# Kaiba (2008)

> A young man searching for his lost memories in a world where memories are stored as data discovers a bond with a mysterious girl.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/31978

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, fantasy, drama
- Created by: Masaaki Yuasa
- Network: WOWOW Prime
- Cast: Houko Kuwashima, Mamiko Noto, Romi Park, Hisao Egawa, Wasabi Mizuta, Chiwa Saito, Aiko Hibi, Ai Orikasa
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1209386/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, dreamy, wistful, intimate, surreal

## What critics say

Audience reception is strongly positive, with viewers praising the miniseries as a bold, visually striking meditation on memory and identity.

## Synopsis

Kaiba (2008) is a Japanese animated science fiction miniseries created by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by Madhouse for WOWOW Prime. Across twelve 24-minute episodes, a young man named Kaiba (voiced by Houko Kuwashima) wakes in a world where memories can be stored and traded like computer data, with no recollection of his own past. His search for what he has lost draws him into a connection with a mysterious girl, Neiro (voiced by Mamiko Noto), and the pair move through a strange, intrigue-laced landscape where memory and identity keep slipping away. The engine of the series is a quiet hunt for self, with each episode building on fragments of a life that may not be his to reclaim. Its look is deliberately experimental, with painterly backgrounds and loose, unconventional character movement that give the story a dreamlike, unsettled register. Tone is melancholic and romantic, a mix of wistful longing and psychological unease, with the sense that a person is more than their stored data. Fans of Paprika, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Mind Game will find resonance in its blend of surreal visuals, memory-driven mystery and tender emotion. Expect a short, self-contained run that rewards full attention.

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