship - When have you ever seen any anime openly posit something upon dodgy ground that we've all been wondering (nay, worrying) about for most of the series? Seeing Tamaki mention this was one thing, but Murasaki brazenly bringing it up in an argument with Shinkurou (coupled with his expression) made my week.

Beyond this, the episode also has serious business to attend to, concerning both Murasaki's mother and her future away from the Kuhouins, developments which may well signal a forthcoming change of pace to the series. Funnily enough, I find myself wanting to resist any such change, such is the joy that has been wrought from watching Murasaki and company doing the most mundane things. Never mind her kidnapping, this series could easily get by on more episodes surrounding shopping, watching TV and just generally watching Murasaki attempt to learn about life. Once again, Kurenai has proved itself to be pure genius using little more than some interesting characters and sharp dialogue, which at the end of the day is always the real foundation of good anime - A foundation which so many series sadly seem to forget, and which they would do well to learn from a show such as this.

Kurenai - Episode 6

After everything that has come before in Kurenai, episode six was a rather bizarre distraction from the normal business of this excellent series - Indeed, you could probably go as far as to call it filler. However, I think it's safe to say that I haven't seen a filler episode quite as hilarious as this one.

The episode begins with Shinkurou receiving a visitor at home who is looking for volunteers for a musical as part of some kind of local cultural festival. Despite trying to avoid it, both himself and the others he shares the apartments with are dragging into having to sing and rehearse for said musical.

Never mind the obvious jokes based around bad singing (which are actually pretty amusing in themselves), it's really the dialogue that wins out in that episode. We've already seen Kurenai boasting plenty of great conversations, both humorous and deadly serious, but with their thoughts seemingly turned almost entirely to ramping up the comic value, almost every scene has been filled with fantastically funny dialogue by the script writers, and not just from Murasaki either. By the end of it all, I couldn't believe twenty-five minutes had passed as the time flew by as if it barely existed at all.

After enjoying an episode such as this, I have to start questioning whether I'm simply too enamoured of the show to be able to see its faults, but that's probably something that you'll have to answer for me yourselves. I have to admit that the animation took a definite downward turn here, to the point of actually feeling pretty awful at times, but considering the light-hearted nature of the episode it didn't detract from things too much. At the end of it all though, we learned nothing from this episode, but it was the most enjoyably funny waste of time I've watched this year so far - It's certainly very telling about the quality of this series that even its meaningless episodes allow its positive points to shine through.

Kurenai - Episode 5

Every time I come to the assumption that Kurenai has reached its peak and will probably start to drop off with regards to its quality, it manages to surprise me by becoming even better still. It doesn't quite seem like the right word for it, but the best I can come up with is that episode five of Kurenai is beautiful.

For starters, Murasaki once again provides the right balance of normal kid who gets excited over toys (while also demonstrating ably how to destroy a Nintendo DS), has childish arguments with other kids and becomes fascinated by the simplest things that could only truly delight a child, matched up against the wannabe mature, controlling Murasaki who tries to hold her own in adult conversation using things she's learned from TV. It's really both delightful and adorable, while also proving to be absolutely hilarious at times, with some fantastically timed and worded outbursts that had me in stitches.

However, Murasaki doesn't manage to steal the show entirely - With this episode focusing on Shinkuro visiting Yuuko to get in some practice at whatever kind of crazy martial art it is they're good at, we learn some more about that blade that he seems to have hidden away in his body as well as some more about Yuuko's family and family history. This somewhat pales into comparison to the training fight sequence between Shinkuro and Yuuko, which is a beautiful (there I go with that word again) juxtaposition of love and violence. It's a really rather odd scene to watch in many ways, with Yuuko going all out against her opponent and certainly not pulling any punches, but in such a way that you're half-expecting her to wrestle him to the floor to smother him with kisses any second. Such is the genius of this show that every scene is frequently dripping with meaning beyond the obvious points of what you're seeing.

Coming from a Code Geass fanboy who was self-assured that nothing would top it for the Spring season, I have a confession - I was wrong. As of now, Kurenai is officially my favourite show of the season, bar none, it's more terrific than my poor wordsmanship can put across here. So, now I've said that, I just hope it's going to continue in the same vain and not let me down.

Kurenai - Episode 4

Kurenai has managed to climb its way towards the top of my must-watch anime list for this season faster than an eight-limbed mountain climber on steroids, beautifully blending some fantastic dialogue and exchanges, particularly between Shinkurou and Murasaki which veers between the poignant and the downright hilarious.

The opening section of episode four manages to pull this particular trick off with aplomb once again, as Murasaki gets caught up in the dark side of Shinkurou's job as a dispute mediator. This whole section is played excellently, from the amusement of witnessing Murasaki's argumentative streak against Shinkurou regardless of those surrounding them to the more disturbing and uncomfortable scenes that follow. The two main characters disparate naiveties are played off against one another superbly, and it's this which gives Kurenai its real sheen.

