S-CRY-ED Volume 2

Despite mixing the familiar “steal from the rich, give to the poor” morality of classic medieval fable Robin Hood with X-Men’s “mutant outcasts with special powers”, s-CRY-ed #2 was a surprisingly fresh and exciting viewing experience, filled with a rare kind of enthusiasm and innocent charm that is often found lacking in so many of its recent contemporaries.
In Kazuma, the series has a unique and unpredictable leading man. I hazard a guess that perhaps his charm lies in his ignorance of his horrendous situation; surrounded by a desolate and hopeless landscape and alienated by so called “civilized” society, Kazuma refuses to give in and never lets his fighting spirit diminish. He is a classic underdog, outcast and rebel, fighting for nothing else but pride and honour, and you can’t help but admire his unfaltering resolve in the face of near overwhelming odds.

We are thrown straight back into the humanitarian struggles of the s-CRY-ed universe almost as soon as the volume begins when Kazuma’s young friend Kanami collapses at home with a modern kind of flu that can only be treated with advanced and expensive medication. In a move that highlights the problematic society established in the “Lost Ground”, Kazuma’s only realistic option is to attack a medical truck travelling across his part of the world.

To our eyes, Kazuma is doing a brave and honourable thing by risking it all to save Kanami but from the perspective of HOLY, he is exactly the kind of blood thirsty barbarian they are tasked to suppress. This alternate perspective is prevalent throughout these episodes, giving us a chance to empathise with either side of the Lost Ground.

The strong but arrogant (or perhaps just inexperienced) HOLY member Asuka Tachibana is on hand to defend the medical truck (and its staff) but it soon becomes apparent that Kazuma is far more than your average native Alter User. Suffice to say, Asuka takes a good enough beating to be hospitalised and ultimately, kicked out of HOLY (their unfaltering standards won’t follow defeat).
He now faces a strange and unknown future with his membership in HOLY having expired; Asuka is a nice person at heart, but being an “unofficial” Alter User forces him into the position of the shunned outcast, a feared and unwanted mutant of society. For this, he strives for revenge against Kazuma but with his reputation already in tatters, Asuka gradually discovers that it’s not Kazuma who he should be fighting- but that’s if this wasn’t already a matter of pride between two men!

As a “balls to the wall” action series, s-CRY-ed #2 predictably delivers some fine clashes, combining both fluid fists fighting with the more outlandish Alter User techniques. It helps that Kazuma’s special powers look realistic enough to be quite awe-inspiring; watching him jump hundreds of feet into the air with a semi-literal rocket attached to his arm is a rich piece of action I will never get tired of watching.

s-CRY-ed #2 showcases far more than elaborate action scenes though; as is traditional with Japanese action anime, a clash of characters is as much a battle of philosophies as a battle of brute strength. We learn so much about the likes of Asuka and the empty society he tries to protect in the heat of combat.
Some thought provoking observations about civilization are made, with Kazuma even going so far as to declare equality is boring; he prefers the harsh reality of the Lost Ground, a place where people define themselves through individual strength.
I get the impression he would rather take desperation over apathy, and when he delivers such opnionated comments with his trademark raging tone; you can’t help but take his point seriously. Perhaps being born in the impoverished Lost Ground wasn’t such a curse after all?

In Summary

s-CRY-ed #2 delivers on many different levels; taken as a pure action series, several scenes in this volume are inventive and full of energy. The fights are never drawn out but have a good sense of tension, thanks to a growing cast of likable, multilayered personalities. The story is also rife with thought provoking social commentary, often expressed through some fine characterization built up in the heat of battle.

This series has been a big surprise for me; an excellent cominbination of action anime that never resorts to an over emphasis on angst or comedy, s-CRY-ed simply is what is it; exciting, thought provoking, inventive fun.