Synopsis:
Pai looks like an ordinary girl, but she's not. She is actually a 300-year old Sanjiyan. The Sanjiyan are a legendary race of powerful, immortal creatures with three eyes. But Pai just wants to be an ordinary human being. She searches for Yakumo Fujii, the son of an archaeologist who devoted his life to learning about the Sanjiyan. After a string of weird events, Yakumo agrees to join Pai in her quest, and the two soon find themselves entangled in a web of opposing occult forces. It seems Pai and Yakumo are not the only ones who are after the "Statue of Humanity"... to complicate things further, Pai isn't aware she has two very different personalities!

Review:
3x3 Eyes is driven by a very strong and original plot, but the overall atmosphere is just too gloomy for my taste. Even daytime scenes come off as dark and brooding, somewhat reminiscent of Batman films.

The main character Pai is a sweet young girl who wants nothing else but to become a full-fledged human being. She doesn't even know that like the Incredible Hulk, she's just scary when she's angry. A third eye appears on her forehead, and the incredible powers of the Sanjiyan become manifest. In her Sanjiyan form, Pai is merciless -- the total opposite of her usual self. Helping Pai on her quest for humanity is Yakumo, an ordinary guy with a not-so-ordinary job (which involves cross-dressing). A romance between Pai and Yakumo develops in a realistic and believable pace, and the innocence of the two characters is a great contrast with the violent setting, giving 3x3 Eyes a certain freshness and distinctive twist.

3x3 Eyes is one hell of a blood and gore fest, and the scenes are shown in their full, horrific glory. There are also a lot of occult elements like demons, evil spirits, and possession. What ruined this series for me is the artwork. None of the characters look any good. Faces are drawn in a pudgy manner that's just annoying to look at... which is a far cry from creator Yuzo Takada's original artwork. The English dubbing is quite satisfactory though, and I didn't notice anything amiss.

3x3 Eyes could've been a great series. In fact, there are a lot of things it could've been -- if only the visuals were better.

Miscellanies:
Yakumo has a really bizarre job, and his eyes seem perpetually closed!

Screenshots:

Shopping - click on title to purchase:
Rightstuf 3x3 Eyes (DVD Vol. 1)
Rightstuf 3x3 Eyes (DVD Boxset)

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