Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Gundress Anime Movie Review

Gundress
Anime Works-Media Blasters
Movie - 80 mins. - 1 disc
$29.95 (2002)
ISBN 631595021875
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Katsuyoshi Yatabe
Studio - ORCA (I think)

Synopsis: The year is 2100 and Bayside City employs a private security group called Angel Arms to handle high-level threats.  The group is made up of five beautiful women who pilot five distinct mecha suits.  The team leader is Alissa and she's a true badass who doesn't take orders from anyone.  The Angels take down an arms dealer named Hassan and his group of henchmen on a cargo ship at the docks.
Hassan is protected by a cyborg
They manage to capture Hassan, but now the true mission unfolds.  Looks like some shady government officials want Hassan dead before he can point any fingers.  Now the Angels must protect Hassan before a group of killers manage to put out his lights.  Alissa meets one of the killers face-to-face and recognizes him from her past.  Seems like she has a questionable origin which may come back to haunt her.
The Angels in action
The bad guys have a set of powerful landmates which put the Angels to the test.  Can they protect Hassan against the deadly killers?  What will Alissa find out when she confronts her former lover?  Will the Angels' boss, Takako, manage to reign in Alissa before she goes too far?  Get ready for an action-packed showdown!
Alissa comes face-to-face with her past!
Pros: Masamune Shirow provides character and mecha designs, opening/ending songs are okay, a little comedy, lots of action, two extended nude scenes
The rest of the Angels - don't worry, you won't need to know about them
Cons: Terrible animation, weak dub, Shirow's character designs are completely butchered, Shirow's mecha designs are severely butchered as well, plot is not good, ending is confusing, characters are one-dimensional with no development, takes a bunch of concepts from other Shirow works
The enemy mecha investigate...a teddy bear?
Mike Tells It Straight: Where to even start on how crappy Gundress is?  It sucks on many levels, but I'll start with the horrible animation.  It's inconsistent, simple, choppy, and completely murders the original drawings by Shirow (well known for Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and Dominion Tank Police).  I'm sure he regrets lending his talent to this poor feature.  He apparently designed the looks of the characters and mecha, but the animation team couldn't match the level of detail.  It's interesting to note the animation studio is not listed in the credits and I can't any information on who is responsible.  It's a bad sign when no one wants to step forward and claim credit.
Alissa rides a little mechanical Tachikoma, er, droid thingie
The story and characters are lame as well.  All of the characters are one-dimensional with practically no backstory.  Alissa and the main bad guy are the only ones who get origins while the other characters get barely any screen time.  Angel Arms boasts five distinct members, but we never really get to see anyone besides Alissa do anything.  A bunch of Shirow concepts are plugged into this movie - thermal-optic camouflage (invisibility), landmates (mecha suits with little arms for the driver to control the bigger arms), full-body cyborgs, the Tachikomas, and virtual reality.
Alissa naked and in cyberspace?
It seems like Shirow was hard up on money and signed away his rights to have his ideas raped to make this awful movie.  It's hugely mediocre and was originally released unfinished in Japanese theaters to fund the completion of the animation.  Epic fail on whatever the writers were trying to accomplish.  I don't recommend watching this movie at all.  Low entertainment value and a monumental disservice to Shirow's talent.  
The Angels run around in their mecha suits!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Angel Beats! Anime Review

Angel Beats!
Enjeru Bitsu!
Sentai Filmworks
Complete Collection - 3 discs
350 mins. - 13 episodes
$59.98 (2011)
$69.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
ISBN 814131011114
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Seiji Kishi
Studio - P.A. Works

