CASSHERN

This live-action remake of a minor 1970s animated series from Tatsunoko Pro has some interesting alterations; the original, straightforward tale of a selfless hero tackling a clearly evil enemy has subtly morphed into a complex evaluation of the destructive power inherent in the entire human species.

In this version of Casshern, there's really no black and white, just shades of grey.

The story: In a totalitarian industrialist future, the Axis powers have won World War II and Japan has accomplished its Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Dr. Azuma is a brilliant geneticist driven to find a cure for wife Midori's crippling illness, caused by environmental pathogens unleashed in the aftermath of fifty years of conflict between the 'Greater Eastern Federation' and 'Europa.'

Azuma's obsessive research results in the development of a restorative "neo-cell" technology.

Desperate to continue his work, he appeals to the government for funding, but politicians in the Health Ministry turn him down, fearing that the new technology is a threat to the power stranglehold they have over the ailing populace.

Devastated, but relentless in his quest to save his wife, Azuma finds a buyer — a sinister faction in the powerful military takes him up on the new neo-cell process, making him a secret offer to provide the support he needs in order to complete his research.

A freak accident at the underground research facility causes a vat of regenerating body parts to reintegrate into humanoid form; the 'Shinzo Ningen,' a race of mutants.

Caught unawares, the military guards recoil in fear, destroying the creatures.

A small band of mutants escape the slaughter. They make their way to a deserted outpost, and — rather fortuitously — stumble across a discarded arsenal of military robots. Their leader, Brai, vows revenge for the annihilation of his people.

Instead of saving mankind, Azuma's miraculous technology has put it on a collision course with a legion of the Shinzo Ningen, seeking revenge for the deaths of their brother humanoids.

Article Author: Arte Six

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