source: news.dengeki.com
Let’s face it, most of us know that any adaptation – whether from manga to a live action movie or a visual novel to an anime series face the risk of being bad. 11 Eyes, which is a visual novel/ game reworked into an anime series, is perhaps one of the better adaptations around.
This 12-episode series, which is loosely-based on the graphic novel of the same name, chronicles the lives of six high school students who come together to battle six sinister shadows.
The story revolves around Satsuki Kakeru, a young man who has lost his sister five years ago. With the help of his childhood friend Minase Yuka and some friends at school, Satsuki manages to put the tragic event behind to live a somewhat normal life.
Well, that doesn’t last for long because one day, a very curious thing happens: the sky turns red, the moon turns black, everyone else disappears and monsters start to roam the streets! But before you can say “Eye of Aeon” things return to normal.
Just when Satsuki thought that the strange occurrence was a dream, the Red Night occurs again. This time, he manages to find four more individuals who are experiencing the mysterious phenomenon. They are Kusakabe Misuzu, a red-haired onmyouji swordswoman; Tachibana Kukuri, a mute who looks uncannily like the protagonist’s deceased sister; Hirohara Yukiko, a lively young girl who becomes a cold-blooded killer when her glasses are removed and Tajima Takahisa, a young pyrokineticist.
Together, they try to survive the Red Night but things become complicated when suddenly, six shadows appear before them….
One might think that this is similar to the Persona series but this story has more depth and a much better good versus evil plot. The series starts out strong because the character development is engaging and interesting, however not all of the main characters are well developed, which is rather disappointing. Nonetheless, the various plot twists keeps the story’s momentum going.
The sad thing about 11 Eyes is that it weakens toward the end despite its excellent denouement. The story meanders and becomes convoluted.
The artwork here is beautiful but the battle scenes are not as exciting as they could be…yet when compared to other series of the same genre, 11 Eyes is still more entertaining.
The soundtrack is perfect for the series as it sets the right mood for the different scenes. The dark themes are peppered with some old school Japanese influence. The combination of modern and old school music is appropriate.
Ayane’s Arrival of Tears is the opening theme while Arisel’s Kegare Naki Yumi is heard when the end credits start to roll. If you haven’t heard these tracks before, I strongly encourage you to get them for they are wonderful.
All said, the series is enjoyable but too bad about the ending, though. 11 Eyes has potential because it has a fantastic premise yet the writers messed things up towards the end. Watch this only when there’s nothing better lying around the house.
Ratings: 4 out of 5
The story is excellently told, and there’s good execution of movement and visually pleasing artwork aplenty for readers to enjoy. However, the characters are pretty static for some of the more expressive elements of the story, and sometimes you get the feeling that the artwork is wasted on non-important sequences.