The phenomenon that birthed the area known only as the Lost Grounds from the place once known as the Kanagawa prefecture brought with it another oddity, the birth of the so-called “Alter” user. Approximately 2% of the population, these people are born with the ability to transmute material into the most wondrous of paranormal abilities.
Kazuma is a cocky, arrogant, good-for-nothing kind of guy who enjoys a good fight if he can find it. His alloy alter provides him with tremendous power in his right fist, but he is lazy, incapable of holding down a job, never mind the money. A young man of steadfast resolution and iron-clad will, the rebellious Kazuma will not allow anyone to impose their will upon him. Never living in doubt or fear, Kazuma strides forward, always making the decision to break down any wall that may be standing in front of him.
Amongst the elitists of HOLY, the police force created for dealing with native alters, is a young man named Ryuhou, commander of the powerful Alter known as Zetsuei. The unforgiving justice of Zetsuei mirrors Ryuho’s cold demeanour in his mission to impose his and HOLY’s ideals upon the Lost Grounds.
But when a chance encounter between Kazuma and Ryuho occurs, a rivalry of unparalleled intenseness is spawned. Their hatred for each other will ensnare the land with chaos and turmoil. It is a battle between the hunter and the hunted; a struggle to rebel against conformity; and a fight to uphold ones ideals and freedom.
The epic battles within the Lost Ground will determine the fates of all who dwell there.
Scryed is the story of rebellion, about a man who refuses to accept the authority imposed upon him by others and to live out his life to his own rules. Seeking to follow his path alone, Kazuma will allow nothing to stand in his way nor tell him what to do. Similarly, there is a man who steadfastly believes in the ideals showed to him and now acts to ensure that these ideals are enforced upon everybody. As a member of HOLY Ryuhou seeks to the happiness of all man – even if a few have to suffer for it. Ryhuou and Kazuma are so very alike yet complete opposites when it comes to their view on fate and destiny. Ryuhou follows his destiny while Kazuma strives to create his own. Throw in some awesome paranormal abilities courtesy of Alter-abilities and you have one great, action-packed show.
The story is fast and full of action, the characters and their powers interesting and diverse and the animation solid with more than a few hints of brilliance. Scryed is an exciting show that revolves almost entirely around the never-ending feud between the two main characters, Kazuma and Ryuhou as well as Kazuma’s battle against HOLD and HOLY who are trying to impose their governance upon him. The story is well-paced, though at times feels a more than a little episodic, especially in the early stages of the show. But a well-timed twist in the story turns the tale upside down and adds tremendously to the series. Though including a few laughs mixed with some drama, Scyed focuses heavily on action and fight scenes between the various alter users. That said, there are more than a few scenes that will pull on your heartstrings.
Scryed boasts a diverse cast of characters and alter capabilities, ranging from the awesome to the just plain ridiculous. The character designs are solid, though it can be said that the series might have done with a better alter creature/ability designer. The animation for the series is very good, with the large number of fight scenes handled just perfectly. Very solid and very clean, the animation in Scryed doesn’t let one down. The soundtrack for the series is perfectly suited to the action as is the voices of the various cast members.
Scryed is a great action-packed series with a good story, a good point to bring across and great artwork. I dare you not to find Kazuma the Shell Bullet one of the more intriguing characters that you will ever come across.
(Historical Note: This was written back in December 2004. Thankfully my writing has improved greatly since then.)
Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-CRY-ed