Anime: Kaiba

Kaiba, al igual que otros trabajos de su director, es una obra que es asombroso haber sabido su existencia, ya que para ser anime resulta ser tan diferente a cualquier otro producto de la animación nipona que llega a cautivar a la vez que espantar al público, lamentablemente siendo esto último lo que más perdura y la razón de su fracaso a comercial a pesar de las alabanzas que haya recibido por parte de la crítica y por cierto grupo de individuos que la vieron

El argumento principal se desarrolla en un futuro lejano en el cual las memorias de las personas son almacenadas en un chip y donde se pueden intercambiar los cuerpos al trasplantar los ya mencionados chips en donde el protagonista despierta sin memorias de quien es él así que tendrá que viajar por ese mundo para descubrir quién es. Es un argumento bastante atípico en cualquier medio que exista, aparte que no solo siendo algo único, llega a ser muy elaborada en lo que se propone, ya que mete varias incógnitas de carácter filosófico a la hora de manejar su mundo.

A esto hay que mencionar que el nivel de construcción de mundo que posee es muy resaltante. La serie solo posee una duración de 6 horas y se las apaña para crear todo un universo completamente diferente al nuestro tanto en cosas muy complejas como el orden social o la tecnología a otras tan comunes de los humanos como la reproducción, sus características biológicas y fisiológicas o las costumbres y la cultura. Llega a estar tan bien construido que logra competir con otros metaversos igualmente enorme como los de ergo proxy o shinsekai yori sin mencionar que usa la mitad del tiempo que los 2 anteriores tienen.

Ya que mencioné que llega a tener un alto grado de diferencia con nuestro mundo, le da la capacidad de desarrollar muchas preguntas bien filosóficas acerca de cómo sería algo así. En él se puede llegar a traficar memorias, gracias a la extracción o implantación de estas en otros chips. Básicamente es la misma cuestión que la del carro, si a tu carro se le daña una pieza y se la cambias y los haces con distintas partes que lo constituyen al paso del tiempo, será el mismo carro que en un inicio? eso pasa con la gente aquí, acaso serán las mismos, o cambiar sus recuerdos e implantarse otros los convierten en distintas personas? y en ese caso, que valor tienen esos recuerdos, que son lo que constituyen las vivencias y la forma de ser de la gente, siendo reducidos a simple mercancía?. La exploración que maneja llega mantiene un gran nivel de detalle en varios aspectos de la vida, en distintos grupos y cosas parecidas.

Es asombroso digamos que la gente prácticamente llega a ser inmortal si es que tienen la capacidad de mantener sus chips a salvo y pueden cambiar al cuerpo que se les antoje. Pero ahí entra un gran problema, no todo el mundo el mundo tiene la capacidad de comprar otros cuerpos y por el contrario se ven en la necesidad de vender los suyos y mantener a sus seres queridos solo con la esperanza de que ellos les compren un cuerpo en un futuro. Cosa que denota una gran disparidad entre ambas clases sociales, los ricos y los pobres y lo doloroso de su solo concepción. La mayoría de esto es tratado en la primera mitad de la serie donde se narran las vivencias de distintas personas y la dura realidad que padecen. Estos capítulos son la pura definición de perfección, logran que el público comprenda la situación de estas personas y de poder sentir empatía a pesar de tener tan poco tiempo en pantalla, y la manera tan sutil en como lo hacen, casi sin diálogos y dejando que las acciones hablen por si mismas demuestran el ingenio de Yuasa para hacer historias humanas, las cuales tienen muchos paralelismos con problemas que nuestra sociedad vive hoy en día, depresión, prostitución, grandes brechas políticas y económicas, pobreza, etc. La serie no solo se enfoca en la vida de la gente pobre sino que le da el suficiente foco a los ricos como para entender su razón de ser y sentir pena en lo que se han convertido luego de eones de años cambiando cuerpos y memorias, y realizando enormes actos de locura llenas de todo tipo de vicios y parafilias. A pesar de que sean capítulos de carácter episódico y con nula conexión, todos sirven para construir el mundo y para dar pistas sobre el pasado de nuestro protagonista sobre quien, revelándose de manera paulatina todos los misterios que habían sido hechos en un inicio para que eclipsen en la segunda mitad.

