In the city of Shinjuku, a battle between two armored warriors took place. Karas, the protector of the city was defeated by the villainous Lord Eko. Eko plans to rule the city, with the assistance and absolute loyalty of metallic demons called Mikuru, who feed on humans. A new Karas is soon reborn to battle against Eko and his minions.

Previous Volume:

Karas: The Prophecy


Karas: The Revelation:


After the battle in the hospital, which saw Yurine abducted and Karas human body Otoha awakening from his coma. Lord Eko continues with his plan to remake the city. After Nue regains consciousness, he explains to Otoha the purpose and responsibilities of Yurine and Karas. He also reveals that Eko is in fact the former Karas who once protected the city and why he stepped down.-summary


Karas: The Revelation for the most part does exactly what is expected of a grand finale. It provides closure by answering all of the nagging questions, adds character background, and ties up the subplot as well. I just can't help notice this story format is very similar to Quinten Tarantino's Kill Bill. The first volume mostly provided stylish action, while the second was more character and story driven. This series followed the exact same pattern as Kill Bill. I'm not knocking it for this, it's just very easy to notice.

The very first thing fans of the original will immediately notice is that the visuals, which are still outstanding, are also a step down as well, done in a more traditional style. Even though the animation and artwork isn't as captivating anymore. It still delivers and blows away many titles which are in the class of top notch. The action scenes are still exciting to watch, which consist of plenty of swordplay, as well as airborne shootouts. The character designs are still incredible with some amazing artwork for the metal warriors and gigantic beast, with well detailed backgrounds and nice color schemes, but I have to mention that the animation is not close to perfect anymore. I did detect a small amount of stills in some of the background, and I don't believe for one second it was used in an artistic way. Some may feel it's nitpicking, but hey that's just me.

The writers didn't pay full attention to its characters. Character background does not equate to character development, unless the character reflects on his past, and it causes him/her to become either a better or worst individual. None of the characters truly broke any molds. Therefore, I don't believe they were properly fleshed out.

One character in particular that I feel was hurt had to be Eko. He had the most realistic drive. He was the former protector of the city, and after many years of protecting mankind he simply changed. I understood what the writers were shooting for, but I feel his background shouldn't have been in a verbal format. To keep things simple, it just could have been better. Personally, I needed something to truly make me feel for him. Overall, I feel he was misused, and it was the lack of creativity on the writers part. On a side note, when I think of Eko, I often wonder what Batman would do if he really tripped out and said, "the hell with it all".

On the plus side, and what everyone who watches this will notice is the huge addition of brutal and bloody gore. I was surprised at the amount of blood shed that was displayed when compared to the first one. One scene especially came out of left field and is very disturbing to watch, but at least the action had built up to the end, plus the ending itself was well worth the trip.

Karas: The Revelation was a very good follow up and a nice way to cap off a good series. While the first part seems to be aimed more towards the die hard fan. The continuation appears to be fine even for the casual viewer. I won't recommend this to everyone as a must see, but die hard otakus should check it out. This chapter has a 90 minute run time.
 
Pros:
-Provides closure
-Excellent animation
-Gory scenes

Cons:
-Animation is a step down
-Most characters never break their mold
-Villain not properly analyzed