I went to the
RED GARDEN screening event today.
The above is a scan of the poster flyer I received.
Prior to the showing of the pre-edited version of Episode 1, staff members, including Director Mastuo Kou, discussed several things about this anime.
Matsuo Kou wanted to do this story based on the premise that the protagonists are dead from the beginning, which would open the doors for an unconventional plotline.
He also wanted to make the character designs as original as possible, thereby opting to select Fujijun, an aspiring illustrator, rather than your run of the mill animator.
He touted composer Senju Akira, a well known musician for his works in motion pictures, to do the music for REG GARDEN, for a strong classical soundtrack.
Seeking a more spontaneous feel that is noticeable in stage theater, Matsuo wanted the voice dubbing to be done via prescoring, i.e., prior to the animation. He mentioned that the seiyuus were not used to prescoring, thus it was only until episode 5 where the acting job takes off.
Spoiler for Episode 1:
Kate, Rachel, Rose, and Claire are classmates at a high school in New York City for the rich. They all see this dream at night, and wake up in the morning feeling strange, not remembering anything. Rose and Kate (a student council member) are tardy, and Claire skips school entirely. At school, they are informed that Reese, another classmate of theirs, was found dead. That night, for some reason, the four girls walk to a park, as if summoned by something. They realize that they saw something the previous night. Just then, a woman called Rula and his partner JC arrive at the scene, and tell the girls that she is their instructor, that the girls are already dead, and they must slay this beast-like man who is approaching them.
The screening did not include the opening and ending songs and the credits. I was expecting good things from RED GARDEN for two reasons:
The director is Matsuo Kou, who handled the
Rozen Maiden series.
I was raised in New York, and was intrigued by the setting.
The charactger designs are unique, but something I can easily get used to it. The problem is the quality of the animation. Although it can be dismissed as typical GONZO quality, the jerky movements and inconsistent artwork really leaves a lot to be desired.
As for the voice acting, without prior knowledge, one could not notice it is being done by prescoring. However, the singing of Kate (Tomisaka Akira) is probably one of the worst performances I've seen in a while, which totally ruins the beautiful music.
Storywise, the Twin Peaks vibes are inevitable, and can really go anywhere from here. And as for the New York setting, honestly, I can guarantee it would work perfectly if it was situated in Tokyo, although I am looking forward to seeing reviews from New Yorkers.
RED GARDEN is slated for 24 episodes, and airs on TV Asahi, which means unaired episodes are automatic, so it's going to be a long run. I doubt it will become the sleeper title of Fall, but it will certanly be a nice change of pace for people who will become tired from the hordes of bishoujo anime.