Acerca de esta otra parte, y quizás la razón por la que a muchos no les gustó la serie, es el cambio que se lleva en la historia, dejando a un lado las historias y concentrándose en todo lo que concierne al protagonista. Por un lado, si es extraño el giro de casi 180 grados que la serie dio. Pero por el otro, la transición de una trama a otra no resulta ser abrupta y de hecho es aquí en donde lo más importante toma lugar siendo lo anterior para exponer el mundo y plantar las pistas. La serie a la final resuelve las cosas con un carácter algo irregular ya que tiene aún muchos aciertos pero con un cierto grado de criticismos, en lo positivo, los personajes lograron terminar sus arcos de desarrollo, se supo a la final quien era el protagonista y otras preguntas también terminaron por ser respondidas, muchos eventos de gran peso se produjeron como la rebelión de las masas y sus crudos resultados, el mundo tuvo un cambio producto de la catarsis del cast entero y se terminó por dar varias reflexiones muy interesantes sobre el valor de la vida. En lo negativo y algo que nadie puede defender de Kaiba sin embargo es la forma en cómo se resuelven dichas resoluciones e introducen varios conceptos, al ser mostrados apresurada y casi aleatoria-mente, el supuesto villano del final por ejemplo aparece casi de la nada y no se deja muy en claro qué relación tiene con el mundo ni de su origen, cosas apresuradas pueden ser quizás la manera en como los personajes comenten acciones casi al instante y se nos enseña motivaciones, trasfondo y una exploración de manera tan compacta, a la vez que no se deja muy en claro cosas el porqué el protagonista perdió la memoria en primer lugar. No es un problema tan malo, el final pese a sus ambigüedades se entiende y los mensajes nunca se contradicen, y ya que la serie te dice muchas cosas a través del lore que se fue haciendo a lo largo de su duración te permite armar conjeturas de que se supone que pasó, pero continúa por ser un problema remarcable.

Ya hablando de la serie a un nivel estético, la banda sonora es espectacular, las composiciones quedan muy bien con cada escena y dan ese aire futurista con toques cyberpunk que posee la serie, no es que sea completamente magistral, al contrario, muchas de sus piezas son un reciclaje de otras a las que se le agregan instrumentos y ritmos distintos, a eso también se le puede señalar que el repertorio es muy limitado, así que puede ser cansino escuchar las mismas canciones una y otra vez, pese a estar todas bien manejadas. La animación es bastante buena, es increíblemente fluida y la kinesica con esos movimientos gelatinosos de los personajes refuerzan que son seres de mundos bastante distintos al nuestro. El diseño de personajes y los paisajes van por el mismo camino, tiene ese estilo naíf con características de los dibujos Tezuka y por extensión de Disney que resaltan tanto, además de ser usado en una historia tan cruda como esta lo hacen aún más inusual. Su gran diversidad en caracteristicas anatomicas los hacen muy distintos los unos de los otros, que no solo es bueno a un nivel visual, sino tambien narrativo, ya que hablamos de una historia donde se pueden intercambiar cuerpos y puedes crear otros, aporta mucho sus tan marcadas distinciones. Otra cosa que también es particular es el cambio de estilo visual de un capitulo a otro, producto de que cada capítulo fue hecho con un equipo de producción distinto, razón por la que a veces podrás ver animación stop motion, o que el dibujo parezca hecho con graffiti y demás excentricidades, aunque no son tan drásticos, los personajes siempre poseen las mismas características anatómicas y proporcionales.

Y eso es lo que tengo que decir sobre Kaiba, no es una obra para todos, posee temas muy complicados y la forma en como los ejecuta no son fáciles de digerir, pero el mérito lo tiene mas que merecido, es fácilmente una de las mejores obras que hayan existido en la animación, poco o nada pasar ser una obra maestra y sin duda una experiencia casi sin precedentes

Note: This review is based on Ureshii-F-B fansubs. Great quality and nearly perfect translation. Definitely recommended.



