Shadowskin

Original Title: N/A
Romanized: Shadowskin
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

A young man with no memory of his own past finds himself suddenly under assault by the military. Though unclear whether it is a blessing or a curse, this "Patient X" is in possession of a powerful suit of armor, but there is more to it than just a simple weapon. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Cage, who has motives of his own in tracking down Patient X, seeks out the help of Erica Sugiyama, but even her knowledge of this project only scratches the surface of what is really going on.

Quick Review

Rating: 2 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2003-07-01

Shadowskin is an OAV series (currently only one episode long) by Studio ArtFX, the same independent behind Understanding Chaos. It distinguishes itself with dark cyberpunk style and a professional-looking polish, but is also impressive in its success at making 3D animation look almost indistinguishable from cel art. The visuals are slick, but the plot, though only an introduction, is also capable of carrying the production. So far it looks to be a reasonably interesting sci-fi story with an added overtone of mythology, giving just enough concrete information to get a good grasp of what was going on while still leaving enough details out to keep plenty of mystery in the air. Its only weaknesses are somewhat nonstandard character designs and flat acting, though neither caused major harm.

Considering that Shadowskin is an independent production, I'd consider it a rousing success, and even based on its own merits it was at least average, with the potential to be more as the story develops.

US DVD Review

The DVD is a basic but solid production. The anamorphic widescreen video (nice touch) is very sharp and clean, and the 2-channel audio, though it perhaps felt a bit weak, was reasonably crisp. The disc includes a nice-looking animated menu with a chapter index, plus trailers for Studio ArtFX's current works (this, Understanding Chaos, and the yet-unfinished A.M.P.), plus the three interviews on the production process.

Content Guide

Rated 13-up by the studio, which seems reasonable.

Violence: 1 - There are a couple of serious action scenes, but nobody dies yet.

Nudity: 1 - The only female character has an extended scene in relatively revealing nightclothes.

Sex/Mature Themes: 0 - Nothing.

Language: 2 - Some strong language.

Notes and Trivia

The second feature produced by Studio ArtFX, and the first "real" story. Their website is quite interesting--sort of blog for animators, particularly those working with Lightwave 3D software. There are lots of useful tips on techniques for using 3D models to produce cel-style art.

The DVD also includes three detailed interviews (more like tutorials, really) on the production process. These videos, though perhaps not quite as extensive as what is included with Understanding Chaos, are still a very thorough step-by-step walkthrough of the tools and techniques employed to create the visuals, and will be quite interesting to anybody interested in making something like this themselves, or just what goes into making one happen.

Availability

Available on DVD direct from Studio ArtFX.

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