Search - The Soultaker - The Monster Within (Vol. 1) on DVD

Pioneer's Next Sleeper Hit?

evergreen | Cerritos, CA | 04/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember picking up Trigun, another of Pioneer's animes, two years ago. It was awesome but obscure in the anime scene. Now, it's become more mainstream than anyone could have imagined it would be two years ago.The Soultaker, I believe, will follow suit.The story starts out fairly simple. Kyosuke, a seemingly normal teenager, is stabbed and fatally wounded by his mother. Buried, a woman named Maya digs up Kyosuke's body, having a feeling he is not yet dead. And indeed, for some reason, Kyosuke lives. That's when the story gets complicated and calls upon you to pay close attention to the story. Why would his mother do such a thing? And how in the world is he still living? Before any questions can be answered, Maya is kidnapped by a mysterious organization and with the help of a mysterious stranger, Shiro, sets out to rescue her, revealing secrets to Kyosuke's past and pertaining to Maya.The story is absolutely gripping. This is one of those anime's in which you have to really watch it to enjoy. It leaves you hanging almost every time wanting more. The sheer mystery of the plot draws you in. The characters themselves have a very human feel to them, especially Kyosuke, whose dedication to save Maya at all costs is very genuine. The music is awesome especially the Opening theme "Soultaker" and the ending theme "Memory." But the music is really just icing on the cake...The drawing style is what will either draw in fans or garner criticism from people. MOST of the scenes consist of only a couple colors and are not very detailed, adding style to this anime. However, this very lack of unnecessary detail is what turns away most people from this supreb anime. To each his own. To be honest I was quite uncomfortable with it during the first episode, but it really grows on you. Most creative style I've seen in a while.Go support the Soultaker Revolution! Buy the DVD and find out what we anime fans are raving about!"

AN INTOXICATING BLIZZARD OF STYLE....

evergreen | 04/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i was absolutely stunned to read the negative reviews here, so i thought it my duty to write up something godd about it.
just as a frame reference my current fav' animes are the following...
akira, jin-roh, lain, bloodlust, niea, tenchi, oh my goddess, perfect blue, princess mononoke, porco rosso, etc.etc.anyway...i came into this anime (as with so many other) not knowing what to expect. i was hopeing for a fairly stylish, entertaining slice of typical horror anime. but nothing could of prepared me.
this anime, no matter what anyone says aobut it, has the most exsquisite and sumptuous animation, with a blisteringly fresh and beautiful style that i can safely say makes it look braver and more modern (or futuristic) than any anime out there. ever. FACT!
the story is a wonderfully mysterious one. unlike most anime, they're not afraid to make you have to sit up and take attention to understand all that's going on. and although some of the dialogue is corny, the dub is generally superb,and how any normal anime fan can complain about a generic storyline is beyond me as nearly all anime are about as by the books as you can get! it's the stunning attention to detail, and consistant stream of visual ideas that dazzles here.
to pin down the story..i guess it's kind of how we hoped the guyver would of been treated. and although the soultaker monster isn't quite as well designed as the guyver costume, it's harsh adult take on the age old 'boy turns into mutant' story shows up every other alike title out there for there inability to inject something brave and exciting into the genre.fantastic stuff."

Wow

u_know_hoo_dis_iz | Centreville, Delaware United States | 02/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is definetly a great anime, one of the best in a while. Superb animation is the first thing you will notice. There is not one normal angle on a shot, the colors are vibrant and detailed, and it is all blended so very nicely. Character designs are top-notch as well. The story is super deep an after these first three eps, you'll need to know the whole story. Do not believe what you may hear about the plot. It is confusing only for the first couple eps. After words you can enjoy the energy given off by this title. I have seen the whole series and it is worth every penny. I don't know about the dub, though, the eps i saw were all in subs."

SOUL FRICKEN GOOD!

DESTRO ATTACKS | loDIE, new joisey | 02/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"According to Amazon reviewer charles solomon, SOULTAKER is a derivative of anime series like gasaraki & evangelon (does every title have to be compared to evangelon? sheesh!) I strongly disagree!
instead ST adapts elements from the DEVILMAN/GUYVER/GENOCYBER/DETONATOR ORGUN/X-MEN genre but with a touch of DARIO ARGENTO italian horror.
the plot/storyline may be confusing at first, but it your'e patient and suspend your disbelief you'll eventually be taken in
it's refreshing to see something slightly different from the contemporaly anime shows. the colors have a "PSYCHO NOIR" kinda feel and a style simular to Mike Mignola's HELLBOY Comics. the action/pacing is more appealing than the aforementioned series GARSAKI and EVANGELION which to me are very slow and tedious at times. Soultaker also has one of the coolest intro themes. another classic from the legendary TATSUNOKO studios (gatchaman94,Casshan,Hurricane polymar)SOULTAKER is a must have addition for the scifi, anime, comicbook enthusiast."