Search - Shingu - Secret of the Stellar Wars, Vol. 5 on DVD

The Meaning of God

Antony Chow | NY, NY USA | 11/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After many interesting encounters with alien invaders both in space, and on planet Earth, this final volume of Shingu gets down to business, and resolves the myriad schemes, intrigues, conflicts, and plots thrown into the previous four volumes. "Fateful Conclusions," the title for this final volume, is more than appropriate.



The director of this show, Tatsuo Sato, did a masterful job in explaining, over these last five episodes of the series, the players involved, why the conflict span a millenium or two, and how the conflict is resolved. Secrets are unveiled, and judgement is at hand. In a brilliant twist of plot, the observers become participants, and the participants observers.



Surprisingly, despite the fact that Shingu is a sci-fi anime set in the year 2070, with a cast of characters not alive today, this show boils down to the question of God, the definition of God, and the cast's relationship with God. That question is left for the viewers to answer.



Volume 5 of Shingu comes with five episodes in English dubbed or subtitled with Dolby Digital sound, and set in 4:3 format. While the show is geared toward kids age 7 and up, due to the complexities of the plots involved, particularly in the last two episodes of the series, it would be helpful for adults to watch this volume with young viewers, and explain the plot if necessary.



It is highly recommended that the Character Bios included on the disc, and the 12 page, full colored production notes NOT be viewed or read until AFTER viewing the last episode. There's a lot of spoiler materials in the Bios and in the director's interview in the production notes."