{"id":1467,"date":"2008-07-21T16:37:54","date_gmt":"2008-07-21T21:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2008-07-21T16:37:54","modified_gmt":"2008-07-21T21:37:54","slug":"kure-nai-anime-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/07\/21\/kure-nai-anime-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Kure-nai&#8211;Anime Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/image\/stars\/35o5.gif\" alt=\"3.5 Stars\" \/><br \/>\nI initially had mixed feelings about this show, but it&#8217;s definitely interesting, if a bit unsettling. I find that it grows on me as I rewatch it.<\/p>\n<p>The show has some offputting elements. It has a grim vision in which the bright, safe world of everyday life is a thin veneer over a dark reality of lawless violence. Also the hero can be annoyingly stupid.<\/p>\n<p>Good points: Firstly, Murasaki, a bossy 7-year-old girl who is an absolutely wonderful character. I think it&#8217;s worth watching the show just to see her. Murasaki is played by 11-year-old Aoi Yuuki, and it should be interesting to watch her future career. This show actually has several great characters, but Murasaki outshines all the others.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ItemList\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Title<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\"><em>Kure-nai<\/em> <a href=\"#note_title\">[1]<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Genres<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Adventure, Drama<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Demographic<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Shounen<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Contents<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">12 Episodes<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Based on<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">a series of <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#light_novel\">light novels<\/a> by Kentarou Katayama<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Kou Matsuo<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Original Character Design<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Yamato Yamamoto<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Character Design<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Kumi Ishii<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Art Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Kazuhiro Arai<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Chief Animation Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Kumi Ishii<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Animation Studio<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Brains Base<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Broadcast<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">2008<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Region 1 Publisher<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">None, as yet<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The opening sequence is oddly misleading. It features dancing chibis and suggests that this is some sort of cheerful comedy, which it is not.<\/p>\n<p>The ending is also disconcerting&#8211;at least it certainly wasn&#8217;t what I expected. It&#8217;s not necessarily a bad ending; in fact I&#8217;m pretty sure that it&#8217;s supposed to be a happy ending, but you may or may not agree. It depends on what you think will happen in the future, and what value you set on possible trade-offs. On the whole I suspect that Japanese viewers will like the ending more than many Americans will.<\/p>\n<h3>Parental Advisory<\/h3>\n<p>Bloody violence and adult themes make this series questionable for pre-teen viewers.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, that implies that Aoi Yuuki should not be allowed to watch the series that she starred in, which seems a hard position to defend. At a minimum I suggest previewing the entire series before allowing younger children to watch it.<\/p>\n<h3>Premise and Characters<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/shinkurou.png\" alt=\"Shinkurou\" title=\"Shinkurou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1486\" \/><strong>Shinkurou Kurenai<\/strong> is an atypical sixteen-year-old. An orphan (his parents were killed by terrorists) he lives alone in a tiny, unkempt apartment. By day he attends high school. By night he has a part-time job as a &#8220;dispute mediator.&#8221;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/disputemediation.png\" alt=\"Dispute Mediation\" title=\"Dispute Mediation\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" \/>&#8220;Dispute mediation&#8221; seems to involve using his martial arts skills to beat up people until they are willing to relinquish their claims, so an alternate term might be &#8220;hired thug.&#8221; However the people he beats up are all nasty characters who thoroughly deserve it, so I guess that&#8217;s OK.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/benika2.png\" alt=\"Benika\" title=\"Benika\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1471\" \/><strong>Benika Juuzawa<\/strong> is Shikurou&#8217;s boss in the dispute mediation business. Tired of low-level assignments, he begs her for a more challenging task to prove his mettle. She thinks it over, and agrees. He is to guard a young girl, keep her hidden in his apartment, let no-one know that she is there, and protect her from anyone who might try to harm or seize her.