Jin’s fights continue on, as brutal and ugly as they are.
What They Say:
Two years have passed. Players are wreaking havoc in society, but humans are still unaware of their existence. People live in fear, and Mitsugai is unable to produce another ZET.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As Zetman moves along, it’s unfortunately becoming less and less interesting and in a way it seems overly convoluted. The shift in the time period now in the series has moved things forward a bit but there are still the same issues. The problems we saw before with the arsonist have been dealt with as we saw that unfold before but it’s result in some jail time and just a furthering of what Jin wants to do. With his life having been all about helping people from a young age, it’s no surprise that he’s wanting to carry through on that in a bigger way as an adult. And as an adult with a good bit of power behind him. But all of this has caused him to have problems with those around him, pushing them away in different ways as Konoha just knows that she can’t be like she once was with him.
For Jin, getting back onto the streets hasn’t really changed much and he continues to be a pretty sullen and moody guy in general. Seeing how he deals with a surprise visitor in his small apartment is another piece of the puzzle since it’s something where he just accepts it if it isn’t a threat and moves on. But when there is a threat, he’s completely ready to do whatever needs to be done. When the show shifts from the dull and uninteresting character material of the first half to the darker and more violent second half, it shows itself better. And in a way, it’s kind of sad because what the show has to offer at this point is just the action and violence. Jin has his targets and when he deals out his street justice, justice with real power behind it, it’s brutal and intense but well animated. It’s easy to get caught up in it as it goes over the top with the physicality and bloodshed, but it’s hollow at the same time because there’s not a single character to care about at this point for me.
In Summary:
Zetman feels like, for me, it needs a serious turnaround in how its doing things. I was intrigued with the first episode, curious where they wanted to go with the second by going forward a few years, but they lost me with the third and the way it seemed so pointless overall. With the fourth episode, it’s more of the same in that there’s nothing to really latch onto here with any meat to it. The shows visual dynamics are good and I love the ZET aspect and its attention to violence, but the story itself is hollow. Which is also how the characters feel. Jin’s a standard anti-hero with the way he handles himself and his abilities, and like many of them there’s nothing to really make him accessible. There are bigger things that are happening around the edges, especially as it further takes on a Guyver feeling to it, but it’s lost me in making me like and care about the lead character.
Grade: C-
Streamed By: Viz Media
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
