Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne — anime dvd review
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne is a tricky little title to review — it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s an Ero Guro detective story incorporating elements of Norse mythology and super-powered immortals, peppered with gore-soaked fights, and substantial amounts sexual deviancy. It’s a title I would recommend only for adult adults – let’s say 25 and up. The goings on here are probably just plain too strange for anyone with fewer years under their belt.
Now, I’ve reviewed Ero Guro films before, but you anime fans might not be that familiar with the genre (if you’re familiar with the genre, feel free to skip to the next paragraph). Ero Guro Nansensu (aka: Erotic Grotesque Nonsense), was a literary movement from the early 20th century, popularized by such writers as Edogawa Rampo (check some of the other reviews for more information), revolving around lurid stories of decadent sexuality, moral depravity, and oftentimes, physical deformity and/or mutilation. Many of the stories I’ve encountered seem to involve some sort of murder and/or detective work, a la Rampo’s Mozu: The Blind Beast, or Sion Sono’s Strange Circus. It’s an intellectual mishmash of strange individuals and stranger situations, uniquely erotic, profoundly disturbing, endlessly puzzling, and passed off as completely normal, without need for explanation. It’s not pornography – there’s too much story for that — but it’s certainly not for kids.
The basic story of Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne revolves around Rin Asogi, an immortal detective, specializing in solving unusual cases. She covers everything from finding a lost cat, to locating a secret island playing host to biological weapons research, and tracking down the killers of an avatar turned flesh. Yet, as varied as these may be, they all owe something to a centuries old mystery involving immortal females, dangerous angels, and power hungry gods, all tracing back to the fruits of Yggdrasil, the mythic Norse tree of life.
Now, if you’ve read anything on the net about the show, Rin would seem all about sleek action, a sexy and smart heroine, and raunchy yuri and s&m fanservice. And sure, it largely is about all that. But like the mysteries she solves, thing are a bit more complex than they initially appear. In fact, if you stick around for a couple episodes, you’ll find Rin is a good deal richer than your average tale of immortals.
Despite its more lurid trappings, Rin’s overarching story is surprisingly nuanced, and demonstrates surprisingly thoughtful plotting in areas of clue placement, character dynamics, mythology, and personal motivation. One particularly interesting aspect is that each episode takes place anywhere from 5 – 15 years after the previous one, with a number of mortal supporting characters aging and passing away before Rin’s eyes. While you’ve certainly seen treatments of immortals dealing with the death of their mortal companions (a la the first Highlander), it was rare to see a case where an immortal was dealing with the loss of their compatriots, and how meetings with their progenitors could serve to stir up old feelings again. Furthermore, as time progresses, so does the world around Rin. The viewer is given the rare opportunity to follow a character from the near past to the semi-near future in a matter of six episodes, demonstrating not only the technological advancements man attains, but the new-found addictions and afflictions earned in trade.
In terms of character motivations, Rin is also a woman trying to atone for centuries old sins, finding companionship in other immortals sharing her affliction. Elements of her past are explored via flashbacks, presented via a watery, masked format, serving to convey the ephemeral nature of memory, as well as cementing some of her otherwise unwieldy plot elements in a more grounded reality. Really, there’s enough mystery and mythology to keep you interested throughout, provided you don’t get grossed out by the more grotesque elements of the story.
And then there are the action components of Rin. Of course, it goes without saying that being immortal, she cannot die – at least, not permanently. Her power is something akin to Kenny from South Park, if Kenny were as skilled in martial arts and weaponry as obscenities, and able to immediately return to action following an epic dismemberment. Naturally this results in a number of exceedingly bloody altercations, which in turn result in surprised thugs and frustrated assassins. Over the course of the show, Rin is stabbed, exploded, chopped to bits, pierced to the level of swiss chese, and still comes back for more. The physical altercations themselves are swift and intense, and for me, far better than even recent mainstream efforts such as Afro Samurai: Resurrection.
Which leads me to the subject of Rin’s animation quality. Simply put, it’s stellar. The series was directed by the episode director of Lain, and the animation proves fluid and detailed throughout. The character designs are some of the most immediately attractive I’ve seen in recent memory (no, not just for those reasons..but I have been known to like smart brunettes in glasses…), and in each maintains a solidly recognizable uniqueness throughout. In the case of genetically related characters, similar facial traits may be shared, but no re-use of models ever occurs. And, yes, I’ll admit, in scenes depicting more ‘adult’ content, a number of the visuals are certainly pleasing to the eye.
But I can’t conclude this review without addressing the indefensible areas of Rin. There are a number of creepy bondage sequences, the rather lazy inclusion of yuri content (immortal women seem to like to snuggle), a hermaphroditic uber-baddie, and a whole subplot involving male immortals (aka: angels) and their instinctual draw toward mating with and devouring immortal women. Furthermore, there are a number of uncomfortably icky sequences involving attacks on women from both immortal and mortal males alike (one gave me terrible flashbacks of Blindness). Granted, being the strong heroine she is, Rin proves more than capable of defending herself, but others don’t fare as well. I’m not going to try to defend these (well, maybe the lesbianism was intended as a metaphor for the trying socio-economic struggle of the bourgeoisie intellectuals suffering under oppressive communist regimes. Yes, that’s the ticket!), but just know that you’ll have to deal with some increasingly smutty stuff as you progress through the series.
In closing, Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne was an amazingly strong anime title, albeit one that you might not want to recommend in polite company. If you’re feeling adventurous, be sure to check it out.
The DVD
The usual top-notch Funimation standard applies. Video and audio quality is superb. I preferred the japanese language track on this one, but the English dub was decently well-acted. Extras on the disc include original Japanese promotional videos, cast interviews, and commentary tracks, as well as textless opening and closing animations. Also included is a collection of Funimation trailers.
All in all, a nice little set, and wholly worth the purchase price.
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