Gasaraki - To Be a Kai (Vol. 8)
This baroque mecha drama concludes in an elaborate finale that borrows heavily fromNeon Genesis Evangelion. The economic attack and military confrontation with the United States planned by the jingoistic Nishida fizzle out; his vision of a purified Japanese society evaporates; the mutinous defense troops stand down. But the megalomaniacal Kazukiyo Gowa proceeds with his plan to resurrect the mysterious Gasaraki. When Yoshiro and Miharu arrive to prevent the resurrection, they are carried into anEvangelion-like collage of still art, processed live action, drawn animation, and computer-generated imagery, overlaid with a pointillist vocal track. Toru Nozaki's screenplay leaves many plot threads dangling, including questions about Yoshiro's death and replacement by someone with identical psychic powers.Gasarakihas not generated the widespread and heated debates ofEvangelion, but it will likely remain a series that divides viewers into fervent partisans and furious detractors. Rated 12+: Violence, grotesque imagery.--Charles Solomon