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ayashi
Reviews
Tenshi kinryoku (2000)
not as good as the comic, but still enjoyable
Tenshi Kinryouku (aka Angel Sanctuary) is one of my favorite manga (comic books) ever, so I was really thrilled when it came out in America on DVD. The story is obviously not for everyone, as it centers around the romantic love between a brother and his sister, but viewers with open minds have thoroughly enjoyed it, as my friends and I have. Though certain characters were taken out of the episodes in order to condense the 3-4 graphic novels it was based off of into 3 half hour long episodes, the story does not suffer too much (though there were some changes that I disagree with, such as the combination of Kirie and Katan into a single character).
The voice acting in the original Japanese language is done very well, and I recommend that version over the English dub version (though I can tell they worked hard on it, I prefer the original Japanese casting). I think the 3 episodes on this DVD (unfortunately there are no more) are best enjoyed after having read the manga (which can be purchased at various anime stores and Japanese bookstores) because you can then get a better grip at what is going on.
I did overall enjoy watching these three episodes. I'm disappointed that there isn't anymore (the ending is nerve-wracking if you haven't read the comics, because you don't know what happened) I still think this movie is worth at least a rent, especially if you can look past the Setsuna/Sara relationship and into the rest of the movie. The movie is not focused on incest, it is focused on love, and if you take it at that, it is a charming 3 episodes to watch, seeing how deeply Setsuna cares for Sara.
Overall, though some of the differences between the comic and video are irritating, and though the English dub could have been better, and though there are many controversial issues within it, I think it is worth a viewing if you can open your mind for an hour and a half.