3x3 Eyes

Title:3x3 Eyes
Sazen Eyes
サザンアイズ
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: HAYASHIBARA Megumi
Music - WADA Kaoru
ORIKASA Ai
Original Concept - Kodansha Manga Award Winner
Original Concept - TAKADA Yuuzou
R1 License - Pioneer (Defunct)
SAKA Osamu
TANAKA Mayumi
A three-eyed immortal girl of an ancient race, Pai, seeks to become human and while on her quest gets involved with a special boy named Yakumo, who happens to die due to some of her magic. Pai decides to save him and brings him back to life by turning him into a 'WU',(a type of unkillable zombie protector). And together they start an adventure to search for a way to gain/regain their humanity.

Based on a 40 volumes manga released from 1987-2002.
4 episode OVA-1 (1991/92) (~25min each)
3 episode OVA-2 (1995/96) (~43min each)

Produced by Bandai Visual, Kodansha and Starchild
Licensed (R1) by Pioneer, (discontinued Aug 2009)
Sold in a bundled two DVD set.
Episode Details 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 8 7 8 7 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:8#1552]
Guessing this is yet another case of a 90s OVA title made to cash-in on then ongoing manga source material. The pacing of both OVAs breeze by rather quickly, giving little time for one to take in the suspense and revelations that get unveiled about characters and Pai's origins. This is kind of a shame as 3x3 Eyes does create some genuinely suspenseful and dramatic moments coming from Pai and Yakumo's struggles as they cross paths with a number of demons throughout their journey to regain their mortality. In addition, the presentation is quite solid for a 90s anime with a good amount of detail on characters and scenery, a good number of suspenseful music tracks and engaging and bloody fight sequences with Pai and Yakumo against various demons. Yet with the limited run time and fast pacing of these OVAs, it kind of limits how attached I can get to their struggles and the second OVA series lacks a conclusive ending as Pai's fate remains uncertain and the two are still trying to gain mortality. As it is, the series is more a promotional tie-in for its time to get folks into buying and reading the manga series with its rushed pacing and lack of resolution to Pai and Yakumo's journey.

Last updated Sunday, June 30 2013. Created Sunday, June 30 2013.
Rent Stretch [series:8#628]
Anyone who has become familiar with anime can't help noticing how often a series turns out to be based on a manga. Likewise, anyone who reads a fair number of anime reviews can't help noticing how often complaints are lodged against the anime for doing a poor job of adapting the manga. One problem is that sometimes anime series which are based on highly popular manga are rushed into production before the manga is complete, yet they try to tell the entire tale by fashioning their own conclusions and radically compressing the story. Such was the case with 3x3 Eyes. I read somewhere that at last count the 3x3 Eyes manga is up to no less than 30 volumes and still going--yet two OVA series based on it have already been completed, and the last one is now no less than ten years old.* With a five-year gap between the two, I can't help thinking that when it was decided to make a second OVA, somebody looked at the latest volume and noticed a neat fight scene which could be adapted into the climax of the new OVA. Unfortunately, the plot had moved so far in the space of five years, and there was so little airtime to work with, that it was decided to pretty much dispense with all the subplots and supporting characters from the first OVA--the quest for the Statue of Humanity; Miss Huan's plot; the lovably opportunistic Ling-Ling; Steve Lon; Meishin, etc. The result was a somewhat disjointed and confusing transition between the two.

Anyway, I definitely prefer the first ("Immortals"). The first time I watched it, I couldn't help laughing when Yakumo had a little run-in with a bus on the streets of Hong Kong. His newly attained immortality turns everything upside down, and events that would normally be horrifying become downright hilarious! Nothing like the disturbing dark anime I'd feared it might be. Rather, a mix of the occult, action and comedy--Wild! The first two episodes were especially good. At times the animation could be surprisingly cheesy for such a classy series--lots of still shots, or shots where very little moves. Another problem was that it ended on a major cliffhanger--what happened to Pai? Was Benares destroyed? What about Miss Huan's plot? What about Kaiyanwan himself?

Having been as fun as it was, and having ended the way it did, whether or not I would watch the second OVA ("Legend of the Divine Demon") was a no-brainer. The disjointed changeover after a five-year leave of absence is exemplified by the changed status of the main characters: in "Immortals" Pai is the expert whereas Yakumo knows nothing; in "Legend of the Divine Demon" they've switched places--he is now an accomplished Uu, whereas she has amnesia. What was disappointing was that this second OVA seemed to have significantly less comedy and more horror to it than the first. The plot of Immortals wasn't exactly crystal-clear, but in this one I really started scratching my head. Was it a good idea to add yet another dimension to an already confusing story by tacking on Hindu mythology? I think the net effect was to give several characters yet another name to be remembered, and so it should have either been left out or better explained. As I watched the final episode, I was still waiting for a rational explanation of Pai's dual personalities, and now she seemed to have taken on a third one. What exactly happened in Hong Kong? I'll definitely need to watch this episode more than once to make sense of it. Hint: Forbin says to expect two girls that look like Pai running around at the end.

