This lengthy anime tells the story of a j-pop loving kid who somehow someway finds himself as the iconic lead singer of a death metal band. He hates the character he becomes, the music he makes and the effect it has on those around him.
Now I want to like anime but sadly always seem to struggle to find ones I enjoy. I like the dark stuff and most are too cutesy for me, this visually is cutesy but in reality is anything but.
Heavily R-Rated, with language that aims to shock. Being Japanese and their questionable stance on sexual violence the word rape is used literally a dozen times per episode and gets really old really fast.
The thing is it's actually quite entertaining. With quirky humor and interesting ideas this feels more like a television series than a movie but still manages to provide both the laughs and the shocks.
I'm not entirely sure it puts death metal in a very good light depicting its fans as psychotics, sadists, anarchists and rapists but if you don't take it too seriously you'll have fun.
Certainly not for the faint of heart and an acquired taste in many ways it can be compared to Monkey Dust (2003) and is almost as good.
The Good:
Lot of real belly laughs
Highly original
Oddly feel good vibe
Great ideas
The Bad:
Doesn't feel like a movie
Has no beginning/middle/end
I'm no prude but the rape usage was excessive