Karas (anime)

Karas (anime)

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Karas


caption = Box cover art of "Karas — The Complete Collection"
ja_name = 鴉 -KARAS-
ja_name_trans = Karasu
genre = Henshin
Infobox animanga/OVA
title =
director = Keiichi Sato
writer = Shin Yoshida
studio = Tatsunoko Production
licensor = flagicon|USA flagicon|Canada flagicon|UK Manga Entertainment
licensor_other = flagicon|Australia flagicon|New Zealand Madman Entertainment
flagicon|Hong Kong Asia Video
flagicon|Poland Anime Gate
flagicon|Singapore Innoform Media
flagicon|Taiwan Proware Multimedia International
episodes = 6
released = March 25, 2005 – August 3, 2007
runtime = 30 minutes

Nihongo|"Karas"|鴉-KARAS-|Karasu|lit. "The Raven" is a six-part original video animation of the henshin genre (a kind of Japanese superhero). Tatsunoko Production produced it to commemorate its 40th anniversary of anime production. Each "Karas" episode was first televised in Japan as a pay-per-view program from March 25, 2005, to August 3, 2007, before being released onto DVDs. Manga Entertainment compiled and released these episodes as two feature length, direct-to-DVD films for the English market.

"Karas" tells the story of Otoha, a former yakuza, living in a fictional version of Shinjuku, Tokyo populated by humans and yōkai (Japanese spirits). He is one of the titular "karas", humans appointed as superpowered agents of the land. Able to transform into a car, an aircraft, and an armored crusader; the skilled swordsman is to stop his corrupt predecessor, Eko, from taking over Tokyo. Supporting characters such as Eko's former henchman, Nue; the yōkai; and Homura, the "karas" of another city, help Otoha in his quest. A concurrent side story focuses on humans affected by Eko's scheme.

"Karas" won the Best Original Video at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award competition, and most reviewers were impressed with the images produced by fusing 2D and 3D art techniques. The story presents themes on the conflicts between cultural traditions and modern society, and the relationship between people. Reviewers, however, found its presentation was too confusing to follow; several of them felt it worsened the show by detracting from the strength of its art.

etting

"Karas" is set in a fictional version of Shinjuku, Tokyo.cite web
url = http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050208/tatsuno.htm
title = タツノコプロ、40周年記念OVA「鴉 -KARAS-」を発表-国民的美少女や和田聡宏、鈴木かすみが声優に初挑戦
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = AV Watch editorial staff
publisher = AV Watch
date = 2005-02-08
language = Ja icon
] The show initially showcased larger areas of Tokyo, but the production team felt other animations have featured these areas too many times."Karas" Vol. 3 (DVD), Project K.] Art designer, Nihongo|Hajime Satō|佐藤 肇|Satō Hajime created a modern version of the ward infused with a mixture of East Asian cultures. Chinese characters bearing the curves and stylings of the Korean language fill the billboards and signs. Western gargoyles and Singapore's Merlion statues decorate the streets, and the buildings are modeled on Shinjuku structures of 2003 while blending influences from the Shōwa period."Karas" Vol. 2 (説二), Staff Interview — 01 Keiichi Sato, p. 6] cite journal
author = Newtype USA staff
year = 2004
month = August
title = Karas Seen
journal = Newtype USA
volume = 3
issue = 8
pages = p. 20
publisher = A.D. Vision
location = Texas, US
issn = 1541-4817
] This Shinjuku is populated by humans and Japanese folklore spirits, yōkai. The humans have become indifferent to the yōkai's presence, and fail to see them as they go about their lives.cite web
url = http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/4856.php
title = Karas Vol. #1 (of 2)
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Brett Barkley
publisher = AnimeOnDVD.com
date = 2006-04-26
]

The production team envisioned Japanese cities as entities, who require physical agents to execute their will and regulate the activities within them. The concept behind the health of a city is based on traditional Chinese medicine in which the smooth flow of a body's fluids nourishes its internal organs. The team equates yōkai with qi, humans with water, and agents of the city ("karas") with blood. They integrated Celtic mythology into their concept for further symbolisms, treating the city as the male (yang); and Nihongo|Yurine|ゆりね, the manifestation of its will as female (yin). In contrast, their theory treats the humans and agents as the children of the city and its will, and classifies them as the reproduction system's five major organs. Following the team's vision, the "mikura"s (evil yōkai) represent the five elements in this system. This idea forms the basis of the relationship between cities and their inhabitants in the show."Karas" Vol. 6 (説六), 鴉辭典, pp. 9–10.]

