Afro Samurai Resurrection 2009-02-24

Plot Summary

Afro Samurai Resurrection features the debut of Sio, a young woman bent on taking revenge on Afro Samurai for all the people he has killed and maimed in his journeys, especially her brother Jennosuke who is forced to wear teddybear-shaped life support equipment (really, it is vital that it looks like a bear; trust me on this). To this end, she steals the Number One headband from Afro, taunting him to go find the Number Two headband in order to have the status to challenge her. She also distrubs the grave of Afro’s father and places his remains in a cloning vat, where a mad scientist is able to restore his body and mind.

Eager to fight Sio in order to prevent his father from walking the earth again, Afro begins a wild goose chase to the Number Two headband. He manages to extort the location of the headband from the surviving members of the Empty Seven Clan. It turns out that the current owner of the headband, a ronin named Shichigoro, has hidden it away but is unwilling to simply hand it to Afro because of a promise he has made to protect his step-son. Their duel being rendered unavoidable, Afro is forced to kill Shichigoro and take the headband from him.

Finally having earned the right to challenge Sio to a duel for the Number One headband, Afro makes his way back. In the meantime he is confronted with Sio’s three cyborg bodyguards, who try to protect their mistress by pre-emptively attacking him. He manages to dispatch all three at the same time, but not without sustaining great injuries.

Afro’s delay gives Sio the chance to release the clone of Afro’s father, which has been completely reconstructed other than his conscience. Facing the image of his father, Afro is unwilling to raise his sword against him, and so he sustains blow after blow by the clone, until his heart stops and the clone discards him.

Seeing Afro take a beating awakes Jinnosuke’s memories of their friendship, and he rushes to defend him, Sio running after him to stop him. The clone ends up taking the Number One headband and killing both of them, but in doing so, Jinnosuke’s life support machine short-circuits and jump-starts Afro’s heart. Deciding that the clone has no part of his father’s soul in it, Afro gathers the courage to attack and kill it, finally managing to take back the Number One headband, and apparently having made more enemies in the process.

So how many instances of “resurrection” have we reached yet? Four? Five?

Review

Let’s face it, a movie starring a Black African samurai in Japan cannot possibly be judged with a straight face. If the setting made any attempt to reproduce historic fact, it would clash horribly with the characters and appear extremely out of place. As long as its elements are detached from reality, the viewer has a chance to observe the movie from a distance and actually enjoy it.

The skeleton of the setting is a barebones version of feudal Japan; the similarities go as far as the landscapes, clothing, buildings and some minor cultural elements. From there, the camp factor increases exponentially. The main plot of the movie revolves around using a dead man’s remains to make a clone of himself and reprogram their brain, effectively “raising them from the dead”. There are veterans of war who have fitted sword blades, grenades, jet packs and flame throwers in their amputated bodies. And let’s not forget the mazochistic arachnoid mad scientist cyborg. It all actually seems very fun, as long as it doesn’t take itself seriously.

The main villains are very one-dimensional, and some flashbacks introduced to flesh them out do them more harm than good. Afro, Jinnosuke and Sio are all played straight throughout the flashbacks; it feels like the movie is taking itself seriously there, which would be a terrible mistake. Admittedly the flashbacks are necessary in order to explain the characters’ actions towards the end, but even so they should have come up with something equally riduculous with the rest of the movie.

The rest of the cast are not much better off, of course. Afro continues to be a stoic character completely predictable in his motivations and feelings (or lack thereof). He also seems to adhere to a moronic kind of warrior code which probably wouldn’t hold water in any more serious setting; even in this movie, it stretches credibility to go forth issuing formal challenges in order to reclaim something that he rightfully owned and was stolen from him.

To be honest, it is difficult to understand why first-rate Hollywood actors were chosen to voice the characters in Afro Samurai Resurrection, other than accepting it as a marketing trick. Most of the action goes by in silence, and the dialogues that take place are too short and restricted to make use of the actors’ talents.

Other than my gripe with the voice actors, I think that the attention on high-quality production values was well spent and well deserved. The character designs are suitably over the top to match their ridiculous origins, and their movements and actions are extremely detailed, both when engaged in duels and when resting and talking. I particularly like the various camera angles used, during combat and elsewhere, as it allows the viewer to watch the same characters and environment in different ways and appreciate the details spread all around. This attention to detail is also apparent in the backdrops; from the cyberpunk labs to the traditional japanese parade, there is something to catch one’s eye.

