Anime: Sci-fi Harry

I was looking at some mylist reports, to see if there was anything interesting in there which still hadn't been reviewed. Well, I guess that, since I've translated and subbed this obscure series some years ago, I should really fill the gap.

Back then I had just opened my little group, and so I was looking for an anime not planned by any other fansub group in my country. I stumbled upon Harry by mere coincidence, while plundering Anime Reactor: it was just the perfect title. No wonder no one had their eyes on it, it's one the most niche series I've ever seen. For the same reason no wonder I got quite fascinated: while most of it is awfully low budget, everything feels fresh, unusual, and is a pleasant - though with a lot of indisputabile faults - experiment at mixing some very different styles, both in art and narration flow.

While it is still an "anime", it gives the nod to a lot of stereotypes tipically found in american TV films and supernatural thriller novels from the 70's, and tries to reproduce those feelings and atmospheres. Actually, it works best in those circumstances than when - later on - it goes back to a more traditional Japanese storytelling.


Animation

What would have happened if Rumiko Takahashi and John Romita had unprotected sex?

This department is what causes most of the common anime viewers to steer clear from this series at first glance. From a technical standpoint it's bad... really. There's actually worse around, but add an artstyle which often reminds more of american comics rather than japanese manga and the result is obvious, you have just created one of the tightest niches ever.
Still, while painfully low budget, the drawings and animations can grow on you if you endure the initial shock and get into that atmosphere, a bit from films like The Streets of San Francisco and a bit from something like Stephen King's oldest novels (of course as seen through the eyes of Japanese artists).
Once you get used to it, you can actually be caught into some very nice touches, fascinating shots, and conveying facial expressions, the latter ones being probably the most successfull (Ginori's eyes are... astounding).

As such, in the end they craftly managed to redeem the really low budget looks, making you think you're actually watching a product really straight out from that age. In a way, the low quality animations often feel intended with that very goal in mind. It's not really true - not completely at least - but it's a nice example of getting to a working end from lacking means.
You need an open mind to really appreciate the result, but if you have it you'll definitely find it really pretty, in its own way.


Sound

The music is actually quite good. Opening and ending themes are both catchy and interesting, and while the bgm is definitely minimalistic and never stands out, it does its work rather well. Could have been more prominent, though, if it were to really emulate a 70's show feeling.

Voice acting will again probably give some mixed feelings. It's often quite theatrical, a bit exaggerated, even somewhat forced. But this is another component you should look at (well, listen to...) with the atmosphere in mind. The setting might be in theory in some not better specified very near future, but basically we really are facing a show from the 70's, and most of the time this kind of acting is trying to refer to the acting you could experience back then.
Nevertheless, they sometimes go a bit overboard, the issue being especially prominent in the main character, Harry, whose annoying personality sometimes becomes really too much for the seiyuu to actually not sound annoying himself.


Story

This is were this little series could have really shined. And for a good while it does. It's however then utterly butchered by one of the most rushed endings ever.

The plot premises aren't actually that original: Harry is kinda like your typical high school loser... the only difference this time around being he's not just a loser, he's on the verge of actual autism, paranoia, and a whole lot of other psychiatric illnesses. As you can imagine he's bullied... badly. As you can imagine, there's also a kind, beautiful big-boobed girl who feels compassion towards him. BUT! as you probably couldn't imagine from an anime (while being absolutely normal if it were an american film), she already has a boyfriend; a cool looking, blonde-haired, handsome and most of all rich boyfriend. Oh and he's also not a complete idiot... another surprise.

The plot then begins to develop at a very pleasant rythm: Harry shows growing symptoms of psychic powers, mostly telecinesis, but he has no real control over them. Meanwhile, around him a chain of mysterious deaths begin to take place; while Catherine (our kind girl) becomes a support for Harry, trying to help him get out of his shell encouraging his use of these unique powers, and John (her boyfriend) begins it's very interesting development, split between the desire of backing up his girl and a growing jealousy (well founded or not? We'll not know for sure until a lot later, here everything develops in a realistic fashion, nothing is easily foreseeable), we are introduced to Mike, your typical rough detective from an old 70's movie, who proceeds in his investigations on the serial murders, while facing more and more suspicious cover-ups.

