Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn - The Complete Series (A Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray review) (2016)

For those who want a quality Shirow or Rikudou series, I just don’t feel “Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn” matches the level and intensity of their previous work but excels in cuteness. But cuteness can only go so far and the anime series just felt “good”, just not “great”. If anything, it’s worth giving a try but for the most part, its an average anime at best.

TITLE: Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – The Complete Series

ORIGINAL TV AIR DATE: 2016

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (200 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English Dolby True HD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: January 22, 2019

Originally created by Shirow Masamune, Rikudou Koushi

Directed by Nawa Munenori

Series Composition by Takahashi Tatsuya

Music by TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND

Character Design by Tani Takuya

Art Director: Matsumoto Hiroki, Ichikura Kei

Animation Production by AXsiZ, Studio Gokumi

Featuring the following voice talent:

Numakura Manami/Lara Woodhull as Clarion

Fuku Sanae/Megan Shipman as Nene Nanakorobi

Tanaka Atsuko/Monica Rial as Delilah Uzal

Morita Junpei/Alex Moore as Vli (Buer)

Inada Tetsu/Ian Sinclair as Robert Altman

Suwabe Junichi/J. Michael Tatum as Ian Krutz

Miyake Marie/Jad Saxton as Takumi Korobase

Murakawa Rie/Leah Clark as Bunny

Matsuda Satsumi/Sonny Strait as Buer

Naganawa Maria/Tia Ballard as Amy Gilliam

From Shirow Masamune, the creator of Ghost in the Shell, comes a lighthearted story of two cyborg girls who fight to save their home. Nene Nanakorobi is your typical girl next door except for that fact that she’s a rare type of full-body cyborg. She’s thrilled to finally meet another cyborg named Clarion and hopes they’ll be best friends. This is the beginning of their adventures together.

In 2012, a manga serialization was published in Kadokawa Shoten’s “Newtype Ace” magazine and then on the web for “Niconico Ace”. The manga is based on the concept by Shirow Masamune (best known for creating “Appleseed”, “BlackMagic”, “Dominion”, “Orion” and “Ghost in the Shell”) and illustrated by Rikudo Koshi.

With a total of 12 manga volumes published, the series is still ongoing, while an anime adaptation was produced by Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ and released as an animated film in December 2015 and a TV series which aired in January-March 2016.

And the series titled “Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – The Complete Series” was released in North America courtesy of Funimation.

The series revolves around a full-bodied cyborg girl named Nanakorobi Nene (a full-bodied cyborg girl whose entire body is mechanical. Nene was once a young human girl who was dying of an incurable sickness, so she became the world’s first full-body cbyorg). Nene has moved to Cenancle Island to live with her aunt and meets an inventor named Uzal and her companion Clarion (a combat android disguised as a full-body cyborg).

Not long after Nene arrives to Cenancle Island, the city comes under attack by an army of robots controlled by a group of rebels who despise Uzal.

Uzal asks Nene to put her fingers inside Clarion’s body and released is a Pandora Device which allows Nene to master any skill for a short period of time (from the use of firearms to even cooking).

And the two are tasked to take on BUER, a giant robot belonging to Uzal’s company that went crazy after her underlings tried to use BUER against her.

As forces approach to reach the laboratory, Nene and Clarion escape from the laboratory but with Uzal still inside, the lab self-destructs.

Clarion is left in Nene’s care and the two live in trying to handle various situations which allow Nene to utilize a variety of skills.

VIDEO:

“Pandora in the Crimson Shell – The Complete Series” is presented in 1080p High Definition and the anime series is vibrant, colorful and cute. Picture quality for the most part is very good.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – The Complete Series” is presented in Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 . Both Japanese and English dub soundtracks are well-done. Dialogue and music are crystal clear.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – The Complete Series” comes with no special features.

EXTRAS:

“Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn – The Complete Series” comes with the Blu-ray and DVD version of the film.

When it comes to Shirow Masamune’s work, what I love about his work is how cerebral, intelligently written and how much research he puts into series such as “Black Magic M66”, “Appleseed”, “Orion” and of course, “Ghost in the Shell”.

So, when work is attached to Shirow’s name, I tend to take notice.

But I quickly learned that “Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn” is a series that is based on the concept by Shirow Masamune and is essentially a Rikudou Koushi work. Rikudou is best known for “Excel Saga” and while both men are known for notable work, I don’t feel this anime series will make one feel excited about it.

While the anime is sure to entertain those who love cute characters and stories about androids and while the series does well in trying to establish the characters of Nene and how she uses Clarion’s body to give her various skills to handle different situations, the series is essentially just that, establishing the characters and for the most part, uplifting, fun episodes until you get to the final three episodes which are the series best episodes.

While the manga series is still ongoing, what you are left with is a short 12-episode series that will surely entertain those who want very short and cute anime series.

But for those who want a quality Shirow or Rikudou series, I just don’t feel “Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn” matches the level and intensity of their previous work but excels in cuteness. But cuteness can only go so far and the anime series just felt “good”, just not “great”.

If anything, it’s worth giving a try but for the most part, its an average anime at best.