Red Garden Review
Kate, Rose, Claire and Rachel are four high school girls with almost nothing in common. They all hang out in different cliques, they all have very different interests and personalities… but they are also all friends with a sweet girl named Lise. When Lise disappears, the four of them follow her trail to an old mansion in upper New York City.
When they discover her body, they are suddenly murdered by strangers in two piece suits. The next thing they know, though, they seem to be alive again, and under the command of a tough woman who says that she has given them a second life. If they want to keep it, they’re going to have to learn to kill. Starting now.
Red Garden isn’t what it appears to be at first glance. The sinister DVD cover and ominous premise seem to promise a blood-drenched horror story of helpless innocents fighting against monsters for a sinister agency. It may remind you of another Gonzo anime: Ichiro Itano’s exploitative horror trip, Gantz.
But for once, we have an anime that can’t be properly judged by its surface. Red Garden is primarily a josei anime with elements of horror and suspense that is just as interested in the messy private lives of its heroines as it is in the mess left by killing monsters with a baseball bat. It also is a mature series in the best sense of the word. While Red Garden never does live up to its promise of being creepy horror, in exchange we get a great character drama that tenderly follows the lives of four girls caught up in an ancient, supernatural feud.
Following the psychological breakdown and subsequent mending of the girls is the best thing the series has going for it. Not only does it set itself apart from countless similar “average people protect the world from monsters” stories, it also gives it a heart and carries the suspense to a new level. It is one thing to watch a girl run from a monster, but it’s another thing entirely to watch someone you know forced to kill.
With the help of a smart script that explores its characters inside and out, every one of the girls get a detailed history and personality; you’ve probably met similar people at your local high school. Even the dialogue is realistic, with characters breathlessly talking over each other. The mystery of what these monsters and why they need to be killed also has layers that are slowly peeled back- while we discover about more the girls and their lives, we also find out that the “villains” are collectively trapped in a monstrous tragedy that has been going on for hundreds of years. Like all of the best horror stories, there truly is no easy way out.
But it also pulls the rug out from under its viewers” feet. The horror in Red Garden is so understated or, even worse, generic, that this only technically qualifies as “horror.” It has plenty of atmosphere and a dark story, but what punch there was to the premise has already been done in shows like Gantz. The monsters all sport boring designs to boot. Much more time and attention is spent on making the girls look fashionable, even when they’re out monster slaying.
Director Kou Matsuo (Rozen Maiden) also added the most divisive element of the series: the characters will occasionally break out in song. But it’s not Broadway musical material - instead, they sing shaky, off-key elegies about darkness and loss. Depending on who you ask, it either killed the series or took it to a whole new level. Personally, I thought it worked, but was glad to see it wasn’t used much after the first two volumes. That kind of gimmick only works in small doses.
This is an inauspicious series, but for people who have been looking for something different and more intelligent in their anime, it’s indispensable. Most other anime will use gimmicks to make you care about their characters, but Red Garden just has heart. And while that may be the only level it succeeds in, for the viewers that are going to love this, it’s also the only one that matters. You know who you are.
But for once, we have an anime that can’t be properly judged by its surface. Red Garden is primarily a josei anime with elements of horror and suspense that is just as interested in the messy private lives of its heroines as it is in the mess left by killing monsters with a baseball bat. It also is a mature series in the best sense of the word. While Red Garden never does live up to its promise of being creepy horror, in exchange we get a great character drama that tenderly follows the lives of four girls caught up in an ancient, supernatural feud.
Following the psychological breakdown and subsequent mending of the girls is the best thing the series has going for it. Not only does it set itself apart from countless similar “average people protect the world from monsters” stories, it also gives it a heart and carries the suspense to a new level. It is one thing to watch a girl run from a monster, but it’s another thing entirely to watch someone you know forced to kill.
With the help of a smart script that explores its characters inside and out, every one of the girls get a detailed history and personality; you’ve probably met similar people at your local high school. Even the dialogue is realistic, with characters breathlessly talking over each other. The mystery of what these monsters and why they need to be killed also has layers that are slowly peeled back- while we discover about more the girls and their lives, we also find out that the “villains” are collectively trapped in a monstrous tragedy that has been going on for hundreds of years. Like all of the best horror stories, there truly is no easy way out.
But it also pulls the rug out from under its viewers” feet. The horror in Red Garden is so understated or, even worse, generic, that this only technically qualifies as “horror.” It has plenty of atmosphere and a dark story, but what punch there was to the premise has already been done in shows like Gantz. The monsters all sport boring designs to boot. Much more time and attention is spent on making the girls look fashionable, even when they’re out monster slaying.
Director Kou Matsuo (Rozen Maiden) also added the most divisive element of the series: the characters will occasionally break out in song. But it’s not Broadway musical material - instead, they sing shaky, off-key elegies about darkness and loss. Depending on who you ask, it either killed the series or took it to a whole new level. Personally, I thought it worked, but was glad to see it wasn’t used much after the first two volumes. That kind of gimmick only works in small doses.
This is an inauspicious series, but for people who have been looking for something different and more intelligent in their anime, it’s indispensable. Most other anime will use gimmicks to make you care about their characters, but Red Garden just has heart. And while that may be the only level it succeeds in, for the viewers that are going to love this, it’s also the only one that matters. You know who you are.
Rating: B+
By: Bradley Meek
Director: Kou Matsuo
Animation Production: Gonzo
Distributed by: FUNimation