tory

Ibira initially pictured "Karas" as a horror story with a vengeance theme. It had a simple plot similar to the manga, "Dororo". The protagonist "karas" is on a quest, slaughtering "mikura"s to recover the body parts of his murdered lover. Until he recovers all the parts, he assembles them into a katana to kill the "mikura"s. The final version of "Karas" was more of a superhero action story,cite web
url = http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/5268.php
title = Karas Vol. #1 (of 2)
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Bryan Morton
publisher = AnimeOnDVD.com
date = 2008-02-11
] cite web
url = http://www.dvdfuture.com/review.php?id=822
title = Karas: The Prophecy (2005)
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = R. L. Shaffer
publisher = DVDFuture.com
date = n.d.
] and originally intended for three leading heroes in the same vein as the Japanese period drama, "Sanbiki ga Kiru!". The characters Otoha, Nue, and the human detective Kure were the leads but the final version primarily focused on Otoha. ["Karas" Vol. 2 (DVD), Project K.] The presentation of "Karas" differs in several ways from typical anime. The show maintains a serious tone and never indulges in slapstick, exaggerated facial expressions, or super deformed characters.cite web
url = http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/karasprophecy.php
title = Case Number 09128 — Karas: The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Dan Mancini
publisher = DVD Verdict
date = 2006-04-25
] It avoids heavy expositions. Dialogue tends to be short and viewers have to infer what is going on based on very little presented information.cite web
url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?id=21144
title = Karas: The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Don Houston
publisher = DVD Talk
date = 2006-04-13
] The team had left out substantial amounts of information from the show, printing them in a booklet of the final DVD package.

The main plot centers around the confrontation between Otoha and Eko. Character interactions are mainly with yōkai and "mikura"s. The show employs a cold open featuring a battle between two "karas" before the title sequence is shown. Eko kills the unnamed "karas", and the expositions at the end of the fight announces Eko's plan to remake Tokyo. The story moves ahead three years, introducing Nue as he arrives in Shinjuku to free his brother from Eko's hold, and Otoha in a hospital from heavy injuries sustained in a burglary revealed in later flashback sequences. The early parts of the show proceed in a ""mikura" of the week" fashion as Otoha (as a "karas") and Nue separately fight against Eko's minions. When the "mikura"s attack hospitals across the ward to locate Otoha's body, Otoha and Nue work together to kill the weasel-like Kamaitachi. The spider-like Tsuchigumo, however, abducts Otoha's Yurine and deprives him the power to turn into a "karas". After splitting up with Otoha, Nue attacks Eko's base. He ruptures the chambers holding Yurine and Eko's body, but falls into Eko's trap. Eko kills Yurine and reveals capturing Nue completes the final part of his plan. Otoha rescues his fellow burglar, Nihongo|Reiji|礼治 from their former yakuza gang. Yakuza reinforcements, however, kill Reiji, and Otoha kills the gang leader, his brother-father in retailiation. Nihongo|Homura|炎, another city's "karas" rescues Otoha from the remaining yakuzas. When Eko launches the last stage of his plan and ravages Tokyo with metal tentacles, Otoha ends up among human refugees in a shelter the chief of police had commissioned.

