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Name: Macross Plus You know, the Japanese really have a hard-on for biomechanics. History: This is the most random thing I have in my collection. A boyfriend showed it to me, and I went, "Cool," and as soon as I had some cash lying around, I dashed out and bought it. Art: The character designs are distinctive and take some getting used to. The faces are more long and angular than faces are usually drawn in anime, and the women sometimes end up looking like bishounen with boobs. The backgrounds are very detailed, and there is judicious use of CG-- as in, CG is ninety percent of the animation, so it all blends. Since the theme of the OVA is mechanics gone crazy, this is one of the few animes I can point to where style directly relates back to function-- and that's cool as hell. Characters: I don't understand these people, and I think that's the writers' fault for trying to cram too much stuff into too little time. There's a love triangle that gets resolved by Convenient Character Death, and there's backstory that is not supported by the present action. Once you see it, you'll see what I mean. I had a hard time trying to believe some of the character motivations. But, I will say this-- Isamu is a helluva lot of fun to watch tear-assing around. Species: Hardheaded dumbass. Plot: There are three plots, all interrelated to some degree: Sharon Apple, a holographic idol singer controlled by Myung, goes out of control. Isamu and his rivalry with a one-time pal, Gald, over who is the best pilot of the best plane. The love triangle between Gald, Isamu, and Myung. The fighter-plane conflict takes up most of the first episode; the second episode sets up the love triangle; and Sharon Apple owns the third episode, where all of these things get more or less resolved. (Not entirely to my satisfaction, but I spend too much time analyzing these damn things). Music: Definitely excellent. Sharon Apple, the idol singer, gets a big role in the second episode with a beautiful techno show. The music is rather cold and by-the-numbers, but I am going to give the creators the benefit of the doubt and say that it's that form-following-function thing again. In any event, it's great to listen to: "Borderline," "Santi U," and "A Sai En" are my recommended downloads. Dub or Sub?: I've only ever watched this in Japanese. I'm sure the music would go straight to hell translated into English. Reactions: Worth every penny, if only for the visuals.
Iria: Zeiram the Animation History: Way in the day, before I was the sorry fangirl you see before you now, I used to download what I then still called "japanimation" cels to illustrate my stories. I grabbed a lot of Iria because she looked like a character (now I can't remember the character for the life of me, and I sure it was blasphemous in more ways than one). Anyway, Iria occupies a warm, fuzzy place in my heart. Art: This is a real old-school anime. No CG. Flat colors and low production values abound. This forced the artists to distinguish their world in other ways: Iria's hairbeads, Iria's endless variety of whizgigs and doo-dads, the vehicles used, etc. This world is a strange amalgamation of Japan and the future which must be seen to be understood. In short: flat colors or no, it's cool. Characters: Warm fuzzies all around. Iria is a hot-headed young bounty hunter, gung-ho and determined; her rival and friend is a good brother figure (sorry, this is a romance-free anime). The only character who bugged me is Kai, who is a stereotype: spunky young orphan who attaches his/herself to the crew. I've seen that before, and Edward did it better. Zeiram is an interesting SNAFU: "Let's create a killing machine that can't be stopped! Oh... we've created a killing machine that can't be stopped." ^_^ Plot: Iria vs. Zeiram. That's really a problem; this is a short series, but it consists entirely of Iria running into Zeiram and getting her ass kicked, until the La Blue Girl-style (yeah, you read that right) conclusion. After the first three times, you start to see it coming, and repeating one action sequence nth times does not a series make. You get way more attached to Iria's biological brother than his amount of screen time would call for. Music: I recall the music being interesting and suitable to the futuristic Ancient Japan world these animators have created, but I can't recall any specific pieces. You probably won't be running out to buy the CD, anyway. Dub or Sub: Only seen in Japanese, and there's so many cultural references that I doubt it would translate well. Does it ever, though? Reactions: Old School! Warm fuzzies! Iria is a hot babe! |