Arjuna (2001) User Reviews

worth a listen

[Animal4890 · 6/10 · 29 August 2005]

I initially saw this anime at an anime convention in Indiana. I saw the first episode and was awestruck by both the beautiful detail and music. It was exciting and enticing so I knew I had to see the rest eventually; Which I did. It was no easy feat finishing this relatively short series of 13 episodes.

The first episode is great in my opinion. It sets the foundation for an exciting story with interesting characters. The detail of the graphics is well above average which leads one to think that it can only get better. Normally, short anime series like these have higher detail and quality drawings than longer series. This does not prove true with Arjuna. The detail level drops off directly after episode one and continues to dwindle along with the story and character development. The storyline... actually, it's more like story-jumble. Where there should be a coherent and continuous story there's only fragments of what the first episode set into motion filled in with massive amounts of environmental ideology. The characters practically become weak and insubstantial due to the overbearing message being pushed during the series. The only people I think who might enjoy this anime are environmentalists. This production was solely created as a message and used the anime genre as a medium to spread that message.

This anime, however, does have an anomaly that I find of great interest. I gave this anime a 6/10. One of those points was for the first episode and the other five points was for the music alone. The score for this animation was done by the Japanese composer Yoko Kanno. I've heard much of the music she's produced and to this day I still think here Arjuna soundtracks are her best work. She gave so much effort to the music in Arjuna. You can hear it in the music itself and it makes me think that she really believed in the message this anime sends. I respect that, but I do wish such wonderful music would've had a more admirable and complete anime to represent.

The music itself is somewhat tribal, but does span into some other genres. Yoko Kanno appears to take music she hears and then redefines and recreates it in her own fashion. It's quite extraordinary.

It is very deep but ok if you are in the mood.

[vuurdraak · 8/10 · 25 March 2002]

If you are looking for an watch while you eat anime look somewhere else. However, when you like well drawn anime with a very high awareness and a deep storyline you have found it. Arjuna is there to save the day!

What I have discovered through this anime.

[lemke_rita · 7/10 · 2 September 2006]

I must confess that I only began watching this anime because the DVD's were available at my local library. That being said, I've only watched volumes 1, 2 and 4, therefore my perceptions may be contrary to what others may have felt.

I shall begin by saying that 'Arjuna' makes the audience think. Not just about the story, but on what is *really* being said, and how this 'truth' is represented not only in the audience's macro world, but also in their micro world. For me, it made my question the nature of 'truth' in terms of what we are told, and what we choose to believe.

I shall be more specific; we are all brought up to believe that there is 'bad' in the world, and that we must either fight it, or protect ourselves from it. This is how Juna perceives the 'Raaja'. I've come to realise that as the protagonist of our *own* stories, we really are fools to assume that we don't play a part in our own misfortunes (actions or otherwise). We make bad decisions; like eating the unhealthy, processed foods, and rationalise and deceive ourselves with "but it's all due to consumerism. 'They' made it available and tasty to eat."

This anime has made me take responsibility for some of the choices I make. It hasn't stopped me from eating processed food (like hamburgers), nor has it made me choose to live as the old man did (though I did consider it for a short while). I can't say that with every action I make from now on, that I would be considering its possible effect on the future of the planet. I will be aware however, that I am just as responsible for how the world is today as anyone else.

Beautiful and underrated anime series

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 18 June 2010]

It's hard to believe this anime was made in the year 2001, not only because its visuals have aged much better than other anime made around the same time (And to be honest, many other shows that came in later years) but also because a lot of its themes and messages have an eerie resonance with modern events taking place during the present, disregard if we choose to keep ignoring them.

More than "prophetic", it was a beautiful warning based on logic and observation of reality, and even today, we still refuse to listen its message, dismissing it as mere "propaganda".

Enjoy the good times while they last. Things are going to became much, much worse in the upcoming years.

So far, every single "alarmist" has been proved right. And everything is happening faster than it was predicted.

The old world is not coming back.

The soundtrack will hook you in!

[rikkuxeynjell · 12 November 2004]

I have first seen this anime at the Anime Expo 2002. They showed the first episode in a panel, and I suddenly liked it. It was the music I tell you! I quickly recognized who the composer is, seeing as some of the lyrics weren't Japanese but some made-up language. And I was right! It was Yoko Kanno! She's done brilliant music before, such as Escaflowne, Macross, Lodoss War, and Please Save My Earth. Also, I kind of figured Maaya Sakamoto had something to do with the soundtrack as well (I recognize her singing style from Card Captor Sakura). I'm a big fan of both Maaya and Yoko since before time!

