Anime Reviews (2020s): Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection (2020)

I just love how well-written the story is and it’s more about character-building storylines and while the animation is well-done, the storyline is captivating! But overall, the story of “Cagaster of an Insect Cage” is a captivating anime series which I highly recommend!

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TITLE: Cagaster of an Insect Cage: Complete Collection

ANIME RELEASE DATE: 2020

DURATION: Episodes 1-12

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0, Subtitles: English subtitles

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATING: TV MA V

Release Date: March 21, 2021

Originally created by Hashimoto Kacho

Directed byChigira Koichi

Series Composition by Kouyama Shuuichi

Music Composition by Kuroishi Hitomi

Character Design by Yamashita Akihiko

Anime Production: Studio Kai

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hosoya Yoshimasa/Aleks Le as Kidow

Hanazawa Kana/Ryan Bartley as Ilie

Sugita Tomokazu/Andres Paul Ramacho as Lazaro

Suwave Junichi/Bill Rogers as Qasim

Shiozaki Tomohiro/Billy Kametz as Hadi

Brandon Roscoe as Al

Kito Akari/Camden Singer as Lizzy

Yamashita Daiki/Daniel MK Cohen as Naji

Toriumi Kosuke/Doug Erholtz as Petrov

Hanae Natsuki/Griffin Burns as Acht

Morikawa Toshiyuki/Kim Strauss as Mario

Yuki Aoi/Laura Post as Kara

Namikawa Daisuke/Michael Sinterniklaas as Griffith

Mamiya Yasuhiro/Neil Kaplan as Harb Adham

Kayano Ai/Rebecca Larsen as Aisha

Okitsu Kazuyuki/Richard Tatum as Jin

Shiratori Tetsu/Spike Spencer as Trade District Director

Sakurai Takahiro/Todd Haberkorn as Franz Kirio

The nightmare that wiped out two thirds of the human race thirty years ago wasn’t caused by germs. It was bugs on an entirely different kind of scale: bizarre insects that mutate their victims into half-human creatures that rapidly evolve into rampaging giant monsters!

Yet, as unstoppable as the monstrous insects seemed, humanity is as hard to kill as cockroaches, and exterminators like Kidou now spend their lives stalking and killing the creatures called Cagasters. As the brief still-partially human phase is the best time to strike, however, exterminators soon learn to distance themselves, socially and emotionally, from normal people. But when Kidou finds himself suddenly tasked with returning a young survivor to her mother, he starts to realize that his emotions and humanity may not be buried as deeply as he believed!

Back in 2015, the manga series “Mushikago no Kagasuteru” by Hashimoto Kacho was serialized in “Monthly Comic Ryu”.

But the storyline origins started back in 2005 when Hashimoto posted the dojinshi on his website. And the series would eventually receive an original net anime series adaptation by Studio KAI and premiere on Netflix in 2020.

The series has been released on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

The series is set during a time in a post-apocalyptic world when giant insects (known as Cagasters) are eating humans and for some reason, humans are mutating to these insects. A group known as Exterminators are known for killing all Cagaster, especially humans who have turned into insects (the time limit is 20 minutes until a human turns into an insect after they first show signs and the only way to stop them is by beheading).

The series begins with Illie and a scientist named Griffith who she calls “Papa” driving really quickly trying to evade the insects.

Meanwhile, not far away is an exterminator named Kido and a merchant named Jin salvaging equipment. They see insects pursuing the vehicle with Griffith and Illie and when they try to help them, Kido goes to stop the main insect.

Unfortunately during the chase, Griffith’s vehicle crashes towards an embankment and when Kido and Jin goes to check if they are alive, they find Griffith, who is dying and has metal going through his body and Illie unconscious. With Griffith barely alive, he asks Kido if he can promise him to take care of her and bring her to her mother, Tonya before dying.

Kido agrees to help and take care of Illie but both start off in the wrong way, as Kido is not a people person and Illie is not sure about her new surroundings.

And thus the story begins of Kido and Illie, Kido an elite exterminator who has become a young man (est. to be about 17-years-old) who has discarded any caring emotions, so he can be the killer of all Cagasters. While Illie (est. to be about 15 years old) gets to know Kido and her new family at a bar/restaurant owned by Miss Mario.

While Illie is lonely and misses her papa, she tries to learn how to be strong and hopes that she can reunite with her mother.

But there appears to be a killer on the loose, someone who is half man and half Cagaster. And why does he have interest in Illie?

I have to honestly say that “Cagaster of an Insect Cage” was an anime series that entertained me from beginning to end. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to binge watch it all within a day.

I like the idea of a post-apocalyptic world but to not focus on too many people but focus on the primary two, Kido and Illie. There are other characters but they are more for supporting roles to helping Kido or Illie gain some perspective.

Miss Mario is a transvestite restaurant owner that freaks out Illie at first (partly because Mario is huge), but her kindness eventually helps, as she helps Illie understand Kido and why he became the way he is.

Illie also finds people who can understand her (people closer in age) and that is orphans living in slums such as Naji and Lizzie who befriend her.

And there is Qasim, a member of the Allied Army of the East who hates Exterminators but also a man trying to atone for taking on government orders of killing civilians who were quarantined in the city and burning the city down, leaving children without their parents.

As the first half of the story focuses on character building storylines, the second half of the story then goes into Ilie’s history and why a scientist named Franz is after her, why there is a half human/Cagaster and who Griffith really is and why he raised Illie for years.

It’s a very captivating storyline and it also helps to have wonderful animation courtesy of Studio KAI and I have to say that for a newer anime studio, “Cagaster of an Insect Cage” is a wonderful series in their resume considering they have only done one or two anime series prior.

I just love how well-written the story is and it’s more about character-building storylines and while the animation is well-done, the storyline is captivating!

But overall, the story of “Cagaster of an Insect Cage” is a captivating anime series which I highly recommend!

Click here to Purchase This Blu-ray on Amazon

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