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AKA: Unkai no Meikyuu, Labyrinth in the Clouds Zeguy, Zeguy, Zeguy: Cloudworld Labyrinth
Genre: Modern-day fantasy
Length: OAV series, 2 episodes, 40 minutes each
Distributor: VHS and R1 DVD from US Manga Corps out of print.
Content Rating: PG (violence)
Related Series: N/A
Also Recommended:
Notes: An original production.
Rating:

Mask of Zeguy

Synopsis

Somewhere in another dimension there exists a kingdom in the clouds, sealed away by a giant Gate of Wind. To open the gate is to control the very forces of nature itself. Fortunately, three things are necessary to open the Gate of Wind: the Mask of Zeguy, the Bell of Zeguy, and the Priestess of Zeguy, all of which exist in the outside world. Warriors from history past have dedicated themselves to protecting the first two artifacts from falling into the wrong hands.

Young Miki and Sayaka, through a freak accident, somehow manage to stumble through one of the many dimensional rifts that connect the outside world with the kingdom of the clouds. Sayaka is quickly mistaken for the Priestess of Zeguy, and is kidnapped, leaving Miki to try and rescue her lest one of several powers snatches the power of Zeguy for himself. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that Miki is actually the Priestess...?


Review

I didn't think much of this thing when I first started to watch it, but after a somewhat slow beginning, Zeguy takes what is a shaky premise at best and turns it into something that's a good deal of fun.

The animation in Zeguy isn't quite up to par with its peers (some of the action sequences look a little silly), but the art is pretty nicely done. The machines and devices of Zeguy are surprisingly well-conceived, and some truly innovative ideas can be found in this title. The soundtrack is pretty decent, with the opening and ending songs being especially appropriate to the theme of the anime.

Unfortunately, Zeguy can only do so much with what it has, and the flick tends to find itself trying to accomplish too much with too limited resources to work from. The characters tended to be underdeveloped (except for Miki, that is, and no, not in that way), although you can certainly tell the producers gave it a hearty try. Plotwise, the flick tries real hard to pull itself up from its dubious introduction, but never quite manages to get where it's trying to go. The whole thing ends rather suddenly, and some of the major resolutions happen so suddenly you start wondering why the writers bothered to put them there in the first place.

Overall, Zeguy wins the "nice try" award. It's not all bad, though. I actually started to get caught up in some of the story about midway through the story, which must mean something. Good, mostly harmless fun. And what a cutie of a main character, ne? ;-)

Raphael See

Recommended Audience: Not too much terribly objectionable. Lots of werewolf-things get sliced and diced, and one red-shirter loses it at the very beginning (off screen, though). And there's, of course, a gratuitous bath scene with Miki. Probably good for most people, though.



Version(s) Viewed: VHS, Japanese with English subtitles
Review Status: Full (2/2)
Mask of Zeguy © 1993 KSS
 
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