A side story takes place within the main plot, focusing on the humans affected by the ongoing events. The characters, Nihongo|Minoru Sagisaka|鷺坂 実|Sagisaka Minoru and Nihongo|Narumi Kure|呉 鳴海|Kure Narumi are detectives in Shinjuku's Intervention Department. Portrayed in a similar manner to Mulder and Scully of "The X-Files", they investigate serial murders for supernatural evidence. [cite web
url = http://dvd.ign.com/articles/701/701864p1.html
title = Karas: The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Jeremy Mullin
publisher = IGN
date = 2006-04-14
] cite web
url = http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/karas-part-1-the-prophecy.html
title = Karas: Part 1 — The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Stephen Cowgill
publisher = DVDActive
date = 2006-04-21
] "Mikura"s kill and suck the blood of these victims to replenish their strength, but no one except Sagisaka seriously believes in supernatural involvement. Sagisaka is bent on vindicating his daughter, Nihongo|Yoshiko|よし子 who has been committed to a psychiatric hospital for claiming a "mikura" committed the mass murder she had survived. Sagisaka's and Kure's investigation brings them to the survivor of another attack, Nihongo|Hinaru|ヒナル. Sato had created her to represent the best qualities of rural migrants looking for better opportunities in the big cities. When Eko starts the last part of his plan; Kure, Hinaru, and the Sagisakas arrive in the shelter Otoha is in.

The chief of police reveals himself as Ushi-oni and starts eating the humans trapped in the shelter. Yoshiko recognises him via flashbacks as her attacker. Sagisaka sacrifices himself to push his daughter away from Ushi-oni's attack. Otoha confronts Ushi-oni to defend the others, and suffers heavy injuries. A climatic sequence depicts Otoha's collapse from his wounds; but his conviction in protecting the city and its inhabitants, reborns his Yurine. ["Karas: The Revelation". Event occurs at 0:52.50. "Homura's Yurine: A Yurine is about to be born. [...] It is happening. Watch closely. The will of the city is born through a human soul, one that is right for that city"] Yurine restores Otoha as a "karas" and he slays Ushi-oni. While "karas" from other cities observe the between Otoha and Eko, Homura steps in to help Otoha. Eko conjures and merges with a huge white dragon. Otoha breaks off to respond to Nue's call. He carries out Nue's request to kill him and his brother, depriving Eko of his new power source and stopping his entire scheme. ["Karas: The Revelation". Event occurs at 1:10.30. "Nue: I need you to do me a favor. You're gonna have to kill me with that sword of yours. [...] This is the only way we can stop my younger brother. Please you've got to do it now, or Eko will become even more powerful."] Confronting the depowered Eko on equal terms, Otoha's final stroke shatters Eko's blade and deals him a mortal blow. Eko claims Otoha will understand his reasons after 400 years as a "karas". Despite defending his human body and Yurine from soldiers ordered to shoot them, Otoha proclaims as Tokyo's appointed agent, he will protect all its inhabitants no matter their inclination. While Hinaru stays behind in Shinjuku as it is being rebuilt, Kure and Yoshiko have had enough and leave for the countryside.

Characters

Production

Founded in 1962, Tatsunoko Production celebrated their 40th year of animated film production by releasing "Karas" in 2005, their first production being "Space Ace" in 1965. ["Karas" Vol. 1 (説一), 主要的龍之子・變身英雄列傳, p. 6.] Keiichi Sato joined the company as the project director after he pitched its concept of a life-sized dark hero to the management."Karas" Vol. 5 (説五), Interview — Keiichi Sato, pp. 13–14.] He researched production and direction techniques from kabuki, a form of traditional Japanese theater; and Japanese staged swordfights as materials for the project. Choreographed swordfights rendered with 3D animation were rare at that time, and Sato felt this would help distinguish the show. The use of theatrical elements and movie shooting techniques in its presentation sets "Karas" apart from its contemporaries. Producer Nihongo|Kenji Nakamura|中村 健治|Nakamura Kenji felt the team's lack of experience in this area pushed them to ignore their previous animation work experience and break free of restrictions influenced by traditional animation production.Karas Vol. 2 (説二), Staff Interview — 02 Kenji Nakamura, p. 7]

