Utawarerumono—The False Faces: Complete Collection

This lengthy saga is the second major anime based on a popular RPG video game. The setting is a fantasy feudal land that initially appears to be Tolkienesque and magical, but is actually humanity's post-apocalyptic future, which is overwhelmingly populated by genetically modified beings who look part animal. An exception is the amnesiac human hero, a young man dubbed Haku, who finds himself taken in by a civilization of humanoids with furry ears and tails. As Haku rises in the ranks within an imperial family, the series serves up fan-service raunch-comedy (despite catlike attributes, the females here love to take hot-springs baths) mixed with court intrigue involving a savage rival empire, and ultimately, giant kaiju-monster-mecha type battles between organic super-weapons. Along the way, Haku rises towards a leadership role predetermined by his own DNA. For viewers with sufficient patience, the saga ultimately transcends its weak and formulaic aspects to touch on the mythic. Presenting all 25 episodes from 2015 in separate dual-language DVD and Blu-ray editions, rated TV-MA, extras include comedic OVA shorts. Recommended. (C. Cassady)