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Kaiba – Review

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Kaiba - Review 1Title: Kaiba – The Complete Series
Published by: Siren Visual (Australia)
Based on: Original Anime Title
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance
Audio: Japanese Dubs
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Full Frame, Original Ratio
Run Time: 290 minutes over two DVD’s.
Cost: $AUD 49.95 from the Siren Visual online store.
Classification: This title is Classified PG for Mild Themes, Sexual References and Coarse Languages.
Blurb: Kaiba is a series that will not appeal to all demographics of anime fans. Having more of a slower paced storyline which is at times confusing, I thought it of rather plain overall, however there were some moments that made it worth watching. The design choice is rather unique for a series and I thought it was very creative and was utilized well throughout the series. The music was enjoyable to listen to and there was some solid voice acting. Overall, a series thats enjoyability will be determined based on your preference in an anime series, it was an average series for me.
Special Thanks: A special thanks goes to  Siren Visual for providing me with a review sample of this title.

As they do almost every month, Siren Visual has chosen a unique series to release this time around, with their choice being Kaiba. You will most probably be surprised by two things when it comes to this series…. first of all it is not a Noitamina series and secondly, it was released in 2008, despite having the feel of a series that was made a decade or so ago. This title is currently only available in Australia, with no official release date or announcement anywhere else in the world at this time. I will be honest, this is most probably the hardest series I have had to review so far, as it is everything I would usually avoid in an anime series that I found myself zoning out quite often whilst watching it. That is not to say it is a bad series, just not aligned with my interests. Despite this, there are some redeeming qualities to this series that need to be mentioned, and they shall in my review of Kaiba! 

Kaiba - Review 2

What are memories? Souls? Spirits?

This is a world where memories can be turned into data and stored. Even if the body dies, its memories live on and can be transferred to another body. Bad memories can be erased and good ones downloaded. However, this is something only privileged can do. In a world like this, our protagonist Warp/Kaiba is travelling in another body while having no memories of his own.

The concept of this series is interesting, being able to download and upload memories from a single chip is a concept that is more or less unique to me, and they really do use it effectively and even in the first episode, they swarm the viewer with different ways on how this can impact a persons life, through concepts such as a machine that whilst having no bodily functions, can allow interaction with a chip, and in order to save money, seven different individuals placed into one body that have to be shuffled around to interact with others. Throughout the later episodes, they continue to deliver new and innovative ideas in terms of this concept.

Kaiba - Review 3

Whilst the innovation behind the original concept is suitable, I cannot really say much else caught my interest throughout all the episodes. The storyline essentially follows the (Almost silent) protagonist Warp or Kaiba (Pick your preference) who travels the world searching for clues on his identity, memories and of most probably more focus, the girl whose picture remains in a pendant he carries with himself at all times. There are many plotlines revolving around sorrow, greed, separation of rich vs poor and romance, however to me it was unable to keep my attention for more then an episode or two at a time. The storyline does pick up around the final episodes however the first eight or so episodes were a struggle. Word for the wise, whilst this series was classified as PG, the sexual references are more then I would personally deem as PG, so be warned if those under the age of 15 are watching this title.

I will admit, it is a creatively done series, however to me personally, it was not to my taste. Usually the romance genre as a whole is swing-or-miss for me unless accompanied by another genre that remains in dominance. If this genre is for you however, then I would actually recommend it, as it does implement the sci-fi genre and the concepts of portable memory well with the romance.

Kaiba - Review 4

On a more positive note, the design technique used in both the environment and character designs were very effective. As you can probably tell from the images in this review, you could say that the characters are non-human in design, however still hold the common human aesthetics. This is a series that was enhanced by this, as it added to the supernatural contexts and considering how there were aspects such as body-stealing and artificial bodies, made it seem less like a criminal process and more as a common occurrence that plagues this unique world. The characters have for the most part, been designed very well and are animated to suit the abnormal control of the bodies the characters possess. The environments on the other hand are often duller to suit the setting of the series and often appear hand-drawn, but it is evident much planning and time went into designing them.

Kaiba - Review 5Kaiba - Review 6Kaiba - Review 7

Opening Sequence
Never by Seira Kagami

Whilst the song wasnt that appealing for me to listen to, I could not help but enjoy the simple animation used which shows off many of the character designs used in the series and has that hand-drawn look to it.

Ending Sequence
Carry Me Away by Seira Kagami

Nothing special in any part of this sequence, your run of the mill generic ending sequence.

Kaiba - Review 8

The winning part of the series besides the design would have to be the music. Whilst there is no real heavy music, the music is well suited to the theme of the series and enhances the setting and mood portayed by the environment and characters, often with tracks bordering on the melancholic side. As usual, due to me preferring to watch anime with English dubs, I don’t have much to compare with, but I thought the overall voice acting was okay, with no voices that were too eccentric or inappropriate for their respective characters. Being able to differentiate the characters by voice is also important, due to the risk of body switches, and overall, I didn’t have any major issues with them

In terms of packaging, there is the standard Siren Visual quality Slipcase, which features a neon themed image of Kaiba and Neiro as well as a few other features shown on the cover art at the start of this review. The proper DVD case is a colour version of the Kaiba and Neiro image. The back cover has the standard blurb, alongside five screenshots of the series and alongside a bit of artwork at the top of the cover which I cannot make out what it is, it has a very black and orange motif which works well. The inside cover of the DVD is reversible and has an episode listing on the left side and on the right side, holds the same image as the slipcase but with a few alterations such as colour changes and some of the characters appearing on it. The DVD disc design has the title alongside with some artwork of characters I do not remember from the series, but I assume they aren’t just simple screenshots.

Kaiba - Review 9

In terms of extra content, as seems to be standard with Siren Visual there isn’t anything special, with the only added content being trailers for the usual four series (Durarara!!, Welcome to Irabu’s Office, The Tatami Galaxy and House of Five Leaves). Whilst I am used to a lack of extra content and dont usually mind it so much, this is one series I am disappointed about it as I would love to have had an interview between the art directors included, or even some concept art etc, as that was the winning component in this story.

To conclude, this series was not within my interest range, however for those who do like the romance genre and do appreciate the art design as much as I do, then you should find this to be a brilliant series.

Final Score

Storyline: D
Character Development: D+
Design: A
OP/ED Sequences: C
Music: B+
Voice Acting: B
Packaging Design: B
Extras: E
Personal Opinion: C

Overall Score: C

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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