I Finally Watch "Anime e Sangue"

The Italian fantasy Anime e  Sangue  has been sitting in my watchlist on Amazon Prime for weeks. I have popped in to a few episodes, but have not made any sense of what's going on. But I'm determined to figure it out.

Scene 1:  Five years ago.  Khan, who doesn't look Asian, is lying dead on the floor of an industrial space.  Elderly Azazel (the name of an angel)  tells him that he didn't die in vain.  Then he is attacked by a lot of men with guns and black ski masks marked with GDR (The German Democratic Republic?).  A younger guy appears like a ghost and kills them all.   Their spirits, green trails of light, enter Azazel.

Cyrano and his other allies arrive, a little too late.  Azazel points out that the death of Khan is emotionally devastating, and asks if they want to continue.  They all agree to prss on: "let's go home."

Scene 2: Now.   Neverland.  A teenage Peer  Pan, dressed in the lefa-and-vine costume of the 2003 movie (top photo), has just been shot by the pirates, and is dying. A young man (Marco Maccieri, left)  appears and offers to save his life, in exchange for a favor. He wants to put Peter's spirit into a sword, take it to another world, and put it in a new body to do an unspecified chore.  Peter agrees.

Scene 3:  Milan, night.  A woman is being attacked.  Suddenly the sword appears; she picks it up, and Peter's spirit enters her body, allowing her to fight off her assailant.

So Peter's spirit has taken over her body?  Do they share consciousness, or what?

Peter is not happy about being in a girl's body.  One of the gang, who appears to have a Spartan's soul inhabiting his body, gives him the "come with me if you want to live" speech.

So all of the gang is from other worlds, inhabiting the bodies of innocent bystanders?  That's kidnapping...or, um, something.

Scene 4:  Ladies' restroom. Girl-Peter cuts her hair to look more like boy-Peter while Sparta-Soul ogles the ladies coming and going.  He gets tired of waiting and checks.  Peter has vanished.

Huh? But he wasn't threatening, he was going to help...why leave?

Scene 5:  Crowded street of Milan, daytime.  Peter wanders around, drawing attention to herself with her weird 19th century courtier costume.  Aren't the family and friends of the host body going to get worried? 

Spartan-Soul cuts her off in a car and orders "jump in."  Peter complies. Wouldn't you?  Maybe Spartan-Soul will provide breakfast.

Scene 6:  Cyrano from Scene 1 rides his motorcycle down a country road to what looks like a deserted school.  He brings groceries to his femme boyfriend, who complains that there aren't any forks, so how are they supposed to eat? Oh.  How gauche!

They are hiding from the Guardians.  Interstellar police trying to track down body-snatchers?  

A gang of baddies shows up.   The head Evil Guy, an innocent bystander inhabited by Orlando Furioso, tortures Cyrano by reading from the play Cyrano de Bergerac.  Remember your old life?  Now surrender, and face the wrath of the Creators.

Creators and Guardians and GDR...the mind reels.

While they fight with swords and magic bursts of light, Spartan-Soul and Peter arrive and join in.    They dispatch the baddies.

Peter seems rather hot for Cyrano, but it's probably a not gay subtext, just a heteronormative "you're attracted to the opposite sex of the body you're in."  Girl body, likes boys.

Scene 7:  Cyrano is not happy about the life-saving assitance.  "Why are you here?"  he yells at Spartan-Soul, who explains that Sariel sent him to round up the gang for a new mission.

Wait -- I thought Azazel was in charge. Who the heck is Sariel?

Cyrano wants to refuse the new mission, but Boyfriend -- the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz -- convinces him to try.

Scene 8:  They arrive at Spatan-Soul's rundown house. Scarecrow complains about the decor (you're about to fly right out of here, aren't you?)

The young man who bought Peter to this world appears.  I guess he's Sariel.  Time for a plot dump.

Sariel needs the Shaper, a magic sword that can "manipulate realities" to send them all home.  But Orlando and his Guardians will "stop at nothing" to keep them from getting it.

I don't trust this guy at all. "Go get me the sword of infinite power, and then I promise I'll send you home."  Scarecrow should remember that the Wizard of Oz used the same scam with Dorothy.

Cyrano doesn't trust him, either. "Five years ago we failed because of you, you jerk!"

Sariel scoffs. "I'm one of the Supreme Ones, so you'll just have to do what I say.  And now I have to leave without explaining anything.  Oh, and make sure the boy will not be a problem."

Ok, I guess girl-Peter has a male gender identity, so he/him pronouns.

Scene 9:  Peter and Scarecrow bond over beer.  Peter suggests changing his name to Oz, much cooler.

Scene 10:  Peter has a vision or has been transported to the tower where the Magic Sword is chained up.  Sariel says "Stay strong, my boy, for all of us."  Peter flashes back to Scene 1, then wakes up in bed.    The end.

Beefcake: None.

Other Sights: No.

Gay Characters: Since Cyrano is all about courting Roxane in the play, I'm surprised that he has a boyfriend. Oz is obviously gay coded.  I'm interested in seeing whether Peter with a male gender identity and a female body gets a boyfriend.

Plot Complexity: Guardians, Supreme Ones, Creators, the Shaper, and the German Democratic Republic.

Will I Keep Watching:  Sure. But only until Peter kisses someone.

For all the beefcake photos I could find, see Desperately Seeking Anime e Sangue