Away from that, we find out a while load more about the history and childhood of Shinkurou, while also learning the exact historical nature of his relationship with both Benika and some of the other major characters in the series. This all seems to be poured into the mix rather quickly and 'cheaply', rather than opting for the more usual slow exposure of this kind of information, but I don't think it'll detract from the series as a whole as it moves forward (indeed, it might even help in some ways) so I'm willing to let it go.

In a sense, Kurenai is becoming this season's Spice and Wolf for me - A show where I'm not too worried about the main plot and storylines, I'm happy to simply sit back and enjoy the sparkling dialogue and on-screen relationship of the two main characters. If it can keep its blend of humour and poignancy going, this is certainly going to be a notable show.

Kurenai - Episode 3

Kurenai surprised me for much of its opening two episodes - Given its base storyline featuring its protagonist as a young high school student working in 'conflict resolution', I was expecting a more action-oriented experience overall. I was wrong, but in the best possible way, and the third of episode of this series has confirmed that most absolutely.

This third instalment of Kurenai is a fantastic visualisation of a number of the inter-relationships between characters in the show, and more specifically their interaction with Shintaro himself. Of course, his relationship with the object of his protection, seven year-old Murasaki gets plenty of screen-time, but we also see some brilliant realised (and very 'teenage') conversations between himself and Ginko as well as with Yuuno - Two girls who clearly have feelings for him, but none of which he so much as notices, let alone understands. The same can be said of his conversations with Murasaki, where for all his supposed sensitivity he lets each and every important point float over his head.

Much as I loved Spice and Wolf for its dialogue and character interaction, so I find that same kind of love beginning to blossom for Kurenai. While the focus of those interactions are very, very different, the human element to them all in turns fascinating, hilarious and touching, while always feeling very much grounded in reality. Murasaki's tour of Shintaro's school is not far short of being hilarious, while his later conversations with her are really quite sweet in a funny sort of way.

While the animation seemed to take a downward turn in episode three, the realisation of characters has hit near-perfection here - Whether they can keep this up (and keep it interesting) is another matter, but as of right now Kurenai is shaping up well to be a rather fabulous series.

Kurenai - Episode 2

Code Geass aside, Kurenai has impressed me most of the new season shows I've managed to watch thus far, and so I've been looking forward to seeing if episode two matches up to that promising start.

Thankfully, the answer is that it does, with much of the episode seeing Shintaro Kurenai's relationship building with the object of his protection, Kuhouin Murasaki. This was achieved in a delightfully light-hearted way, with a real rapport quickly building between the two characters in a very human fashion. On the flip side of Shintaro's personality, we see him 'in action' properly for the first time, giving us greater insight into the powers he possesses, which doubtless sets us up for some later friction between himself and Murasaki. We also get some glimpses of our protagonist's childhood trauma, with a rather shocking nightmare scene to complement some of what we saw in episode one.

While it's still too early to get a real fix on the way this series will head, episode two proved to be a well-realised blend of humour, humanity and violence - A potentially odd mix that could actually serve Kurenai well if it keeps the balance right and carries on moving things in the right direction.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the show is its animation, which is at turns clumsy and beautiful - Some of the opening shots of episode two are absolutely stunning, particularly in their use of colour, but later on we seem some scenes with decidedly ungainly movement and what looks like rather rushed animation. Overall it's a positive as far as the 'look' of Kurenai goes, but I hope animation quality doesn't drop as the series goes on as so often happens, as it doesn't seem to have as much 'in the tank' as a lot of other shows.

Overall though, Kurenai is still looking promising as a 'win' for the Spring season, and it'll definitely be keeping a place high up my 'to watch' list for the rest of the series.

Kurenai - Episode 1

Shintaro Kurenai is an 'expert' (or rather, a wannabe expert at the tender age of sixteen) in 'conflict resolution', working for a woman called Juusawa Benika. Upon asking for some bigger jobs to get his teeth into, he finds itself left with rather a handful, in the form of a child who has been secreted away from her rich family for reasons that are made clear enough early on in this opening episode.

While this pairing of poor teenage boy and rich young girl is obviously going to be the major focus of Kurenai, there's still plenty of other potentially interesting plot points for the show to get its teeth into, perhaps most importantly Shintaro's body, which appears to have been 'modified' in some as yet unknown fashion which doubtless will come to light as the series progresses. There are also plenty of other characters that might well keep things intriguing, but only time will tell.

Thus far, I've found myself really rather engaged by the opening episode of Kurenai - Shintaro himself is a likeable character who clearly has some pretty 'heavy' history yet to be revealed, and the early relationship between him and Kuhouin Murasaki is warming up nicely, without mentioning any of the show's other minor characters or Shintaro's 'special powers'. The fast pacing of this first episode worked rather well, and there's plenty of room for this to turn into a great series, with some pretty good animation to boot, so hopefully it can built on this early promise moving forward.