The awesome graphics are nicely completented with appropriate sound effects and ambient sounds. The soundtrack is also noteworthy; although mostly unusual for anime, having a rapper create the score sounds strangely fitting in this case.

Don’t mistake Afro Samurai Resurrection for an anime set into any kind of historic japanese era. Instead, it is choke full of gory battles, over-the-top environs and ridiculous characters. And as far as those are concerned, it handles itself very well.

Stats

Type: Movie
Length: 1 X 90 min

Rating

Production: 9/10
Plot: 5/10
Setting: 8/10
Characters: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

Macross Zero 2009-02-17

Plot Summary

Set one year prior to the beginning of the Macross series proper, Macross Zero depicts the escalation of warfare between U.N. and anti-U.N. forces, with a focus on an alien spaceship which crash-landed on Earth years ago and holds technology hitherto unknown by humans.

Kudo Shin, a young U.N. pilot, get shot down by an anti-U.N. prototype military airplane/mecha model, and he lands onto an unmapped island in the Pacific ocean. He is rescued by a local native tribe whose primitive culture and religious relics are oddly similar to the alien technology uncovered by scientists. Nome Sara, the high priestess of the tribe, and her younger sister Mao, seem to have a genetic affinity to the relics and can cause paranormal phenomena around them.

Shin is soon rescued by his comrades and returns to his fleet, but his arrival at the island has alerted both the U.N. and anti-U.N. to its existence, and both forces race to acquire and uncover the secrets of the ancient tribe.

Sara is digusted by the humans’ rampant exploitation and opportunism, and the alien mecha which is composed of the various ancient artifacts on the island is activated as a response to her emotions and channels its powers against the U.N. fleet. Amidts a dogfight with anti-U.N. planes, Shin manages to reunite with Sara and placate her, and she decides to sacrifice herself and the alien mecha in order to save her island and tribe from a nuclear barrage launched by the U.N.

Review

All right, let’s get the weak points out of the way first: the story, on its own, is not particularly interesting. The premise of an aircraft pilot getting stranded on an island steeped in alien artifacts and natives following ancient traditions sounds very promising. But from the point of Shin’s rescue and eventual return, the story gets needlessly convoluted, with frequent scene and setting changes without much actual progress being made. Eventually the OVA rushes to its climax, but it is an artificial and unforeshadowed climax so it feels like a cop-out, a way to make the OVA end with a bang.

Likewise, the characters initially introduced are interesting, especially the Nome sisters in their interactions and relating to Shin, but they fail to develop during the course of the OVA so they stagnate into stereotypes instead. Especially Sara, which should have become likeable by the end of the OVA in order for the ending to work, does nothing to escape her stereotype of an anti-progressive traditionalist tribe leader. The secondary characters introduced later into the OVA are also heavily typecast, and some of them are completely redundant other than acting as references to the rest of the Macross universe. One of the possible exceptions is professor Aries Turner; although her relation to several characters across the board seems slightly forced, she is one of the few characters, secondary or not, who reacts and adapts adequately to the events around her.

However, the whole point of this average story is that it is wrapped up in delicious eye candy. The various vistas of the tropical island are stunningly drawn, and the designs of the ancient culture presented are suitably alien and weathered at the same time, so their origin and effect is completely believable. The CG dogfights are seamlessly blended with the handdrawn graphics, which is an accomplishment difficult even nowadays. Macross Zero depicts a wide range of environments, from gentle ocean breezes to underwater ruins to aircraft warfare, but it manages to impress on every front.

The characters are also very nicely drawn and display a wide range of emotions, both with their facial expressions and with the help of the voice acting. The musical score also complements the scenery and action very well, with few exceptions (the tribal hymn verges on being slightly annoying).

Of course, the throwback references of this OVA to other parts of the Macross mythos adds to its value for those who have watched or plan to watch the series proper. Much of the OVA is dedicated to exploring the protoculture theory and its effect on human civilization, and the end result of a blend between advanced technology and ancient religion is presented very nicely in my opinion. There are also cameos and secondary roles to characters who appear elsewhere in the Macross universe, most notably Roy Focker, and this kind of fanservice adds to the value of the OVA.

Macross Zero can serve as a good starting point to explore the Macross saga, or it can be faced as a self-contained OVA of rediscovering a lost civilization. Whichever way one uses to approach it, it should be done to enjoy the amazing animation and CG scenes, rather than placing attention in its lacklustre story.