Both originally created and directed by Yuasa Masaaki (Mind Game, Kemonozume) Kaiba[/b] is one of, if not the, best anime of years 2008. Set in the distant future where people don't value their bodies anymore, it tells a tale about an amnesiac Kaiba who is traveling through alien world trying to learn his origins. His travels will take him through many demented environments, ultimately leading him to learn all the truth behind himself and the degenerated world. Unique presentation and epic storyline will make this show unforgotten for many years to come, its sheer originality and deep layers will put it on the same shelf where other controversial shows which are being debated up to this day are.

The main philosophical theme of this show is the value of human beings and to what level is the body a necessity. There are also heavy themes touching evolution, future of humanity, power of emotions, absurdity of existence and the all consuming greed of humans. And I must say, all of those themes are carried out brilliantly, be it through dialogue or through sheer presentation. Kaiba is a heavy philosophical bundle to be enjoyed by anyone who is interested in searching for new answers and knowledge in anime. Shows like it come only once in a few years.

Animation: 7/10

Probably the most unique aspect of the show is its animation done by Madhouse (I wouldn't be surprised if it had a literal meaning actually). Everything is drawn in such peculiar way that you'd be forced hard to tell that it's an anime outright. However, the creators had to sacrifice much of technical stuff for the sake of originality which also makes animation the most controversial aspect of the show. Backgrounds for example, though innovative and packing a lot of weird things in the corners (like weird shaped flower things which eat stuff) lack detail and sometimes make it hard to tell different things apart. Most of the time it feels as if all the world around the characters is built of melting pudding which is unable to keep shape, sometimes appearing as an allegoric imaginary and sometimes as a mess of bright colors done by a drunk painter. In the end it heavily depends on the viewer, if you prefer realism you'll be in hell, if you prefer innovation you'll be in heaven. On the other hand, though I prefer innovation and allegoric imaginary I still would have liked backgrounds better if they had more clear lines. That way they'd at least look different from the backgrounds I've painted in picture books when I was five. Coloring effects are pretty good though, bright and never striving to be realistic.

Most of the same things apply to character designs as well. Though different from most anime, they are neither attractive nor beautiful at all. Bodies are disproportioned and some rough lines make them look as if they were taken from a 3D game of XXth century. Most of the time it's really hard to tell adults, kids and animals apart. On the other hand their demented forms work well to create the bizarre environments successfully achieving an atmosphere suiting the show as extraordinary as Kaiba. 'Rough' doesn't apply to the fluidity of animation though. All characters move and jump in realistically and there are no corners cut when it comes down to inbetweens. Backgrounds, as if made from pudding, react to the touch of their environment in a believable, well, relatively believable way. Flying things, bullets, rockets; everything, though roughly drawn move the way you'd want them to, hence I have nothing to reprove in this particular aspect.

Finally, direction is very good, much better than in the most of the shows you usually see. Then again, Kaiba relies on allegorical presentation so lame direction would make the show fall apart and it doesn't. Most of camera angles are peculiar in one way or another and the show never wastes its times on close-ups to characters who are talking. Transition to different scenes is masterfully done, never appearing nor too lazy nor too sudden. And the few occasional shots at the odd flora and fauna living on the surroundings always bring great results at sucking you in the show even further.

Sound: 8/10

Both OP Never and ED Carry Me Away by Kagami Seira are calm lyrical songs with hints of melancholy. Not only they are pleasant pieces to listen to, they are just perfect for the atmosphere of this show. I haven't skipped them once and even when re-watching this show I won't. They blend with the anime so well they appear as vital pieces of an episode, what most of the OPs/EDs fail to do.