Anyways, Arjuna tells the story of a girl who died and was revived because she was chosen to save the Earth. The animation is alright, but the CG can be a little weird sometimes. Wish they would've just animated the whole thing, instead of CG. And the plot is quite good. But I stand by my word. The music is the one that will really hook you in. Every time they play some song during the episodes, you get to "feel" it like it's magic.

Powerful but heavy-handed

[rodental · 7/10 · 29 February 2004]

First off: I liked this series. Secondly: I am not the least surprised that it has not gained a wide fan-base.

I would have liked to give it a rating of 8 or 9, but quite frankly the sometimes very preachy style and long-winded exposition earns it. "Arjuna" has an important message for us, and tries very hard to convey it using a huge amount of information, while at the same time entertaining us with superhero-style action scenes. As such it does the job fairly well, but the vast majority of viewers are likely to be either bored with the message or offended by the very direct and sometimes accusatory way it is conveyed. This means that a lot of viewers are going to miss or resent the final message of the series: personal responsibility.

On a purely technical note, I find that the CG-elements are at times too obvious and uncharming, while at other times they are quite pretty. I for one do not enjoy the CG-look, and found the more obvious sequences distracting.

[Possible spoiler:] I found that the conclusion would be somewhat too obvious if one has even the slightest grasp of Biology.

Feminine Beauty in a Challenging World -- The Concise Review

[dphrei · 10/10 · 13 December 2013]

This is the concise review for real people.

contains elements of the arjuna story. these are the elements that are notable to Japanese readers, notable either because they contrast or comply with Japanese ideas of tradition and modernity.

overarching theme is emergent sexuality of a teenage girl and the prospect of womanhood. feminine responsibility is closely linked with protection and cultivation of life and a holistic approach. some worthy concepts of eco-feminism are addressed to contrast with a world that is 'butchered' by those with underdeveloped senses.

series is topical and thematic with a steady progression in 'consciousness'. not 'a jumble' as one reviewer said. feminine theme is beautifully rendered in every element of the production.

most important of all, some clever gaps are left for the viewer to fill in. these cerebral links are made in the days following completion of the series. for best mind-brain effect watch --without distractions-- one episode per week before bed. good medicine.

Have a heart like it does.

[slkje22 · 10/10 · 17 September 2005]

Arjuna may be a little on the in your face side. Is that really a problem? Through out the series I can see that the director and writers have chosen issues that are real and need to be considered straight away. This would attribute to the in your face approach.

It has a good solid storyline. I think it could have dragged on for another three or four episodes. I found the last disk was for too abrupt and could have been better it they took their time.

The characters are also interesting, Chris especially.

The animation was not he great considering it's budget. I think they wanted to emphasize about raw beauty and that is why the animation does no suit it's spending.

The music is totally awe inspiring. Not the best Kanno though leave that for Cowboy Bebop or Wolf's Rain.

All in all it is superb if you have the heart to appreciate the fact that this is an important issue that needs the attention that the show gave. 10/ 10

Environmentalist misinformation in a beautiful package

[symbolt · 5/10 · 23 March 2009]

First of all, I would like to urge everybody who has seen this series to research and confirm and / or dis-confirm ALL the information that this anime gave you for yourself. Use Wikipedia, and Google, and ask questions in discussion boards. A lot of the "scientific" information in this anime is merely opinion, and should be treated as questions, and parts of the plot, rather than any kind of scientific fact.

I really liked the visual style of this anime. Unlike most of the reviewers, I liked it throughout the series. There is a very interesting mix of hand-drawn animation, computer graphics, collage and live-action video. Although the animation could be better, the characters are drawn and designed in an appealing way, most of the time (especially the supernatural incarnations), and the backgrounds are very beautifully detailed. The aspect of this anime that I personally found the most beautiful was the music - I didn't even know it was composed by Yoko Kanno until I watched the whole series and looked it up, but I love her soundtracks and this one is very special, and one to remember. There are a lot of vocal tracks, and almost no lyrics, and the styles are nicely varied throughout.

