eX-Driver Anime Review

eX-Driver
Ekusudoraiba
Anime Works-Media Blasters
Complete Collection - 2 discs
180 mins. - 6 episodes
$29.95 (2003)
$24.95 (2002) Vol. 1-2/ea.
ISBN 631595024272
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Jun Kawagoe
Studio - Bandai Visual/Actas

Synopsis: In the near-future cars are all electric and controlled by computerized artificial intelligence (AI).  Your regular citizen doesn't own or even know how to drive a car, but merely gets into a nearby vehicle and tells it a destination.  The result is a much safer and predictable traffic flow helping to keep society peaceful.  The actual technology is not perfect and sometimes the AI cars end up malfunctioning.  When this happens the cars end up driving off by themselves at high speeds with their hapless passengers trapped inside.

The eX-Drivers (clockwise from top) - Lorna in her white Lotus Europa,
Souichi in his yellow Caterham Super 7, and Lisa in her blue Lancia Stratos

When cars go out of control it's up to the eX-Drivers to save the day.  They drive gasoline-powered classic cars (modern for our time) without the help of any AI and relying only on their driving prowess.  The drivers must catch up to the runaway cars first and then manage to disable the four sensors on each car in order to disable their AI programming.  This involves high-speed marksmanship along with keen driving skills.

Lisa originally drives a Subaru Impreza WRX until she wrecks it

Lorna and Lisa are two expert eX-Drivers and work as a team.  They're both high school age girls and have very different personalities.  Lorna is a lovely girl who has a big heart and drives a Lotus Europa.  Lisa is a hot-head who is always taking chances in her Subaru Impreza.  When not tearing up the streets in their cars the pair are hitting the books at the local academy.

Lorna aims to take out a runaway AI car's sensor

A new eX-Driver joins the team and Lisa is up in arms!  He ends up being a snot-nosed kid who thinks he can drive as well as she can.  The kid's name is Shouchi and he's a prodigy at racing along with academics.  He not only drives with the two girls, but he's also in their school classes.  He drives a Caterham Super 7 and does his own mechanics on it.  Shouichi and Lisa are headed for a showdown while poor Lorna tries to smooth the bumps in the road.

Lisa races Souichi while he's driving a modified Daihatsu Midget II

Can the two rivals make nice before someone gets hurt?  They must deal with a documentary film crew, a rogue eX-Rider (the equivalent of an eX-Driver on a motorcycle), and then the true enemy appears.  The trio of young drivers must work as team and pull together as they face their greatest challenge yet!

Souichi catches a ride with Rei, the eX-Rider

Pros: Very solid and clean animation, great depiction of older modern cars, some humor, good characters, a little fan-service with Rei the eX-Rider, that Shouichi is one lucky kid to have two cute girls as his teammates, decent music, some extras

A closer look at Rei, the eX-Rider!

Cons: This is purely PG rated aside from the tiny amount of fan-service with Rei, not a lot of action, ending was a bit boring, the sci-fi setup with the AI-controlled cars running amok seemed silly, short series which didn't gain a lot of traction for the story

Lorna and Lisa get ready to drive into action

Mike Tells It Straight: I decided to check out eX-Driver because it was inexpensive and I haven't seen many anime titles about car racing.  The cars in the show are depicted really well and include some nice classics including the Lotus Europa, Lancia Stratos HF, iconic Subaru Impreza, and the rare classic Caterham Super 7 JPE.  They even have a Daihatsu Midget II.  The producers obviously enjoy their cars and it shows in the anime.

A rogue group of gasoline-powered car drivers with a
mysterious link to the eX-Drivers

The story itself is mildly futuristic with AI controlled cars, but I could never really accept the concept of having a group of teenagers driving gas-powered cars go chasing down rogue computerized vehicles.  I kept thinking "Why don't the car designers just create a remote 'off' switch when the AI cars malfunction?"  I liked the characters and it was a lighthearted show geared for somewhat younger audiences.  It had very broad appeal and only the mild fan-service with Rei, the eX-Rider, brought the show up to a PG rating.

Souichi behind the wheel of his Caterham Super 7

I felt the show was a little boring due to the simple plot and lack of any major action.  The ending was really bland and quite a letdown.  This short OVA series was followed up with a movie and I'll probably end up checking it out, but I'm expecting more of the same .  Both the OVA and movie are available for an inexpensive price which is kind of telling of the story quality.  It's a cute show with good characters and a nice message.  Not terribly memorable and a very lukewarm rating, but a fairly solid offering and good for younger viewers.


TO BUY and Recommendations:

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:

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:

Stratos 4: Return to Base OVA Anime Review

Stratos 4: Return to Base
Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 1 disc
65 mins. - 2 episodes
$29.98 (2005)
ISBN 669198254109
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Takeshi Mori
Studio - Studio Fantasia/Bandai Visual

Synopsis: Giant meteors have been falling to Earth and endangering the population.  The organization CEMA (Comet Emergency Management Agency) was set up with the mission to stop the meteors. They put in place two levels of deterrent - the Comet Blasters intercept meteors in space by launching from orbital space stations while the Meteor Sweepers intercept any meteors which break through to the atmosphere.  The job is tough and Mikaze is one of the Meteor Sweepers based on Shimoji Island in Japan.  Her dream is to one day work in space as a Comet Blaster.