Stats

Type: OVA
Length: 5 X 30 min

Rating

Production: 9/10
Plot: 6/10
Setting: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Alexander Senki 2009-02-10

  

Plot Summary

The major plotline of Alexander Senki is, of course, the life and works of Alexander the Great. Set in an alternate universe where technology and culture differ from ancient greek standards, the series follows many of Alexander the Great’s noteworthy historical footsteps, from his birth in Macedonia to the pinnacle of his conquest, deep in the heart of Asia.

There are several secondary plots, of course. There are constantly attempts to usurp or manipulate the throne and its inheritance, first by the royal advisor, Lord Attalus, then by Queen Olympias, King Philip himself, and various characters of Alexander’s entourage. There is also an abstract artifact of mystical power called the Platohedron, which Alexander attempts to possess and various agents try to destroy in order to depower him.

The series ends on a much more positive note than historical truth. Having survived illness, poisoning and assassination attempts, Alexander is poised to continue his attempts to push the boundaries of his empire, embracing his role as reformer of the world.

Review

I suppose that one has to be at least slightly familiar with ancient greek history and philosophy in order to fully appreciate all the events and characters depicted in the series. The ancient world where the series is set is on the brink of a paradigm shift. The legacy is represented by Aristotle, Plato and the pythagorean cult, who embrace a more abstract and mystical outlook of the world. That worldview slowly gives way to a more pragmatic and scientific way of thinking. Alexander seems to know that this change is under way, but he is by no means its master. In fact, he is shown to acknowledge the future rule of Ptolemy, as  a representative of a new world order.  by It’s a pity that this trend is only present as an undercurrent, and not presented more obviously.

For the most part the plot unravels as expected, with Alexander overcoming the obstacles to his throne, and then starting a campaign of conquest towards the neighbouring kingdoms. The focus shifts regularly from personal fights to strategic meetings to large-scale battles, and as an added bonus there is at least some gore and nudity throughout the series. There is also a fantasy element in the subplot of the pythagorean cult, and a science fiction element in Alexander’s vision of Alexandria. In short, the series caters to many diverse interests, if one has the patience to wait it out.

The timeframe of the series is difficult to pinpoint. Naturally a lot of warfare is depicted, and it seems to consist mainly of troops on foot or on horseback, wearing metal armour and using spears and swords as weapons. Side by side, there are also huge war machines and self-driven chariots. Outside of the battlefield, people seem to do business on a level much like ancient Greece with a few exceptions, such as some more sophisticated medical tools.

And then there are zombie soldiers and flying zealots. On the whole, I would say that technology is akin to that of ancient greece, with a few steampunk/”atlantean” infusions. As expected, the graphical depiction of this world is equally eccentric. The setting is, for the most part, realistically drawn, from the open air market and implements of war to the elaborate courts and arenas. Outside of organized settlements, the world takes a more abstract view, with landscapes seemingly composed of nothing but wireframe geometrical shapes. All the focus of the artists is places on the proximity where the characters live and act.

Unfortunately, said characters do not seem to advance and develop as the series progresses. Alexander, in particular, is patently bland and unfazed, although perhaps he is presented so on purpose in order to appear calm and inspiring. This appearence gives us no input concerning his motives and outlook, however, so the fact that the whole series follows him around loses some of its interest. The only point where he is shown to express human emotions of doubt and ambition are during his meeting with Diogenes.

The rest of the characters are more complex, although not by much. Alexander’s supporters are one-dimensional due to their devotion to him, to the point of self-destruction. The most developed characters are the antagonists, such as Lord Attalus and Ptolemy, who are shown to experience the whole spectrum of human emotion, from hate to adoration, during the series.

The designs of the characters themselves are rather eccentric, with men and women equally scantily clad (the most common ensemble seems to be shirts and thongs, for both sexes), toned, spindly and with androgynous facial characteristics. It is not an unpleasant design, but it does take some time to get used to it.

The voices are well cast, with nobody standing out as misplaced, but no notheworthy performances either. The score, whenever it does exist, is likewise competent but nothing particularly special.

On the whole, I think that watching Alexander Senki was interesting, as it is one of the few visits into ancient greek history; it is interesting to see the japanese take of what elements of historic events and myths need to be changed and modernized in order to make them watchable. The outcome might seem a bit off-key at first, but as a alternative history drama anime it is eventually fulfilling.

Stats

Type: TV Series
Length: 13 X 20 min

Rating

Production: 7/10
Plot: 7/10
Setting: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Sigmund Freud Kicks Ass 2009-02-05

Ειδικά αφιερωμένο στους fans των comics της δεκαετίας του ‘60. Οι θεωρίες του Sigmund Freud σε ένα δεκαεπτασέλιδο γεμάτο με kirbytech και υπερβολικούς διαλόγους.

