Anime Ayatsuri Sakon

[Dagger]

I just finished watching the first episode of this show, and I was wondering if anyone else had seen or heard of it. That seems somewhat unlikely, as it first aired in 1999, never became immensely popular, and is currently unlicensed. But hope springs eternal, ne?

Ayatsuri Sakon (or "Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon"--take your pick) is a bewildering combination of murder-mystery cliches and stunning originality. Its main characters are Sakon Tachibana, a master puppeteer, and Ukon, his seemingly autonomous marionette. Intentionally or not, they end up acting as detectives; I suspect that the remainder of Ayatsuri Sakon will follow an Agatha Christie-esque format, as the beginning episode used [i]hundreds[/i] of Christie's trademark plot devices.

To summarize: six or seven expendable characters are trapped in their old high school, and have lost all means of contact with the outside world. One by one, they're being killed off, presumably by the vengeful spirit of a former acquaintence. Sakon and Ukon happen to be there (not that I have any idea why), and I assume that they'll solve the case before anyone particularly important kicks the bucket.

At the same time, Ayatsuri Sakon definitely has its moments. Its background music is pretty gorgeous, and manages to evoke the appropriate mood for every scene. Sakon, meanwhile, possesses all the characteristics of a stock anime bishounen. Inexplicably long hair? Check. A painfully female voice actress? Check. If that's your kind of thing, then you'll probably love the series. But certain parts of the first episode are genuinely creepy, and it's definitely better than, say, Vampire Princess Miyu: TV.

So if you've watched KZAS (that sounds like the name of a radio station....) go ahead and drop a line. I've love to hear your thoughts. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][SIZE=2][FONT=Courier New]Haha! Ayatsuri Sakon is cool! Though it's horribly cliche and the music isn't that great, I like the opening. And the puppet.

It's not the kind of thing I'd typically be able to stand, but I love it so...funny that we seem to be watching all the same things laely.

I plan to buy the box set as soon as I get out again. (I rarely leave my house, aside from going to school)

^__^[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[JazzLady22]

Well, I watched the first episode of Ayatsuri Sakon yesterday, and I have to say that I wasn't really that impressed. The characters of Sakon and Ukon are very intriguing, but they barely did anything for the whole episode! They just sat around and let all the annoyingly cliche childhood friends whine, scream, and faint dramatically. Not my idea of a good time.

Plus, the plot was a bit too "slasher movie" for my tastes. It reminded me of too many B-movies I've seen. It has the slasher "no subtlety" thing, where years of backstory can be revealed in a single line of dialogue.

But I have to give it some props. It's created a nice, dark atmosphere for it's setting, and instilled a few little shivers with it's first episode. Also, it gave Sakon and Ukon an air of mystery, and made them both characters that might be rather likeable, had you known more about them.

I plan to download the next episode, and give it one more chance. However, if the series continues like that, where the protagonist is given nothing to do, I will be very sad that two good characters were wasted like that.

[Dagger]

Yeah.... I don't think I'm going to continue downloading Ayatsuri Sakon. The basic set-up simply doesn't appeal to me that much. I [i]might[/i] keep watching it just because I want to learn the story behind Sakon and Ukon's partnership; I keep trying to convince myself that Ukon is nothing more than a marionette, but even the most skilled puppeteer would be incapable of creating a character with such a well-rounded personality.

Perhaps I'm giving this anime the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it'd try to be moderately realistic. All the same, it would make more sense if Ukon was actually a.... demonic spirit, or something to that effect. Because supposing that he was in fact a lifeless puppet, I'd have to start doubting Sakon's sanity. No one can pour so much of his personality into an empty vessel and avoid suffering any negative psychological effects.

So here's my question: does the show ever explain where Ukon came from and what he really is? Oh, and by the way--in the beginning sequence of the first episode, did any of you briefly think that Ukon was Kurama? They have the [i]exact[/i] same hairstyle, which really threw me off for a couple of seconds.

~Dagger~