The Japanese animation industry traditionally drew every film cel by hand. This is labor intensive and inefficient; the cels are generally non-reusable, and errors are difficult to correct. This method is called the 2D approach due to the conception of the source images in only two dimensions. The use of computers and graphics software introduced computer graphics (CG) into the industry. This reduced waste; animators can reuse digital cels to correct errors and make changes. Increasing computer power spread the use of three dimensional graphics software to create 3D models and environments, and render them as 2D images. This 3D approach requires more resources to create the 3D models, but production teams can correct errors or remake film sequences much faster than the traditional 2D approach. The 2D-3D hybrid approach in "Karas" was due to budget and aesthetic concerns. The 2D approach allowed greater artistic details and creativity, and the 3D approach could save resources. Sato, however, disapproved the common notion of using the 3D approach for economic concern. He pushed the team to enhance image quality with detailed CG. He was also dissatisfied with computer lighting effects, and ordered the animators to draw them by hand. ["Karas" Vol. 2 (DVD), Making of Karas.] Due to the bright colors of the original cels, they darkened the images and concentrated on areas where shadows should be, leaving untouched the areas where light falls on. ["Karas" Vol. 6 (DVD), Making of Karas.]

In the typical CG approach, the duties of 2D and 3D artists are distinct. The 2D artists think up and sketch out the characters' appearances; the 3D artists create the models based on these concept sketches. For "Karas", these artists worked together in these areas to create the imagery seen in the show. [cite web
url = http://www.tatsunoko.co.jp/Karas/Making/Staff_Interview/Shiraishi.htm
title = #1 CGチーフアニメーター/しらいしわたる
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Tatsunoko Production staff
publisher = Tatsunoko Production
year = 2005
language = Ja icon
] To encourage this and establish consistency between images based on 2D and 3D processes, the 2D drawings incorporate styles typically found in 3D models. Animators also touched up or enhanced by hand, sequences involving the models. Eko's "karas" form was mainly a 3D model but his skirt was hand drawn. ["Karas" Vol. 4 (DVD), Making of Karas.] During later stages of editing, the team spaced hand drawn frames among 3D-rendered frames to enhance the fusion of styles."Karas" Vol. 2 (説二), Staff Interview — 08 Takashi Hashimoto, p. 10] The production did not use motion capture techniques. Animators drew out action scenes based on their feelings, inspirations, and observations. 3D and 2D animation and special effects director, Nihongo|Takashi Hashimoto|橋本 敬史|Hashimoto Takashi explained companies typically reduce their animators' workload by using CG for long shots and drawing only close-ups by hand. The team working on "Karas", however, drew silhouettes for long shots and created complicated CG for close-ups. The 3D animators used 3D texture software, BodyPaint 3D, to refine textures for the "mikura" and "karas" models, creating seamless details on them. [cite web
url = http://www.maxon.net/jp/solutions/htx/karas/index.html
title = 2D/3Dハイブリッドアニメーション「鴉 −KARAS-」のテクスチャ作成で、BodyPaint 3Dが使用される。
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Maxon staff
publisher = Maxon
year = 2007
language = Ja icon
]

CG director, Nihongo|Takayuki Chiba|千葉 高雪|Chiba Takayuki studied keren, a kabuki stagecraft technique using various props to surprise audiences and immerse them in the show. Chiba attempted to apply this technique with CG to reproduce a vividness associated with live actor productions. He aimed to produce a smooth 2D-3D product full of Japanese flavor, rather than something like a "Disney production"."Karas Vol. 2 (説二), Staff Interview — 04 Takayuki Chiba, p. 8.] The team scanned real objects and used them in the show. Rice seasoning powder and bird feed became the dust and rubble in scenes of collapsing structures. They also scanned Korean dried seaweed, gim for other scenes. The animation team drew frames interpolating the motion between key frames by hand, and digitally interpolated those frames to create slow motion sequences. Editing teams in the industry normally time stretch the sequence with repeated still frames to produce these shots. Ibira reflected that typical 30-minute anime episodes consist of approximately 300 key frames. The first episode of "Karas", however, consisted of approximately 700 key frames."Karas" Vol. 4 (DVD), Project K.]