Και για όσους τα ανωτέρω δεν έχουν κινήσει ακόμα την περιέργεια: στο τέλος ο ήρωάς μας πνίγει τους εχθρούς του υποσυνειδήτού του σε μία πλημμύρα από ψυχο-σπέρμα.

Detonator Orgun 2009-02-01

Plot Summary

Detonator Orgun is set on a futuristic Earth in 2292 – although its futurism is more decorative than anything. There are many daily life conveniences, from sliding doors to automatic waiters, but there seems to be hardly any technological progress in important sectors like communications, space exploration or even weaponry. Having grown up in such an environment, pre-graduate student Tomoru Shindo feels out of tune and cannot decide his next steps in life. Fortunately (or not) for him, an intelligent mecha called Orgun seems bent on crossing deep space to meet and attune with him.

After fusing with Orgun, Shindo finds himself with lots of work in his hands. It seems that Orgun is an outcast hero of the Evoluder, a whole tribe of battle-thirsty mechas, which have followed him to Earth in a planet-sized battleship (aptly called “Battle Planet”), aiming to destroy him and the humans with which he mingled. In the end, Orgun sacrifices himself in order to prevent the Evoluder’s antimatter cannon from destroying Earth.

The major plot twist of the story is that the Evoluder are actually descendants of a volunteer crew launched from Earth centuries before, who had stumbled into a spacetime distortion field which sped up their evolutionary process and adapted them with their exoskeletal spacesuits into cyborg mechas. Having acknowledged that, the new, reformed leader of the Evoluder leads the Battle Planet away from Earth with promises of redefining their morality.

Review

Detonator Orgun sounds like a pile of clichés on first sight, and sadly it does nothing to ameliorate this impression. Although I suppose that the elements used in this OVA were much less stretched-out in 1991, that only affirms that it hasn’t managed to stand up to the test of time.

The biggest gripe one can have with this anime is that it is ill-fitting to its genre. It stands to reason that an anime whose protagonist and title character is a battle mecha (and a “Detonator” at that) would be full of action sequences. The premise is there; after all, Orgun is compelled to defend the Earth from a planetful of evil counterparts of himself. There is even a production line of manmade mechas further into the story. But none of those benefits from much screen time.

Instead we get more than enough of angst and sulking, due to a subplot where Orgun and Shindou can merge a finite amount of times before they lose their individuality. The obvious reason for the existence of this subplot is to prevent Orgun from being present to fend off every single Evoluder attack. That way, some casualties and destruction manage to take place, giving fuel to even more drama. But Shindou’s angst is really overplayed, especially considering the limited screen time. It would be an interesting tangent to explore in a longer OVA or a TV series, but in a 5-part OVA there is simply not enough time to make Shindou or Orgun likeable enough to sympathize with their prospected loss of self-consciousness.

Which is really a shame, considering that animation and character design are very competent. Outdoors settings like landscapes and space environs are very well drawn and action sequences, although scarce, are nevertheless quite detailed and nicely choreographed.

In addition, completely superficial love triangle among Shindou, a young scientist and a military pilot rears its ugly head. There is not enough interaction among the characters for it to get really annoying, but it definitely feels unnecessary and the outcome is rather glaring even from the first few minutes of the first episode. At least it serves as an excuse to flesh out the thoughts and motives of Professor Kanzaki, who is one of the more interesting characters in the anime. In fact, other than Shindou’s growing-of-age, Kanzaki’s emotional progress throughout the anime is probably the only element of character development.

All these conflicting story threads constantly struggle for the attention of the viewer. Nevertheless the various elements are brought together pretty well, other than some pacing problems.

As far as audio is concerned, there is not much to say. Voice acting is very good, as every one of the major characters has a manner of speech according to their educational and social background. There is nothing extraordinary about the voices, but they get the message across very nicely. The music score, wherever it does exist, is minimalistic; epic space fight riffs are mostly absent from Detonator Orgun. The sound effects are, again, pretty competent but not noteworthy.

In conclusion, I think that Detonator Orgun represents an experiment to break the mold of its genre and include more focus on the dramatic aspects of the characters, at the cost of fight scenes and space vistas. Although it did not manage to be successful in that venture for the most part, the quality of its parts marks it as definitely watchable.

Stats
Type: OVA
Length: 3 X 50 min

Rating
Production: 7/10
Plot: 6/10
Setting: 6/10
Characters: 6/10
Overall: 6/10