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/murasaki.png\" alt=\"Murasaki\" title=\"Murasaki\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Seven-year-old <strong>Murasaki Kuhooin<\/strong> <a href=\"#note_names\">[2]<\/a> obviously comes from a wealthy background. Her speech is elegant for such a small child, and her manner is imperious. She starts out by treating Shinkurou like a servant. She is bright and observant, but very naive and ignorant about ordinary life. Her arrogant attitude conceals a deep loneliness and vulnerability.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/yayoi.png\" alt=\"Yayoi\" title=\"Yayoi\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Benika doesn&#8217;t really trust a neophyte like Shinkurou to handle such a dangerous assignment alone. She orders her trusted lieutenant <strong>Yayoi Inuzuka<\/strong> to keep an eye on him.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/kuhooinhouse.png\" alt=\"Kuhooin House\" title=\"Kuhooin House\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Benika has reason to be concerned, because she actually kidnapped Murasaki, and her family, the Kuhooins, are wealthy, powerful, ruthless and more-or-less above the law.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/kuhoointhugs.png\" alt=\"Kuhooin Thugs\" title=\"Kuhooin Thugs\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Their agents are searching for Murasaki and are prepared to use force to get her back.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/renjou.png\" alt=\"Renjou\" title=\"Renjou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Murasaki&#8217;s father <strong>Renjou Kuhooin<\/strong> is a grim-looking man, haunted by a sense of guilt.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/kazuko.png\" alt=\"Kazuko\" title=\"Kazuko\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>His wife <strong>Kazuko<\/strong> is a beautiful woman with a cold manner, nursing a hidden resentment.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/ryuuji.png\" alt=\"Ryuuji\" title=\"Ryuuji\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>His son <strong>Ryuuji<\/strong> seems more confident than his father and has a cruel look about him.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/shopping3.png\" alt=\"Shopping\" title=\"Shopping\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>For much of the story we follow Murasaki as she learns about the real world and interacts with Shinkurou and his friends and neighbors.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/mursakibaseball.png\" alt=\"Murasaki and Baseball Player\" title=\"Murasaki and Baseball Player\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/tamaki.png\" alt=\"Tamaki\" title=\"Tamaki\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/><strong>Tamaki Mutou<\/strong> lives next door. She is a college student and pretends to be very worldly.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/yamieshinkurou2.png\" alt=\"Yamie and Shinkurou\" title=\"Yamie and Shinkurou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/><strong>Yamie<\/strong> dresses in black and affects a mysterious, gothic manner.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/yuunoshinkurou.png\" alt=\"Yuuno and Shinkurou\" title=\"Yuuno and Shinkurou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/><strong>Yuuno Houzuki<\/strong> is Shinkurou&#8217;s classmate and occasional sparring partner.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/yuunosparring2.png\" alt=\"Yuuno Fighting Shinkurou\" title=\"Yuuno Fighting Shinkurou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Her family took him in when he was young and trained him in martial arts. She appears to be secretly in love with him.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/07\/ginkoshinkurou2.png\" alt=\"Ginko and Shinkurou\" title=\"Ginko and Shinkurou\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\"\/>Another classmate, <strong>Ginko Murakami<\/strong>, is a computer maven and often helps Shinkurou by digging up information on the Internet. She also seems to have a secret crush on him.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nGinko and Yuuno seem somewhat underused as characters. Perhaps we will see more of them in a sequel.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<\/div>\n<h3>Links<\/h3>\n<p>Wikipedia <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kure-nai\">article<\/a> (spoilers.)<\/p>\n<p>ANN Encyclopedia <a href=\"http:\/\/www.animenewsnetwork.com\/encyclopedia\/anime.php?id=8518\">entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Notes<\/h3>\n<p><a name=\"note_title\">[1]<\/a> The hyphenation of the title suggests that a pun is intended. The hero&#8217;s name <em>Kurenai<\/em> means &#8220;crimson&#8221;, but <em>kure nai<\/em> could mean something like &#8220;there is no end.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"note_names\">[2]<\/a>  I&#8217;m not sure whether this counts as a hidden meaning, but there is an interesting symmetry between the name of the two main characters. <em>Kurenai Shinkurou<\/em> means something like &#8220;Crimson, True Ninth Son&#8221;, while <em>Murasaki Kuhooin<\/em> means &#8220;Nine Phoenix Temple, Purple.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I initially had mixed feelings about this show, but it&#8217;s definitely interesting, if a bit unsettling. I find that it grows on me as I rewatch it. The show has&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/07\/21\/kure-nai-anime-review\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[166],"class_list":["post-1467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anime","tag-kure-nai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}