The meteor strikes are part of a covert alien invasion and the aliens can take over the bodies of humans.  Orbital Station 7 was taken over by aliens, but were stopped by Mikaze and her team.  CEMA has hushed up the alien invasion and quarantined all of the infected personnel on Earth.  The space station is undergoing repairs when it is struck by stray space debris and enters a terminal orbit.

The Meteor Sweeper crew from Shimoji Island

Impossible to repair and restore orbital status, the station will crash land on Earth with devastating effect.  It has been decided the station must be blown apart in the upper atmosphere to mitigate its potential for collateral damage to the surface.  Too bad the repair crew is trapped on the station.  Now a pair of Comet Blasters must stage a daring rescue while Mikaze and her team prepare to blow apart the station.  It's a race against the clock - will they make it in time?

Pros: Lots of fan-service and an extended swimming scene, CG planes were well done, Admiral the cat remains a funny part of the show, hilarious parody episode where the Stratos 4 planes become a combiner mecha

Mikaze has a deep moment underwater

Cons: Expensive for only two episodes, side cover says 'Retern to Base' - nice job production team, not much additional story progression, story is pretty silly, no more episodes released in North America after these two (although more episodes were made in Japan to continue/conclude the story)

Mike Tells It Straight: Stratos 4 (reviewed here) continues with two OVA (original video animation) episodes entitled Return to Base.  We get to see Mikaze and the Meteor Sweepers back in action.  The story continues directly after the events in the original series ending.  The director and animation team are the same.  These two episodes are pretty good when taken in the context of the previous 13 episodes.

Mikaze gets serious to get the job done

By themselves however, these two episodes don't stand on their own very well.  They progress the story only the slightest bit and leave it unresolved.  Another six episodes were produced in Japan entitled Stratos 4: Advance along with two final episodes called Stratos 4: Advance Final to end the series.  These episodes will presumably never see an official North America release (with dub).

It's always a shame to see an unfinished series, but I can't say this series was ever truly compelling.  Just a bit of cheesecake featuring pretty girls and a paper thin plot.  I'm just going to assume the ending was super-happy with the alien invasion stopped and Mikaze's dreams fulfilled.  Go check out Divergence EVE if you want cheesecake with a better story.

Yeah, that's how I felt about this series too

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Junkers Come Here Anime Movie Review

Junkers Come Here
Bandai Entertainment
Movie - 100 mins. - 1 disc
$29.98 (2003)
$29.98 (2004)
ISBN 669198223594
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Junishi Sato
Studio - Bandai Visual/Triangle Staff

Synopsis: Hiromi is your typical 6th grade girl who has a crush on a boy and spends time with her friend.  She also has a talking dog named Junkers (pronounced Yoon-kers).  He only talks to her in order to keep from starting a media frenzy caused by a talking dog.  Junkers is a little Schnauzer with a big personality.  He keeps Hiromi company because both of her parents are so busy working they never have time to spend with her.

Junkers and Hiromi listen to a music box

Her father directs commercials and is always out of the country shooting on location somewhere.  Her mother is a corporate workaholic who spends every night at her office.  Hiromi lives with her housekeeper and tutor (yeah, that's kind of odd), but her parents are barely home.  She has developed a crush on her tutor (almost big enough to rival the housekeeper's) and he is engaged to be married after taking his college entrance exams.

Hiromi's parents in the same room for ten seconds.  Awkward!

Junkers and Hiromi go on adventures together and her imagination runs wild as an overcompensation for her solitary existence away from her parents.  She puts up a good front to hide her feelings, but the delicate facade is in danger of cracking when her mother drops a bombshell - she is considering a divorce from Hiromi's father.  Now Hiromi must face a looming divorce between her parents along with the departure of her tutor, Keisuke, after exams.  It may be too much for her to take.

Hiromi on the phone with her mom while her tutor Keisuke eats dinner

Hiromi's life is filled with problems a young kid shouldn't have to face.  It could be her magical dog Junkers can do more than just talk.  What other amazing things can he do?  Maybe he can help Hiromi keep the people she cares about in her life, but at what price?  Get ready for a magical Christmas!

Hiromi and Junkers in disguise

Pros: Super cute dog who talks!, Hiromi is awesome and her fantasies are pretty amusing, great message about spending time with your kids instead of working too much, very interesting slice-of-life view of a Japanese (upper) middle class family,

Hiromi's housekeeper cleans Junkers' feet

Cons: Heavier subject matter than indicated by the description on the case (i.e. divorce), animation feels a bit dated, ending had some hokey magical elements, Junkers is pronounced Yoon-kers (in the dub too)

Keisuke and his fiancee Yoko talk while Junkers spies on them for Hiromi

Mike Tells It Straight: Junkers Come Here is a feel-good moving with lots of comedy and cute misunderstandings.  Junkers is pretty adorable and has a fun personality.  The adventures he and Hiromi have are great.  The story gets more serious once Hiromi's mother drops the d-word - divorce.  Suddenly the story takes a serious turn as Hiromi is faced with a monumental crisis.

