S-CRY-ed

S-CRY-ed is one of the more unusual anime,and that's saying something. The thing is, it's never really clear what it's about, but if I had to guess, it's about two characters that are polar opposites, Kazuma and Ryuho. For those who are familiar with Dungeons and Dragons alignment system, in addition to good and evil there is also lawful versus chaotic, the latter being a better way to describe these two. Neither character is really the bad guy, both are the hero, it's just a matter of how they go about doing it.

First let's start with the back story to explain the world. Unlike many anime that explain the important parts in detail, this series just sort of throws it out there and you have to pay attention. The story takes place in the future after the Great Uprising, an earthquake that caused part of Japan to form a huge plateau isolating it from the rest of Honshu. The really wierd part is that some people born on the new plateau developed the ability to alter their surroundings and became known as alter users. Each alter user has a specific alter with specific limitations that can not be changed except through refining, which can be accompished twice, though it's very rare for anyone to achieve the second refinement. The first refinement is usually accompished by training with HOLY within HOLD, the organization that tries to regulate and control alter users. It is very difficult to tell whether HOLY is the good guys or the bad guys, as it depends on which character's point of view you have.

The first episode introduces us to Kazuma, an alter user with a harmonizing alter, an alter that actually assimilates with the alter user. It seems to be rare and we don't see very many in the series, my thoughts on that will come later, for now we will focus on Kazuma in particular. Kazuma's alter is the Shell Bullet, his right arm becomes armored and allows him to fight dierctly against other alters which is generally impossible because alers are usually formed out of any solid material by the alter user and can maintain their form as long as the user maintains focus. For extra power, Kazuma can propel himself with his three bullets, spikes protruding from his shoulder that provide him with bursts of power but each time one of the spikes disappears and when he uses the third and final bullet his alter deactivates leaving him defenseless, so he always has to get the job done in three hits and they have to be timed to count. He has gotten vey good at his, but despite his power, he keeps a level head and uses his power to work as a mercenary to provide for himslef and Kanami, a young girl who he cares for. Kanami is herself an alter user, but her power is very different from everyone else because she scries people's minds so she can always know what Kazuma is up to even when they are seperated, but the power is not known to many nor is it particularly useful at first, it's just enough to put her in danger.

The second episode interestingly covers the exact time frame as the first episode only from Ryuho's perspective. Both episodes end with the definign first battle between these two alter users and Ryuho's alter Zetsuei, name after his dearly departed dog and taking the form of a humanoid in a straight jacket with tentacle like ribbons that allow it to do whatever Ryuho needs it to do. Ryuho uses Zetsuei to capture alter users for HOLY and this time his target is Kazuma, who puts up more of a fight than anybody else ever has. Ryuho is loyal to the govenrment and believes in following the rules and obeying the and enforcing the law. He actually is the son of a govenrment official and feels obligated to do what is proper.

After the first two episodes more alter users come up and all serve to push forward the conflict between Kazuma and Ryuho.For one thing, the alter users are being trained to refine their alters, but while making the alters more powerful it also makes the alter users more obedient to HOLD. For Kazuma this is a form of abuse, for Ryuho, this is the way of the law and order. The situation escaltes and Kazuma manages to refine his alter, turning the pikes into a wheel that allows him to use his Shell Bullet as many times as he wants without deactivating it. It also adds armor around his eye and apparently adds power in general. However, it also seems to put more of a strain on him, when he powers down his arm seems to be limp and useless and he can't open his right eye. Ryuho comes back at him with a refined Zetsuei which breaks free of the straight jacket and can now use its arms as projectile weapons. This finally leads to the final showdown where both of them refine their alters into full body armor. While they do fight each other in the final episode using all of their power, in the episodes leading up to that grand finale they actually join forces to fight an alter user who is trying to become the most powerful of all and take the plateau away from them. Another interesting plot point is that Kanami's power is part of this plan and halfway throug the series, Ryuho befriends Kanami, so he wants to protect her as much as Kazuma does which actually puts the two most powerful alter users on the same wavelength for once. It is epic and you have to see it to believe it.

Now about harmonizng alters as opposed to the standard alter, it would seem that it seems to reflect one's sense of independence. Only three harmonizing alters are shown in the series, Kazuma's Shell Bullet, Ryuho's final form of Zetsuei, and Straight Cougar's Radical Good Speed Unlimited. It should be noted that other alter users usually form their alters as separate entities and they all seem to feel like lonely outcasts due to their alter powers making them different from everyone else. Kazuma alone exhbits only his harmonizing alter and he is stubbornly independent, demonstrating that he doesn't need abybody, whereas other alter users are filling the void by creating a companion or a tool to accomplish their goals whereas Kazuma only needs himself. Straight Cougar uses a refined form of his alter to modify cars when he is with HOLY, but when he meets with Kazuma, he uses the harmonizing form to put armor on his legs, and at that point in the story, he is acting independently of HOLY. Finally, Ryuho develops his harmonizing alter when he breaks free of HOLY and acts independently himself.

Another theory, Kazuma's alter is actually his arm, not just the armor, but the arm itself, an later his eye. We see his arm splitting into three parts lengthwise between his index and middle fingers and between the ring and pinky fingers. The lines continue to be visible even when his alter isn't active and when he ends up joining HOLY briefly he agrees to wear the uniform but refuses to give up his glove, suggesting his hand may be held together by the glove. Later when he refines his alter he can't pen his right eye, suggesting that he may have lost his eye in the new alter. Also, in the finale Ryuho takes the arm clean off and Kazuma reforms it. I blieve Kazuma actually never really ahd an arm though tthe series, haing lost it the first time his alter manifested and he uses a sub form of alter to maintian his arifiicial arm.

One last thought before I go, go back and listen to the theme song again. maybe I've watched too many dancing shows, but I think it would make a good Paso Doble.