"…the war was fought by humanity against a series of fantastical monsters and the driving point of the show is that we lost, not won. Thus the show sets the stage for a world full of people lulled into a sense of false security that has arisen from the ashes of a nearly wiped out Earth where life continues on as though nothing happened (for the most part). As the show's four episodes progressed, we see that kids still go to school, parents go to work, and the grand scheme of things isn't much different than contemporary life except that the monsters make semi-regular appearances to obtain a sacrifice of a student to feed upon. The sacrifices appear at first to be random but a sort of mulligan is tossed in that if a student doesn't pass a test, he or she is more likely to be the one at the mercy of the monster (parents go so far as to bribe the officials in charge of the test to allow their kids to pass). No one is safe however if one of the monsters is in town and takes a liking to a particular kid. Since the appearance of the monsters is somehow regulated and infrequent, most people have chalked it up as an uneasy peace far cheaper than ending all life as we know it (as opposed to realizing they are essentially livestock for their masters).

There's a wind of change though, one that threatens the peace between the two races, and it comes in the form of a group called the Warriors of Melos. They fight on, tentatively fighting a guerilla war unsupported by the masses (at least openly) using supernatural powers somehow bestowed upon them that allows them to see the true form of the monsters and ride souped up motorcycles as they use their gifts to combat the monsters one at a time. The monsters don't appear to be organized (from the first four episodes) so as one falls, an area is temporarily safe of their influence.

The lead character of the series is a youngster known as Bocca. He possesses an average intellect, a keen eye, and a drive to see things change for the better so it becomes immediately apparent that he'll be the next guy gifted to fight the monsters. He runs into a strange gal known as Sayoko and immediately doesn't like her, signaling that she'll be his partner to those of use who've seen such shows before. Rather than have the lead protagonists get along famously, the creators of such shows think the storylines will develop more interestingly if they fight and bicker so that foreshadowed the couple's importance to the show. Sayoko is also gifted with some powers but not to fight the monsters so much as to guide the warriors in their quest and Bocca ends up with her assistance after he helps a powerful warrior, Kurofune, defeat the local monster." This sums up the second volume in general terms too as the couple progress to the point where they encounter those who don't want saving if it'll upset the delicate balance that protects their own interests. Here's what the back cover said about it:

"Is the saving of innocent lives a worthy cause when everyone else condemns you for the act? This burden weighs on Bocca's heart as he continues his fight against Midnight Hiyoko. But who is the real enemy? Later Bocca and Sayoko arrive at a town filled with mechanical mice and meet a girl who could be a warrior of Melos if it weren't her hatred of warriors."

The episodes this time were 05) A Voice That Will Reach For You, 06) Valley of the Pyramid Scheme, 07) Crying Strings, and 08) The Distant Road of Destiny. The first part of the episodes finishes off the tale of the last volume by having the duo engage in the enemy against the will of the people in the resort city. It was all over the place in terms of quality of writing so I really cringed when I saw there was another arc starting. It also squandered a lot of potential by introducing two more characters, of which Tone has similar abilities to Bocca (actually better than his), yet hates his fellow warriors with such passion that she attacks him and leaves him for dead when the monsters, in the form of mechanical mice that combine ala Godzilla Vs. Destroyah to form a near indestructible giant that dwarfs anything he has seen in the past. Sadly, the pacing was such that both arcs wrapped up almost as quickly as could be even though they were set up so slowly that I nearly fell asleep. Still, I thought die hard anime fans would like this one more than I did so they might want to check it out while I gave it a deserved Skip it.

Picture: The Melody of Oblivion: Monotone: was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as originally aired in Japan. I liked how the show could be very dark and eerie or light and colorful as needed rather than sticking with one viewpoint as so many others do. This added to the visual complexity as much as the ongoing storyline and aside from some grain, it looked pretty good. The anime style itself will immediately be familiar to fans of the genre (although I prefer seeing more complex backgrounds and elements to the picture, it is a lot cheaper to do it this way) and relies on a lower budget than some of the smash hits from Japan in recent years.

Sound: The audio presented the standard two choices for the consumer; a 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo with either the original Japanese vocals or an English language dub, each with the choice of a couple of subtitle streams (one for dialogue and the other for the major signs only). To be fair, the vocals from the original language sounded more natural but the dub seemed to be a solid effort on the part of Geneon with better body to the music if nothing else. There wasn't a lot of directionality with the show though and aside from a couple of battle sequences, it could've been in monaural and stood up just fine.

Extras: The only extras here were a clean opening and a few trailers to other shows. I still hope this changes on later volumes since that's what makes the difference between something I often recommended and something I suggest as a rental (especially in this day of pirated copies).

Final Thoughts: The Melody of Oblivion: Monotone had all the flaws of the First Volume and therefore I found it difficult to get through it all without taking several breaks. I hate doing that but my sanity is important to me so I did what I had to do to make it through. I could provide a lengthy list of projects both the original creators in Japan have made that worked as well as their American counterparts but for whatever reason, the entire project appeared majorly flawed. The idea of a post apocalyptic Earth where demons rule and require regular sacrifice is a good one but the way this series approaches it left much to be desired (leaving the teenager to figure out his own abilities in such a place started me off on the wrong foot and there were dozens of plot loopholes that pushed me further). I had hoped the series would get better and was let down here but perhaps the future is brighter given the depths to which this one plunged. I'm sure there will be apologists elsewhere that find something to like about the show (generally referred to as shills) but the more I analyzed it, the worst it got and the adult themes (blood, killing, death, and the like) seemed almost an attempt to draw a younger, more easily satisfied crowd even though it was rated as "16 Up" by Geneon. Give it a look if you must but don't say I didn't warn you.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk