Steel Angel Kurumi, Vol. 1: Angel on My Shoulder (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Naohito Takahashi
Character Design by Naruhisa Arakawa
Mecha Design by Takeshi Itoh
Music by Toshihiko Sahashi
Original Story by Kaishaku (Kadokawa Shoten "Monthly Ace Next")
Art Direction by Ruby Halipoto

Features:

• Behind-the-scenes featurette
  
• Historical background of Tashio-era Japan
  
• Onmyou tradition information
  
• Production sketches
  
• Translator Notes
  
• Kurumi Fortune Teller PDF
  
• Extended Next Episode Previews
  
• Clean opening
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• android boobies
• wicked army men
• big 'splosions amid giggling girlies
• gratuitous maid costumes
• the love that dare not speak its name

Rating: Suggested 17+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it.

Steel Angel Kurumi relates the story of Kurumi, an android built for military purposes (or was she?) by the enigmatic Dr. Ayonokoji. Having left the military some time ago to work on the Angels, Dr. Ayonokoji is now targeted by a former associate and the army who want to use his work for their own ends. When a young boy accidentally awakens one of the Angels, Kurumi, by mystical means, not only Ayonokoji wants to get to the bottom of this mystery, but so does the military. Add in the sinister floating fortress known only as the Academy, and you have a political, mystical adventure worthy of any anime fan. Arranged in short 15-minute episodes, Steel Angel Kurumi is still able to tell a marvelous and interesting story.

The art is lovely and very energetic. The colors aren't overly-saturated, but are nice and rich. The characters look as beautiful as you would expect from high-quality anime, even as good as OAVs. The art you see on the cover is representative of the gorgeous sights waiting for you in the episodes themselves.

The English voice acting is as splendid as you would expect from the pros on this disc: Kelli Cousins, Hilary Haag, Kira Vincent-Davies, and others. Claudia Black, popular Farscape actress, provides the voiceovers as well as voicing a future character who does not yet appear. The Japanese voices are also quite emotionally complex and differentiated, but are of the screechy variety. In either case, the audio was well-done and clear.

The extras are plentiful and interesting. Since many viewers won't know much about the Unmyou mystical tradition, ADV has provided a rather good explanation of how it works, which will give you a better idea of how it fits in with the overall plot. There's also a very helpful look at the Teisho Era of Japan's history--more information that the viewers will want to look at before viewing the episodes themselves. The featurette is also pretty interesting, including as it does interviews with the English main character voices and the director. There are also sketches, helpful translator's notes, and other bits and pieces that make Steel Angel Kurumi more enjoyable and a class production.

In short, Steel Angel Kurumi is a wonderful new series that I think will appeal to old-school anime fans and to new viewers. It has a mixture of drama, adventure, action, and comedy, with a bit of military conspiracy and mysticism thrown in for spice.