What I personally didn't like about this anime, thought, is that it's religious propaganda in 13 colorful episodes. The plot development is centered around the growth of the environmental awareness of the main protagonist. Every episode introduces a new aspect of how people are destroying their world, according to the makers of this show. I am afraid that many viewers might take a lot of the information in this anime as fact, or close to fact, instead of fantasy. It works well as fantasy - there is a simplistic concept of evil, which is made flesh and presented as the antagonist of the show, a material slug-like monster referred to as "Raaja" (Japanese has no grammatical plural, so the Raja might as well be one single entity). Pollution is Raaja. Misunderstanding, argument, and the misleading openness of verbal communication is Raaja. Non-individuality is Raaja, the meat industry is Raaja, and abortion is Raaja. Juna, the protagonist of the show, has to learn how to confront the Raaja and thus save humanity, before it is too late. The problem with this show is that it offers many descriptions of pseudo-facts about the world, like: if you're really sick, you should ingest a drink made from dried human umbilical cord, which will instantly replenish your depleted store of benign bacteria and cure you; almost all diseases require no medication; bugs only eat specific parts of plants, in order to preserve the general equilibrium of the ecosystem; having sex while pregnant amounts to raping the baby (yes, there is actually something akin to a baby-rape scene in the show); pesticides are gases used in military warfare - and so forth. At times, this made me want to choke the show.

You can't choke a show, and you can't treat such information literally - assuming that the anime is not a latent introduction to Scientology, with which it seems to share a very basic metaphysical message, it is possible to assume that the authors wanted to place such outrageous hyperboles, gross oversimplifications, and plain personal opinions, into the show, in order to make the audience care about their decisions and the environment a lot more, because it's for an outrageous, impossible, yet striking image or fact to guide one's actions, than level-headed scientific information. But I just could not stand the way most of that could have been conceived as real-world fact. It really hurt the show, in my opinion, because instead of being a fantasy anime with environmental themes, it turned into propaganda in nice images.

One of the reviewers mentioned Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke", one of my favorite movies of all time. That is also a fantasy anime, with a strong environmental theme, but it manages to keep that theme in the bounds of fantasy, and works great like that, in my opinion (even imparting one with interesting insight into the potential plight of the environment). Earth Girl Arjuna is really disappointing in that respect. I have been a vegetarian (and on/off vegan) for the last 10 years, and I recycle, and save electricity and water, and I think that anime is plain misinformed. A number of changes could have turned it into a fantasy anime with an environmental theme, but here the focus is so much on propaganda and extreme simplification that I lost my suspension of disbelief. Instead of raising questions and awareness, it raises concern and, at worst, a religious-like belief. I can understand what the idea was, but as a thinking person I feel offended. A nice package, though.

not just an anime, but an experience!

[seb-straube · 10/10 · 1 August 2006]

this anime transports a beautiful philosophy. its one of the most wonderful artworks i ever saw. it deeply touched me, maybe because i have a similar philosophy of life but i think everyone will discover the truths that are said about what goes wrong in terms of environmental issues, politics and society. the solution offered for all problems is amazingly simple: we are all one - i am you, you are me, everything is me, i am everything, or better: every thing is a part of me - so i just have to try to live always right here and now, being aware of this. thinking about my doings - reflecting myself and acting consciously in harmony with me, the people and nature.

10 points for this adorable masterpiece !

One Of The Worst Ever

[genocyber93 · 1/10 · 11 May 2005]

When I first saw a preview for this anime, it looked interesting. Once I finished watching watching, I wanted to blow up the DVDs because it was so horrible. The ONLY good thing that this anime as going for it is the music. Yoko Kanno is a genius at music. The worst part of the anime is everything else. From the whinny characters to the forced down your throat plot, everything is annoying and gets on your nerves.

Lets start with the heroine Juna. She is a prime example of what you do not want the "savior of the world" to be. She never stops whining about stuff, and quite frankly she needs to get shot in the face. Next let's move on to Chris, the freaky ghost like kid. To be honest I don't like I've ever been so happy to see a character die in an anime before, he's almost just as bad as Juna (plus for some reason I've never liked characters voiced by Brad Swaile). Moving on to Juna's boyfriend Tokio. If I was in his place I would have dumped her like a sack of bricks in an ocean. Tokio was a good character until around the end of the show. On to probably the weirdest character in the show, Teresa the hermaphrodite. What the hell were the creators thinking when they decided to add that little bit into the already stupid mix of characters? Like the viewers are supposed to fell bad for a secondary character just because her boyfriend dumped her or whatever because she is a hermaphrodite.

