I didn't know anything about this series when I first saw that it could be viewed on Funimation's YouTube Channel and when I started watching it I thought it was going to be another 'fighting robot' anime which didn't appeal too much. I'm glad I didn't give up as it is far more than that. As the series begins we learn that Casshern is a robot who has lost his memory, other robots he meets tell him that he killed somebody called Luna and this caused something known as 'The Ruin'. This has caused everything in the world except for Casshern to decay. He also learns of a legend which states that whoever devours him will gain everlasting life, not surprisingly this leads to many confrontations. Most of these robots are quickly dispatched however there are several recurring characters; some friends, some foes and some who start out as foes but become friends. These characters include Lyuze whose sister was one of Luna's bodyguards, Ohji and Ringo, and elderly robot and a young girl and Dio, a robot much like Casshern but effected by the ruin.
As the series progresses Casshern and the group travelling with him must overcome several dangers and eventually hear a rumour that Luna may still be alive! Of course this may just be a rumour but the must find out. One would expect a show full of robots fighting would be exciting and action packed; this however is very downbeat. This was largely down to the brilliant music which made the fighting seem futile rather than thrilling. It also made me think that main characters might not make it to the end of the series. The animation fitted the tone of the series, there wasn't as much character detail as there is with most series but they still conveyed real emotion and there was a constant sense of desolation provided by the backgrounds. There were some clichés; the main characters tend to look human and whenever one of them fought against the much larger, mechanical looking robots they win easily, they only really seem in danger when fighting each other.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
As the series progresses Casshern and the group travelling with him must overcome several dangers and eventually hear a rumour that Luna may still be alive! Of course this may just be a rumour but the must find out. One would expect a show full of robots fighting would be exciting and action packed; this however is very downbeat. This was largely down to the brilliant music which made the fighting seem futile rather than thrilling. It also made me think that main characters might not make it to the end of the series. The animation fitted the tone of the series, there wasn't as much character detail as there is with most series but they still conveyed real emotion and there was a constant sense of desolation provided by the backgrounds. There were some clichés; the main characters tend to look human and whenever one of them fought against the much larger, mechanical looking robots they win easily, they only really seem in danger when fighting each other.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.