Kaiba (2008) - REVIEW

"The sun burns so brightly, so why is this world so cold?"

Kaiba is a 12 episode original anime that aired in 2008, and was written and directed Masaaki Yuasa, who would go onto direct works like Devilman Crybaby, Ping Pong, and The Tatami Galaxy. It was produced by the legendary studio Madhouse, who housed such titles as Yu-Yu-Hakusho, Petshop of Horrors, and Paranoia Agent.

It's a wonderfully unique experience in the way that only Yuasa can deliver, with character designs and movements that feel like Astro Boy, yet have all the fascination and experimentation of Yuasa's work. It's fun to note, too, that some of the ideas present throughout Kaiba may have gone on to influence Adventure Time, especially in the surrealistic approach to storytelling that the franchise would take on, and Yuasa would later even direct an episode of Adventure Time.

The music, composed by Kiyoshi Yoshida, is surreal and hypnotic, perfectly encapsulating the slightly unsettling, but always dream-like, world and concepts that it's surrounded by, and there's an incredible attention to sound design in every scene.

Right from the jump, the anime presents itself with the feeling that the story is already massive, and the audience is finding itself in the middle of it, in the same way the main character is. It's a fascinating study on what it means to be alive on a philosophical level, toying with the idea that physical bodies are disposable so long as your memories can be transferred. While digging into that premise, it's simultaneously a story of classism, as only the wealthy are able to buy and sell both memories and bodies, and it shows the extremes that impoverished people are forced to go to just to stay alive.

In the same vein as dealing with classism, it also wrestles with the idea of capitalism exploiting its workers, and how someone who starts something with good intent can be bought, corrupted, or coerced by the system it so rigidly fought against to begin with, and the effects it can have on that person.

There's a really interesting concept playing out throughout each episode - there's a mechanic within the series that allows people to physically step inside of someone's memories and explore freely, but as each person and their memories are wholly unique, the space within their brain that stores the memories are equally unique, and says so much about the character's personality and how they view themselves, their memories, and the world itself.

Kaiba is a story all about human connection, oppressive regimes, and the constant fight against those regimes just to remain human. All of it swirls within a surrealistic landscape and delightfully experimental animation to form a timeless anime that is inarguably a contender for the Definitive Top 100 Anime of All Time List.

My Current MAL Rating: 9/10

Top 100 Contender: Yes

Current Top 100 Ranking: 8/100