The Melody of Oblivion 8

July 7, 2004

Title: The Fated Road Afar
Fansubbed by: RiceBox

The tyrannic Monster Agents are intent on crushing all resistance in their valley.

However, our heroes battle the Monster's mecha minions . . .

. . . and save the villagers from repression.

The End.

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RATING: B

Taken at first glance, "The Melody of Oblivion" is a dichotomy of sorts -- on one hand, you've got pure action filled with Akira-esque motorcycles and giant pseudo-mecha, but, on the other hand, you've got a fantasy/magic core, complete with bows, arrows, and invocations. Surprisingly though, this title manages to keep these disparate halves in balance.

Just as reported in Sugar's superb reviews, there's clearly much more to this series than meets the eye. Although it's easy to fixate this series firmly within the shonen realm, the characters spout a lot of mellow Zen-like discussions not only about impending doom, but also on the meaning of art and love.

To be honest, this series is vaguely reminiscent of Full Metal Alchemist -- there's clearly an underlying philosophy (i.e. similar to the 'equal trade' mantra) that also permeates this title. More specifically, if you happen to focus on the color / stylistic imagery, it's easy to see subtle allusions to music, classical mythology, and high-level existentialist theory.

When everything is said and done, "Melody of Oblivion" truly offers a highly immersive environment that is both addictive and compelling. Truth be said, most shonen/mecha fans would be better served by genre staples like Naruto, but for the more intellectually inclined, this series can't possibly be wrong.

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