Kishin Corps

	Kishin Corps

The Indiana Jones films, for better or for worse, are some of the most popular films of modern history. They don't have incredibly strong plots, necessarily, but they do have an incredible charm about them. Part of the charm is the historical setting that serves as background; another is the almost non-stop action; a third is the way that clever and inventive scripting whips us through the narrative to quickly get us back on target. The first episode of Kishin Corps follows the same pattern, and it does so quite well. It doesn't quite reach classic status, but it is a great start.

Kishin Corps starts with Taishi, a young boy who's entrusted with a special black box by his father when their train comes to a screeching halt. Moments later, Mr. Takamura is taken out by the Kanto army, and Taishi tries to run for safety. As he attempts to escape, a second party arrives--strange, ghost-like alien beings descend from the sky and begin attacking. Just as Taishi gets cornered, a third party joins the fray...the Kishin Corps. Now this isn't really giving anything away, mind you, as it happens before the title card! The episode continues from there as Maria Braun, the twin sister of Hitler's mistress, tries to find Taishi and protect him from those who would steal his safeguarded box. Taishi's been living with a bunch of street kids, and they take to Maria quickly. However, danger lurks not far behind, and it's clear that the Kishin Corps are also somehow involved in all this.

Let me start with the show's main failing--the frame rate. The character motion is often a little jerky, moreso than is typical for animation. The art is done well and the character design is OK, but I wished that a bit more budget had gone into movement. It's off-putting at times. However, most everything else is enjoyable and entertaining. The action is sometimes frantic and rarely slows down. The designs are intelligent and well thought out--it's shown how the mecha used in that day would use common power sources available, and it's not unlike the concept in the "Tale of Two Robots" section of Robot Carnival. The plot is interesting, and it has a good cliffhanger. It's not one that absolutely requires you see the next episode, but it makes it something you'll want to check out.

Ultimately, it works just like a 1930s serial. It is an enjoyable ride that I look forward to continuing, as long as the show stays at this high level.

There's always the fear that a show that starts well won't continue in that same vein or will lose its heart before it ends. One can argue the downward spiral on such shows as Bubblegum Crisis (and Crash), Megazone 23, and Crying Freeman. At least for the time being, however, Kishin Corps survives that fate. Volume 2 (which contains episodes 2-3 of the series) is quite good, and in some ways more enjoyable than the first.

As the last episode ended, Taishi was working with the Kishin Corps to recover the stolen mecha power source his father had given him. With a raid on a Kanto Army base, Taishi gets the opportunity to take back what is rightfully his. Unfortunately, not everything goes so smoothly...and so a rescue attempt consumes the third episode. It features a side-by-side train battle which is absolutely great. Can you tell I really like this show?

The slightly jerky nature of the animation in the first episode is not so readily apparent here. This was quite welcome. Also, the band of children that showed up in the first episode are thankfully absent...not that they were bad, but they threatened to be a "for the kiddies" element that some shows exploit. One thing that did go down slightly, however, was the dialogue. Although it was never stiff, it was a little simplistic and occasionally inane in comparison to the first show. The bad language quota also got filled this time around, though nothing you wouldn't hear in a PG or PG-13 movie. Regardless, I continue to recommend this show. The action serial that is Kishin Corps is a welcome addition to my library. Also, since the show is not overly long (at only four volumes), it is not quite so hard to justify buying the entire series.