Rin, Daughters of Mnemosyne: The Complete Series [DVD]

This anime will doubtless divide opinion. Some will find its violence and nudity excessive while others will find them in keeping with the plot. I'm of the latter opinion, and the erotic content (mostly of a lesbian orientation) and the sadistic violence are key elements of the story and therefore never gratuitous. The story draws on Greek myth for its inspiration, though is set in modern Japan over the course of 60 or so years. Rin, the heroine, is an immortal detective who gradually uncovers the secrets and mysteries of her immortality across the 6 episodes. She is a quirky blend of the nerdy and the voluptuous, depending on the circumstances, and a very likeable character. Her sidekick, Mimi, another immortal detective is also likeable and the banter between the ladies is witty and entertaining. Some of the playful humour and the sudden shifts in narrative tone, from cute stuff to violent stuff, remind me of Elfen Lied. Stylistically, Rin Daughters of Mnemosyne is not state of the art CG animation, but its design has an unfussy beauty with impressively bold coloration. This edition is anamorphic widescreen. The extras (interviews with voice cast) are absolutely useless and an interview with the director would have been a lot more helpful. But, of course, the film is the thing, and if you're looking for an engrossing anime that is eccentric and different from the herd, then this is well worth investigating.

This two disc set includes all six episodes of the `Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~' anime. The series follows Rin Asôgi, an immortal private detective, and her partner Mimi over a period of more than fifty years. Opposing Rin is the mysterious Apos who has plans for Rin and the immortals.

`Mnemosyne' is an entertaining series that defiantly deserves its 18 certificate for its violence and sexual content. The plot of the series is interesting as although each episode is relatively self-contained, they do link together to form a very involving story. As the series takes place over such a long period of time we get to see the mortal characters age and have children who also appear later in the story, which is something I did like. The animation and the voice action on the English dub are both good as well.

One of the downsides the series has is that it can be a bit difficult to follow sometimes and it does take a couple of viewings to get the most out of the series. This is only a minor annoyance however and I would say that the series is well worth around four and a half stars.

Rin makes no attempt to disguise its angle. You want violence? Fine, we can do that. You want plenty of tits to go with that? We'll make it so. Oh, and top that all off with some jaw-droppingly silly moments and you've got yourself a bloody entertaining show.

But be warned though - this series does get pretty nasty at times, so if you're squeamish then you might want to give it a miss.

Here's an extremely condensed version of the plot: over the course of several decades a pair of immortal Private Investigators fight angelic beings.

Unfortunately, the immortals (who are all women) are uncontrollably attracted to these angelic beings (who are all men); the angels, on the other hand, just want to bonk and kill the immortal women (there is ONE way to kill these otherwise immortal beings, but apart from that they're properly immortal, and can survive pretty much anything). The angels kill the "immortals" by eating them.

So, what we get are several scenes in which women are being nailed by angelic beasties, who are also busy EATING THEIR FLESH, but the women are too sexually attracted to the monsters to resist. If that isn't the most ludicrous and unintentionally hilarious plotline of the decade then I'll eat my shoes!

Actually, to be fair to the show, it does a surprisingly effective job of balancing the absurd with the sort-of-serious. The audience will actually find itself engaged, and will care about the characters and story. As I mentioned before, the plotline spans several decades so we get to see all the normal human characters grow old and die, and the world transform to the point of being unrecognisable. All of this makes for engrossing and sometimes touching stuff.

I've been careful not to give away too many details about the plot because I think that it would be best for you to watch the show and find out for yourself. Suffice it to say, what I've detailed so far should tell you whether or not this show is "for you", and what I've omitted should make for a pleasant surprise if you do give it a shot.

Oh, and you can't knock the DVD price either!

All in all, this has to be one of my favourite anime releases in recent years.