We are quickly taken to the first, tragic climax, from where the paths of most of our characters will be divided for a good chunk of the story. From now on the plot takes a magnific shape, opening new questions one after another: is Harry really responsible for the chain of murders, what's at work behind the scenes, who's that Ginori girl who suddenly appeared, and so on.
The format is typical of thriller novels from the late 70's/80's, and if the beginning of the series is reminiscent of Carrie, now every individual path each one of our charas is travelling has a different atmosphere, and inspiration. While Harry's keeps it's Stephen King aura, Mike's path is the epitome of your detective story, and all around a conspiracy theme reminding of Dean Koontz takes place.

Everything unfolds slowly and nicely, without being boring, stirring growing and growing curiosity, with cunning twists, and really unpredictable developments. Then... then you begin to get uneasy. For every question answered, two others open up, and the final episodes are getting nearer and nearer. And if you wondered if the odd number of 20 episodes means that the show was cut sooner than planned... well, your fears are amazingly confirmed.
The staff clearly found itself having to close everything - and there was by now a friggin' lot to close up - in a couple of episodes... and they obviously hadn't the slightest idea on how to do it, the plot itself by now quite out of hand.

Actually, even if they had the "normal" 4-6 more episodes to put into use, I doubt they would have been able of closing all the loose ends, but with only a couple of episodes it all declined in a ridiculous mess. First and foremost, everything suddenly goes back to your classic anime feeling - which here now looks very out of place - with a weird, quite ludicruous, development for Harry, and then we are given a "climatic revelation" which should be supposed to explain everything about the conspiracy at work behind the curtains... but all it actually manages to provoke is an epic, colossal, memorable WTF!?

As much as the rushed ending is a major letdown, however, there's no doubt the road travelled since there is of utmost quality.


Characters

They shine thanks to the plot's merits, but aren't ruined in the same way by the lame ending.

We have a rather big cast, and every main character is developed very well. In their different paths through the storyline each one has a lot of time to interact with the settings, the other charas (both major and minor), and most of all its own feelings, and the development is most satisfying for just about everyone. Even Harry itself, while being often annoying with his Shinji Complex, and while being the most hurt by the rushed ending, manages quite well here, but the real stars in my book are probably Mike and John, supposedly two relatively "minor" characters between the main ones. John's struggle against his jealousy, his environment and family is realistic and compelling, while Mike Stanford goes through such an epic detective story that you can't help but love his determination in true The Streets of San Francisco fashion.
Ginori herself is loveable, and even if her character begins to be really developed only from around half of the plot onwards, she's deep, fascinating, and goes through a most interesting development.

Things are a little different for the side cast. By its nature, the plot brings out quite a huge number of minor characters. While some are well shaped even with the little screentime provided, others - especially those more related with the conspiracy theme in its later stages - suffer from the sudden ending, the very minor being annichilated by it, and some of the others losing a lot of their credibility.


Value and Enjoyment

You can't really recommend this anime light-heartedly. It will not appeal most of the common anime fanbase, because of its all but common style. At the same time, even more "open-minded" people could struggle against its low budget nature, with nothing flashy to easily catch the viewer, and even if they are able to get into it, it's hard to recommend something good but which leaves a really bitter aftertaste. Its roots seated in the 70's, and the novel like flow, though, could make it an interesting watch for a very selected audience already into that atmosphere and able to be engrossed by the storytelling itself (which probably cuts out most of the younger ones, I'm afraid).

Personally, I was glued to the screen through most of it, delighted by real twists so rare in the more and more look-alike plots we are offered nowadays (not only in the anime scene). If only it weren't for that ending...