Casshern Sins, Part One

Set in an apocalyptic future, Casshern Sins follows the dreary adventures of the cybernetic assassin Casshern, whose murder of a supposed savior named Luna led to Earth's near-destruction. Casshern disappeared during the mayhem, only to reappear years later with severe amnesia. Since Luna's death, the planet's robots have been fighting off a fatal rusting disease called the Ruin, with bandit gangs scavenging for rust-free spare parts. Surviving humans aren't in great shape either, but both they and their android compatriots are eager to slay Casshern, who actually wishes he could die but is cursed with regeneration powers and the ability to kill anyone who tries to assault him. Along the way, Casshern gathers a posse consisting of a little girl named Ringo, her guardian-scientist Ohji, a dog named Friender, and pink-haired female cyborg Lyuze, whose sister was killed by Casshern in the pre-apocalypse. Although it's a reboot of the classic 1970s anime Neo Human Casshern, the only recognizable elements here from that predecessor are the basic concept and character names. Given the predictability of the plots, monotony of Casshern's amnesiac angst, and uninvolving animation style, viewers may find this to be a numbing watch. Compiling the first 12 episodes of the 2008 first season in a dual-language two-disc set, rated TV-MA, this is not recommended. [Note: Casshern Sins, Part Two is also newly available.] (P. Hall)