Yoshida Kiyoshi (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, Kurozuka) is known for his ambient OSTs. Kaiba is no exception as its background is as ambient as it can get. What sets it apart from other shows which Yoshida Kiyoshi worked on is that Kaiba also possess a few emotional and even vocal pieces to spice the things up. While ambient music does a perfect job at creating the bizarre sci-fi atmosphere for the show, vocal pieces never fail to instill emotion, making the already dramatic and epic scenes even more so. Though I didn't particularly like Yoshida Kiyoshi before watching this show, it changed my opinion that everything he could do was ambient sound. Let's hope he does more good background music in the future as well.

Voice-acting in Kaiba is marvelous. It's been awhile since I've heard such an original seiyuu work. A good use of different japanese dialects and skillful voice-actors made the world reach the pinnacle of bizarreness. Note goes to many side characters who sound just as demented as the world they live in is. Main characters are voiced by experts like Kuwashima Houko (Inuyasha as Sango, Claymore as Clare), Noto Mamiko (Monster as Anna Liebert, Clannad as Ichinose Kotomi) and Paku Romi (Fullmetal Alchemist as Edward Elric, Naruto as Temari). And you bet, they sound good. Noto Mamiko particularly demonstrates even more talent at voicing cold characters, despite getting only 'clumsy' roles lately.

Story: 9/10

Kaiba packs on of the best settings I have dared to set my foot into. I can just imagine how much fantasy went into its creation as its literally nothing like anything any anime has ever tried to set before. Evolutionary stage so far from our present state that it makes it hard to tell humans from.. err.. other things apart. Hundreds of planets, one being even more weird than the other. Strange rituals of the natives. Extremely weird animals. Ability to change bodies at will which main character tends to use almost every episode. However, it's not only imagination which makes this setting awesome. What makes it awesome is that it makes sense. However crazy and bizarre it appears, it's justified so well that it seriously makes you wonder if that world isn't the one humanity will reach thousands of years after today.

The plot of the show could be easily divided into two parts. The first being traveling and learning new things about the world which allegorically mirror philosophical troubles in reality, like in Kino no Tabi and the second being the past of the main character and a light-hearted romance story. The show never wastes time on any trivial stuff and always goes at a pretty fast pace, so never boring its viewers. You either learn secrets about the world, get some philosophical material or experience the well crafted story of Kaiba's heritage. In a sense you could call Kaiba a soft horror show, as the demented people and their complete lack of any empathy for human lives scared me quite a few times. The ending is satisfying and well carried out, though it's left relatively open for viewers to speculate, in a similar fashion to Neon Genesis Evangelion. So in the end Kaiba is both strong at episodic philosophy and its own individual plot. What made me refrain from giving it a full score on story was the lack of emotional impact. Though indeed the plot and the setting are carried out perfectly and deliver everything what needs to be delivered successfully, there was not a moment I'd burst in tears or contemplate about how could this show be the ultimate form of art. Indeed it's one of the best, but it's not as engaging as some other amongst the "best" are.

Characters: 7/10

It's quite hard to talk about characters in this show as rather than as living beings this show treats them as symbols. All characters possess some of the traits common to humans, both bad and good and those traits are exploited in their bizarre environments. However, rather than a multi-dimensional living beings they come off more like a combination of many traits since the show never bothers to give them much background. Also their personality seems to change mildly depending on which body they inhibit or which memories they do remember... So it does wonders for plot, but screws up the individuality of the characters. Being so focused on the plot Kaiba uses its characters as plot devices and cares little about their feelings which don't move the story. In the end you have to create most of the background behind characters yourself in your head as you are rarely given any defining traits which would distinguish their personality. On the other hand, these characters, like they are, serve the plot perfectly and successfully instill the needed amount of emotion from the viewers. This show never strives to create living characters, it strives to tell a great story and it succeeds at doing so. Though characters wont become the faces of otaku culture, they serve the plot the best they can and any more added depth to their personalities would actually bring down the overall quality of the show. The creators did them as good as they could so they would never steal the light from the story.

