Kurogane Communication, Vol. 1: Wasteland Paradise (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Shinya Takahashi
Original story by Hosei Takuma and Hideo Kato

Features:

• out-takes
  
• production sketches
  
• mini comic
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Everyone's dead, Dave
• Trigger-happy robot named...Trigger
• NO, not a pink apron!

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Rent it.

Kurogane Communication is the story of Haruka, a teenage girl who just might be the last human on a near-future Earth. She isn't sure how she survived the war or disaster that destroyed the rest of the world, but the rest of Tokyo is done for. Relieving her loneliness and generally caring for her is a small family of specialized robots who help her navigate this post-apocalyptic "paradise." Facing the dangers of the wasteland beyond her door, Haruka tries to regain her memory and find out what happened to her parents and the rest of the world. The plot of volume one consists of eight mini-episodes that introduce Haruka, the robots, and her unusual situation. With Haruka, viewers explore her world, make friends, and learn about the dangers of destroyed Tokyo.

The characters are quite interesting in their variety. Haruka, the human main character, is rather chipper given her situation, but perhaps this is because she lacks a memory of "before." She is driven to find out what happened to her parents, and at times this makes her careless. The five robots range from Reeves, who looks like the Terminator on a bad day but tends to wear a lacy pink apron, to Angela, the mysterious warrior who dislikes humans. Spike, Haruka's personal robot, is nearly human, though he doesn't know it, and Trigger is great for comic relief.

The audio and visual quality are good enough. The show is recent enough not to pose any real problems for the digital transfer, aside from a bit of graininess, and the soundtrack is the same. Neither the Japanese nor the English audio had any obvious distortions or crackling. The colors are clear and bright, and while the art itself is not as beautiful as, say, Ceres, it's attractive enough to look at for two hours. The color palette is realistically gritty, but not too dark or dismal for enjoyment.

The extras are quite nice. The production sketches are interesting; it's always nice to see where the look of a series came from and where it could have gone. There's also a creditless opening for those who like cleaner looks and to see what's been drawn under all those letters. My review copy didn't include the mini-comic, but I like the sound of it; goodies are always appreciated, especially if we Americans get the same stuff the Japanese releases get. The outtakes are a wonderful addition, even though these are mostly genuine mistakes, as opposed to humorous errors or intentional funny alterations by the voice actors.

In conclusion, don't let the lack of human characters throw you. Since when did anime really need humans, anyway? The robots have more personality and differentiation than most of the people you went to high school with, after all. Besides, for post-apocalyptic fiction junkies like me, the bleak horizon of Kurogane Communication is a nice addition to the landscape. The story is creative and interesting, giving viewers puzzles, action, character development, and more. While this first volume is basically about laying the groundwork, I can't wait to see where future volumes will go.