Lets move on to the plot of the show. I think the best way to sum up my thoughts on this is to quote a review I read sometime ago "Not only does Kawamori tell you his views and morales, but he beats you about the head mercilessly with a trowel, screaming, "I'm right, you're wrong! Go to hell!" until you're a limp pile of compost.". The pretty much sums up Arjuna.

As I mentioned earlier the only good thing about this show is the music. Yoko once again does a fantastic job.

Anytime someone asks me if Arjuna is a show worth watching I always say "Only watch it if your a tree hugging hippie who thinks eating meat is the most vile thing a person can do." If you fall into that category then by all means watch Arjuna, but if your not (like the majority of people) then this anime is just complete waste of time.

So far, so good

[ApatheticAngel · 6 May 2003]

I've only seen the first six episodes of Arjuna.

I've also become a vegetarian since.

With stunning(yet not always well blended) CG artwork, an odd yet still interesting plot, Arjuna is not something you want to look over, unless you really, really like meat.

Music is directed by the ever awesome Yoko Kanno and the voice casting is perfect. All of the characters look like people, not to mention they move realistically, too. The plot is a bit preachy but it's just trying to get the job done. The humour in Arjuna does not rely on swirly or starry eyes, but on things that would happen in every day life. Every day life if you were a girl with hair that goes weird everytime the earth is in trouble, that is.

From what I've seen, the series ties events together nicely, and is stunning visually and pleasing to the ears. From what I've seen, I also highly recommend.

not just an anime, but an experience!

[seb-straube · 10/10 · 31 July 2006]

this anime transports a beautiful philosophy. its one of the most wonderful artworks i ever saw. it deeply touched me, maybe because i have a similar philosophy of life but i think everyone will discover the truths that are said about what goes wrong in terms of environmental issues, politics and society. the solution offered for all problems is amazingly simple: we are all one - i am you, you are me, everything is me, i am everything, or better: every thing is a part of me - so i just have to try to live in the here and now, being aware of this. thinking about my doings - reflecting myself.

10 points for this adorable masterpiece !

The anime nobody understands

[lakeishikawa · 10/10 · 23 August 2021]

Like you can clearly see in the other reviews, the beautiful and perfectly told central philosophy of the anime is consistently missed by most viewers.

Don't be one of them, and this will the one of the best media you'll ever see.

Spoiler: The main message this anime is trying to convey is not "environmentalist" ^^;;

Powerful Anime - fantastic Scenery and Music

[spam-1222 · 10/10 · 18 January 2006]

If you have watched "Prinzess Mononoke" and if you have liked the scenery of it, you will surely like this series. From the beginning I was packed by the absolutely fantastic pictures (not only the backgrounds but also the movements of the "camera"). Sometimes one has the feeling that it has been created under the influence of LSD or so, although the plot is not in that direction and the movie has a clear thread. Everyone who is interested in environmental questions will be moved by what the movie shows in almost unlimited points of view. The idea that you become a part of what you eat is shown in a fascinating way: Arjuna trying to eat a meal consisting of grains polluted by insecticides and having flashes of insight so strong that the cannot eat it made me think a lot. What I also find great: It's not dividing the world in good and bad rather it shows that sometime we fight against things because we just think that they are bad. When Chris asks Arjuna "Why do you want to kill it?" first one does not really understand this question, but as the movie unfolds it's ideas, you realize that you yourself have fallen into the same trap of strange thinking... I suggest to watch the I think total 13 parts in three goes, each 1 1/2 hours otherwise you might get hit too hard.

Spoiler but you're not missing anything

[remixchild-06776 · 2/10 · 13 July 2021]

TBH the animation and music is good, but it tries so hard to force feed messages like veganism and environmentalist . Hell even the ending was weak! Give Captain Planet cred , at the dic years it wasn't this blatant.

Reason for the 2 Stars is because music and animation, this anime don't have much to stand on.

-

[blackshooter-63065 · 5/10 · 25 April 2020]

I imagined the whole series completely different, that's why 5 points less. 5/10 *