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Broken Saints is an award winning, partially animated, Flash Cartoon by Brooke Burgess , Ian Kirby and Andrew West . First published in 2001 , it is a hybrid of the comic and animation artforms that its creators refer to as a "cinematic novel". Like a comic, characters are (generally) kept in static poses and dialogue is indicated by Speech Balloons . However, rather than using sequential panels to advance the story, animation is used to switch scenes and advance the story, providing an animation-type flow of events. Music (composed by Tobias Tinker and Quentin Grey , as well as licensed classical pieces from Mozart and others) and sound effects are added in as well, giving the viewer a more complete experience than one would get from a comic alone. OVERVIEW ''Broken Saints'' is some 12 hours long, split into 24 chapters published online between 2001 and 2003. The chapters become progressively longer, many with two or three acts. The culmination of the series, chapter 24, is five acts long - plus prologue and epilogue - and runs for 1 hour and 23 minutes. Centered on Philosophical , Religious , Political and Spiritual themes, it tells the story of four strangers from "the quiet corners of the globe" connected by a vision they all receive of a coming evil. Their search for the truth behind the vision leads them to each other and to far larger and more disturbing truths than they could have expected. The details of their respective visions vary, but each one contains a giant red cat's eye (accompanied by a terrific electronic screech), the ubiquitous symbol of the series. After seeing it, the four main characters fall into a temporary coma. The Eye -- a red circle with a thin black slit in the middle -- can easily be mistaken for a simplified Eye Of Sauron , yet it is worth noting that ''Broken Saints'' made its debut before the release of the first of the three Lord Of The Rings films. Several haikus (somewhat of a trademark of Brooke's) are presented as each episode loads, giving insight into the events and themes of that particular episode. The beginning and end of most episodes contain quotes from a huge number of sources, tying in with themes and events of the episode. Several chapters contain animated scenes which introduce and close the chapter, and allude to various pop culture media such as The Matrix , Donnie Darko and '' The Wizard Of Oz ''. Each of the chapters were written and directed by Burgess, with Kirby doing the technical direction and West providing the artwork. The site was originally hosted (for the first 6 chapters) by Switch Interactive. In 2005, a DVD version was released in association with Budget Monks Productions and Telefilm Canada , featuring improved or wholly redrawn art for the first several chapters, numerous featurettes, and a voice track for practically all dialogue. The voice actors included William B. Davis , David Kaye , Kirby Morrow , and Emmy -award winner Janyse Jaud . Burgess himself provided a character voice as well. Currently a new DVD release is in the works, for international retail release. A few changes are in the works, including a reworking of Chapter 13's artwork and commentary for each chapter. MAJOR CHARACTERS "In the quiet corners of the globe, four strangers receive a message..." Shandala Nisinu Commonly Shandala, she is an 18-year-old altruistic living an idyllic life. She came to the uncharted Fijian island of Lomalagi (or "Heaven") as an infant floating on the waves and was adopted by the island's wise tribal chief Tui Nisinu. The mysterious circumstances around her birth will return to haunt all who come to know her -- and affect the whole world. In the DVD version, Shandala's voice is provided by Emmy -award winner Janyse Jaud . Raimi Matthews Raimi is a 24-year-old Canadian non-practising Catholic who lives in the fictional Coast City , USA . He works developing software and security (and then finding ways around it) for a global Telecommunications and Pharmaceutical company called Biocom , which has just irked him with a sudden unexplained termination from an important project. The electronic information he cracks from his company leads him on a personal mission that ultimately brings the four strangers together. Kirby Morrow , the dubbed voice of such anime characters as InuYasha 's Miroku and Goku in the Canadian production of Dragon Ball Z , provides Raimi's DVD voice. Oran Oran is a 29-year-old devout Muslim from Baghdad, Iraq . At the outset of the story he is involved in an armed resistance against Western domination, left to guard a small bunker in solitude. With nothing to do but read the Qur'an , Oran begins to doubt his mission and himself. Oran is voiced by Michael Dobson . Kamimura Also known as "Kami", he is an elderly Shinto mystic and former Buddhist from rural Japan . He begins to wander when a former student burns his home to the ground in search of a mysterious box Kami swore to keep hidden. His word is his bond -- and his voice actor is Colin Foo. MINOR CHARACTERS Gabriel Dunn Captain of the yacht "Revelation", Gabriel travels to Lomolagi to find Shandala. Shandala agreed to go with him, to find the truth of her past. But what secrets does this mysterious man have to share? Chief Tui Nisinu Chief Tui is the adopted father of Shandala, and the tribal leader on Lomolagi. He has kept the island secluded, and is wary of outsiders. He is also the father of Tui Jr. Benjamin Palmer One of the founding member of BIOCOM's Executive Board. He has steered corporate affairs away from biological/medical research and towards more profitable communications technologies. He personally promoted Raimi to work on the LEAR/SPEC/SILO project. Lear Dunham One of the Founding Fathers of BIOCOM, he has long held the reins posthumously, after faking his own death years ago. Benjamin Palmer, while planning his own usage of the Satelite network combined with the implants, is in the dark of Lear's true intentions. Sandra Telfer She is one of Raimi's coworkers, and a close friend. She is Benjamin Palmer's personal secretary, and has access to computer files and records that are key in the early stages of Raimi's investigation. Hassan Hassan is a 25-year-old freedom fighter/terrorist. He is Oran's childhood friend and weapons supplier. Having grown up together and gone to the same School , Mosque and Republican Guard training, they have strong bonds with one another. It is in a bunker when things go to pieces for the pair. His fate inspires Oran's rejuvenated faith. Goku Goku is a former student of Kamimura. He turned against his mentor in order to attain a 'treasure' Kami protected for many years. His soul is jarred, and he spends the majority of the series in a coma. However, he isn't without his powers to infiltrate his captors mind... Tui Jr. Tui is the only blood heir to the Chiefdom held by his father. He leaves the island when Shandala decides to go with Gabriel Dunn, and hopes to help keep her promise to return home. Bula Shandala's pet, a stray who washed up on the shores of Lomolagi. Bula was in a bag of dead kittens who were presumably set adrift in the sea due to a shortage of fish on local islands. A side not, Bula means hello. Masayuki A simple egg farmer from rural Japan who gives Kamimura a lift, and a few words of wisdom. Perhaps, beneath all the talk of eggs, there is something more to him. Some truth that will become more clear as the memory of him fades. AWARDS Broken Saints is the winner of various awards including the 2003 Audience Award at the Sundance Online Film Festival. EXTERNAL LINKS
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