This review is spoiler-free.

Casshern Sins has got to be one of the strangest concepts for an anime I've ever encountered - not only is it a reboot of a mid-tier (which is being generous) 70's sci-fi superhero show, but it's been shifted from what appears to be a run-of-the-mill action show to a dystopian melodrama with a beautiful message on what it means to be alive.

And for some reason, it works. It works really, really well.

To be fair, I'm not sure how much of its success can be attributed to the fact that it's a reboot. I, like many others I'm sure, have not watched even a minute of the original Neo Human Casshan, so it's hard for me to know exactly how much of this series' lore is taken directly from the original. From my understanding, the majority of the returning characters have completely different origins and share essentially nothing except name and general design. So it begs the question why this was a reboot rather than it's own thing entirely.

While for most intents and purposes this may as well be a standalone product for someone like me who has no interest in watching the original, I think the fact that it is still a reboot adds a lot of value to the series. After all, Casshern's insomnia has a bit of "false" dramatic irony to it since for much of the series it felt like the original could've still happened before the events we see on screen.

With all that out of the way, let's get onto the actual review!

Casshern Sins is very good.

I haven't watched enough post-apocalyptic/dystopian anime to really give a great insight onto how well Casshern Sins handles the setting, but it definitely succeeds in providing a bleak and dark world. Everything and everyone is dying, wandering seemingly endless grey wastelands, akin to the Fields of Asphodel.

Casshern has killed the Sun named Moon, and inadvertently caused the ruin - the end of all living things. Those who know who he is want to kill him, for the simple promise of granting themselves eternal life. Others have just given up, some choosing to live their remaining lives to the fullest and some wasting away knowing that in the end it will all amount to nothing. In this relentlessly dark world, there is almost no light to be found.

Almost.

Ringo is what makes Casshern Sins work. In a world of seemingly endless pain and despair, she is hopeful and happy. She's out of place, a lone dandelion in a field of ash, and she serves as the gateway to Casshern Sins' major theme and message.

Casshern Sins isn't trying to show how time rots away all things. It isn't trying to show how eternity claims all, nor how despair is inescapable. Casshern Sins is not about death.

Casshern Sins is about life.

Each and every episode is COMITTED to exploring what "life" means to different characters, the many forms it can take.

To some, "life" is the way that all things try to survive, no matter how small or insignificant. To others, it is the mark they leave on the world. Life can be complicated things like beauty, love, and dreams. Life can be simple things like seashells, flowers, and friends. Life can be hope. Life can be fear. Life can be purpose. Life can be the lack of it.

Casshern Sins can definitely be rough around the edges. The visuals, while definitely not lacking, isn't particularly interesting for the most part. The script isn't perfect under scrutiny, and I think there's one character in particular that is fairly underdeveloped throughout the series, despite him playing a major role in Casshern's backstory. The score is fine, though a bit too reliant on a few songs, and some of the episodes are certainly weaker than others - likely a result of being a bit longer than I would've made it.

However, it's really easy to ignore all this since Casshern Sins excellently succeeds at what it wants to be. It struck the perfect balance of heaping piles of despair and suffering with just the smallest glimmers of hope and joy. Ringo, as well as many other children throughout the show, are so joyous and pure that my heart always pounded seeing them have to survive in such a barren world. A few episodes are so wild with their direction and characters that they've lodged themselves in my mind. This show is an emotional ride, yet another thing it nails so precisely.

I have no killer sentence to end this review with; I just really like this show. Instead, I'll leave you with Aoi Hana by Color Bottle, Casshern Sins' opening and the song that first got me intrigued by the series (literally every comment talks about how underrated Casshern Sins was). This song is so good and emotional, just like the show it belongs to, and often leaves a tear streaking down my cheek - even before I watched it's parent series! I highly recommend Casshern Sins for those who are into dystopian stories, or for those who want an emotional ride, as it nails both near-perfectly!

▶