ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CHALLENGE?!

// Synopsis: 22 years ago there was a mysterious cataclysmic event which created an upheaval in the earth off the coast of Japan creating the island called the Lost Ground. Here a small percentage of the population called “alter users” are born that have the ability to create powerful avatars. All of them are unique and varied ala X-Men mutants. The island has a walled modern city home to the police organization HOLY. Under the mandate of bringing control and order to the Lost Ground they persecute those outside the city and hunt down “native alter users” with those of their own. After they apprehend the local alter user Kazuma, it’s slowly exposed that HOLY’s agenda is even more nefarious.

// Review: I wonder if s-Cry-ed is Japanese for screaming. I think half of the dialogue is read at the top of the actors’ lungs. This anime title is almost all action. It was very reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z. Every time alter users attack or morph into more powerful avatars it is always accompanied by lots and lots of yelling.

/ At the center of this story are Ryuho and Kazuma. Ryuho is the top HOLY agent and comes from a rich and powerful family. Kazuma on the other hand is poor and doesn’t even have a last name. They immediately hate each other and become sworn enemies. But besides their backgrounds, they are the same macho arrogant guy. All of the other male characters are very interesting. In the beginning they appear to be stereotypical cut outs, but later develop into intriguing figures; most notably Straight Cougar. Sadly all of the women were exactly the same: weak, emotional tear factories that constantly got in harm’s way. I watched the dubbed version and most of the actors were recognizable from other anime like Cowboy Bebop, Rurouni Kenshin and Last Exile. It was a little disappointing that the same actors were used for multiple prominent roles in this same anime.

/ The story wasn’t very original: super-powered teens, evil governments, idealistic girls, love triangles. But there was a lot of action to keep it engaging. The first and second 13 episode blocks play out like 2 seasons. The first half is primarily Kazuma fighting a personal war against the injustices of HOLY. In the second half Kazuma and Ryuho form a jagged alliance to battle a common enemy from the mainland. But more than that they fight to protect those they love, they fight for revenge and they fight to prove who has the bigger dick. Even after they defeat the bad guy together, they start fighting each other. There were parts where it started to become really cliched and boring. But then they started killing off characters which is always a good thing.

// Wrap up: The ham fisted romantic sub-plots and over-arching story is covered up by a buffet of action. Despite its drawbacks I still found it entertaining enough that I watched all 26 episodes in two sittings.

Entertainment rating: 3