Welcome to Astral Animations, where we'll examine the imports of Japanese animation currently available in the United States.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
Ogres are creatures as far beyond humans as humans are from chickens...and they see humans as such. But worse, they see them as breeding stock, inserting their vile seed into young woman and waiting...waiting...waiting until the time is right for the new ogres to emerge into the world to take their turn feeding upon and breeding with humans. They thrive on blood and death, and kill and rend without remorse. Ordinary humans cannot stop them, not even those armed with spiritual power and faith. But there is one being who can kill the ogres, one being capable of inspiring fear and nightmares in even the most vile of fiends, and for the simplest of reasons: he is one of their own. But though he wears a human body he has no human name, instead letting others know him by the name of the sword he wields: Onikirimaru. Ogre-Slayer.
In Chapter of the Ogre Witch, there is a shrine with an evil reputation. Women going there to pray for children get their wish...but the price to pay is very, very high. For a time no one dared pray there, but finally a desparate young woman goes to the shrine and prays. She is rewarded with a daughter, Akane. But as Akane's fifth birthday draws near, she begins telling everyone that the girl will die. Because that is the condition placed upon any female supplicants who visit the shrine: the tender flesh and sweet blood of their daughters in exchange for a pregnancy. And there is more. One Heian woman, already pregnant but fleeing an ogre, struck a dark bargain with him: her as yet unborn daughter on her fifth birthday in exchange for her life. She wasn't prepared, however, for the transformation that swept over her. And now, she helps the ogre gather in those that owe him, for she has become an ogre herself, caught up in the evil and consumed by it. Now the Ogre Slayer has the terrible task of saving Akane from not two ogres, but three...because it is time for her death and, as with the Heian woman and her daughter, it will be at her mother's hands!
In Chapter of an Ogre's Lament, it is the beginning of the Meiji Era, and the Buddhist temples are falling, one by one, to an army-enforced reversion to Shinto. Unfortunately, no one but the Ogre Slayer realizes the truth: that the Buddhist temples were the prisons for hordes of ogres, and with the temples being destroyed one by one, the ogres are escaping to plague humanity once again. The Ogre Slayer must hunt down all the ogres and destroy them with his legendary blade. Some seek a subtler, deadlier path to fulfill their needs, encouraging hate and vengeance in the hearts and minds of those who have suffered at the hands of others. The Ogre Slayer kills one such ogre. In modern-day Yokohama, another ogre has similar plans, turning her dark temptations upon a young servant girl who has suffered greatly at the hands of her employers but whose innocence seems proof against the ogre's allurements. But is it really? Or is it the perfect place for an ogre to hide, even from the Ogre Slayer?
Ogre Slayer 2: Grim Fairy Tales, is a 60-minute, two episode anime feature. Like it's predecessor, Ogre Slayer, it's rather darker and somewhat bloodier than an anime like Dark Cat, with bittersweet rather than happy endings. Still, there comes a time when happy endings just aren't possible, and given the Ogre Slayer's quest--the death of all ogres so he can become a human--you don't expect all his hunts to end happily.
Although the Ogre Slayer plays a relatively minor role in both episodes--as he did in the first tape--it is still his quest which involves him in the stories. What's more, we get to learn a little more about him and his personality that didn't necessarily come through in the first episodes. For example, in Chapter of the Ogre Witch we see him with Akane, rescuing her from the Ogre Witch and being protective of her even when her mother arrives on the scene. And no, he doesn't want Akane for himself. But the scenes involving the two of them make him seem more human than he had appeared before. It's in the way Akane eagerly opens the door to let him in, seeming happy to see him, and the Ogre Slayer actually smiles, and it isn't a grim smile but one of apparently honest pleasure.
In the next episode, however, we see through the servant's eyes something that doesn't necessarily come through to the viewer: that the Ogre Slayer, like the girl, has locked his emotions away inside of him. She sees sadness in his eyes, yet knows that he--like herself--can't allow himself to cry, no matter how much he might want to. We also get to see compassion in his stance and facial expressions, especially in the way he looks at and converses with Ryoko (the servant girl). Finally, it is a logical extrapolation to think that Ogre Slayer was falling in love with Ryoko, or at least genuinely starting to care for her. For an ogre trying to become a human, he usually seems more human than some of the humans he's protecting. How's that for a conundrum? Actually, the ogre woman using Ryoko taunts him on it: that while ogres feed on humans and not each other, the humans use and terrorize and hurt each other without remorse.
There's certainly more than enough blood and gore to go around, but besides warning you of that, I'd be cautious in suggesting this video to just anyone. As with the first video, there are moments in both episodes which expose the female anatomy rather completely. There aren't any rape scenes this time around, but there are moments involving abuse and physical abuse, so if you don't like to watch men (or women) hitting and beating women, then you'd best avoid this video altogether...or at least stop the tape before getting to the second episode. Again, I recommend viewer discretion and maturity in deciding whether or not to purchase, rent, or view this anime.
Viz Video is the company releasing this anime in America. When I purchased this video I only saw an English dubbed version, and could find no evidence of an English subtitled version being available at all. I may be wrong, but I leave it to you to decide whether to query Viz Video about it or not. But regardless of whether you choose a dubbed or subbed version, I'm sure you'll enjoy this anime!
You can likely purchase Ogre Slayer 2: Grim Fairy Tales on videotape at any video store that sells Japanese anime. You can also find out how to order it through the Viz Video website.
Interested in buying this video? Maybe you can! Just follow the link for information on ordering the English dubbed VHS version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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