The Melody of Oblivion: Arrangement, Vol. 1

For anime fans, this is what Yogi Berra allegedly referred to as being "deja vu all over again." In yet another post-apocalyptic future, a world war between humans and monsters ends with the latter taking control and turning the former into their servants (who also occasionally offer sacrifices of their young to appease their monster overlords). A teenage human rebel decides to save mankind and begins training as a "Warrior of Melos"; newly empowered by a silver tattoo (which apparently has more oomph than the greenish ink favored by most rebellious teens), he searches for clues about a mysterious maiden called the Melody of Oblivion, who supposedly holds the secret to the human comeback. Of course, with a great script, memorable characters, and quality artwork, this somewhat formulaic offering could still have worked, but as it is, the often incoherent storytelling here is packed with slapdash violence, mystical mumbo-jumbo, malcontent teens bruising for a fight, and bargain-basement monsters. Presenting the first four episodes on a dual-language disc, rated 16-up, this second-string anime offering is not recommended. [Note: The Melody of Oblivion, Vol. 2 is slated for release on Aug. 23.] Aud: P. (P. Hall)