Casshern Sins on mortality

Posted On February 19, 2009

One prominent theme in Casshern Sins is that of mortality. The story of Sins unfolds in a world in which once immortal machines now face the threat of imminent death, and one of the main driving forces in the show is how the machines deal with this harsh reality.

The one-shot stories in the first half of the series deal with this idea in a variety of different ways, but all boil down to one robot trying to make the most of their limited time on the planet. This theme particularly resonates with me, as I get rather uncomfortable when faced with my own mortality. As such, these stories of people trying to make the most of their life in a decayed world almost gives me hope. Almost.

The series has found itself in the “plot bit” now, with the one-shot stories having concluded and the focus shifting more towards plot developments, as well as entire episodes about stereotypical black guys coming onto robot chicks. This theme of imminent death still drives the narrative, but it’s less of a driving force in each episode’s individual story.

Casshern Sins is an okay series. It has some ideas I really like, but its presentation is a bit too slow for my tastes. Some episodes are really good, but others are terribly boring.