Review of Tsukihime Lunar Legend: Vol. 2

Introduction

My first impression of Tsukihime Lunar Legend was a less than promising one. When I reviewed the first volume, I came away thinking that it was a case of style over substance, with little beneath the surface to provide a hook. The pace was languid, and while the visual style and music was ethereal and atmospheric, the characterisations seemed thin. With a series run of just 12 episodes in 3 volumes, it seemed that it just wouldn`t be enough to develop the story. Still, when the second volume was offered for review, and being the optimistic chap I am, I was eager to give Tsukihime a second chance. I began by watching the first volume again.

Shiki Tohno is a high school student with a curious past. As a young boy he was involved in a traffic accident that awakened an odd ability in him. He sees red lines bisecting everything in the world, living or dead. He thought he would be plagued with this curse, when a mysterious woman presented him with a pair of glasses that return his vision to normal. Weakened by the accident, he left his home to be raised and cared for by relatives, but after the death of his father, his sister who inherited the Tohno estate invited him to return. Now Arcueid Brunestud, an unusual vampire whose mission is to rid the world of those vampires that prey on humanity, has discovered his unusual talents. He has the Mystical Eyes Of Death Perception, and can effortlessly deal death and dismemberment when he sees the lines of death bisecting his foes. This disc contains four further episodes of Tsukihime Lunar Legend.

Ep 5. Bow Of The Sky
Arcueid shows up at school to ask for Shiki`s help once again, but having seen the latest news report, Shiki is one step ahead of her. Unfortunately, that means sneaking out of his sister`s house again. Their latest prey is Roa, a vampire who survives by reincarnating into other bodies, and who is creating a Legion of Dead to serve him. But Arcueid has an odd technique of hunting her prey that seems more like going out on a date.

Ep 6. White Dream
Now students are going missing from Shiki`s school, but a thread of normality remains as Shiki and his friends plant to visit an amusement park. Despite Ciel`s warning, Shiki is still spending time with Arcueid, but Shiki`s sister Akiha finds out that Shiki still sneaks out and lies to her about it.

Ep 7. Blue Sin Mark
Akiha decides to accompany Shiki to the amusement park just to keep an eye on him, but takes an instant dislike to Ciel. Shiki is just grateful that Arcueid didn`t come with them, but guess who`s waiting at the park gates? Fun is had by all after a fashion and up to a point, but both Arcueid and Ciel grow suspicious of Akiha. Then the serial killer strikes again under their noses.

Ep 8. Origami
After the latest victim at the amusement park, Arcueid is expecting to continue their hunt, but Akiha begins behaving oddly, and then collapses. Shiki decides to tend to his ailing sister instead of hunting vampires. He also takes the time to look into his family, alerted by Arcueid`s suspicions. What he learns is shocking, and as the holes in his past begin to resolve, Shiki`s life is placed in danger.

Video

Tsukihime Lunar Legend gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that is uniformly of high quality, except from some slight digital banding of the sort that is common with most anime. The animation is astounding in many ways. The world design is atmospheric, stylish and moody. There is an ethereal quality to the backgrounds and environments, with everything lit strongly and on the verge of overexposure. You can really feel the environment, whether it`s heat haze or glare, or the dark shadows and moonlight of the night time scenes. However this contrasts with some rather simplistic character design and animation. Dialogue scenes are almost static, even for anime, and this is one of those animations where when someone is speaking, only the mouth moves and absolutely nothing else. The atmosphere outweighs this however. The layer change is placed between episodes 6 and 7.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese soundtracks. The dialogue is clear throughout and the sound design matches the imagery well. While a surround track would have been preferable, the stereo does have a degree of immersion to it. The music is mellow and has a classical feel to it, but the opening theme remind me strongly of Enigma. The English dub sounds acceptable if unexceptional, but as always I stuck with the original soundtrack. When it comes to subtitles, you have a choice between the translated subtitles, a track that translates the various signs, or nothing at all.

Features

Not a lot to look at here. You can watch the closing sequence sans any credits (although the screen mistakenly autoswitched to 4:3 and I had to manually reset it), and watch the trailers for Full Metal Alchemist and Texhnolyze. There is a jacket picture to look at when the disc isn`t spinning and there are the DVD credits.

Conclusion

On repeated acquaintance with Tsukihime Lunar Legend, I find that it is beginning to grow on me. Certainly, the first disc was definitely helped by a repeated viewing; there are nuances and clues that can be missed the first time round that come through with a second look. Similarly I found it easier to appreciate the characters the second time around. My main concern however was with the pace and the structure of the story. The story was set up with mystery upon mystery to be resolved regarding Shiki, his family and his friends, yet the first four episodes seemed to build the show as one where Shiki and Arcueid would venture forth and battle evil, leaving the enigmas to be resolved in the gaps between the action. It appeared to be a thankless task to do in the mere eight episodes left to the show.

The second volume of Tsukihime Lunar Legend addresses nearly all of my concerns. The four episodes in Volume 2 focus directly on Shiki and his friends, with the next of Arcueid`s targets, Roa almost an afterthought. The characters in the story take much of the space, the episodes focus on Shiki and his personal story, and despite the pace still being languid, I was aware of the narrative progressing and mysteries and storylines heading towards resolution. Arcueid is still the most vivid character in the story, and in this volume we can see her develop affection for Shiki despite her immortal nature. She has lived 800 years or more, yet is curiously naïve and immature when faced with modern society, revelling in the city`s nightlife and enjoying the chance to `date` with Shiki. Despite the underlying darkness of the story and the ever-present threat of the mysterious vampire Roa, the episodes on this disc venture into lighter territory. Arc and Shiki`s hunts are almost an afterthought, as they spend more time getting to know each other. Ciel`s nature is explicitly revealed in these episodes to be more than human, yet she like Arcueid seems to be living vicariously. Ciel is happy to spend her days at high school enjoying her circle of friends and being a teenager. As the episodes on this disc progress, the emphasis remains on Shiki`s relationships with his friends, sister and Arcueid. By the time of Blue Sin Mark, the show almost veers to romantic comedy territory, with Akiha inviting herself to the friends` outing, and Arcueid showing up at the amusement park. The episode has all the hallmarks of a harem anime, with four girls fighting for the attention of Shiki, and the poor guy losing his mind with all the attention. The conclusion of the episode is a stark reminder of the larger picture though, and the final episode on this disc, Origami sends us veering into the darker storyline once more, with some shocking revelations, and even more mystery.

The first disc taken by itself didn`t really sell Tsukihime Lunar Legend to me, but the second disc resolves that by keeping the story personal and relevant to Shiki and his friends. It also develops the characters to an extent that the first volume failed to do. Taking the two discs in conjunction, the way the story grows naturally and atmospherically makes for engrossing viewing, setting up a tale that entertains and tantalises. While the first disc left me cold, at the end of Volume 2, I`m eager to learn more about Shiki`s family. Tsukihime Lunar Legend has put in the hard work to create a distinctive anime, however its success depends of whether the final volume can resolve the story to the standards demanded by the first two discs. So, I`m still hedging my bets.