Synopsis: Yuzuru Otonashi wakes up without any memories at an unknown high school and is immediately thrown into a conflict involving a student group calling themselves the Afterlife Battlefront.  He meets their leader, Yuri (called Yurippe) Nakamura, and is recruited to join their fight against Angel.  He thinks they're crazy and talks to Angel to prove them wrong.  She stabs him through the heart and he dies again.  He wakes up fully healed a little while later and meets the rest of the Battlefront.  They all had tragic previous lives and found themselves in this strange afterlife world.
Otonoshi first appears in the afterlife world and meets Yurippe
Angel is the student body president at the school which is made up of two types of students - students with souls who had previous lives and NPCs (non-participating characters) without souls who act like regular high school students.  Angel has incredible powers of strength, distortion fields, creating weapons, and a host of others.  She keeps order in the school and is the Battlefront's chief opposition.
Otonoshi learns he cant die
Yurippe leads the Battlefront against Angel and runs special missions to rebel against the system.  Members have weapons like swords and guns to fight Angel, but she is an apparently invincible opponent.  The best they can hope is to distract her in order to carry out their missions.  They have a special rock band called Girls Dead Monster with a huge NPC following hold guerrilla concerts in the cafeteria.
Angel may look like a regular student, but she has incredible powers
The purpose of the Battlefront is to rebel against God for giving them unfair lives before they died.  If they become too complacent and lose themselves in the afterlife school culture they will become obliterated, disappearing from this world.  Everyone in the Battlefront fights to avoid being obliterated.  Angel has a special knack for making people become obliterated and that is why the Battlefront fights her.
The Battlefront plan a new maneuver using a band concert as cover
What is the origin of this strange afterlife world and who is Angel?  Will Otonashi's memories trigger him to become obliterated?  What are the tragic stories of the members of Battlefront?  Does this artificial world have any limits to what can be done?  An opposing force besides Angel gathers its forces, but can the Battlefront take on two enemies at once?
Girls Dead Monster play a gig in the cafeteria
Pros: Great animation (particularly the backgrounds), good music especially the opening theme, likable characters, an interesting plot and unique ending, great fusion of different genres like music/school life/action/supernatural
The Battlefront have a mission in secret tunnels beneath the school
Cons: Ending wrapped up too nicely, some of the characters were annoying, highly religious types will dislike the references to God and Christ, series could have been longer to build up the finale, the whole Guild piece was kinda far-fetched, includes the OVA episode "Stairway to Heaven", doesn't include the alternate epilogue included with the original Japanese release
Otonoshi sits down and has lunch with Angel
Mike Tells It Straight: I found Angel Beats! to be an interesting genre-fusion with high production values. It had great music and included a rock band in the story, but I expected some musical element since the word 'beats' was in the title.  It combines elements of school life being based in a high school, action as the Battlefront fights Angel, music, comedy, mystery, and supernatural elements with the whole afterlife theme.
The Battlefront take on an army of Angels
At first I wasn't sure what to make of the series since it was so all over the place.  Angel seemed like a simple antagonist, but her story unfolds as the series progresses.  Otonashi seemed like a typical protagonist and nothing special, but similarly grows with each episode.  I can see why a lot of people give this series praise.  It's not typical and keeps you guessing at what will happen next.  The theme of being unfulfilled in your life and getting a second chance is really well done.
Hinata takes down Yui after she annoys him
Being a huge mix of different genres kind of dilutes the overall strength of the series (i.e. it doesn't do any one thing really well, but a lot of things fairly well).  The comedy offsets the serious moments to a point of taking away their impact.  I see this a lot in anime which is silly one minute and then switches to action the next.  The character designs were a bit simple too.  The ending was great and one of the best I've seen in a long time.  It was poignant and capped the whole series off.  I'm impressed since most anime endings are kind of unsatisfying.
A new enemy appears besides Angel!
It's too bad the series was only 13 episodes as I bet the writers could have brought more twists into the story.  On the other hand more episodes may have just unnecessarily dragged out the series.  I would recommend this show to folks looking for something different and with a little bit of everything mixed in.  It was a pleasant surprise and kept me interested to the end (btw, watch the ending credits of the last episode for an additional epilogue).
The members of the Afterlife Battlefront
TO BUY and Recommendations:

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Black Magic M-66 Anime Movie Review

Black Magic M-66
Burakku Majikku Mario Shikkusuti Shikkusu
Manga Entertainment
Movie - 48 mins. - 1 disc
$19.98 (2013) Sub only
$19.95 (2001)
ISBN 660200408022
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hiroyuki Kitakubo/Masamune Shirow
Studio - Bandai Visual

