The first time I watched Capital Craze, I was completely taken by the light show, the insanity that truly earns it the name Capital Craze. What a fantastic version of Kyoto it has in store for us, with a modern technological façade, a rich historical overlay, and supernatural shimmers that all come together for an image of Japan that could only come from a dream. Nothing is quite right from the perspective of physics or reason, but as the characters run around causing havoc in the already absurd city we grow attached to the world as they do, as a place not connected to a larger world but rather as a world in and of itself, a giant playground where life never slows down.
And indeed it is isolated; it's Kyoto, the mirror capital, drawn on countless reams of paper and hidden in the back of a temple on the whims of the priest Myoue, who watches over the true historical capital of Kyoto, back when dirt roads connect the recently constructed temples we see today as landmarks of a time long past. Having grown bored of his tedious isolation, he draws the capital and a black rabbit he names Koto, who comes to life as a beautiful woman. They have a son named Yakushimaru, and draw two more children for him to play with. But in a supernatural twist, their antics in creating places and people out of drawings bring the ire of Shrine, an organization tasked with keeping balance between worlds, and to escape Shrine’s reach the five of them head into the mirror capital Myoue drew, crafting for themselves a perfect world of their own until one day Myoue and Koto disappear, leaving Yakushimaru the title of Myoue and entrusting the three siblings with protecting the world of the mirror Kyoto.
But they do more than protect it; they turn mirror Kyoto into a paradise the likes of which has never been seen in the universe, where youkai and humans live together, broken objects repair instantly, and technology advances at an unbelievable pace. And it remained that way for a long time as the three siblings await the return of their beloved parents. What they get instead is a young girl also coincidentally named Koto, who accidentally stumbles into their world that had been kept hidden for decades. She brings her unusual name, her little brothers A and Un, and a hammer that can truly break things without allowing them to repair. While mirror Kyoto may be a paradise for the citizens, the three siblings had long since grown bored and itching for their family to return, and to them Koto represents both a massive shift in normal life and the hope that their waiting would soon be over. She, with her unabashed stupidity and optimism, catalyzes action in a constantly changing world, and we quickly grow to realize how tedious constant change is without someone like her.
All of this is made possible by a mix of supreme dialogue, an incredible driving sense of progression and change in the show’s pacing, and a visual style that can only be described as uniquely Capital Craze’s. The second time I watched it I focused on dialogue and characters, trying to keep my judgment from being swayed by the incredibly playful and engaging visual style. But it turns out that the style is necessary to truly feel the incredible power of the story, in the same way that the power of the story allows us to truly enjoy the crazy style. From the frequent punctuating chapter cards to the intentional use of childish drawings and pastel colors, everything is designed to drag us up to the show’s pace, and from there we can truly see what story it has to tell.
Another key element is the use of Japanese history, Kyoto’s historical architecture, and classic Japanese painting styles and aesthetics. At the halfway point of the show there is a fantastic special episode that traces the details of Capital Craze’s Kyoto to the real city of Kyoto, where we see just how much detail was put into both truly rendering the architecture and atmosphere of the wonderful temples and shrines that appear, but also how the traditional meaning they have held for centuries brings a new level of meaning to the events that play out on screen. Among my favorite locations on screen are the dual windows of the Genko-an, which are shown on a black backdrop peeking into an autumn sunset, and the cramped teahouse of the Kurama temple where the singular thin sunlight from above casts deep shadows on the clausterphobic and worn interior.
Having had the pleasure of visiting both temples in person (as well as every other key location from the show), these two stand out as having captured the essence of Japanese aesthetics of shadows, age, decay, and reflection despite being rendered in bright colors at a breakneck pace. Ditto the show’s occasional use of bizarre shooting angles, widely spaced interior shots, and sumi-e ink paintings that feel less animated and more like a work from a museum, the seminal works of an old master who had truly grasped how to create depth and feeling with black stains on white paper. While the light show and quick pacing are a delight, the occasional moments that the show takes to stand still and pause allow these more subtle points to wash over us, and help us realize that what we are watching is truly art.
A similar ebb and flow can be found with the characters themselves, who come and go from the spotlight in what turns out to be very close coordination with their hopes, fears, and personalities. Because of the ten episode limit, Capital Craze focuses on a cast of only about six or seven characters, and between giving them each a good level of depth and allowing them to interact with the world there is no moment that I would consider wasted. The OVAs give a bit more depth on the rest of the supporting cast, who mostly serve the purpose of being outright loads of fun and meshing seamlessly into the backdrop that is Kyoto. The central characters, along with a plot that is both straightforward and convoluted, move forward quickly, and truly change.
Yes, there is some very rare melodrama along the way, and the music sometimes spends too much effort trying to play up the emotions of the scene. No, the show will not hand you every piece of information or connection to past forshadowing, and so yes, paying attention is critical to understanding the bizarreness of the plot and the characters. No, things will not always go according to expectations, as in the last few episodes there are multiple times where the very nature of the plot changes on the drop of a hat. Yes I watched it twice for this reason and no I still cannot claim to understand it perfectly. Yes it is absolutely still worth watching; once, twice, as many times as it takes to fully experience and then a few more times just to enjoy it.
At the end of each episode the ending theme meshes slightly with the events on screen, just a simple guitar line and drums. It builds and builds and builds, and then drops out for just a second, just enough time for the final lines to be spoken before the guitar and drums come back with a vengeance. The piece is angry, simplicity in a minor key, and it both builds a sense of anxiety and a subtle drive to resolve the mixed emotions it brings. I used to have a fairly neutral opinion of the song, but looking back now I realize that twice in a row that song played a role in me watching the entire story in a day, start to finish, without breaks.
It almost doesn't fit a brightly colored, optimistic show like Capital Craze. But in the same way as the song, Capital Craze brings anxiety even with peaceful resolution, a constant sense of not seeing the whole picture and wanting to revel in the insane city of Kyoto once again, an insanity of speed and straightforwardness that brings us joy and the characters anxiety. It brings the characters the anxiety of a cheerful atmosphere that ultimately belies a deeper sense of frustration waiting to be solved, of not being able to understand life even with a singular purpose mandated by an absent God. But even with all this the show brings a sense of warmth and family where none should exist, optimism in confusion, and ties the whole message up in a fun and playful way. And to think I came just for a light show.