Argento Soma

[Zero Angel]

who else here has seen this series?

i saw the first two episodes the other day and i have to say this is shaping up to be one of those great/dark anime shows that are heavely inspired by horror, sci fi, and faith.

the images in the opening sequence are amazing, the character designs, while not necessarily unique, are good, and Frank is a great concept (a giant Frankenstien monster). all in all this show is taking the giant monster show in a great direction. add in a story of revenge and a great mystique and the show just blew me away in the first two episodes.

if you like darker titles that have a great direction and good cast this is the one for you.

note : anyone else who has seen this series, you noticing the comparisons between this show and a few different things, namely Mary Shelly's Frankenstien and Shakspears great tale of vengence Titus? just thought i would ask to see if im just not looking deeply into something.

[Ben]

Bandai sent NU a sneak preview of this show; I've already watched the first few episodes. It could become good. Right now I'm not really impressed, but it could get better.

EDIT: Fixed spelling in thread title.

[Proteus3]

This series, along with Studio Sunrise's other work Infinite Ryvius, was meant to be based on Western Literature. You are very perceptive, because it is based on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and some of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. However, only the initial premise of the series is based on the two works. The theme of vengeance still carries through the rest, though it is very interesting to see what happens at the end. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the ending of this series is what makes it worth it. The ending is probably one of the best I've seen in anime and ties all the loose ends together, as well changes the way you view everything before it.

The series also seems to be influenced by Evangelion, which becomes more prevalent as the plot develops, but it puts its own unique twist on things. The series is not original, but it mixes so many elements together well that it creates its own unique style and has a set of goals completely different from Evangelion and most anime series.

However, the series does drag towards the middle and almost becomes torture to watch during some of the middle episodes.

The series is very serious and dark, and I love how its portrayal of Soma throughout the series. have to excuse the generalities though, I don't want to create any spoilers because this has more than few surprises that make it worth and because it has been well over a year since I finished watching it. I'm glad the DVDs of this show are finally coming out, as it is probably one of my favorite titles released in Japan in the past two years.

An interesting note for fans of Big O, this show is from the same director- Kazuyoshi Katayama.

[Will Sturnick]

I've seen the first 4 episodes and so far I'm impressed.

[Epyon999]

I've just got myself a job and with it comes more income for me. I've been thinking about picking up this series since it's only 6 DVDs long. But before I do, I was wondering if anyone who's already seen the entire series could give me their review of the series and could tell me what anime series is closely related to it.

Thank you in advance.

[Zero Angel]

ive seen the first volume of ArgentaSoma and i must say i was impressed by it quite a bit. im not sure how the rest of the series pans out but think of it like a Shakspear play mixed with Frankenstein mixed with giant alien/big robot action.

all in all it is a dark series but the characters are very well designed and i like just about all of them. the opening is one of the best as well. the images are just so very beautiful.

[Ben]

We already have a thread for this so I'm merging them.

[Jude Santos]

i watched the first 10 eps on fansub last year and re-watched the first 5 on dvd the other day and boy did i forgrt who good this series was. i like the theme of the series, anyohw, i know they based it on literature with Frankenstein and Titus Andronicus, but i also thought there was a little Brave New World in it, with Soma in it and all (and Mr. X's line when Ryu Soma gets out "Welcome to the brave new world!").

anyhow, really cool series.

btw, Ryu Soma = cool :tom: (for anyone who has the box, that pic of him in the right side is awesome)

[Proteus3]

I think the soma referene is more towards the Hindu mythological meaning, that it was a intoxicating beverage that would be served to the gods and gives them a immortality and inward inspiration and strength. I think this definitely applies to Ryu Soma' "rebirth." This definition of soma is what Huxley used for Brave New World. As for the "Welcome to the brave new world," that could also be from Shakespeare's Tempest, from which Brave New World got its title.

This anime also seems to have a reference to Alice in Wonderland, especially in the character Hattie. She reminds me of Alice and her name is nickname, Hattie, may be a reference to the madhatter.

I find that most of the references are just thrown in for show though. The only Frankenstein references are only used in in Frank's rebirth. By the end, the series almost forgets about the literature, with the exception of focusing on the themes of Soma's revenge, internal conflict, and redemption. The references are cool in the beginning, but I'm glad the series plays it down later in the show.