Scryed

a.k.a. s.CRY.ed

Genre: Action
Company: Sunrise
Format: 26 episodes
Dates: 7/4/2001 to 12/26/2001

Sometime in the near future, a strange phenomenon separates an area of Japan off the main portion and comes to be known as the Lost Ground. In the following years, some of those born on the Lost Ground develop the ability to alter matter. They are called Alters and are hunted by HOLY, a new government organization charged with capturing native Alter users. Only one Alter user, named Kazuma, stands up to HOLY. Will he succeed in his fight against them?

summary by Madoka

 

Reviewed: 10/08/2002 by
Grade: 82% 

Highs: Original and attention-grabbing story; no filler

Lows: Little character growth

Scryed is an ambitious story that never loses its focus, unlike many other combat-oriented anime.

Even the obligatory “recap” episode moves the series along without spending too much time retelling the story. Each episode is action-packed but also throws in a bit of everything for every type of viewer: a great opening song, science fiction, romance, comedy, some social commentary and loads of fighting. Scryed blends these elements together seamlessly, always leaving you eager to see the next episode.

But while the plot steadily advances the story, it skimps a little in the character development. All the characters are hard to get attached to and seem to remain unchanged throughout the series. The main character, Kazuma, seems nothing more than the embodiment of brute force. If other parts of his personality had been explored fully, it may be a lot easier to be concerned for him. But by the end of the series I found myself with a bit of disinterest in his fate.

This lack of development is the only flaw within Scryed. But for those who are looking for great fighting animation sequences with an exciting story, you will definitely not be disappointed.

 

Reviewed: 06/17/2003 by
Grade: 72% 

Highs: Good story; some unique character designs; excellent fight scenes

Lows: Last quarter decays the series; useless final episode; some atrocious character designs

My first thoughts upon hearing about Scryed was that this series was just a Dragonball Z fest with better animation. I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised that it became more than just pure mindless action, however, its fair share of flaws prevent it from being anything but mediocre.

Peppered with plot twists every few episodes, I was amazed at how they took a typical hate-hate relationship and built upon that to create something more. Add in zero filler, stir and you have a plot that flows like water. Also, there were some pretty unique character designs and Alter powers that will definitely catch many peoples’ attention. While romance and drama find a way to sneak into the series, Scryed sticks to what it does best and does not try to be anything but an action anime. I was at the seat of my pants during most of the fight scenes, and I found myself rooting for Kazuma more and more.

While some character designs are topnotch, others are either completely outrageous or never even explained; I was left scratching my head afterwards in an effort to understand some characters’ powers. On a similar note, a number of characters suffered from one fatal flaw: zero background. It would have helped to sympathize with some characters and their actions, but alas, most of them were just one-dimensional obstacles used to annoy Kazuma until he beats them down. The last quarter of the series mutated into a quasi-Dragonball Z/Battle Arena Toshinden wannabe, complete with “I have yet to show my true power”© lines, the mundane bad guy that absorbs fighters’ powers in order to take over the world™ and predictable course of action. On top of that, I am thoroughly convinced that the series would be better off without the final episode; it was entirely useless, ended on a bad note and made me nauseous.

Scryed is definitely an entertaining series that is deeper than your typical action anime, but the fact that it falls short in so many places stops it from being all that it could have been. At least there is still Macross Plus if I ever have cravings for a solid action anime.