Review for Kurau: Phantom Memory - Volume 6: To Split Infinity

Introduction

I'm finally here at the concluding volume of Kurau Phantom Memory, and I must admit that reviewing this series has been something of a hard slog. In fact, I feel as if I was back in the dark days of having to wait two months for each subsequent volume, and feel as if working my way through the set has taken a whole year. Which is bizarre as I got Kurau Phantom Memory all in one go, and have been watching the series in short order. It isn't that it's a particularly tedious or tiresome watch either; the show is entertaining and interesting enough to hold the attention. It's just that writing about it afterwards tends to drain the critical juices. It isn't spectacular, and it isn't atrocious. It's just innocuous enough to make passing comment tax the grey matter. I want a 'Meh' button on my keyboard for such occasions. One quick push would elicit a few hundred words of non-committal drivel cloaked as a review. On the bright side, this is the conclusion of the show, usually where things get interesting, and the creative juices flow in abundance. Maybe this will be the first volume to inspire me to wax lyrical about the show since it started six volumes ago.

In the year 2100, Kurau Amami is a young girl living alone with her father on the moon, where he is an energy researcher. The day of her 12th birthday elicits plenty of sulks and airs as her father has a test scheduled when he should be spending time with her. That's a problem solved when he invites her along on the test, but it's a terrible mistake. For the test goes strangely awry, a bolt of energy is emitted from the apparatus, and it hits Kurau, who is promptly disintegrated… And then she reintegrates in a flash of golden light, only she doesn't come back exactly the same. She's fused with a binary alien life form known as a Rynax, and the joining has gifted her with amazing abilities. But the Rynax is a binary life form, and while half of it lies dormant, Kurau is left to wait. Ten years later, Kurau has put her powers to work as an Agent, working as a mercenary to accomplish the most difficult, challenging and dangerous jobs her clients can offer. But those in power have learned her secret, and soon the ultimate agent becomes the ultimate target, especially when her pair, Christmas finally arrives.


The concluding four episodes of Kurau Phantom Memory are presented on this ADV disc. Previously, Christmas and Kurau's brief moment of peace came to an end when a malicious pair of Ryna-Sapiens, Windt and Regel came to Earth to wreak havoc in their own twisted interpretation of freedom. They also targeted Kurau as the path through which all Rynax energy could invade the Earth. But in this final volume, the nefarious plans of the GPO will overwhelm all other concerns.

21. The Frozen River
Kurau and Christmas have their hands full trying to deal with the twins, Regel and Windt. Kurau wants to send them back to their world, which requires a degree of finesse and control. The twins want to use Kurau to unleash Rynax into this world, which involves beating her to a pulp. Fortunately for Kurau and Christmas, they have Doug and Ayaka to help. Unfortunately though, the GPO is coming for the twins, and they are perfectly happy to take the girls as well. But they aren't coming to capture anymore. It seems Commissioner Saito's dream of harnessing Rynax energy has been fulfilled, and he's leading a squad of Rynax powered stormtroopers.


22. Shine in the Darkness
The battle continues, and it seems against such committed foes, Kurau and the twins have found common cause. That, and Christmas helping them recall their humanity. But it seems like a lost cause, even with Ayaka's AR system and Doug's heroics. Kurau is putting too much of herself into the battle, and despite Christmas' help, she's getting dangerously close to the edge. It takes a heroic sacrifice to save them, but the effects of that sacrifice may doom countless innocents.

23. The Light at the End
Commissioner Saito's plans for a GPO enforced peace, backed up by Rynax power come crashing down around his ears when he is arrested. His allies and backers desert him, and at last it seems that he will face justice for his crimes. But that isn't enough for Windt, who wants Saito to suffer for what he has done. Which is why a freighter bound for the moon alters to a collision course with GPO headquarters. It's up to Kurau and Christmas to stop him, but Kurau has realised that as long as she remains in this world, there will never be peace from the Rynax.

24. Before the Goodbye
The conclusion.

Picture

Kurau Phantom Memory gets a 4:3 transfer, which given that it's a region 1 disc, is an NTSC transfer at that. While the limited aspect ratio is disappointing given that grand scale of the story, you can't fault Studio Bones' animation, which is stupendous. The world design is gorgeous, a futuristic vision of humanity that is well-considered and effectively realised, with just the right amount of flying cars, holographic displays, and moving newspapers to make it feel like a lived in future reality. The character designs are very appealing, with a more realistic design ethic than anything too stylised. The animation too is vibrant, fluid and very lively.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese. I was perfectly happy as always with the original language track, and the action and excitement was conveyed adequately enough with the stereo. The dialogue is clear throughout, and the subtitles are free of errors and timed accurately. The theme tunes have grown on me more, but still aren't that remarkable. However, the incidental music is a cut above the average, driving the action and emotion well, while having a rather distinctive signature of its own. The surround track is preferable when it comes to audio placement and the action sequences, and what I sampled of the English dub was pleasant enough. As usual you get the translated English subtitles, and a signs only track.

