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Year: 2021
Genre: Action, Mystery, Horror
Episodes: 12
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Did you know that the first skyscraper was pioneered in Chicago with the 138 ft Home Insurance Building in 1885? From there, skyscrapers have exploded in the world. Some of the tallest buildings in the world currently are the Empire State Building in NYC, Willis Tower in Chi-Town, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, the One World Trade Center in NYC, to name a few. Now it seems like the goal is to touch the heavens and leave the atmosphere. Just wait; there will be a tower higher than Mount Everest. What if there was a world where people are transported and have to fight on top of skyscrapers to survive against foes that are hunting them.
High Rise Invasion is an anime where people are transported to a world where they must fight and survive on top of high-rise buildings that are connected by wooden bridges. Could one fight their way through the foes and obtain the power of a god?
Overview:
High school student Yuri Honjō has been transported to a world with nothing but skyscrapers and suspensions bridges connecting them. She has no idea how she got there or where the city is located. Afraid, she receives a call from her brother, Rika, who explains that their world is unlike any they have ever been in before. While speaking, Yuri witnesses a masked figure slowly approaching a man before the man decides to jump from the building. Yuri watches in horror as the man’s head splits on the payment, killing him instantly. As Yuri gains some composure, she is quickly attacked by other masked figures trying to kill her. With knowledge of her brother being in the same world, Yuri decides that the best option is to fight the masks figures and escape with her brother. The only thing is that on the way, she will find others like her who are hunted by other masked figures in the new sick and sadistic world that they live in.
Review:
The story of this anime is something like Gantz. Actually, it reminded me of Gantz, where no one knows where they are, and they have to battle against foes that wear masks. The story is okay as we have a few characters without masks who can become gods, and the ones with masks are super-powered people who answer to gods. I found the story to be repetitive and something that I have seen before. You have two girls in short skirts team up trying to find a way off the world as only one helicopter seems to be working. Everything happens on the top of the skyrises, and the only connection between them is these shaky bridges. You die if someone kills you or throws your ass off the building. Also, in the story, you have Yuri and her brother in the same world but don’t know where each other are until the end. You think the Sniper Mask is her brother, but in the end, that isn’t true. There is just too much going on. Some characters were masks, but their minds aren’t really controlled. As usual, there is one dude who has a shit ton of people under his control who wants to rule and get off the island. It seems like this was the same thing as other anime series.
I will say that the violence and action are pretty nice to watch. Is it the best that I have ever seen? Nope, not in the slightest bit, but it does entertain with the violence. As stated before, the ones who wear the masks gain that superhuman powers. One dude could throw a ball that would split a man apart. Then there was one dude who threw knives and seemed to have an unlimited supply. The major dude was a person who had a secret word to unleash his full power and because like Superman. Yet, the anime has some masks that go on people, and then they can take them off like Mayuko or the woman with the pink hair. I just couldn’t figure out what was going on with masks. Then all of a sudden, Kuon could use powers because she is closest to being a god and has a freaking building shooting out a massive laser.
The animation has that Netflix look to it. It is crisp and has the colors that any anime would want, but overall, it seems like all Netflix anime series have the same exact style. There is no difference between any of them, and I feel like that is starting to be a negative against any anime series it makes. Some of the scenes that have nice animation are when the person goes into a digital world, and it has this computer-like feel. Besides that, everyone is drawn in a way that makes them distinct.
The characters are interesting in this anime, and some stand out more than others. Some of the characters who wear masks are meh, and others are straight-up forgettable. Now the main character is Yuri. Homegirl is cute, and at first, she is naïve and tries to help, but once she realizes that this is a real-life and death game, she actually starts showing a violent side when it comes to protecting her friends. For some odd reason, her clothes seemed to get ripped to shreds. Then there is Mayuko, who is another person that you come to know about. She is straight up a beast and a merciless killer in this new world. The first scene with her is gunning down someone. She doesn’t trust anyone until Yuri saves her. She becomes a bigger beast when she gains some of the mask’s powers. The other two characters that are worth mentioning are Kuon and Sniper Mask. I LOVE Kuon because she is just so sweet and innocent. She is there for comic relief, but she is so nice in the evil world she is in. She seems to be out of place. Finally, is my boy, Sniper Mask. We never see his face at all, but the dude is a wizard with that sniper rifle. What is nice about this character is that everyone sees his face but the viewer.
Overall, this anime has some major potential, but I am not having high hopes for it. It wants to be like Gantz but not as crazy as that anime. Some of the characters are cool and funny, but overall they are not too memorable. Watch it to have something to listen to in the background, but you can skip this anime altogether.
