Soultaker - Complete Collection

this is a spin on the classic Dante's inferno. but in this Dante is looking for the truth about him, not his lost love.

okay

A mothers love should never be questioned. Even if she does stab you in the heart with a dagger; such was the fate of 17 year old Kyosuke Date. Along with being stabbed, he was also buried but somehow managed to survive. After being dug up and cared for by a young girl named Maya Misaki. Kyosuke later tries to make sense of his mothers actions.Kyouske eventually learns he has a sister that is being pursued by two organizations called The Hospital and The Kirihara Group. During a battle, Kyosuke learns he has the ability to transform into some type of demon with immense strength. He now battles both organizations with the purpose of learning the reasons for his mothers actions, as well as the reason why his sister seems to be everyones prime target.-summaryHow often does an anime successfully combine a highly stylish atmosphere containing an intricate storyline, that is packed with character development and metaphors without turning into complete mush by the end? I can't exactly recall many, but The Soul Taker happens to be a diamond in the rough which succeeds in pulling off the almost impossible. However, it doesn't reach its climax completely unscathed because it certainly has those rough moments. Still, truth be told, I was very satisfied with it and this is still a series I can watch from beginning to end.Now, some folks claim the visuals take getting use to and it's also original. Well, I was hooked to the visuals immediately, and the originality claim may be valid but I have some doubt. It's still very difficult for me to shake off the influence of Dario Argento's Suspiria. The visuals manage to combine wild combinations of colors into the backgrounds. Most of the colors really shouldn't go together, but the direction, camera work, and constant color shifts blends effectively and creates a dream like atmosphere. The backgrounds can be amazing at times yet creepy during some segments. I will admit that the color schemes can be a put off for some because it creates a disco like effect.I enjoyed many of the character designs concerning the robots and monsters appearances. They never came off generic to me. While paying more attention though, the monsters appeared to share some type of resemblance to Jedah of Darkstalkers fame. Now for the meat of the animation which happens to be the awesome action scenes. The action is very fluid with very good choreography during the fisticuffs at times. The fast paced battles do not consist of that Dragonball Z reused cel style. The gun battles are very good as well, with the camera angles working their magic during the fusillades of bullets, in combination with missiles soaring through the air with such velocity. During the first several episodes, the viewer will be delivered some good action scenes. The battles aren't heavy on gore, but they really didn't need to be. The animation does have its flaws which creeps up close to the end. Most of the later battles really didn't measure up to the earlier ones, and at times, they consisted of stills with the scenes shifting to something else.I really enjoy the soundtrack which is done by Kou Ohtani. The opening theme called Soultaker is a rock track that seems to fit the show. I happen to enjoy the BGM a lot more than the opening and closing themes though. The BGM is very well used for the action scenes with different variations. They would alternate by using the same instrumental accompanied by either whistles, or guitar rifts that have a nice sound which fits with the style. I don't think it's the greatest BGM ever, but it gets the job done. I didn't have a problem at all with the English cast or Seiyuu. I feel both cast worked out very well during the heated battles and drama filled scenes. They also worked out well for the very light comedy, which doesn't clash with the content too much.The plot is very complex and requires an ample amount of patience. There is very little given in the beginning, and the writing wants to keep viewers in the dark, as well as add some confusion. Many times it's difficult to tell if something is real or not. The writing is very strong for a good while, but later events would sometimes border on incoherency, and one may wonder how certain elements began to fall in place.Another thing about the writing I didn't enjoy at times was the transition from one place to another. Some things happened with no explanation. Fortunately, I found the ending to be strong. Even though there were speed bumps, at least all loose ends were tied up, and there were no questions left hanging from where I saw it.Character development is another plus because everyone is given a realistic drive. The main character has a good feel about him, and he doesn't seem to fall into the stereotypical shonen hero role who loves to fight. Kyouske seems to be an atypical character with a little depth. The side characters are well used for the most part, but I could have done without the teenage girl, whom came off too saccharine for my taste.Overall, I find The Soul Taker to be a very solid series, but I would be lying if I said the series was completely well put together. I found a lot of the symbolism to be miss, and several things really didn't add up when taking many of the revelations under consideration. Still, it delivers on telling a good story with a very good amount of style to back it up. I mainly recommend this to the most die hard fans. Warning, one must have a little patience with this one. The series is 13 episodes with a 324 minute run time.Pros: Complex storyline and visuals, very stylish and action ladenCons: Complexity also works against it