What do you do when you're immortal? If you're Rin and Mimi, you open up a private detective firm, using the centuries of knowledge at your disposal. Rin does the legwork and usually gets blown apart as she tries to save a client, while Mimi takes a digital dive through the ever-advancing world of hacking for research. Problem is, Rin's constantly being hunted by an assassin, and demonic Angels are out for any immortals. The Tree of Yggsdrasil, supplying the time fruits that turn people into Immortals or Angels, is at the heart of the matter. Can Rin figure out its secrets, or is this a lost case?
 To start with, Rin is very violent, very sexual, and not for children at all. It's not like South Park, using violence and sex for shock value or critical commentary, but neither is it straight-out anime porn. The sex and violence aren't here for arousal, but for emotional effect.
So it's sad to say that Rin will most likely end up being basely described as "torture porn", much like the Saw franchise. Unlike the Saw movies, though, Rin offers a really good story. It's just that the constant rapes and impalings and other socially unacceptable actions are part of the plot. While there are a notable number of sexual scenes, none of them come off as pleasant—which is appropriate, because the scenes themselves aren't pleasant. Characters are effectively drugged into begging for sex when they know they don't want it; people exchange sex for favors; and characters force sex on each other. There's rarely a "happy sex" scene in the series (it does have them, it's just rare). And for the most part, the series portrays this kind of thing as damaging as it would be.
The series starts off as a basic detective show with the requisite twist, in this case with the main two girls being immortal. But once the time jumps start, and you begin to see that there are more to the characters than you expected, the series really breaks the mold. Sure, the first episode includes some crazy Return Of The Living Dead 3-type plots, and episodes that follow feature threats that seem more suited for Ghost In The Shell, but these plots, that once seemed odd for a straightforward detective show, fit the detective show mold that has been expanded by Batman: The Animated Series and Kamen Rider W. The series does step into more biblical/mythological territory in the last bit, which is a little out of place, but again it tends to push the boundaries, and the viewer will continue to go with the ride.
The story jumps through time; usually, decades pass between each episode. This allows keeps things from getting stuck in a certain locale or with a cast of characters for too long. The evolution of computers, from crappy dial-up, text-based OSes circa 1990 to Windows 7 in 2010 to Microsoft Surface-ish in 2025 are the usual methods to indicate a time jump, along with the ever-continuing family that Rin aids. The cityscape changes from episode to episode, from the historically accurate 1990 and 1991 to the contemporary 2010 to the plausible and then "who the hell knows" decades that follow.
 For a six-episode series, FUNimation has actually put a decent number of extras on the set. There are Japanese promos for the first few episodes, an interview with the Japanese cast, and a commentary by the English cast, alongside the requisite trailers and credit-free intros/endings. Even the box art has a nice embossed feel in the logo that stands out from other FUNimation releases; it's the best of FUNimation nowadays. Given that the animation is meant for mature audiences only, it's nice to see a "classy" box art, instead of one that could easily go for shock value in the sex and gore factor alone.
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne is a pleasant surprise in an age where most anime coming out is either generic monster-battling, trope-filled messes such as Dragonaut, or other depressingly generic drivel. Rin doesn't pull any punches, but will be one of the most mature shows you will find out there. You'll get tied up in the plot, and then stabbed with a couple of swords, but you'll love every minute of it.
|
