Tsukihime Lunar Legend Vol-1: Life Threads (2003)
Animation Production: Geneon Entertainment, Inc./J.C. Staff/MOVIC/Rondo Robe/TBS/
Tsukihime Production Committee
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Kakumei Shojo

Premise

A high school boy with supernatural abilities must protect a beautiful vampire after he unwillingly kills her.

Story

Shiki Tohno is not like other high school students. Quiet, strange, and often misunderstood even his friends consider him a mystery. Nobody knows about the secret Shiki harbors; that he possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. In other words, Shiki has the ability to see and sever the lines on every living creature that separate life from death. When Shiki moves in with his sister Akiha after the death of their father things only seem to escalate.

First, there are the bizarre murders occurring around town. All of the victims are found with 2 fang-shaped marks in their jugulars and all blood drained from their bodies. Next, Shiki stumbles upon a beautiful woman and in an unforeseen fit of hysteria kills her! The next day, as he is walking home from school he sees the woman again…alive! She explains that that she is a vampire, a True Ancestor, and that he must agree to be her shield in order to protect her from those that seek to destroy her kind and his.

Review

Volume one of Tsukihime features the first four episodes in the series, which include:

Episode 1: Reversal Impulse
Not much is known about our protagonist Shiki Tohno. After a tragic incident when Shiki was a child he gains a supernatural ability. Luckily, he was given glasses that are able to seal it, and so he is able to live life normally. That is until he moves in with his younger sister Akiha. Since then nothing has been the same. While at school, Shiki and his friends are horrified to see the news reports on the murders. Curfews have been set for nightfall, believing the murderer to be some sort of vampire. On his way home from school Shiki is assaulted and in a confusing blur ends up slicing a woman into little pieces. He passes out. When he awakes he believes it to be some sort of terrible dream, but the next day as he is walking home from school he discovers its far more…

Episode 2: Black Beast
The strange woman is indeed alive and she introduces herself. Arcueid Brunstar or Arc. She is a true vampire and has been sent to kill the one causing the murders about town. She tells Shiki that he will take responsibility for killing her. He must become her shield and protect her on her mission. At first Shiki is petrified, but when a friend of his is endangered he agrees to help her.

Episode 3: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception
Arcueid is intrigued by Shiki. After all, he was able to kill her. She decides to tell him more about herself, and in turn find out more about him. He demonstrates for her his ability, and together Arc and Shiki take on Nero, the one responsible for taking many innocent lives. But with Arc in her weakened state and Shiki still unfamiliar with his powers will they succeed?

Episode 4: From Cradle to Grave
With his sudden disappearance, Shiki's friends and sister are getting even more concerned and suspicious. All of them know there is something going on with him and no one knows what it might be. His sister suspects a woman, and when Arc shows up at school looking for Shiki so do his friends....

Yes, its another vampire anime series. This time brought to you by the folks at Geneon. Dark, serious, and utterly strange-like most anime series about vampires, and yet there are some intriguing elements that have my curiosity peaked....

The first episode (like so much anime out there now) does not contain an opener. We are launched right into the story. The credits fade in and out in stark white letters against a dark scene. The mood has been set. The tone dark and mysterious....

The rest of the first episode is a combination of mood-setting and delirious blur. So many things happen so quickly you are left with a ton of questions and no answers. Personally, I felt it was a bit too much when first introducing a series; especially since there was also a decent amount of characters introduced and no back story; not even for Shiki. Tsukihime thrives on setting the appropriate backdrop, and yet the actual story and character development are obscured by the shroud of mystery.

It isn't until episode 3 on the DVD that the story really begins to unveil. You find out about Shiki's power, you find out a little about Arc, and the differences between the True Ancestors and the Dead Apostles; the vampire classes in this particular universe. I felt the story was interesting although personally, I would have liked to get into it sooner rather than spending so much time creating a sense of gloomy atmosphere.

The style of animation was very simple, dark. Not a lot of detail anywhere. Not even in the character's eyes. Even when the sky is blue and the sun is out the colors appear dimmed. At night there is a foggy murkiness covering everything. For what Tsukihime was going for I felt the style and colors used were effective. While not the most artistically beautiful series I have seen it certainly matched the story nicely.

As for the music, it definitely added to the eerie atmosphere although there really weren't any particular pieces that stood out in my mind. The Opener was suitable for the series. Definitely set the mood and the visuals matched nicely. It was orchestral combined with a chorus of high, child-like voices, and light percussion. I really did like the closer. The closing theme was beautifully done with strings and a woman's voice. The vocalist has such a beautiful voice. She had excellent control and a great range both vocally and dynamically. I think it was her performance that made me like the closing theme as much as I did.

The Japanese VAs all did a very nice job, but there were really no performances that particularly stood out. Perhaps it is still too early in the series to see them demonstrate their full acting potential.

The quality of the DVD was very clear. Since this is a new release I would hope this would be the case. The subtitles were easy to read as well. No color bleeding either. Extras included previews for new Geneon releases, and a clean opener and closer.

Final Thoughts

Tsukihime is reminiscent of the Vampire Princess Miyu OVAS, but is not nearly as creepy. However, what the series lacks in creepiness it makes up for in gore and violence. Lots of blood. Decapitation, mutilation, you name it. But the direction during the action scenes mainly takes place off screen. We are only shown glimpses of what is occuring. Followed by blood splatter. There is hardly any sexually suggestive material. As if the turtleneck sweater and long skirt Arc wears is any indication . The suggested rating is R due to violence, and adult situations.

Although the story is intriguing the pacing is slow. If the focus is transferred to the characters and plot development I think this series will have lots of potential.

Kakumei Shojo