00:00For this 30th Konepa, we're going to discuss a production that plays it a bit tricky for an audience
00:04Western. Hello everyone, today it's the turn of the Chinese Ankoku or The Dark Myth.
00:09Two rather unusual UAVs released in 1990 in Japan that blend, among other things, the supernatural,
00:15Mythology and horror. They are an adaptation of the eponymous manga by Daijiro Morooshi, published from
00:20from 1976 in Weekly Shonen Jump. Yes, 1976, 50 years later. In our country, the DVD was
00:28edited
00:28in 2003 with a French dub. If I said the animation was a bit convoluted, it's because
00:33the context,
00:34The story of the Chinese Ankoku leaves a lot of room for its own cultural and religious elements.
00:39to Asia, to Japan. There are indeed many references to Buddhism, Hinduism, to
00:45Shintoism, Japanese mythology, and it must be noted that in practice, during viewing,
00:50Not much is being done to make it all accessible to a non-expert audience. But that's...
00:54I'll talk about it a little later, after the trailer. Young Takashi has an extraordinary destiny.
01:00Reincarnation of Atman, a Japanese deity representing the energy of the human soul,
01:04He must constantly oppose the occult forces that threaten the future of humanity, himself.
01:09Torn between good and evil. Haunted by his father's death, as well as by the strange mark of the
01:13snake
01:14that he carries on his skin, Takashi will have to fight Susanoo, king of darkness banished from the realm of
01:19gods, while escaping the terrible clan that is pursuing him.
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03:29Let's start at the beginning. When you start the DVD, you'll be surprised to find yourself at the Interceltic Festival of
03:34The Orient, it disturbed me, listen to this.
03:37...
03:41A little reference to Brittany, that's done.
03:43In fact, you shouldn't be surprised by the soundtrack, which will feature other original tracks, because they
03:48are the work of the well-known Kenji Kawai, and yes, the specialist in creating the strangest compositions.
03:53each one more than the others, but which curiously manage to leave a mark on us.
03:56To be somewhat unusual, I would say that unfortunately only the soundtrack is relevant in
04:00This achievement. Pretty much everything else is basic or doesn't work, or doesn't really work.
04:05Starting with the visuals, then specifying 2026.
04:08Although we agree that in 1990, it wasn't exactly a success either.
04:12So yes, overall the visuals are quite poor, too monotonous.
04:16Uninspired and uninspiring sets,
04:18The design of the vehicles we regularly see apparently benefits from a shoestring budget.
04:23And the character design is not engaging; it's rather lifeless.
04:27In reality, everything looks quite dated.
04:29And to tell you the truth, in my mind, this duology isn't called The Dark Myth,
04:33but the big myth.
04:34That little greyish insect there, which we'll find in a dusty, abandoned library.
04:39It's silly, but that's what I think when I mention these OVAs.
04:42It's dusty.
04:43However, perhaps this unattractive visual aspect,
04:46is overtaken by the story being told, the unfolding of events, the personalities of the characters.
04:50Regarding the protagonists, I would say that it does the job.
04:53We can clearly understand their personalities, we understand their motivations,
04:56why they act in such and such a way.
04:59Regarding the sequence of events and the general story, in broad strokes, it's fine.
05:02But this is where the rotor aspect of this achievement comes in.
05:05because, in detail and throughout, we will be bombarded with a whole host of surnames,
05:09of place names, clans, deities, mythological and religious references,
05:13It goes on and on, and at some point, the brain fries.
05:17During certain sequences, I started laughing because of the sheer number of titles.
05:20which have little to no meaning for me.
05:23In certain passages, as an average Western viewer,
05:26We cannot be receptive to what this work wants to tell us.
05:29We disconnect, and paradoxically, that's a good thing.
05:31because you have to let go of this achievement.
05:34You need to skim through all this information, because otherwise,
05:36You're going to torture yourself for nothing.
05:38We're talking about...
05:39The Vajradaku mandala contains the secret of the theory of time.
05:44The Garbacosa mandala contains the formula for the structure of space.
05:49Each reveals their secret through occult symbols.
05:51Oh yeah, that's great.
05:52We're talking about...
05:53The Issumo region has a mythical origin.
05:56At the time when the imperial court of Yamato ruled over Issumo,
06:01the god Takemi Nataka, son of Okumi Mushi,
06:04He tested his fighting skills against his enemy Takemi Kazuchi.
06:07Takemi Kazuchi tore his arms off as if they were blades of grass
06:11and his opponent fled.
06:12Takemi Nataka left Issumo and went to Suwa.
06:15He died there, and a temple was erected to him in this life.
06:18Oh yeah, that's awesome.
06:19I don't know about that yet.
06:20But if someone stole it from Empress Himiko,
06:23This is definitely a Kuna-related topic.
06:25since its two kingdoms were at war.
06:27Our ancestors, the Kumasso, originated from Kuna.
06:29and beneath the Shikatori tumulus lies a burial site of Yamato Takeru.
06:33And Yamato Takeru is the hero who conquered the Kumasso people in the 4th century.
06:40If we establish a link between Yamatai, Kuna, the Kumasso clan, and Yamato Takeru,
06:45one can imagine that the victorious Takeru
06:47He must have appropriated the other half of the golden bucket.
06:50I don't understand.
06:51Pretend you don't understand, it doesn't matter.
06:54you let it go, and anyway,
06:56You will still be able to grasp the important points of the plot.
06:58If you want to watch these OVAs,
07:00The key takeaway is that Ankoku is Chinese.
07:02He's playing at home and for his Japanese fans, period.
07:06Considering this, I find it surprising that this production was published in France.
07:09and to have produced a French version.
07:11And a French dub with superb voice acting to boot.
07:14including one that I was pleased to recognize.
07:16If the name Katgar rings a bell, you'll recognize it immediately.
07:20Do it yourself.
07:20There's just the voice of Takashi, our hero, let's say.
07:23which I found to be far below the rest.
07:26One last small point: the horror aspect is rather marginal.
07:29and intervenes in small doses.
07:31The sequences in question and the designs that go with them
07:33are quite successful and stand out against the visual monotony.
07:36Yes, it's magnificent.
07:37Just like certain cosmic-mythological sequences which are welcome.
07:41Oh, and one last thing.
07:42although the age limit is set at 12 years old,
07:45It's still quite gory in places.
07:47Chinese Ankoku or agro The Dark Myth
07:50It is therefore a project that is not recommended for two reasons.
07:54Firstly, everything is quite graphically poor,
07:56whether it be the character design, the sets or the animation.
08:00Secondly, the cultural aspect,
08:01Japanese cultural practices are important to consider.
08:03to be able to immerse oneself in the story
08:05and this will keep a foreign audience at a distance.
08:09That was Bleach, see you next time, bye!
