The Violinist of Hameln
(Haamerun no Baiorin Hiki)

(TV Series 1996/1997- 25 episodes)

2 reviews - 7.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (3.8)

2. Iodine

A strangely dark series that looks like it should be a fairly light, funny little fantasy show, but has a story and characters that feel like they came from something much more adult. The production was apparently a troubled one, with a plot that obviously didn't end up where it was expected to, and has some of the strangest visuals to ever make their way to the screen. We follow the journey of Hameln, a boy who can play magical music, as he struggles to protect his beloved friend Flute and fight the demons within himself. The heavy violence feels completely out of place in a series where Hameln is followed around by a funny-looking talking bird and plays a violin the size of a cello. If the substance of the series were strong enough, this wouldn't be much of a problem, but the story is a desperate shambles and the characters are grimly unappealing.

What usually turns people off to the series is not the writing, however, but the animation, or rather the lack of it. Most anime use a lot of still shots or repeated sequences to save money, but Hameln takes this a step further and randomly uses detailed stills to suggest action rather than actually show it. Even the most ordinary conversation scenes will use this technique, and it's very distracting. Some of the animation is above average, the techno-enhanced music is very good, and several of the minor characters show promise, but it can't save the rest of the show. Though not a complete disaster, the series comes depressingly close.

1. Cross Scars

I'll come right out and say it - The Violinist of Hameln is one of the best anime I've seen in a long time and it's surprising how a series of this quality is still relatively unknown several years after its production. Don't be fooled by other online reviews of this series which tend to score it lowly merely for it's animation, this is a brilliant anime from start to finish.

True the animation in this series is poor; the director had to make do with a very limited budget and so there are numerous scenes in many episodes where there are Anno style still frames with voices over them. Yes, if you're a sucker for modern day pretty animation you might find this continually annoying but everything else in Hameln is so good that it makes this point seem insignificant by comparison.

What sets Hameln out from so many other anime is its plot. Continually dark and foreboding, don't expect much any comic relief from this series. Instead enjoy one of the most solid and surprising plots of any anime. The whole way through, from episode 1 to 25, the plot continually twists and turns in both big and small ways that keeps you hooked on the action while at the same time never over complicating the series. The creators of Hameln had a tight budget but they put it to good use to make sure that not a single episode is wasted.

Hameln's plot is complimented greatly by its similarly excellent characters. Much like the plot this is a cast that's full of characters more shady than they initially seem and each with their own cross to bear. All the main characters are given enough time to develop into deep characters we fully understand and this applies to the villains as much as it does to the heroes.

Added to these qualities of Hameln is an exception soundtrack. Full of both original and unoriginal classical music, from great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, these songs fit in perfectly with the series.

Put simply, if you can stand the lack of animation in The Violinist of Hameln you should find it one of the most original and high quality series in every other respect.