Ork-dreadnought's Random Rants

Yes, I'm not dead, just resting. Coming soon:

FMA Movie Review

MSG4 Review

Photos mebbe

The anime industry is a lot like Hollywood, in that you often get loads of variations on the same idea in a short space of time. In the 1990’s Hollywood did disaster movies, but Japan did space westerns. Outlaw Star is a product of that period, coming to the west at roughly the same time as the massively popular Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, but it certainly isn’t as famous. That isn’t fair.

The Basic Plot
Gene Starwind is a bounty hunter and wannabe adventurer on the Planet of Sentinel 3. Working with his young partner Jim Hawking, Gene is hired by “Hot Ice” Hilda, a self-proclaimed outlaw, as a bodyguard as she races to claim a treasure. It turns out to be the bio-android Melfina, a perfect replica of a human girl, but has no memory of her origins. Once the dust settles, Gene is now the owner of the Outlaw Star, a unique ship, and has promised Melfina to find her answers. The trouble is, the pirates who built the ship want it back, for something called the “Galactic Leyline”, and Gene doesn’t know where to begin. Fortunately, he’s about as good at making allies as he is at making enemies, often at the same time. He soon acquires Twilight Suzuka, an assassin, and Aisha Clan Clan, an immortal Ctarl-Ctarl, as allies. If only he could turn a profit, life would be easy.

This Review is Brought to You By The Mighty Ctarl-Catrl Empire!
First off, describing this series as a space western is inaccurate. Outlaw Star could be considered to be a Japanese take on Star Wars at times, or at least drawing on the same traditions, with a bit of Chinese mysticism. Gene Starwind is like a young Han Solo, and the Tao magicians could easily be viewed as Jedi. The anime certainly has an interesting and varied universe of aliens, and, thankfully there’s none of the flaws Star wars had (such as prequels). The initial episodes are pleasingly fast, white knuckle rides. The sense of adventure is strong, and the regular patches of comedy and fan service only enhance this. Outlaw Star’s main strength is its varied action sequences. The “grappler ship”, is a very unique take on space combat, basically seeing ships punch each other, which is just the right kind of daft for a series like this. However, the series does not rely on this gimmick, and most of the episodes take place on solid ground, giving some good gunfights. Sadly, Outlaw Star runs out of steam at the end of its second story arc. Having blasted through eight episodes without pause for breath, when things slow down the overall quality of the series starts to drop. The series becomes largely episodic, and while we get some quality comedy, its not until the final story arc does the series regains the energy that it lost.

An irritation for me was that the characters do not grow beyond their initial appearances, and while that is not necessarily a problem for an action series, I did feel that something should have done done. Suzuka in particular is a closed book for most of the series, and that’s really noticeable in a anime which only has 5 regular characters and only so much for them to do. Jim also suffers from an increasing lack of purpose and screen time. That said, things aren’t all bad on the character front. You could complain that Aisha was two-dimensional, but that’s really part of her charm, like Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist. The combination of Amazon, Werewolf and Catgirl really does make for a memorable character. While on the subject of over-the-top minor characters, the arms dealer Fred Lou often steals the show, for reasons I won’t spoil by revealing here. A good subplot is where Melfina attracts a stalker, one of the MacDougal brothers, whom Gene has very a personal beef with. This helps gives some depth to the weak middle of the series, although Mel is very much a damsel in distress, presumably to balance out the level of badassery that Aisha and Suzuka represent. So while, you couldn’t call the series deep, it always entertains.

Conclusion
Writing this review has made me realise how my own tastes and the wider anime industry have changed since this series first appeared. Outlaw Star is a good example of the sort of anime that was popular in the 90’s, a mix of action, comedy, fantasy, science fiction and some unusual girls in the cast. It’s got a lot of charm for that very reason, but it’s often unremarkable and forgettable. These flaws aside, there is something fundamentally enjoyable about series which features a scarred letch with a magic pistol, a weapons grade catgirl, an assassin with a wooden sword, a child genius acting as the voice of reason, and a navigator who has to get naked in order to guide the ship. In fact, how could anyone fail to enjoy that?

6/10

Orguss 02, surprisingly is a sequel to a TV series called Orguss, which has only recently been released in English, and probably won’t be released in the UK. Orguss 02 has however been in the UK for ages; dating from Manga Entertainment’s videotape days .Why should you want to watch an old and obscure sequel to an even older and more obscure series? Because it’s damn good, that’s why.

The Basic Plot
In a different reality, the nations of Revillia and Zafran dominate the world, using weapons from another time. The mecha known as Decimators were discovered centuries before in mines and on the seabed, and the two nations are now close to another war. Lean is a gifted mechanic working with his employer Zante on a Decimator salvage ship, and events spiral out of control. Feeling honour bound to join the military as a result, Lean is recruited by the unconventional Lieutenant Manning. Things go badly and Lean is trapped behind enemy lines with Nataruma, a young woman fleeing the Zafran military, while the fighting happens around them.