All things considered, as compressed and confusing as it is, 3x3 Eyes is still fun--but imagine how great a skillfully handled retelling of the entire manga would be! Maybe it will be redone someday in a more lengthy and technically superior form, to do the original manga justice (like Ah! My Goddess TV). One last thing--If you're watching on VHS tapes, look for the Pioneer rather than the Orion dub.

My favorite line: "Pretty sloppy for a Uu, you asshole!" --Frog Demon

*Akemi's Anime World claims that a third 3x3 OVA is in the works!

Last updated Friday, August 05 2005. Created Thursday, August 04 2005.
Buy 8 9 9 8 8 Tom [series:8#1086]
Yakumo Fuji runs into a girl named Pai who just happens to be a Sanjiyan, or triclops. He is almost killed, but Pai merges with his soul and makes him a Wu, or immortal guardian of the Sanjiyan. They are both looking for the ningen statue which can somehow make Pai a human, but of course things arn't so easy (like all the demons that want to rip them apart).
This is a kick a@@ anime, but the manga is better (if only because it's longer). My only complaint is the lack of anime, it only covers the first few manga.
Anyway, good fights, good comic relief, sexy immortal Chinese girls who have sexy little immortal Chinese girl voices (Pai could make me her Wu, I really wouldn't mind), and thats only the tip of the iceberg. The story's great and the fights are even better. This anime can be kind of twisted when it comes to what the demons look like, though, so be forewarned.

Last updated Monday, December 01 2003. Created Monday, December 01 2003.
Buy 8 8 9 10 Greg Bread [series:8#763]
This has to be one of my favourites, and when I say that I mean the first OVA set!! Theres a enough in here to satisfy anyones tastes, A good story, Violence and blood, a bit of hentai and a tad romance. It was all going good and I loved it.
Spoiler*****
Until Pai lost her memory! Damn what a terrible plot twist it totally ruined it and all that remained after this was a desperation that somehow it would go back to way it was but it didnt. It had so much potential until the end of the first OVA's.
If your going to see this just see the first OVA's.

Last updated Thursday, June 12 2003. Created Thursday, June 12 2003.
Buy 10 10 8 10 10 10 Nurika [series:8#549]
I really enjoyed this anime. It was very intresting, and I loved the characters and their actions. It was a very cute and nice anime! I really recommend this to anyone!

Last updated Thursday, February 20 2003. Created Thursday, February 20 2003.
Buy 10 10 10 7 10 10 TETSUO [series:8#356]
Ok I really liked this one. I really liked the characters. I unfortionatly missed a few chapters in the saga. i highly recomend watching this asap. BTW if anyone know anything about where i can find the 3x3 eyes video games or the videos e-mail me at mature82930@yahoo.com

Last updated Saturday, August 10 2002. Created Saturday, August 10 2002.
Buy 9 10 7 10 4 4 Pai [series:8#196]
I really liked this anime. It has good animation, storyline, and characters. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting much when I read the back of the video cover in my local video store, but once again: good anime strikes again. Even if I have only seen the first part, I like what I see. If anything else, it's worth renting.

Last updated Monday, August 20 2001. Created Monday, August 20 2001.
Rent 7 7 5 6 7 Kaitou Juliet [series:8#137]

This is actually two sets of OVAs, which are currently being sold as Immortals (first set) and Legend of the Divine Demon (second set). I really enjoyed the first set, but then the second one pulled the rug out from under me. Most of the characters disappeared, aside from Yakumo, Pai, and the main bad guy. The whole "seek to become human" plot was abandoned, or rather detoured, and they never came back to it. While there was still some good stuff in the second series, I kept wanting the story to go back to where it started, and that never happened.

By the way, Yakumo gets beat up a lot in this series, often with buckets of blood flying. Use your judgment about whether kids or sensitive people are ready for that. It made me wince a bit, but then I'm a self-confessed wimp.

On the positive side, I liked Yakumo and Pai and most of the supporting characters, especially in the first series. I didn't exactly like Sanjian, but I was definitely intrigued by her. The China/Hong Kong setting is a bit out of the ordinary. And the combat scenes were awesome.

Bottom line: Flawed and not very focused, but still worth seeking out.



Last updated Friday, July 27 2001. Created Friday, July 27 2001.
Rent 6 6 7 6 The Coyote [series:8#64]
this is a very interesting story about a girl who belongs to a lost race and longs to be human I enjoyed it but it ended a bit weird if you see this definatly see 3x3 eyes legend of the devine demon. it will leave you in a lot better mood.

Last updated Thursday, February 15 2001. Created Thursday, February 15 2001.

Other Sites
NameURL
IMDB http://us.imdb.com/Title?Sazan+Eyes+(1991)+(V)
Official Japanese Series Web Site http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/33eyes/
Wikipedia entry for “3x3 Eyes" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3x3_Eyes
Series summary (including plot spoilers), character descriptions and a summary of the episodes.

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