Seraphim Call: Part 1

Age Rating: 7+ (!!!)
Company: Media Blasters
Genre: 'Futuristic Drama'
Running Time: Approx 300 minutes
Region 1




Eleven girls, eleven stories to tell - but twelve episodes!*gasp*
I'm going to review the first six in this post and the other six in the next post I make. Each episode is completely different (apart from 2) with a different girl and 'feel' to it. However some episodes are better than others so I'll rate each one as I go along! Out of 10 of course! ;)

Having no expectations of what this anime was about certainly helped - hype is never a good thing when your going to end up disappointed - but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised!

Seraphim Call is set in the year 2010 and is about eleven girls and their dreams/wishes. We get to see a little bit into their lives and how they overcome their trials and tribulations. The final episode is where it gets put together, but we'll leave that for later!
Roll on episode 1!

Episode 1 - Yukina Kurimoto - "Sleeping Beauty Panic"


Now you notice the first thing about Seraphim Call is how old it looks - forgive me for saying but rather being made in 1999 it looks more like 1989! Once you get over that fact it doesn't seem so bad!
The opening episode is fairly enjoyable about a girl named Yukina who is a genuis with all things mechanical. However she has an Achille's heel and that is her extreme reactions to men. She faints at the sight of them - and no not because they are drop dead gorgeous. (Which they arn't!) ;)
Yukina must overcome her fears as there is a big bomb that needs dismantiling (sounds a bit wrong I know!) and she needs to work with men. I think it was aiming for a humorous outlook to her condition which really never gets resolved unfortunately! It's also a bit slow to get into but certainly is not the worst episode. The music ranges from quite good to sleazy sounding! lol and that goes for all twelve episodes! But the music is very nice to the background silence.

Rating: 6.5/10

Episode 2 - Tanpopo Teramoto - "Margarine Crisis"

Oh here we go, a lolicon episode to feed your fetish! I'm joking but by the end of the episode, it's quite clear what was going on.
This tale revolves around Tanpopo and her stuffed toys which she thinks is real. I liked the perspective as it's from her new stuffed toy's point of view which she affectionately calls 'Margarine'. We see a little bit into her daily life and what school will be like in the year 2010 (apparently all done by a virtual classrom!) and what her views are about dreams and hopes.
Her best friend Chihiro comes over to her house later and is a bit more realistic and slightly jealous as she has a crush on Tanpopo's brother - and then we see the usual best friend tiff and how widely their views are different. It was an interesting episode and made me want to watch the next one albeit the slightly disturbing ending. ;)

Rating: 8/10

Episode 3 - Chinami Ohse - "The Taste Of Cake"


Probably the most realistic out of the bunch! This tale is about Chinami who dreams to become the greatest Chef around but not only that, she has to cope with her parents being divorced as well. It's more of a slow personal growth episode as we learn about the sides to her family and how we think helping could also hinder. The bittersweet ending was a nice touch hence the title of the episode! A cake is sweet but can also turn out bad and bitter.. but in the end we enjoy all aspects of it. However due to to the slow pacing made this episode a bit boring for me :x

Rating: 5/10

Episode 4 - Hatsumi Kusunoki - "Flying Angel"


One of the best episodes overall which deals with self-identity and femininty! Hatsumi is a bit of a Tomboy who is slightly boyish in nature and would never see herself in a bikini until one day an artist spots her and will do anything for her to model for a painting!She isn't so sure until the artist sneakily wins a competition and persuades her to go nude to accept herself for what she really is. Generally heartwarming and funny - this episode stood out from the rest so far and not just because the artist character is voiced by Masako Katsuki (Sailor Neptune) either! Infact her character was so Michiru like.. it felt like an episode from Sailor Moon! Very Recommended ;)

Rating: 9/10

Episode 5 - Shion Murasame - "To My Sister In My Dreams"


This is the start of the strange and wonderful in Seraphim Call. Episode 5 & 6 are basically the same in storyline except with slight subtle differences.
Shion and Sakura are very close twin sisters and one day a mysterious love letter arrives. Shion is the more assertive twin and Sakura is the less dominant but 'nicer' one. But there is a twist as they don't know who this letter was addressed to - ensues the doubting of each sister and the donning of a virtual reality helmet no less! This VR device allows Shion to travel into the body of her twin sister and then the confusion begins as the realities merge - the viewer begins to realise these arn't ordinary twins. Their infatuation with each other borderlines twincest.
Roll on Episode 6!

Rating: See next episode

Episode 6 - Sakura Murasame - "To My Sister Within Love"


By the end of this episode you may be feeling a bit of deja-vu..well actually alot but honestly - I felt that these two episodes need re-watching anyway! It's that confusing! Now another question is: How did this anime manage to get a 7+ rating slapped on? I know it's all drama but twin sisters kissing in a romantic way and not just a sisterly way really raise the eyebrows! My dear mini goth Hotarus really steal the crown for most WTF episode! Episode 7 comes close though! The feel of episodes 5 & 6 was like Maria-sama ga Miteru with their polite speech and a hint of Kannaduki no Miko ChikanexHimeko relationship! These girls only have each other and my suspicion is that one of them burned the name of the letter to save their relationship from the evil man that was going to tear them apart!
Yes Shion and Sakura are a couple in my opinion, although my real twin sister and I would never go that far! lol. Maybe the ending contradicts this.. but it's basically showing that a bit of both of them wanted to go out with this person and if they were one - that's what could have happened!
Anyway - Really loved these two episodes and that brings us to the end of disk 1.

Rating: 9/10

Disk 2 episode review coming soon - to this blog near you!