Hiromi's father reads a letter from her while in France

Her life is in utter turmoil and her parents are too busy working to notice.  It's a tough lesson for parents and kids to go through, but this movie gives a good portrayal.  Divorce is a heavy topic and might not be suitable for some children.  Definitely a judgement call by parents whether they should show this to their kids or not.

Junkers is kinda magic

This movie is kind of a cross between a Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Perfect Blue) and Studio Ghibli (Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away) film.  Great characterization and serious subject matter crossed with magical whimsy.  I thought the message was done well and many kids must go through this dilemma when their parents are going to split.  The animation is not up to Studio Ghibli standards and I didn't see a lot of replay value due to the serious subject matter.  I would say this movie is worth watching and it might surprise you, but wouldn't put a high priority on seeing it and can't say it's a keeper.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Genocyber Anime Review

Genocyber
U.S. Manga Corps
Complete Collection - 1 disc
156 mins. - 5 episodes
$39.99 (2000)
$19.99 (2004)
ISBN 719987200722
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Koichi Ohata
Studio - Bandai Visual/ARTMIC

Synopsis: The work of a gifted scientist researching psychic abilities produces a set of twins with incredible abilities.  A terrible laboratory accident claims his life, but research on the twin sisters continues by the Kuryu Group corporation.  The sisters exhibit intensely powerful psychic abilities, but are both imperfect.  Elaine is childlike and mute as her mental state never fully developed, while Diana was born with a non-functioning body which has been replaced with cybernetics.  Both sisters are under the cruel care of the former chief scientist of the original researcher.  His ambitions are to create a bio-weapon for the Kuryu Group to secure their interests as a new global government forms.

Diana's cybernetic body

Elaine escapes captivity and befriends an impoverished local boy.  Diana and a group of cyborg mercenaries are sent to recapture her, but now Elaine has someone to fight for.  The frighteningly powerful being known as Genocyber emerges as a result of Elaine's stress and their battle threatens to destroy the city.  Can Elaine save her new friend and will Diana finally stop being used as a tool to keep Elaine in check?

Elaine and her friend having fun together

The Kuryu Group consider the Genocyber and its psychic potential to be their property.  If they cannot control the being then they will destroy it at all costs.  Another scientist from the original project creates an artificial being tapping into the same psychic reservoir as the Genocyber.  The being is called a Vajranoid and is stationed on a U.S. aircraft carrier for field testing.  The carrier picks up Elaine, who is suffering from amnesia.  What will happen when the two psychic powerhouses come into contact within the cramped space of the aircraft carrier?  The entire crew is in jeopardy as the Genocyber reemerges into the world!

The frighteningly powerful being known as Genocyber

Fast forward several centuries to a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  Ark de Grand is the one city which stands as a beacon for hope among the ruins of civilization, but it's run by a fascist dictator who brutally eliminates any opposition or dissidents.  Political rebels threaten his rule and he lashes out against a group of ostracized vagrants attempting to live beneath the city.  They worship the remains of a strange creature who resembles the Genocyber!  Will the devastating being resurrect itself to protect the innocent and what sadistic doomsday trap has the Kuryu Group left as a centuries-old contingency plan?

The cyborgs chasing Elaine have some nasty hardware

Pros: Incredibly violent and gory (if that's what you're looking for), first episode was pretty good and sets up an interesting plot (but...), designs for the Genocyber creature and cyborg mercenaries were cool, great metaphor for technology corrupting those who lose sight of their respect for humanity/nature

Never fall asleep with a hooker...or investigate the Kuryu Group

Cons: Plot is all over the place from episode to episode and quickly loses steam after a strong start, seems like the violence and cruelty took center stage, depressing and filled with horrific killing, ending was nebulous, animation wasn't great and also suffered from shifts between episodes, children are shown being violently gunned down in one scene

Something terrible happens to the crew on the aircraft carrier

Mike Tells It Straight: Genocyber is easily one of the most graphically violent anime series I have ever seen.  The term ultraviolence perfectly describes it and is only recommended for viewers who can stand scenes of graphic death/torture.  I watched the first episode back in high school in the 1990s and have wanted to see the rest of the series ever since (I was a teenage boy and fascinated by the graphic violence).

Classic scene from first episode's hospital massacre

Over fifteen years later and I finally watched the whole thing.  Well, it didn't hold up to my expectations as the first episode is clearly the best.  A fascinating story along the lines of Akira (psychically powered youths) is set up with strong emotional and graphic scenery.  However the plot shifts to two completely different settings (an aircraft carrier and a post-apocalyptic future).  I wish the first storyline was longer as I didn't really like the second and third quite as much.

Massacre below Ark de Grand city

It's not a terrible show by any means and the message of the writers/director were good - man commits atrocities and can be incredibly cruel to one another, but there is hope.  Overall Genocyber is a decent bit of science fiction (perfect example of modern old school anime) and some folks will like it very much, but the majority of viewers will find it to be far too violent.  If you're looking for dark sci-fi with a dose of gore then it's the perfect show.  Caveat emptor!

TO BUY and Recommendations: