Legend of Black Heaven - Rock Bottom Vol. 1 VHS

There wasn't a whole lot of hype surrounding this series before its arrival in the States (in fact, it was hardly advertised at all), but that's what makes most 'sleeper' anime series so great. "Legend of Black Heaven" (original title: "Kacho Oji") turns out to be one of Pioneer's best-kept secrets. It's mainly about a poor, hapless salaryman in Tokyo (named Oji Tanaka) whose only excitement in his humdrum life comes from reminiscing about his 'glory days' as a guitarist in a heavy metal band. Turns out he was very good at it; so good, in fact, that his sound just happens to be the ultimate weapon of an alien race trying to stop their enemies from invading the earth! When the aliens (cleverly disguised as employees of his company) come to recruit Oji, his life turns upside down. Basically, the first volume of this series goes through the development of the story and introduces the main characters. There isn't much action, but that's not really what "Black Heaven" is about. What makes this series so appealing is Oji's daily antics at home and at work, and how they tie into his almost-daily 'abductions' by the aliens. This is sci-fi comedy at its most bizarre, and by the end of the first volume I was hungry for more. The animation itself was done totally by computer, but it's nothing to write home about. The colors and backgrounds are bright and vivid, but the animation is choppy at best. The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a TV series; mostly crunchy heavy metal and acoustic jams that set a great tone for the story. (The opening theme absolutely rocks!) Overall, this series has a lot going for it, and I at least am looking very forward to the next installment.

I was actually turned off on the idea, initially. I'm not much of a heavy metal fan, and am certainly not fond of J-Rock. Therefore, I automatically assumed I wouldn't think much of it. However, I'm glad I had no choice but to give it a chance (my anime club was showing it). I even ended up liking most of the music!It's cute, has some fun gags (which get overused, of course), and an interesting premise. It even has some real depth, to it, and some serious themes. Unfortunately, it's not very clear whether or not the series will go anywhere, until about the 3rd disc (there are a total of 4, in this 13 episode series). In the 4th disc, they even manage to get a good bit more mileage out of the gags. Also, watch for the X-files reference.One neat thing about this series is that it presents a fairly unique and realistic picture of Japanese life. For example, you don't often see anime characters living in cramped company housing. You don't often see fairly realistic office environments depicted. You don't really even see normal Japanese people, or a realistic Japanese lifestyle, depicted in much depth. It also shows the Japanese perception of hard rock - both that of the fans and the societal views towards it.The down side is that you can tell that it was created on a limited budget. The art and colors were quite good, but it did have more still frames (usually slow pans across a single image) than usual. The animation (especially the CG scenes) and music were also reused a bit much. But, I'd rather see a strong story told on a limited budget, than the other way around!It does have some mature themes and scenes, but I promise if you watch through about the 3rd episode, you'll see that it's really not what it first appears to be (i.e. shameless glorification of sex & rock 'n roll).

At first glance, Black Heaven may not seem all that interesting. Music as a weapon, save the world, yeah, yeah, I saw all this years ago in Macross. However, Black Heaven manages to take this familiar theme and make it totally engaging. Oji is such a normal guy, right down to his character design, that it's almost impossible not to sympathize with him. Another thing this series proves is that you don't need great animation to tell a great story. The animation isn't really BAD, but it's nothing to write home about, either, and the CG is mediocre. But in truth, that doesn't even matter, because the series is completely character-driven - which is really more important.

This story really struck a chord with me (no pun intended). For once, an anime that really takes a risk. Think about it: almost every popular anime, save those few exceptions, has either magic, mecha, or martial arts at its center. This one breaks from the pack, and with grace.Oh, and did I mention the protagonist is *gasp* middle-aged? Not adolescent, like so many popular heroes/heroines. And he's perfectly average: white collar and blah, except for when he's holding an electric guitar.Music, family, and attraction. Three very important facets of life, IMHO, and well portrayed in these four DVDs.

Hard Rock Saves Space!! Life can crush your dreams. Oji is a middle-management drone whose only grip on sanity in the drudgery of his corporate lifestyle, are the few shreds of hope surrounding his past life as the amazing guitarist of Black Heaven, a heavy metal band that almost made it. In his bleakest moment, the magic of performing is restored to him when a beautiful mysterious woman informs him that only his special sound can save the universe from an evil alien invasion. overall it's a nice adition to your anime collection

I really loved this entire series. It's a very entertaining unique series. If your a musician you should definatly pick this one up.