Spriggan
It is a good sign when a movie or animation has some well known names involved in the production, but it's a little ominous when there is a huge emphasis in the history of the makers of the work. T start wondering if they are trying to convince you to love the result before you even see the complete work. It's so easy to like something because you're suppose to like it.
Knowing that the man behind Akira supervised Spriggan and a director who supervised key-animation for Akira and Ghost in the Shell I felt that this was a good anime -- even though I didn't really like it. In fact, I think this is an easily foregotten film, except for a certain technical polish. My mind was almost duped into liking this film, but my emotions, my dissatisfaction, eventually won over my urge to like this animation for it's pedigree.
Yu Ominae makes for a dynamic, but cliched protagonist. He progresses through the story line very quickly meeting many people from his past. There is a sensation of trying to cram a long story into movie format. His associates have a flatness of character leaving only the action of the action scenes worth watching. The violence lacks the creative elegance of Ninja Scroll, but some might like the sheer bluster of the fights.
An awkward attempt is made to add depth to Yu Ominae's character using flashbacks. The dramatic device works some, but not well enough. The protagonist remains more of a collage of characters rather than a real character.
I love a good villain. A child villain I think had some potential, but the powerful-little-kid-with-psychic-powers schtick has been done before, and this anime doesn't add thing new to the formula. Instead of being built upon the legacy of Akira, Spriggan is more like a weak echo of the Akira legend. Even the special effects, looking distinctly glossy and modern, come across as weak and ill placed. The finale is appropriately over-the-top, but lacks that wonder that really good anime can pull-off if everything fits together just right. Spriggan simply doesn't have the spark of a true gem of an anime.