Value: 9/10

I've actually planned to give this section ten at the beginning, but changed my mind after re-watching, or rather, re-scrolling through the show looking for the points I have missed. Kaiba is indeed compelling to watch again, but it doesn't really hide as much stuff as it seems from the beginning. Most of the things are easily noticed through the first watch, while some new minor details are more apparent during the second. However, it never asks for a third watch. It doesn't really pack symbolic stuff which you would have to research in books, unlike some other 'dementia' titled shows. Then again, just sheer originality of this piece which sets it apart from literally any work of fiction is what makes it worthy to have it in your collection.

1. Conclusion[/u]:[/b] Kaiba is not a show you would give your friend who is clueless about art. It's a show which becomes better with more experience you get. It has little action and it's confusing most of the time, deliberately so. Anyway, I recommend this for you if you have at least a hundred or so shows under your belt and are striving to see something new, something you have never seen before. If you are new at anime world, well, then come back at this show after a few years has passed to truly appreciate it. Though it seems it's rated as family friendly, I'd recommend this show to mature audience only, as all the psychological horror can do weird things to a child's mind. If you've liked Kaiba other shows of interest would be Kino no Tabi, Boogiepop Phantom, Serial Experiments Lain, Texhnolyze, Haibane Renmei and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

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It's been a while since I've written a review on Anidb, but somehow Kaiba was just begging for some intelligent commentary. A lot of people seem to have fallen head over heels for this anime, but while I have to agree it has it's good points, it also falls flat in a few key areas.

Animation:
The first thing that you'll notice as you watch Kaiba is that is has a distinctive style lifted straight from the pen of Tezuka Osamu. Instead of the stiff detailed characters found in most modern animes, the characters designs are very plain, but also very fluidly animated. I think Tezuka-san would be very pleased with what the animators accomplished here. The animation is clearly the best aspect of this anime, with style and symbolism oozing from every orifice. The animators have proven that loss of detail is a small price to pay for the freedom to direct much more dynamic scenes.

Sound:
The music of Kaiba had it's moments. There were a couple of tracks that I was really able to get into, and overall the soundtrack had a nice ambiance to it, very fitting for the tone the anime set. The music is definitely above average. However, it also didn't set itself apart and distinguish itself in the music category. There is nothing in Kaiba's music that really jumped out at me and said, "I am made out of win." Considering this anime is rated so highly, this was the first sign of trouble for me.

The voice acting was, well... above average I guess. I mean, there's nothing particularly bad about it. In terms of production values I'd have to rate it pretty highly. But at the same time, the voices all too often sound cheesy and melodramatic. I'm not sure if this was an intentional attempt to recreate the cheesy melodramatic style of voice acting heard in early anime dramas. If it was, my hats are off to the Seiyuus, job well done. I'm just not sure if it was one throwback too many.

Story:
My opinion of Kaiba is that it is not quite the anime people make it out to be, and I will be putting the core of my argument here. After watching Kaiba, and taking a bit of time to reflect on it, there is only one conclusion I can come to about it's story. From both a narrative and symbolic standpoint it's a complete mess. This is one of those cases where the creator's reach simply exceeded his grasp. In all it's multi-faceted decadence, the story is like a mansion built on a foundation of sand.

Let me explain. First, what do I consider to be an example of a well written story? Although there are several animes I consider to contain exceptionally good writing, the only fair comparison in term of story is Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although both animes start differently, and take a totally different road to get there, they both end up in more or less the same place.

(Note: Heavy duty spoilers follow for both Kaiba and Evangelion. Proceed at your own risk.)


Character:
I actually think that the character aspect of Kaiba ended up coming off fairly well. At least when compared to my opinion of the story that is. Although I disagree with the assessment others have made that the characters had a lot of depth to them, I do think that the idea of putting characters' memories in other bodies really allowed you to see the characters in a different light. This created a lot potential for depth, which was unfortunately not adequately exploited. I will say however, that the series was at it's best when it focused on this element.

Value/Enjoyment:
Watch Kaiba for the animation, but don't watch it for the story. I know a lot of people who are capable of enjoying an anime just for it's visuals, and I think they would be well advised to check this one out. If you are a fan of animes with unique and surrealistic stories though, I think you will find this anime to be disjointed and lacking substance. I know I am going against popular opinion by saying this, but the emperor has no clothes people (not to mention a gaping hole in the middle), and it's time someone called him on it.

