Babylon is a 2019 anime series based on a novel by Nozaki Mado, which then was adapted into a manga series, and then got turned into this bizarre and amazing anime series. This is one that has been courting controversy, but since I popped the Blu-ray’s into my player last week, I was immediately hooked. Babylon is a deeply unsettling, psychological anime series, that deals with certain emotions in ways I haven’t seen dealt with in anime before on such a level.
The series follows a prosecutor Zen Saizaki who has to investigate a pharmaceutical company who allegedly falsified labwork in order to get their product to the public. After the investigation begins we see him get deep into a world of intrigue he never knew existed (but not always exactly related).
Babylon uses the initial investigation hook to get uses into it’s world, but after that it takes Zen into a world of political intrigue, suicide, and just absolute bizarre things. There are a lot of dead ends here, but I feel that tracks with real life, and while not anime it’s an aspect I like in Torchwood – Miracle Day where not every thing seems to lead to a neat place. The animation I thought was stellar and quite atmospheric.
Sentai Filmworks presents the series in a very solid 1:78:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer that looks quite excellent. Audio is handed with Japanese and English 2.0 tracks that comes through crisp and clear. Extras include a clean opening and closing. HIGHLY RECOMMMENDED.