Extras

The DVD autoplays with skippable trailers for the Anime Network and Newtype Magazine, and loads up some menus with understated but effective animation.

On the disc you'll find the clean credits (2 opening sequences and 2 closing sequences), and there is a 4-minute Production Artwork slideshow.

There is a Key Words glossary that provides a little insight into the world of 2110, and the jargon used in the show.

There are trailers on the disc for Gurren Lagann, Moonlight Mile, Project Blue Earth SOS, Martian Successor Nadesico, Devil May Cry, and The Wallflower. You can tell this disc hails from the dying days of ADV, as other companies in the end released some of these titles.

One final time I point you to the six-page folded insert that comes in the Amaray case for the interesting material about the show. The Investigation Report - Brief 6 contains interviews with director Yasuhiro Irie, voice actresses Ayako Kawasumi (Kurau) and Misa Kobayashi (Christmas), some more of the original cover art, more of the regular column from Aya Yoshinaga, and little doodles and thoughts from the director.

Conclusion

Kurau Phantom Memory concludes in the same way that it started, with an energetic, engaging and gripping storyline that grabs the attention from the first episode on the disc, and doesn't let go. It's just a shame that the volumes in between the beginning and end never quite lived up to that. It's fast paced action with Kurau and Christmas battling the twins Regel and Windt, trying to stop the Rynax energy go wild on Earth and endanger everyone. And just when they think that they have that under control, the GPO's plan unfolds bringing even more lethal opponents on to the field. Whereas for most of the series, Kurau seemed to find the strength to deal with adversity time and again, here we find that she finally reaches her limits, and the toll that the continued attacks have on her begins to tell, to the point where even Christmas is unable to help her. It all leads to the grand denouement on the moon, a dramatic crescendo that kept me on the edge of my seat. Fortunately, Kurau Phantom Memory takes the time, an episode for an epilogue to give the tale a proper, narrative ending that ties up the loose ends. So often series rush the ending, or try and cram too much in, that you don't get to appreciate the journeys that the characters have been taking, and how they are affected and grow from the events. Kurau Phantom Memory gives you that satisfaction.


As I said though, it's the middle of the show that brings things down. While a promising start, and a satisfying ending do enough to make watching Kurau Phantom Memory worthwhile, and I certainly have no regrets in buying the show, it's just that the series never has the consistency or the overall quality to make it a must see show. It excels in many areas, the animation from Studio Bones is excellent, the music is good, and if you invest solely in the central characters of Kurau and Christmas, then you can't really fault this series. It gets the central characters and their relationship spot on, and the emotional arcs that they both go through are engaging and sympathetically performed. It's just that the rest of the story never lives up to that, the supporting cast just don't feel as real and as vibrant as Kurau and Christmas, and too often the creakiness and the clichés in the writing pull the whole thing down.


It must be said though that Ayaka Steiger at least gets some weighty scenes as the story concludes, and her arc at least is resolved with conviction. But once again, poor Doug is left a little unresolved, Dr Amami is there just to be depressed and guilty at what he has done to his daughter, while Saito is a thin and wasted villain, with no weight to his motivations. Saito's character just doesn't have the presence or strength to act as a suitable foe, and you never really fear for Kurau and Christmas as a result. Also there is very little satisfaction when Saito eventually gets his comeuppance. Another issue is that the world of tomorrow doesn't get enough development. We don't learn enough about the Rynax energy project, or the GPO, and how this world came about to give the story its context. Certainly if you look in the extras and the Key Words glossaries on the discs, then you will find much of that information, but it shouldn't be in the extras, it should be in the story.


Kurau Phantom Memory is fun, entertaining, and this final volume gives it a very rousing send-off. But in almost every respect it is mediocre and disposable anime fodder. It isn't all that memorable, and neither will it be the first title that trips off my tongue if someone asks me for recommendations. But if character arcs mean more than narrative and world-building, then Kurau will appeal, especially as it is very easy to invest in the central characters of Kurau and Christmas to the point where you are willing to overlook the show's shortcomings.