Red Garden: Live to Kill, Vol. 1

Don't be fooled by the slick opening credit sequence: Red Garden is not pretty, fluffy, or peppy. Four NYC high school girls—temperamental partygoer Rachel, quiet family-oriented Rose, tough outsider Claire, and prim and rich Kate—run in entirely different circles. In fact, only one thing connects them: each counts the fun-loving Lise as a close friend. After an evening out, each of the four girls groggily awaken and can't recall anything about the previous night—but when Lise is found dead (in an apparent suicide), they deduce that their memory loss and Lise's death can't be a coincidence. Although the quartet would rather forget whatever horror lies behind their blackouts, all are soon forced together in a fight for their very survival. A treat for fans of innovative animation (not to mention supernatural mysteries featuring tough ladies), Red Garden's style feels shojo (i.e. anime aimed at a female audience), but the New York City environment, unique character design, and dark palette combine to move it beyond the usual flowers and sparkles, while the violent action distinguishes this series from the run-of-the-mill high school dramedy. Compiling the first four episodes on a dual-language disc, rated TV-MA, this mature anime is sure to appeal to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Boogiepop Phantom. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: Red Garden, Vol. 2 is slated for release on Nov. 20.] Aud: P. (R. Brenner)