Synopsis: A secret cargo transport carrying two military test androids crash lands in a forest.  The military sends an elite squad of soldiers led by the hard-nosed Major.  He's known for getting the job done and never failing a mission.  This time might be different as the two androids are cutting edge killing machines meant for anti-personnel attacks.  The Major and his men investigate the crash site for clues to find the androids.
The Major and one of the scientists at the crash site
Meanwhile a plucky journalist named Sybel intercepts a transmission about the crash and brings a colleague along to investigate.  They observe a brutal firefight between the military squad and the two deadly androids. Sybel and her friend get caught in the middle of the action.  The androids are programmed to assassinate an innocent girl and Sybel rushes to save her.
Sybel gets interrupted while taking a shower
Does she have any hope against a killer android with immense strength, durability, and laser beams?  The original developers of the androids get involved, but can they offer a secret shut off switch to save the day?  Sybel and the hapless girl are harried by a murderous android.  Will the military be able to save them both or is Sybel only delaying their gruesome deaths?
Sybel brings along a journalist buddy and they scope out the crash site
Pros: Lots of relentless cyborg violence, ambitious camera angles and animation for the time, good character designs by Shirow, cyborg movements were adequately creepy along with attack gimmicks
The military try to stop one of the androids, but it's tough!
Cons: Too short!, very basic plot, music is bland, dub has a few rough patches, falls into typical 'monster-slowly-chases-main-characters-and-is-always-one-step-behind' formula, no character development, animation is dated (from 1987) and not as slick as the original manga, aircraft destroys the scientist's roof for no apparent reason
The androids are equipped with powerful lasers
Mike Tells It Straight: Black Magic M-66 is based on a work by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Dominion Tank Police).  He wrote and co-directed the anime and it was one of the first adaptations of his work.  It was released as an OVA (original video animation) and came in at a short 48 minutes.  Section 23 is releasing a new edition in Summer 2013, but it's supposed to only have subtitles instead of an English dub.  
Sybel tries to protect an innocent girl from a deadly android
Due to the short length of the feature the characters are relatively one-note and the action is the driving force of the plot.  There's some brief nudity in the beginning with Sybel jumping out of the shower to answer a call.  It's pretty tame and not gratuitous.  I thought the fights between the military and the androids was pretty awesome for the time.  The camera angles and choreography were pretty entertaining.
Can Sybel count on these guys to save her bacon!?
Sybel was a likable heroine and the androids were perfect 'monsters' chasing the damsels in distress.  The plot is incredibly simple and the show was very short.  It's a quick watch with dated animation, but I somehow liked it more than Appleseed.  If you like old school '80s anime and a quick science fiction story with a bunch of violence then check this out.  It's always nice to see more work based on Shirow's incredible art even though it usually gets butchered by these older shows (before the animation technology caught up enough to capture the amazing details).  
You know that part of the movie when you think the monster has been
killed and it's safe?  Yeah, I wouldn't touch that android if I were you!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Dominion Tank Police Anime Review

Dominion Tank Police
Manga Entertainment
Complete Collection - 1 disc
160 min. - 4 episodes
$9.95 (2003)
$34.99 (1999)
ISBN 719987177925
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Koichi Mashimo
Studio - Agent 21

Synopsis: In the future a dense bacteria cloud has engulfed the city of Newport and its citizens must wear gas masks to avoid dangerous levels of bacteria inhalation.  The cloud has been around for decades and is a fixture of living in Newport.  Life goes on underneath the cloud and the city is a futuristic urban sprawl with strangely organic-looking architecture.  Crime continues and has escalated to a point where the police department includes a tank battalion within the city limits.
People wear gas masks due to the dense bacteria cloud covering the city
The tank police are a rough bunch of para-military soldiers who often cause more destruction than the criminals they are supposed to catch.  Tanks are burly machines which tear up roads, smash through walls, and blow things up.  Regular citizens are up in arms about the wanton collateral damage caused by the tank police.
The tank police fight crime with these massive tanks!
Leona Ozaki is a new transfer to the 110th tank police division and their only female member.  The squad is led by a macho tank commander named Brenten who doesn't think a girl can pilot a tank.  Leona must prove him wrong and gets help from some of the other members.  Al Cu Ad Solte is a handsome, young police officer who takes a fancy for the attractive Leona.  Also on the team are Chaplain, who spouts sage advice, and Jim Lovelock, a science expert.
Buaku and the Puma Sisters are Newport's top criminals
Now Leona must prove her mettle with the tank police and stop the criminal menace of Buaku.  He's the premier criminal in Newport and works with two renegade former-catgirl-sex-dolls, the Puma Sisters.  Can Leona pilot one of the massive tanks when all her training comes from the motorcycle squad?  Who is the mysterious backer of Buaku's gang?  Can the tank police avoid destroying an entire building on every mission?  What is Leona's new secret weapon named Bonaparte?
The 110 Tank Police are the only ones who can stop Buaku!
Pros: Lots of comedy, interesting mecha designs for future tanks and aircraft, Leona and Al are cute together, the Puma sisters are pretty funny, music is okay
Leona pilots her scratch-built mini-tank with Al
Cons: Mediocre dub, dated animation (from 1989 and nothing like the beautiful cover images), plot is kinda dumb, Buaku appears to be a goofy criminal yet is somehow important?, weak ending
Now the criminals have tanks - it's a war zone!
Mike Tells It Straight: Dominion Tank Police is an anime based on a manga by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed).  He continues to explore the theme of urban combat, but with a heavy dose of comedy in this series. I thought Leona and Al were great and likable characters, but the villains were a little silly.  Buaku seems like a bumbling criminal, but somehow becomes significant in later episodes.  The missions the tank police went on were also really goofy.  I guess that's because they just utterly destroy stuff with their giant tanks and complete disregard for collateral damage.
A diabolical (and humiliating) new tank deterrent!
This show was all about laughs and comedy.  It veered into semi-serious territory a few times which seemed a bit out of place (the bio-ball and Buaku's origin).  The dub wasn't great and the animation is very dated (although I thought it was better than the animation in Appleseed).  I really liked the design of Bonaparte and Leona's plucky attitude!
The tank police run into the fearsome Red Commandos
This OVA series serves as a prequel to the Dominion Tank Police manga (from 1985) despite being released several years later.  I really liked the manga and recommend any fan of Shirow's work check it out.  A later OVA was released in 1994 called New Dominion Tank Police which is a sequel to the manga.  Then another manga was released in 1995 called Dominion Conflict One: No More Noise in a slightly alternate universe.  A new OVA was released in 2006 called Tank S.W.A.T. 01 which has yet to be released domestically.
Al ponders how he got assigned to a group of raving lunatics
Overall it's an amusing little series, but shows it's age and has low production values.  It's not a classic by any means and another nostalgic '80s anime title.  It's entertaining if somewhat unfocused and the ending was muddled.  The later storyline featuring Buaku's origin hinted at a grander plot which never materialized in this series.  I loved the manga and will review New Dominion Tank Police to see if it does it justice.  Cheers!
Group shot from the manga
TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Appleseed Anime Movie Review