Composer Nihongo|Yoshihiro Ike|池 頼広|Ike Yoshihiro infused the music with the sorrow borne by the "karas", and the atmosphere conveyed by the background. Ike obliged the team's request for Japanese flavored music, and studied kabuki tunes accompanying actors as they strike their Nihongo|"mie"|見得, a picturesque pose to establish their character."Karas" Vol. 2 (説二), Staff Interview — 12 Yoshihiro Ike, p. 11] He planned to use taikos (Japanese drums) to further enhance the music, but felt the show had taken on an international outlook and discarded the notion."Karas" Vol. 5 (DVD), Project K.] He wanted his music to match the quality of the show, and refrained from composing them until he had watched the pre-dubbed version of the first episode. He composed most of his music as he watched the pre-dubbed episodes to synchronize their tempo and dynamics with the action in the show. He chose the Prague Symphony Orchestra to perform the main theme because he felt the background of their city and its people suited the character of "Karas". ["Karas" Vol. 1 (DVD), Karas in Prague.] [cite book
author = Tatsunoko Production staff
title = Karas Original Soundtrack
origdate = 2007-10-24
series = Karas
publisher = Columbia Music Entertainment
location = Japan
language = Ja icon
isbn = 498-8-001-92399-2
] Other departments also took extraordinary measures in producing the show. The sound crew procured a Nissan Skyline GT-R and recorded its engine noise for several runs. These were used for the tunnel chase scenes which involved a hand drawn Skyline."Karas" Vol. 3 (DVD), Making of Karas.] The editing team took the additional step of editing cels post-voice recording to ensure lip movements were in synch with the voices. These extra work and the hybrid 2D-3D approach inflated the budget of the production to three times the usual amount spent on an original video animation. [cite news
author = Cinema Topics Online staff
title = HMV タツノコプロ40周年記念フェアFEATURING 「KARAS」トークイベントを開催!
url = http://www.cinematopics.com/cinema/news/output.php?news_seq=4530
publisher = Cinema Topics Online
date = 2006-06-02
accessdate = 2008-02-13
language = Ja icon
]

Reception

"Karas" impressed its reviewers with its animated imagery. Anime on DVD claimed its lush imagery are enough to hook viewers, and certain 2D-3D scenes matched photorealistic standards. They felt "Karas" could rival or beat live-action films in the visual department.cite web
url = http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/7161.php
title = Karas Vol. #2 (of 2)
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Bryan Morton
publisher = AnimeOnDVD.com
date = 2008-02-12
] DVD Talk commented they saw evidence a lot of effort went into merging the 2D and 3D animations. They, however, felt setting the scenes in darkness and obscuring points of interest with smoke or other effects marred the high quality imagery.cite web
url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=21128
title = Karas: The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = John Sinnott
publisher = DVD Talk
date = 2006-04-12
] Anime News Network stated the richly detailed images; fast moving action scenes; and visual effects of collapsing buildings, explosions, and blood made "Karas" one of the best action animation.cite web
url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/karas-the-revelation/dvd-2
title = Karas: The Revelation
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Theron Martin
publisher = Anime News Network
date = 2007-10-31
] Reviewers praised the fight scenes between the CG generated "karas" and "mikura"s, declaring them realistic, tasteful and stunning.cite web
url = http://dvd.ign.com/articles/836/836485p1.html
title = Karas: The Revelation DVD Review
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Jeffrey Harris
publisher = IGN
date = 2007-11-19
] DVD Talk, however, complained the camera jerked and moved all over the place never showing fights cleanly. Anime on DVD stated the fights in the later half failed to match those in the first half in terms of beauty, intensity, and variety; the overlaying of characters' face onto their armored forms in the finale detracted from their viewing experience.

Ike's music for "Karas" impressed reviewers. Anime News Network stated his long scores set the mood in the scenes with their tone, enhancing the reviewers' watching experience. Prague Symphony Orchestra's performance of the main theme impressed more reviewers who claimed it brought out the heroic essence of "Karas" with a sense of power and drama, and enhanced the impact of the quick and intense battles.