It is no exaggeration to say that Kaiba has single-handedly restored my faith in anime. This is the most innovative show I have seen in probably two years; it is, in a word, brilliant.

That's not to say it's an entirely pleasant experience, mind. Kaiba is also I think the most demanding show I have ever watched; if you try and enjoy it on a surface level, without thinking about the deeper meanings and themes exposed by the show, it will be a disappointing experience. This is a series that's not afraid to challenge you to think; it goes a step further than e.g. Death Note, which offered moral dilemmas and plot puzzles but didn't require you to pay attention to either to enjoy the show. Kaiba's plot is deliberately obtuse from beginning to end, the show sticking to its guns even in the conclusion - there's no helpful voiceover to tell us what was actually going on, no summing up of everything in a climatic confrontation with the villain. It may sound like I'm talking about an Evangelion-style confusing mess of an ending, but this is emphatically not the case - the plot is resolved in the same way it's been developed, implicitly, understatedly, but no less powerfully and completely for that. Even for the careful viewer, the series may require a second viewing merely to be able to follow all of the more minor plot threads, but it would be a viewing well deserved, and the timelessness of the issues raised, together with the subtle, non-directional way in which they are brought up, make me confident this will stand rewatching for years to come.

The top-notch plot is matched and then bettered by the marvelous animation. In an age where advancing technology is bringing us ever closer to photo-realism, it's wonderful to see this being sidestepped a little; rather than aiming for the way a live-action series would look, Kaiba takes full advantage of the medium, with an innovative visual style which perfectly evokes the shifting, uncertain reality of the universe portrayed. Although the styles have taken very different directions, I was immediately reminded of Gankutsuou, which also used an unusual visual style only possible in animation - but where that series (even as someone liked it) had moments when the visuals worked but an equal number where they did not, Kaiba succeeds every time. This makes the show a very immersive experience, aided by an excellent if more conventional soundtrack, with two wonderful opening/ending themes. While Kaiba's world is bizzare and impossible, the social setting it portrays is terrifyingly plausible. Combining a dark vision, a hopeful story and moral questions which need to be resolved now before it is too late, Kaiba is science fiction at its finest.

That's not to say that it's perfect. The weak point of the show is probably its characterization; while the first half introduces us well to the people involved, towards the end the series piles on too many minor characters, and it lacks the time to adequately explore their motivations. But that is a minor gripe with what is undoubtably a work of pure genius. This is not a good first anime to watch; it won't hold your hand and lead you along, but if you're willing to put in the work to match it, Kaiba will reward you like no other show I've ever seen. This is something that everyone should watch at some point in their lives.

Studio Madhouse proved once again why it is the king of anime series, with the most awesome director of our times, Yuasa Masaaki, blessing the medium with some of the most exceptional and artsy anime there are, that have nothing to do with fan service or flower symbolism. Although I constantly nag about pretty colors not being that important, having an unusual artwork helps to make a series stand out from the lot. This counts double for a setting that has absolutely nothing to do with high schools, contemporary Japan or Earth as we know it.

When the setting is mundane it becomes an unnecessary visual alienation to not use a typical artstyle. In Kaiba, looking bizarre makes it easier to understand how different this world is from ours. At the same time it is not completely different from everything else in the history of animation to the point it’s un-relatable for everyone. It’s somewhat familiar with Osamu Tezuka’s artstyle, somewhat like the Smurfs, or like The Petite Prince. It’s a tribute to retro aesthetics which for a retrofan like myself, it makes it more enjoyable.

It appears to be for kids at first glance, which is deceptive as it’s full of nude, bloodshed, eerie monsters and stuff that will probably sent the poor toddlers to the shrink. Everything about it is an allegory, a look into the dark corners of the mind, and deals with all the usual existentialism topics of science fiction, from the meaning of life to finding your identity in a universe where memory is another commodity. It’s essentially like Ghost in the Shell only without the need for super detailed machinery and realistically looking characters. It’s a case of less is more, where minimalism in details makes it easier to convey its message without the need for a thousand polygons moving mechanically on screen.

