Search - When They Cry, Vol. 2 on DVD

Getting a little worried now...

trashcanman | Hanford, CA United States | 01/21/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anybody who read my gushing review of When They Cry, Vol. 1 knows how impressed and excited I was with it. Well, it's only volume 2 and the freshness may have already worn off a bit. The first 4 episode story arc was one of most intense, disturbing, and satisfying works of animation I'd seen in some time. An absolute must-see. But on the 5th episode, time rewound and the story began again with the same characters (plus one). I was extremely intrigued and figured there were two ways this could work out in an anime series that spans over 50 episodes. Either we were going to watch different stories with the same characters in the same place at the same time with only the actual events changing, or they were going to build on that amazing story by showing it from different perspectives with different characters at different times and make it one huge, violent jigsaw puzzle. This volume reveals the truth to be a little of both.

The first arc of the show focused on Keichi being apparently besieged by his new group of friends following the village's Festival of Drifting Cotton where one person each year dies and another vanishes. This disc's primary arc -which began with the last episode on the first disc- is more of a murder-mystery that incorporates supernatural elements that were previously strongly hinted at but not revealed. This time around, Keichi's friends remain his friends (mostly) and the villain is kept secret until the end. It is not nearly as intense as the first story, but it does hold your attention. Sadly, there are some pretty over-the-top moments which start out frightening but go on too long and spoil the tension. The third episode concludes the arc in classic horror form and the last two shows on the disc begin the next story.

[sigh]

As much as I like about this show, I'm not sure it can hold my interest for two full seasons. It's still got my attention for now, but seeing the exact same story elements and characters over and over is bound to wear thin if future volumes don't get really creative. One of anime's biggest pitfalls is some series' tendency to show the viewer the exact same thing over and over. While adorable anime girls and brutal psychotic death is a combo custom-made for this sicko, even I've got my limits. When the creativity runs dry, so does my attention span.

I'm writing this review specifically for those wondering if they should invest in this show. Check out the first disc for sure. The four opening episodes could easily be strung together to make one of the finest animated horror films of all time. After that, it looks like it's going to be touch-and-go. I enjoyed the second arc and the third looks to be from a very different perspective dealing with child abuse so I'm hoping that this show can get back to the quality of that first volume. Some rather grisly secrets of the festival are revealed on this DVD and so are new aspects of some the characters which will apparently be incorporated into future arcs. It's a cool idea, but I know that restarting the series every four episodes is going to become irritating. It's like a psycho anime girl Groundhog Day. I know I sound pessimistic, but this is still a strong show as it stands now. But the fervor I felt following the first volume has definitely died down. I'm up for more, but some of you (who may or may not be known as The Main Man) may want to approach this second disc and future volumes with caution."