"Karas", however, suffered the worst criticisms for its story. Many reviewers and even the voice actors could not follow its dialogue and presentation. ["Karas" Vol. 2 (DVD), Cast Interview — Takahiro Sakurai.] ["Karas" Vol. 3 (DVD), Cast Interview — Keiji Fujiwara.] Other reviewers felt the abstract presentation forced viewers who wanted to understand the story, to pay extreme attention to the scant details presented in the show. Reelfilm and DVD Verdict were more critical, stating the viewer should not have to resort to reading summaries on the packaging to make sense of a story populated with incoherent battles and characters hard to tell apart from. [cite web
url = http://www.reelfilm.com/anchrand.htm#karas
title = Karas: The Prophecy
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = David Nusair
publisher = Reel Film Reviews
date = 2006-04-29
] cite web
url = http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/karasrevelation.php
title = Case Number 12733 — Karas: The Revelation
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = Joel Pearce
publisher = DVD Verdict
date = 2008-01-11
]

The viewers' confused reaction to their story based on the first half, disappointed and frustrated Sato and Ibira. Sato explained the first two episodes were to capture the viewers' attention, and remaining episodes would reveal greater details of the story. Anime on DVD complained this franchising tactic is a poor excuse for initial episodes lacking substance. They said although the later half answered much of the questions raised in the first, it created unanswered questions of its own. IGN and DVD Talk felt the story was darker and flowed better in the later half than the first,cite web
url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=21128
title = Karas — The Revelation
accessdate = 2008-02-13
author = John Sinnott
publisher = DVD Talk
date = 2007-11-11
] but IGN felt the revelation of details came too late in the show. DVD Verdict felt the story was pointless. Despite the protagonist reaffirming himself as a protector of the city, his showdown with the antagonist reduced most of Shinjuku to ruins. Reviewers found if they stripped the plot to its basics, it is a shallow good-versus-evil story made complex by its presentation in the first half. They, however, appreciated the surprising deaths of certain characters whose sacrifice in vain rendered a poignant emotion at that point of story.

Reviewers felt part of the failings laid with the underdeveloped characters despite them being slightly different from usual anime stock characters. The story neither properly introduces them nor explains their backgrounds and motivations, making them hard to identify with. Eko's menace only came by force and not by his personality or schemes, making him a weak villain. DVD Talk found it hard to piece together the relationship between the main characters, but acknowledged the later half addressed some of these issues by revealing the background of some characters. They felt the revelations fleshed out Otoha's personality and motivation, helping viewers to sympathize and identify with the protagonist.

Overall, reviewers are mixed in their final assessment of "Karas". Their common reaction is of a visually stunning show with a confusing story. DVD Talk commented the blending of traditional 2D drawings and 3D CG was interesting; but with a lacking story, the product is a "triumph of style over substance". In spite of the criticisms, "Karas" won Best Original Video at the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award competition, and was one of United States' top 10 best selling anime titles in 2006.cite journal
author = Patrick Macias
year = 2007
month = October
title = Karas: The Revelation
journal = Otaku USA
issue = 2
publisher = Sovereign Media
location = Virginia, USA
url = http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/Content/Karas-Home%20Page%203.php
accessdate = 2008-02-13
] [cite news
author = Anime News Network staff
title = Top Selling Anime Releases of 2006
url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-06-14/top-selling-anime-releases-of-2006
publisher = Anime News Network
date = 2006-06-14
accessdate = 2008-02-13
]

Media information

The Japanese episodes initially broadcasted one after the other over the dedicated anime pay-per-view channel, Perfect Choice 160, from March 25, 2005, to August 3, 2007. [cite web
url = http://web.archive.org/web/20070820093646/http://www.ppvj.co.jp/anime/0708karas/index.html
title = Perfect Choice 【 アニメ | タツノコプロ40周年記念作品 鴉-KARAS- 】
accessdate = 2008-04-02
author = Pay Per View Japan staff
publisher = Pay Per View Japan
date = 2005-02-08
language = Ja icon
] Tatsunoko and the East Asian licensors (providing Chinese subtitles) released "Karas" as six single-DVD packages in their regions. The collectors' editions feature a hardcover book showing the storyboard for the episode. Manga Entertainment released the English DVD edition of "Karas" as two eighty-five minutes feature length films, "The Prophecy" and "The Revelation", on April 24, 2006, and October 22, 2007, respectively. Each feature consists of three original episodes joined together, and has an additional English voice track. They have also released "Karas: The Prophecy" on UMD. [cite web
url = http://psp.about.com/od/movies/a/animeonumd_2.htm
title = Anime on UMD
accessdate = 2008-03-05
author = Niko Silvester
publisher = About.com
year = 2005
] Columbia Music Entertainment published Ike's music for the show on October 24, 2007, as a 24-track audio CD. Dark Horse Comics produced a one-shot comic which went on sale, and is given free with collectors' editions and "The Prophecy". The story written by Phil Amara, author of the comic "Sky Ape", is an adaptation of the story in episode one.

