Ibara no Ou

When a deadly virus known as Medousa sweeps across the globe, turning people to stone with no chance of recovery, humanity finds itself on the verge of destruction. The only hope is the Venus Gate Corporation's shocking new plan: to put 160 people in cold sleep for up to one hundred years, or until a treatment is developed. Kasumi Ishiki is one of the fortunate to be selected, and though she fears being separated from her twin sister, Shizuku, the girls hope that they can be reunited in the future.

When Kasumi awakens, however, the world is not what she expected. The cold sleep facility is covered in thorns, and strange monsters start attacking them. Although most of those who have woken up die in the immediate confusion, Kasumi and a small group of survivors begin to investigate the maze-like facility and unravel the secrets of Medousa, as well as the true intentions of the Venus Gate Corporation.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Owen, Marco Main

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Ishiki, Kasumi Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Laisenbach, Timothy Supporting

Yajima, Akiko Japanese

Roznovski, Alice Supporting

Kuno, Misaki Japanese

Ishiki, Shizuku Supporting

Sendai, Eri Japanese

Turner, Katherine Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Hewitt, Walter Supporting

Fujita, Yoshinori Japanese

Ambler, Judith Supporting

Vega, Ivan Coral Supporting

Isobe, Tsutomu Japanese

Owen, Laura Supporting

Kawasumi, Ayako Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Uchida, Kenji Producer

Tsuchiya, Yoshimasa Producer

Kimura, Junichi Producer

Reviews

Oct 28, 2009

hiruma55

Recommended

When watching the trailer for this anime film I had big expectations about what I was going to see. Here you have a sci-fi/thriller with killer virus threatening society, survivors trying to stay alive and mysterious monsters inhabiting the area of the last set of people. It sounds good doesn't it? Science fiction happens to be one of my favourite genres of films and on paper his anime adaptation has the potential to be great, however this is one of those films that have a good idea but the way it is executed leaves a lot to be desired.

The first part of the film feels ... good, the characters are unique and feel likeable and the way everything unfolds again feel just right. But as the film progresses and the true nature of the story comes out one feels starts to think differently about the film and by the end you'll feel like you were robbed. My main issue with the film was the story and the art. As I stated the film starts out fine but becomes tedious because of the speed of the film and focus on unnecessary people and there will be moments where you don't know where the film is going because of the pacing. In terms of the art the characters look good and the painted background look nicely detailed and suits the locations; however there is one fatal mistake that becomes blatantly obvious in certain parts of the film and that lies in the animation. At certain points the film tends to jump into the area of 3D animation with character models that look like they are cel-shaded and the movement looks terrible. The times when it switches are easily noticeable and just look bad.

The music isn't too memorable nor is it a soundtrack worthy of brilliance, it's decent enough as it adjusts to each situation and works on a whole. The characters in the films start of okay but then feel like they just be killed off because their credibility falls over time. The little boy provides humour in some places and while Kasumi feel like a likeable lass because of her shyness and care for her sister Shizuku, but through her memories and the way she acts I found her just to be a worrywart and lost interest after quite some time. In terms of how you'll enjoy the film is entirely down to your preferences really, fans of complex sci-fi films and maybe disappointed with end result purely because the film doesn't fully give you the experience that you felt that would. The feeling of loneliness, claustrophobia, isolation and danger is done well for the most part eventually it just feels tedious then exciting and thought provoking.

Overall the film is something that can be watched but just doesn't feel like it gives out what it planned to. It had all the right ideas and feels good for the first part but progresses questionably and leaves you feeling robbed at the end like you were expecting more.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 14, 2022

Touka

Mixed Feelings

Every now and then a manga well deserving of praise is adapted into a fairly mediocre anime; unfortunately King of Thorn is one of those adaptations.

The source material is six volumes long; a fine length to adapt into a film, and for the most part the pacing is handled with care. King of Thorn sees a colourful cast of cryogenically frozen characters awaken to a future ravaged by monsters. The introduction is well executed; it grabs your attention and gets you wondering. As the film progresses, it becomes rather typical of the survival horror genre, but the film exhibits a certain freshness as it isn't ... a genre often tackled in anime. Despite certain predictable elements, it's an enjoyable venture away from the norm. The film can't keep up the momentum, however, and the plot drops in quality nearing it's final act; it becomes more tedious than exciting as the story treads mind-boggling territory. Ultimately, the plot evens out as fairly average despite a promising opening.

The animation and art is reasonably well done, but certain aspects let it down. The backgrounds and characters are drawn in a traditional anime style, but the monsters are computer generated and don't blend particularly well with the surroundings. The detail is certainly there, the monsters themselves look the part, but attempting to blend two different art styles is often going to yield fruitless results. It's something you get used to as the film progresses, but ultimately it's something that could have been handled better. The more traditionally animated elements are wonderful, however. The visuals are crisp and clear, the Scottish scenery looks beautiful and the action is well drawn and choreographed.

The sound and music is probably one of the stand-out aspects of King of Thorn. The music is used appropriately and is generally impressive, as are the sounds of the monsters; sound editing is an especially crucial aspect in a survival horror, and is utilised well in King of Thorn. The music - or lack thereof at times - builds great tension and helps create an eerie, isolated atmosphere. The more upbeat tracks used during the action segments add a sufficient amount of drama and excitement.

The characters - given the runtime - are fairly well developed, minus a few who are there to up the kill count; such is the nature of a survival horror. The leading lady, Kasumi, does at times come across as a little irritating and certain character motivations and actions are a little puzzling. The characters are an adequate aspect of the film, but they fail to defy convention and never leave their moulds. At times they feel unfortunately underutilised.

Up until the final act, King of Thorn is an enjoyable watch, with a couple of picky elements here and there. The survival horror aspect is a welcomed change from most anime productions, but the ending is very hit-or-miss. There is merit in there - certain redeeming factors - but overall King of Thorn comes across as an enjoyable, albeit satisfactory film.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 30, 2013

MyLadyLorna

Not Recommended

This is an absolute abomination of the author's original work. Wow . . . I mean, just, wow. Don't get me wrong, my rating has nothing to do with the animation, or even the plot, since it is a good plot, but it's just NOT "King of Thorn." They should have either done A) justice to the original manga or B) made a totally different movie with different characters. Don't ravage such a fantastic story as "King of Thorn," just don't DO it!

It felt like, mmmm, like I started in the author's world, and then halfway through mad scriptwriters took over and threw in every ... stupid plot twist they could possibly imagine, all while stealing ideas from Studio Ghibli. The manga series has a discernible thread that actually makes sense. Fear plays a huge role in the way Medusa works, and Alice is a crucial, note CRUCIAL, character. Not to mention the actual VILLAIN, who has been totally IGNORED in the anime! I mean, seriously, half of this movie is "King of Thorn" and the other half is junk!

Oh, and the ending, how I HATE the ending! Ok, yes, I'm a romantic and I think Marco and Kasumi are cute together. He's really a great guy despite those terrifying tats and I LOVE him. I especially love, and spoilers here, that he lived through the manga! Somehow the scriptwriters thought, what, that having Marco live was too cliched? That having an actual villain for them to beat would never work? That, perhaps, doing the manga JUSTICE by having a twelve episode anime SERIES was too much to hope for. Argh, the frustration is killing me!

The only thing I like, and like is such a strong word, is having Marco and Kasumi animated. Wow, after two hours and all I like is those two characters are actually moving off the manga page, that tells me volumes of how CRAPPY this movie really IS!

Maybe someday we'll get lucky and they'll make it again, only RIGHT this time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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