Arjuna, Vol. 1: Rebirth (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Created by Shoji Kawamori
Art Direction by Dai Ohta and Masanobu Nomura
Music by Yoko Kanno
Character Design by Takahiro Kishida

Features:

• voice actor interviews
  
• Arjuna Dictionary
  
• previews
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• irritating kid with telepathy
• the Earth in pain
• you’ll have to think

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Absolutely buy it

From the creators of Macross, Cowboy Bebop, and Escaflowne, comes this new title of miracles, renewal, and the search for the self. Along the way, the creators gift us with one of the best anime titles to come along in years.

Arjuna tells the story of a normal high school girl named Arjuna, Juna for short, who just wants to learn how to excel at her archery and handle her would-be boyfriend Tokio. That is, until she dies. Then, she is chosen to replace the old Avatar of Time as the new Avatar, making her into a powerful being who can resonate sympathetically with the life of the Earth. This is in order to fight the evil Raaja, who are working to destroy the Earth, born as they are out of the Earth’s pain and environmental destruction.

Along the way, we meet a handful of powerfully-drawn characters with unusual depth and personality. First of course, there is Juna herself, who has no idea what is really expected of her in this new role and must cope with the paralyzing fear that overtakes her periodically. Tokio, the clueless boyfriend, is more likable and active than many a similar role in other titles, as he is self-directed and works to make life easier for Juna as best he can. There’s also wheelchair-bound Chris, the former Avatar of Time, a teenager who is trying to train Juna but doesn’t understand why she doesn’t already think the same way he does. Lastly, we have Cindy, Chris’ friend and a telepath, who has absolutely zero confidence in Juna and believes only in Chris.

The mythos of the show is a bit unclear in some respects on this first disc, but it’s a cosmology that will grow as the series continues. We don’t know any more than Juna does at this point, as we are not treated to Chris’ knowledge unless he speaks to Juna.

The look of the show is plainly beautiful, making me all the more grateful for the widescreen presentation. The blend of CG and cel animation is interesting. This shows up especially when the Raaja battle the Ashura guardian summoned by Juna. The Raaja are a very fluid, sheer CG image, while the Ashura is blocky and typically mecha-looking, like something from the titles Reboot or Heavy Gear. The effect is that these spirits are more clearly not real and invisible to most humans, who have lost their ability to see these creatures as they disconnected from nature and the Earth.

The extras are quite nice. We have an interview with the English voice of Juna, Maggie Blue O’Hara, who has also done voices for The X-Men, Saber Marionette, Card Captors, and several other animated titles. There is also a wonderful “Arjuna Dictionary” that will answer some of the questions you may have about aspects of the Arjuna story and mythos, such as what that magatama seed thing is that appears on Juna’s head and in so many other anime titles.

Environmentalists of course will love this series, as the main message is that there are consequences to what we do--direct and scary consequences, whether we want to see them or not. Also, we have forgotten as a species that we are a part of nature, not apart from it. But don’t let the environmental message scare you off! It’s never heavy-handed, and it’s much more than just a “message piece.” The score alone is a treat worth the price. It’s also a wonderfully adult treatment of the Magical Girl anime genre, with plenty of action, character depth, gorgeous art, and tight plotting to satisfy anyone.