References

* Tatsunoko Production (2005-10-21). "Karas" Vol. 1 (DVD, 説一) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10357-3.
* Tatsunoko Production (2006-01-09). "Karas" Vol. 2 (DVD, 説二) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10358-0.
* Tatsunoko Production (2006-03-01). "Karas" Vol. 3 (DVD, 説三) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10359-7.
* Tatsunoko Production (2007-12-11). "Karas" Vol. 4 (DVD, 説四) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10360-3.
* Tatsunoko Production (2007-12-11). "Karas" Vol. 5 (DVD, 説五) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10361-0.
* Tatsunoko Production (2007-12-11). "Karas" Vol. 6 (DVD, 説六) in Zh-tw icon. Taiwan: Proware Multimedia International. ISBN 471-8-481-10362-7.
* Tatsunoko Production (2007-10-22). "Karas: The Revelation" (DVD). United States: Manga Entertainment. UPC 013138203991.

External links

* [http://www.thekaras.net/ Official Japanese site]
* [http://www.tatsunoko.co.jp/Karas/top.html Tatsunoko page on "Karas"]
* [http://www.karas-movie.com Official North American page]
* [http://assets.m80im.com/resources/karas/assetspage.htm "Karas" webmaster assets] — press release and official images
* [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=10-211 Dark Horse comics page]
*


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  • Karas (anime) — Karas 鴉 -KARAS- (Karasu) Género Henshin Dirección Keiichi Sato Estudio Tatsunoko Production Primera emisión 25 de ma …   Wikipedia Español

  • Karas (Anime) — Original Video Animation Titel Karas Originaltitel 鴉 KARAS …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Karas (anime) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Karas (homonymie). Karas 鴉 (Karasu) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Karas (Begriffsklärung) — Karas kann bezeichnen: Geographie: den Namen einer Region in Namibia, siehe Karas den Namen eines Anime von Sato Keiichi, siehe Karas (Anime) den Namen eines Flusses in Rumänien, siehe Karaš (en) Personen: Anton Karas (1906–1985),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Karas — may refer to:;Places * Karas Region, Namibia * Karas Mountains, a mountain range in Karas Region * Karaš River in Serbia and Romania (Romanian Caraş ) * Karas Island in Sebakor Bay, West Papua, Indonesia * Karaś Lake, Poland;People * St. Karas *… …   Wikipedia

  • Karas (desambiguación) — Karas puede referirse a: Karas, una serie de anime. Karas, una provincia de Namibia. Anton Karas, un citarista vienés. Kenneth Michael Karas, un juez federal de Estados Unidos. Ragai Karas, un acuarelista egipcio. Esta página de desambiguación… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Anime et Manga Grand Prix 2007 — Résultats du 14e Anime et Manga Grand Prix 2007 parus dans AnimeLand[1]. Sommaire 1 Récompenses 1.1 Meilleur Anime Japonais 2006 1.2 Meilleur Ani …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Anime et Manga Grand Prix 2008 — Résultats du 15e Anime et Manga Grand Prix 2008 parus dans AnimeLand[1]. Sommaire 1 Récompenses 1.1 Meilleur Anime Japonais 2007 1.2 Meilleur Ani …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste der Anime-Titel (nach Studio) — Dies ist eine nach Studios sortierte Liste der Anime Titel. Bitte editiere diese Liste nicht, da sie von einem Bot automatisch generiert wird, der durchgeführte Änderungen überschreibt. Stattdessen kann die Liste der Anime Titel bearbeitet werden …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste der Anime-Titel (nach Jahr) — Dies ist eine chronologisch sortierte Liste der Anime Titel. Bitte editiere diese Liste nicht, da sie von einem Bot automatisch generiert wird, der durchgeführte Änderungen überschreibt. Stattdessen kann die Liste der Anime Titel bearbeitet… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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