The Melody of Oblivion Vol-1: Arrangement (2004)
Animation Production: J.C. Staff
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Kakumei Shojo

Introduction

The premise-a young boy destined to become a Warrior must find the Melody of Oblivion and restore balance to the world once again.

Story

During the 20th Century, a massive war was waged between humans and monsters. There was much bloodshed on both sides, but ultimately it was the monsters who won, and the humans purposefully forgot their bloody pasts…

Now a young school boy named Bocca is about to fulfill his dangerous destiny. With the help of an eccentric girl named Sayoko, his Aibar (weapon and vehicle created by the mechanic Tanagi san), and Kurofune, the mysterious Warrior, Bocca must undertake a perilous journey to find the Melody of Oblivion and save the humans from the tyranny of the monsters.

Episode Synopses

Episode 1: Warrior of Melos
Bocca and his best friend/ love interest Elle attend high school like any other normal students, but Bocca is different than the others. He sees the world differently than they do. He remembers bizarre occurrences they do not, such as the disappearance of his friend Kei in middle school. Bocca knows that those who disappear are sacrificed to the monsters, who hold power over humanity. Wishing to seek retribution for this injustice Bocca discovers The Warriors; humans who wish to fight the monsters and right the wrongs they have brought upon mankind. And Bocca is not alone. He meets a young girl named Sayoko, who is also seeking the Warriors, so the two decide to join forces. Bocca is put into a situation where he must decide whether or not he truly wishes to become a Warrior of Melos, and seek the mysterious Melody of Oblivion…

Episode 2: Beginning of the Long Journey After School
Tanagi san, who creates the Aibars (vehicles and weapons the Warriors use to fight the monsters), has given new Warrior Bocca his own Aibar; Elanvital. As Bocca deals with the repercussions of possessing the Aibar, Elle is targeted to be the next sacrifice to the monster Horu! Will Kurofune, Sayoko and Bocca be able to reach her before its too late?

Episode 3: Cape of the Midnight Sun
After rescuing Elle, Bocca and Sayoko depart in search of the Melody of Oblivion. Their first stop is a seaside town in which a lady with knowledge as to the whereabouts of the Melody of Oblivion resides. As Bocca seeks assistance from this woman, Sayoko stumbles into the next child to be sacrificed to the monsters.

Episode 4: Monster Union
The history behind the monster plagued tourist town is revealed, including the mysterious group called the Monster Union. They seem to be aiding the monster feeding off the children in the town. Will Bocca be able to stop the monsters and the Monster Union before there is another sacrifice?

Review

From the moment I put the DVD in, I knew this show was not going to be anything like I was expecting. As the opening theme began, I was immediately drawn in by the incredible opener- Rock with female vocals and strings. You just gotta love it! The actual beginning is a flash back with narrative to the war fought between humans and monsters. Not much is known of this event, as the humans did everything in their power to intentionally forget. The narrative is provided by a beautiful red haired girl; the Melody of Oblivion. It is unclear what her part in all of this is, but for some reason she must be found to restore peace and power to the humans.

This was the introduction to the underlying story. It helps to set the mood, and provide a bit of mystique towards the current world in which the events take place. As the story began to unfold my first thought was that this series was fairly typical. A young boy and girl who are best friends, go to high school together. The adolescent boy is unlike all the others, and is destined to become a Warrior and fight the monsters and find the Melody of Oblivion. The general principal sounded pretty typical at first, but as I kept watching the plot became more intricate.

Although any history regarding the war has yet to be revealed, there are glimpses into the relationship between humans and monsters. On the surface, it appears that the humans live peaceful, normal lives, but only because they live in ignorance. It is only the officials or high members of the society who deal directly with the monsters. The agreement these officials have with the monsters is what enables the humans to live peacefully. Every so often, upon their requests the humans are forced to sacrifice a child of the monster’s choosing. What the monsters do to those sacrificed is mere speculation, but one thing is certain: they are never seen again.

Bocca, for some reason remembers a friend of his who had disappeared and was believed to be sacrificed to the monsters. Why does Bocca remember this when none of the other students seem to? Bocca learns there are others who wish to rally against the monsters, such as the eccentric mechanic Tanagi san, (who creates an arsenal in which the warriors fight the monsters with), Kurofune, a mysterious warrior, (the only one Bocca has encountered so far), and Sayoko, a saucy young girl who has some kind of connection with Kurofune. All the characters I found to be fairly ordinary, individually, but the interaction between the different personalities works very well for the series.

As the story progresses, the relevance of the war becomes increasingly apparent. After Bocca accepts his destiny to become a Warrior, he is thrown full force into the situation. He actively seeks the Melody of Oblivion, who appears to him as an apparition; guiding him along the right path.

Stylistically speaking, there are aspects that are reminiscent of Utena. Not only in the Androgynous looking male lead (yes, Bocca is a boy), but also in the fantasy-based world in which he lives, reminiscent of a sea side town in Europe. There are also moments (usually regarding the monsters) in which there are fore-shadowings of events to come, such as the rows of silhouettes in windows drawing their curtains any time the red searchlight passes over the windows in the sea side town. This technique reminded me so much of some of the imagery used in Utena to foreshadow future events, and just like in Utena, I found it to be very effective and help to enhance the eerie ambiance.

The character design is very simplistic; due to the lack of detail I would have imagined this series is meant for a younger audience, but it gets so dark in story and theme I believe 13 and up (at least for the first DVD) is appropriate.

The colors used are bold and dark with striking contrasts. Deep reds, purples, and blues are offset against whites, and pale pastels. Whenever the monsters are around the look of the sky changes drastically, and I thought the use of unnatural color during these scenes was a nice touch.

The shaping and pacing of the story reminds me of Vampire Princess Miyu, especially the TV series, in which each location Miyu visits, a monster is fought and the villagers, (who the events revolve around) learn difficult lessons. Although not quite as episodic as Miyu, Melody of Oblivion has a very similar feel to the story.

One of the elements I had a difficult time with was the disjunctive way the story moved. As the story progressed it became increasingly more complicated, and as it got more complicated it became increasingly difficult to follow. Without really explaining anything, the story leapt from one scene to another with no connection between. Then, it would return back to a previous scenario, explain a bit, and then jump to the next part, and so on. At times I had a hard time trying to follow the events. Hopefully there will be more congruency in future episodes.

The acting in the Japanese version is decent, but there have not been any emotionally challenging pieces to the story thus far. I think its still too early to tell. Sayoko’s VA is my favorite so far, because in one scene where Sayoko is mocking Elle it is clear how versatile the voice talent is. Bocca is decent. As in many anime series with young boys Bocca is voiced by a woman. Personally, a female voice playing a young male role doesn’t bother me. If it bothers you then you might want to consider the English dub.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the first DVD of Melody of Oblivion. Thus far I have found it to be thought provoking, fast paced, and intriguing. I am hoping the rest of the series will be able to improve upon a very interesting concept, and that all questions raised are appropriately answered.

Kakumei Shojo