And then it’s the music. The opening theme is fantastic. Nothing that resembles generic jpop nonsense and it’s highly memorable. The dialogues are also not wasting your time with aimless bickering, as they are very focused on how the character feel or what is going on with the plot, and are often supplemented by a visual representation of what they are taking about.

The plot is non-linear and has a great sense of mystery, as you are thrown in the setting without knowing what is going on or who everybody is. Instead of going for a lazy infodump, the answers are given gradually over several episodes, which means you are always learning something new instead of feeling you are wasting your time in what appears to be an episodic series at first. It also doesn’t overstay its welcome, since it lasts a dozen episodes in the span of which it includes more character development and world building than your average anime that can’t achieve it with even a 100 times more duration.

It is not perfect though, as not everything is explained at the end. We never get any clear answers for what caused the amnesia of the protagonist, or from where did that memory eating plant came from. I had to make up a head canon where the latter attacked the former in the beginning of the story, otherwise the ending wouldn’t make any sense. And I have to point out how minor characters were far too eager to describe the story of their life a minute after they met the protagonist because they only appear for one episode and there is no time to spend on slowly getting to know them better.

Despite the hiccups, it’s a fantastic short series. It is not for a mainstream audience, as most are not going to appreciate it for not being easily digestible. It still achieves way more than most anime with its explored theme that does not stop at the premise, and an artstyle that will never be confused with the cookie cutter shows of other studios. It’s fairly close to masterpiece level and a necessary inclusion to the top lists of anyone who considers himself having good taste.

SUGGESTION LIST
Neon Genesis, Ghost in the Shell, Zegapain and Battle Angel Alita are masterworks that also play along a somewhat similar main idea.
Mind game, Aachi wa Sspak and Dead Leaves have a somewhat similar wacky animation.

Synopsis:[br]This series is about a world where memories can be freely transferred from one body to another, allowing one to freely switch physical appearance and gender. The protagonist, Kaiba, awakes to find himself pursued by some unknown enemies. He eventually escapes the planet in search of who he is and who the girl is in his locket around his neck.[br][br]Animation:[br]Very very very unique. The animation is totally different from any anime you will probably ever encounter. The movements, facial changes, background movements are all very peculiar and unique. I have to say that the animation style really sets the atmosphere in Kaiba. I initially did not like the animation style because everything seems to blend into one flat picture causing me to be unable to focus on a particular object, but after awhile I got used to it.[br][br]Sound:[br]The opening and ending were pretty unique and the voice acting was weird, which really complemented the art style. My only complaint was that the voice acting didn't really follow the emotions. During tense moments, the characters didn't sound all that nervous and stuff. The background music really fit the awkward and crude scenes throughout the series. At moments of sadness the mellow tune would play which would really emphasize the odd representation of the world in Kaiba.[br][br]Story:[br]Rather unique. Though I would probably prefer this series to be 24 rather than 12. I felt that the story was a bit to crammed and the last few episodes were a bit too rushed. The twists in the story were quite surprising, which I really enjoyed. However, many parts of the story were unexplained and things were just.. there, as in there were no rational explanation why this was present or why things are like this.[br][br]Character:[br]There wasn't really much character development, unless you consider the characters regaining their memories as development. Each character had their own distinct character: Kaiba was constantly unsure, Lala was confused, Popo was ambitious and ruthless. Unfortunately I felt that the voice acting was too unreal with the art style which made me unable to really see what kind of characterisitcs each person displays.[br][br]Value:[br]Kaiba consists of many deep themes for the audience to consider. What really is a soul? What really is individuality? What is identity? The way Kaiba portrays these are quite clever and smooth. The way that Kaiba reacts to these themes are quite intruiging.[br][br]Enjoyment:[br]Not bad at all. I don't believe this series is for everybody. But if you feel like watching a deep and different series... check this one out.[br][br]-booyah[br]