Putting a New (or Old) Spin on Things
There are only so many ways to handle originality, especially when writing a sequel. The first is to ignore it, and just give more of the same, but you won’t gain any praise or new converts. The second is to do something very different, but in doing so you loose the audience. Orguss 02 takes the subtle third option, and that’s to shift everything slightly in a new direction, basically being a side story rather than a true sequel. The visuals march to a different beat, there’s a hodgepodge of European styles, mostly early industrial, showing steam trains co-existing with salvaged and slightly improvised mecha. However, the real thing that sets this series apart from its kin is the simply fact that while it is about a large scale war with mecha, the actual focus is on the people not really involved in fighting it.. If you were to list clichés and conventions in “real robot” animes, you’d find Orguss 02 is going against most of them. The most notable of which being that Lean is simply a nice guy trying to do the right thing, not an angst ridden teen, hot blooded youth or a professional soldier. Lean only pilots a decimator twice in the series, and instead spends most his of time a victim of circumstance.

The bulk of the anime comes from three plot threads that gradually come together, Lean and Nataruma’s escape, the intrigue in the Revillian Court, and the various Decimators at war. The sections with Lean amount to lots of one-to-one character scenes against a background of danger. Quickly betrayed, Lean has to earn the trust of Nataruma in order to survive, and the interplay between the characters is one of the series better points. These intimate moments are counter balanced by the politics and formality of the royal court, as the various power brokers backstab each other in an attempt to profit from events The intrigue nudges the plot along, and while you can see some things coming, such as the death of the king, the hows and whys aren’t so easy. The anime still manages to produce some startling action scenes even if the bulk of the series is small scale and personal. The massive Decimator Verifer advances across the landscape like a tide of molten lava, intractable and destructive, providing most of the explosions. There is a powerful scene in the snow which sees a final desperate attempt to stop this monster, and the animation has aged very well. These threads are tied together by Lieutenant Manning, a brilliant subversion of the mentor archetype. Selfish, manipulative, womanising, and completely honest about it, Manning is a good example of how this anime differs from the norm. While for the most part he’s an amoral opportunist, or at least pretends to be one, but it’s difficult to dislike a character whose grand plan to infiltrate enemy territory, is to pose as underwear salesmen. The anime isn’t without a sense of humour.

For the most part the drama in the series is good and effectively paced, but there are some duff notes. The scene where Lean finally looses his temper at his situation and lashes out, honestly felt wrong, both for his actions and the responses of the other characters. The ties to the original series, while deftly handled, basically boil down to deus ex machina. (A viewer is probably best off taking the explanations the series gives you rather than looking deeply into the plot of the original.) It also gives us a notable change in the feel of the series, as the action shifts into more conventional mecha territory. Another issue is the less than brilliant UK DVD release, which has just about every sin imaginable short of a Robotech style rewrite, and this is the first time I’ve ever felt that such matters are worth mentioning in a review. However the quality of the overall anime is enough to overcome this. There’s a love triangle which could easily have felt tacked on were it not for the characterisation of those involved, and the series manages to be self-contained, unlike so many sequels. All in all, it’s good.

Conclusion
Orguss 02 could be used in a master class for anime OVAs; short, sharp, and self sufficient. While some elements would have benefited from an expanded episode count, virtually nothing fails. Give it a try, because if there was ever proof that there’s more the mecha genre than giant robots, and Evangelion, its here.

8/10

Now, tell me if this seems funny. A girl gets a maid to act as her bodyguard. He's 7 foot tall, hugely muscled, masked, has x-ray vision and no sense of personal space. So, you watch the first 3 episodes, its not shakespear, but its damn funny. Then, episode 4, hahaha-oh-MOTHERFUCKING LOLICON! EYE BLEACH NOW!

I've bitched about this aspect of modern anime in the past, but this is the first time I've seen this aspect pop up and ruin something I was really enjoying till that point.

There are two responses to take when a series is as popular as Deathnote. The first, condescending view, is that people generally have bad taste and it’s all a fad. How else can you explain the Spice Girls? The other is that something popular HAS to be good. The two billion odd people who love Harry Potter can’t all be wrong, can they? Which camp does Deathnote fall into? Well, as it turns out, neither.

The basic plot
Light Yagami is a bored, frustrated, but exceptionally gifted teenager. Ryuk is a similarly bored Deathgod, who drops his Deathnote, the focus of his power, into the human world. Light picks it up and immediately experiments with this notebook and the instructions within, killing a gunman and a petty thug in the process. Overcoming his revulsion at what he’s done; Light soon embarks on a quest to rid the world of evil, with Ryuk along for the ride. The world soon notices, dubbing the anonymous Light as “Kira”, but L, the world’s greatest detective is soon after him. The scene is set for a battle of wits the like of which has never been seen in history.

