Review by Charlie Harris

I absolutely loved the visuals in this film. If you like the cinematic style of anime, or the visual wizardry of THE MATRIX then you will find plenty to enjoy in CASSHERN. Each scene has a remarkable depth of texture. It appears, at times, almost like a surrealist art work rather than a film. The plot is very typical spiritual arguement against the futility of human conflict, but it is not a heavy handed plot device. Rather, it's there largely to provide impetus to the rapid-fire action scenes. While dark subjects are major themes in the film (violence, ethnic cleansing, the de-humanization of people) there is a thin thread of optimism throughout the film. I really enjoyed this and I would recommend it to anime fans of any stripe, as well as those with a taste for artfully crafted action cinema.

The Story: A police detective investigating a string of grisly murders discovers Mina, his fiance is the latest victim of the killers. He goes on a quest for revenge. But he discovers that he's facing supernatural forces that threaten to unleash the ultimate evil on the world and the only one who can stop help him stop them is the spirit of Mina who awaits her fate at the Gate of Rage in the underworld. Sky High starts out really strong by jerking the audience around and refusing to play by convention. This is Japanese filmmaking at its best, visually compelling, unflinching and semi-surreal. The cinematography is really well crafted and the cast is universally attractive. This makes for very enjoyable viewing. For American viewers the film may come off as a sort of combination of THE CELL and NINJA SCROLL (even though it is a live-action movie). There are a lot of swordfights and stuntwork, but they are nicely balanced with the character-driven story.

Anna Tsuchiya was born in Tokyo to a Russian-American father and Japanese mother. She became a youth model and today still remains an in-demand model for magazines like Kera, Soup, Zipper, and other youth punk fashion magazines. She also acts in movies. In late 2002, Tsuchiya joined with Kaz Iwaike to form J-rock band Spin Aqua. They released one album before Anna announced that she was pregnant and was leaving the band. Anna was quiet musically until 2005, when she announced plans to go solo for the first time. On August 24, 2005 she released her first independent mini-album, Taste My Beat. This mini album (Taste My Remix!)is a collection of remixed songs from that first, short, solo work. Anna has a distinctive, husky, voice that is more suited to rock than J-pop. But this mini-album is a skillfully crafted work. I love the CD and listen to it often. Anna's work is very Gaijin-friendly in that she often sings in English. This is a good CD to order if you are interested in Japanese music, but don't yet have a great understanding of the Japanese language. This CD set also includes a music video for the song "Ah Ah" which is very entertaining.

I'm a great fan of American hard and punk rock, so when I was introduced to J-rock band Spin Aqua I was pleasantly surprised by how hard the music was. The album is not, by any stretch of the imagination, J-pop. The guitar riffs are as heavy and loud on this album as anything you would hear from any American or European rock band. This album is of special interest to Americans as Anna, the lead vocalist, sings many of the songs in excellent English. The best song on the album (in my opinion) is the opening cut "Unchained", but a cover of Hole's "Malibu" is also brilliant. I give this album my strongest recommendation. The only sad thing is that this is the band's only album. Shortly after recording this album the lead singer, Anna Tsuchiya, quit to have a baby. On the good side she has a new solo career that is about to become huge with her first album release.