It is that time, reader. After many twists and turns (and even some season 2 remakes), the anime finally comes to the same conclusion as the original season 1.
So how was this remake? The original was charming in how well the creators did within their limitation.
The anime has none and so goes all out with insanity. Instead of taking place in a small cabin in the woods, this episode shows down in New York. If you’ve seen anime, and you know how showdowns go in Tokyo, you have a pretty good idea how this one went.
BOBBY SHOWS UP IN A HELICOPTER!
I’m callin’ in an airstrike, bitches.
Damn. (also, they have a random New York skyscraper sub as the Tokyo Tower for setting)
Also, instead of Meg’s brother being shot, it’s just Meg herself that threatens Sam and she is the one shot by Dean. Now I kind of want to see how they would play out the later live seasons since she played more important roles in five, six and seven. Sure they could just pull another demon out of thin air and use him/her, but it wouldn’t quite have the same emotional impact.
John’s kidnapping is a more straight forward affair, which explains why they had him use the water-tower trick in an earlier episode. The car also wrecks at the end, but this time in a manner the creators originally wanted, cranked to eleven. (the creators originally planned to have the car flip but the stunt didn’t work exactly, and then ended up being pleased with the take they got) The car flips end over end and sideways at least twice, then falls on its roof. Since the previous scene had shown Dean lying down unbuckled on the back seat, I just can’t believe he’s still going to be “slightly alive” in the next episode instead of all dead (that may be another change).
Still, there is one issue that bothers me. Dean’s realization that his father’s possessed comes from the fact that his dad isn’t yelling at them enough. It’s something I’ve always had mixed feelings about. As a son, I can certainly sympathize with Dean and originally I thought he was right, but for the wrong reasons. After all, two episodes prior John had wasted a bullet saving Sam so it didn’t see as likely that he would yell at Dean; Dean just thought dad would yell at him (because sons ALWAYS think their dads are going to yell at them). Of course, it could be justifiable in that John didn’t see the moment and would have reacted to the news badly at first from pure emotion, but would then calm down and agree with Dean once he understood the full circumstances. Here, Dean saves Sam right in front of John, and then STILL thinks John would yell at him. I’m thinking this must be why the hostage situation in the previous episode was changed, because it would have been harder to justify Dean’s logic if John had just done the same. So I commend the writers for at least tweaking some things to make it all fit better (even if unintentional) but still think in this instance especially, Dean was right about his father, for the wrong reasons.
Also, upon reflection, had the boys shot dad with the colt and killed Azazel, could all the following troubles over the next four years have been avoided? Seems almost ironic that while the message of the show was “family is important” and “stick with family”, a lot of things could have been prevented had they gone against the message just once.
Regardless, the original was great, the anime…
Keeps the original proud. Recommended to fans for a glimpse at what the creators would have done, had they the budget.
Hunting Muses 