Appleseed
Appurushido
Manga Entertainment
Movie - 70 mins. - 1 disc
$14.98 (2007)
$19.95 (2001)
ISBN 660200407926
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kazuyoshi Katayama
Studio - Bandai Visual

Synopsis: In the aftermath of World War III the world has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  Rising from the ashes of the old world is a new society governed by the General Management Control Office and contained within the utopian city of Olympus.  It's the most advanced city known to humankind and seems like the perfect place to live, but many consider it a cage.  The city is highly automated by the super-computer Gaia (located in the Tartarus block) and genetically-engineered humans called bioroids make up a large percentage of the population.  Scientific advances in cybernetics make cyborgs a common sight.
A group of terrorists take some hostages
Bioroids were originally created to serve humankind, but they have risen to govern the city's bureaucracy.  Many humans are resentful of the bioroids and pockets of resistance have broken out all over the city.   The police force has formed an enhanced SWAT (ESWAT) team to deal with terrorism and they've been busy!  Two star members of the team are Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires.  They were both rescued from the wastelands by Hitomi, a beautiful and philanthropic bioroid.
Deunan and Briareos are called in with the ESWAT team
Briareos is a full-body cyborg after being horribly injured in battle while Deunan is completely human.  The two are partners and friends.  They owe their new lives to Hitomi, but are somewhat suspicious of the political climate in Olympus.  A new terrorist has surfaced called A. J. Sebastian and his goal is to take down Gaia in order to seize power from the bioroids.
A group of terrorists steal some construction Landmates (mecha suits)
There's a terrorist sympathizer on the police force and a new experimental weapon being tested.  What is Hitomi's secret connection with Gaia?  Now Deunan and Briareos are caught in the middle of a terrorist attack which could topple the perfectly manufactured society of Olympus.  Will they side with the humans or help proliferate the antiseptic world of the bioroids?
The terrorist A. J. Sebastian
Pros: Good original concept, cutting-edge mecha designs at the time, bloody violence and tons of swearing!, dub script is pretty funny with a bunch of one-liners, some comedic parts, decent soundtrack
Deunan and Briareos at a dinner to celebrate Hitomi hosted by
all of the human refugees she has rescued over the years
Cons: Dated and bland animation (nothing like the beautifully detailed cover images), terrible dub (the voice actor for Briareos makes him sound like he's from New Jersey), weak characterization and simplistic plot, not the same dub as the original VHS tapes, ending was a bit anti-climactic
There's just something about a woman cleaning a gun in her underwear...
Mike Tells It Straight: Appleseed is based on the classic manga by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell, Dominion Tank Police).  His artwork and story are mostly butchered in this animated adaptation.  The relationship between Deunan and Briareos is practically non-existent, the character/mecha design details are totally bland, and the plot is highly simplified.  Not much character development exists and I started rooting for the bad guys because they had more backstory (well, not Sebastian, but the crooked cop).
Sebastian in cybernetic armor
If you like old school cyberpunk anime then this show is a solid entry.  Lots of cyborgs and action.  Check out the manga for better art and story.  Appleseed was again adapted in 2004 with an all-CGI feature film.  It was successful enough to spawn a sequel called Appleseed Ex Machina and a 13 episode series called Appleseed XIII.  Animation technology has matured enough to handle the tech elements of the story, but I'm still a bit skeptical about CGI acting.  I'll post reviews about these shows sometime in the future and it's always nice to see more work based on Shirow's incredible art.
A classic cover image from the manga by Shirow
TO BUY and Recommendations: