Kiba (Rewatch)
One look at the packaging of this 2009 release, and the point was driven home that ADV was struggling in an already niche market hit by the global recession. Previously, when they released a multidisc title each disc would come in its own case and the whole lot would slot together inside an artbox. Kiba’s 50 episodes are split evenly over 2 four-dvd sets. In both sets the dvd’s do not have their own individual cases and are instead stacked on top of one another inside a single case.
Then you get to watch the series, and the cost cutting is even more apparent. Love or hate the old ADV dubs, but don’t deny that they made an effort. They took great care especially which the ambient sounds and incidental voices so that the worlds within their titles seemed more alive. Take Spriggan for example, where they recreated the bustle of the Turkish market scene by placing the cast and crew in the parking lot and wheeling a recording mic inbetween them to simulate the Doppler Effect when the main character rushes through a crowd of people. Not so here, where the depiction of a bustling market scene is mated with the sort of atmosphere one would find in an open-plan office during the Christmas period. The English voice acting is mostly uninspired, as though the VA’s were more concerned about when, or even if, they’d be getting their next job. Even Chris Patton, one of ADV’s stalwart VA’s, can’t seem to summon much of his mojo in this title. Worst of all - WORST OF ALL - all the harsher bits of dialogue have been toned down in translation, made more family friendly so to be suitable for all the young impressionable American children.
And that’s where the negativity ends.
Fortunately the English track can be skipped for the Japanese, which wasn’t at all bad to begin with and brings in the sense of immersion that the English track lacks. More fortunately, the subtitles have not been made kid friendly as they retain the mild references to violence and also the mild cursing that I encountered in the fansubbed version. Most fortunately, and this is the big plus point, this title rocks big time.
The story involves a boy named Zed, living a rebellious life in a polluted cityscape (called Calm, ironically). His mother, his only relative, lies catatonic in hospital and he only has one friend named Noah. An attempt on his life sets off a chain of events that sees both Zed and Noah transported to different worlds, where they both rise above the challenges on their own different terms.
These events all occur in the first episode and will take a first-time viewer by surprise. By then the viewer will have seen the opening credits and come to the conclusion that this is some sort of anime based on some sort of card game, what with characters able to command monsters in battle. A quick glance a Wikipedia will indeed confirm this suspicion as Kiba’s main sponsor is in fact a trading card company. Now the warning sirens will be wailing, because this puts it in the company of the likes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. But you know what? It’s way better. OK the monster summoning/battling gimmick is there, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all of the show; in fact, the events I described in the previous paragraph all occur in the first episode before a single monster is used in anger. Instead monster battling finds itself hidden beneath a thick layer of what I like to call good writing.
The writers were thinking long-term and epic, above and beyond just the battling. Battles are underpinned not by simple shounen desires to be the best just for the sake of being the best, but by motivations ranging from personal and multinational power lusts to religious beliefs to political ideologies, amongst others. Neither is each battle scenario in place just to use up the running time, but to enhance and advance the story. It is through the battling that we learn of a character’s motivations and what the character is willing to do to attain his or her goals. Zed himself is something of an idiosyncrasy in this sort of title; as the main character of a shounen title he does not obsess with becoming more powerful in battle.
The series contains numerous plots and subplots running either in sequence or concurrently. Though they may vary in tone from dark, tragic or melancholy to moments of light humour (that last one mostly revolves around a budding baker and his lisping chambermaid companion) the quality is consistent throughout. By that I mean the stories are allowed to conclude logically and naturally. No forced happy endings here, no cop-outs. Likable characters die, peaceful characters do an about face and turn to cold-blooded murderers. And the sight of Zed dragging a would-be dictator into a warzone by the scruff of the neck? Priceless!
Then come the twists in the tale, thick and fast like they would in a season of 24. Just when you’re thinking you have even a reasonable idea about the state of affairs, some plot element will be introduced to send you back to square one. One example can be seen at the end when it is revealed how Zed came to be in his situation in the first place, and it’s a humdinger.
Music is generally fine. The opening and closing themes are great, while the score reinforces the feelings of melancholy and anger that plague the main character as he struggles to find purpose in his foreign surroundings.
Let me repeat myself: though it falls in the same category as titles like Yu-Gi-Oh, Kiba is way above and beyond most its peers, even surpassing the likes of Digimon Tamers. Yes, it’s that good. Not just for a shounen title, but outright as well.
On this evidence I’ve therefore no other choice but to award this the full 10/10.
