Angel Sanctuary . . . hmmmmm, lol. Yeah. Let me just state right here that I got this one out of pure curiosity, plus it was a 2 pack that came with the Harlock Saga. This anime is a three episode, one disc "series" that really pushes the limits of both sexuality and religion. Basically it's about the Organic Angel Alexial declaring war against God. That angels have lost their spirituality for vanity and power, thus her declaration. During the rebellion she exhausts her powers and as punishment her body and spirit are separated. Her body is then sealed in a crystal and her spirit is reincarnated in Setsuna. Now Setsuna, mm-hmm, has incestuous thoughts about his little sister who also thinks the same for him. Demons trying to awaken Alexial's spirit are attacking Stesuna, Alexial's newly freed twin brother (and just a tad psychotic) is attacking him to awaken Alexial. Kira, Setsuna's best friend, turns out to be Seven Blades, the sword of the Holy Spirit and is bound to Setsuna, and revels in blood. Kira has an origin story that takes place during these episodes but I won't go into that in case you are interested I don't want to spoil everything. Anyway the bottom line is, with the awakening of Alexial will ultimately lead to Setsuna's death and signal the end of the world. There is blood, cross-dressing, incest (mostly preachy love-dovey thoughts and a scene of them sleeping in bed), and varying religous ideas to put it nicely. I did enjoy the artwork and animation style, heavily detailed eyes and hair. Oh! There are some recognizable voice actors in here. Crispin Freeman who plays Rosial, the psychotic twin brother. I would swear that Wayne Grayson does Kira's voice but it's credited as Vinnie Penna, also it sounds like Veronica Taylor as Kurai but is credited as B. Simpson. If anyone can confirm this for me or prove me wrong, let me know, thanks! Also the music is good in this as well. This is suggested on the box for 16 and up for violence, brief nudity, and adult situations. So if you're open minded and want to experiment with an anime that is in a category all it's own you might want to check it out.
P.S. the manga is now available in english, haven't read it, but if you want more of a story it's there.
On a final note it might take a while for the next review. It will be on the series ArgentoSoma.
Boma at 7:05 PM