I have seen the Light! He carries a notebook…..
Few animes have a concept and story as interesting as Deathnote. Imagine a notebook, in which you could write a name of a person whose face you know, and that person will die. How would you use this tool? To take down the”bad guys”, or would you just throw it away? What would happen if it fell into the hands of someone with no morals at all? Or worse, someone who had a god complex? Deathnote assumes the last possibility happened, and makes this character the lead of the anime. It does not attempt to make Light into some kind of super villain, an anti-hero, or pose a moral quandary about his actions. Light is simply an unrepentant murderer who is swiftly, and totally, corrupted by the power of the note. Well, perhaps not totally, while he kills all that threatens or offends him, he does not kill wantonly. Light is entirely cold, ruthless, intellect and in any other anime would be a hateful foe. I hesitate to describe Light as a “monster”, as this would imply his behaviour is somehow inhuman. It isn’t, just look at the history books. He is simply, evil as a human can be, and placing him as the lead character is Deathnote’s big gamble, and what makes it work is the anonymous detective known only as “L”. This quirky individual matches Light step for step, revealing the limitations of the notebook in episode 2 and singling out Light as a Kira suspect with speed. The series quickly becomes a battle of wits between two big brains, one rigid and self-righteous, and the other rough and creative. L also likes to play dirty, if the need arises, which stops the series from becoming a simple good versus evil tale. It is very satisfying to watch, the tension in the series keeps you coming back to see what happens next. Factor in some frankly beautiful animation for a TV series, and a solid voice cast, and you got some quality entertainment.

Now, the problem with reviewing Deathnote is that its entertainment value is based solely on its plot, and to discuss it properly I would need to do so in detail. This makes it very difficult for me praise it properly without spoiling the experience, so I avoided doing so. This is a weakness common to anything which relies on big plot twists (I know I never bothered to see The Sixth Sense, when I discovered the ending by accident). I still credit Deathnote with having one of best stories I’ve seen in anime, and some very interesting characters. So, I’d like you keep this in mind, while I give what must seem a litany of complaints.

The David Beckham of Animes (think about it)
In broad terms, the series is a little stupid at times, and this is all the more noticeable given how sophisticated the series makes itself out to be. The first problem is the supporting cast, with a majority of them being in the “Doctor Watson” mold. Used only to explain the reasoning of the lead characters, and make them look impressive in the process, most of them are two dimensional as a result. Yes, several do really steal the show (such as Deputy Chief Yagami), but most are forgettable and some are frankly sycophantic towards Light. Given how the anime tends to avoid discussing morality in any meaningful way, this comes across as a glorification of Light’s homicidal tendencies. Large chunks of the plot require major suspension of disbelief, to the point where it is hung by the neck, rather than suspended. Its one thing to accept the functions of the Deathnote, contrived as they are, it’s quite another to stomach the massively complex gambit Light pulls off towards the end of the second act. This is then followed by a new storyline, which just seems to be more of the same, rather like a filler arc in Dragonball. There seems to be in the anime a much more elegant story that has been dragged out unnecessarily; instead of there being a fighting fit 26 episode show, Deathnote comes in at a flabby and self-satisfied 37. Eventually, you realise Death Note’s real weakness, the creative staff simply isn’t as clever as the characters they are dealing with, leading to a drawn-out series with increasingly little depth to it.

In many other series, these flaws might have been excusable, but the anime is so invested in the intellectual that I just could not forgive the writers. You see, what the series actually amounts to is lots and lots and lots and lots and LOTS of standing around and talking. There isn’t much in the anime to entertain beyond this, and those seeking a little comedy, or perhaps a subplot, have a long wait for it. By the time this does appear, the people who enjoyed the plot are likely becoming frustrated that the series is moving so slowly. While it is welcome that the anime tries to grow beyond its own format, thanks to an expanding cast and a very clever plot twist, but the execution is increasingly poor. The idea of having Light get a bubbly and somewhat dumb girlfriend, for example, was definitely a good one, given the humour this brings to the series. However, this character is a harem anime stereotype, and frankly feels out of place in comparison to the rest of the cast. None of the above is immediately fatal, but I would say its best not to look too hard at this anime, because there are simply so many wasted opportunities and examples of laziness.

Conclusion
Deathnote is an anime with a very clever concept, but suffers from a painfully dragged out story, and a format that is pure marmite. Based almost entirely on “Xanatos Gambits”, and beautifully animated, Deathnote is a great anime for lovers of spy dramas and detective novels. Sadly, it doesn’t live up to the expectations it gives you.

6/10