Anime is a HUGE world full of so many different genres, character types, and art styles. It can be really daunting, especially for people who are relatively new to otaku-dom. And me. So, I decided to visit those stream anime sites and watch the first three episodes of each anime in alphabetical order, then give a short summary and review for you guys. Keep in mind, my tastes are not everyone's taste. Even if I don't like something, if the summary interests you check it out anyway! I'll try to be as objective as possible.
At the end of each review I'll use this rating system:
0- A full frontal assault to all my senses
1- BO-RING
2- Pretty bad, but not the worst.
3. Not bad, but not great.
4. Better than I thought it would be, but I still have no further interest.
5. I'm impressed. I'd watch more.
6. I.AM.OBSESSED.
When I finish a letter category, I'll post a summary of the animes and their respective ratings. Hope it makes it easier to
have fun otaku-ing!
Summary: In an alternate world, the Cold War has continued to persist for 140 years. As a result, the world was divided into two factions: the West Block, and the East Block. As the Cold War drags on, the tension between the two factions, as well as the amount of nuclear weapons they have, rise. Mylene Hoffman is a female cyborg who is a spy for the West Block. Together with three other agents, Mylene partakes in various missions issued by her superiors.The manga from which this was adapted was published as a serial in Weekly Manga Action from 1967 to 1974. This anime series was released in 2006, but it definitely makes more sense in a 1960s context. The animation is also more of a throwback to earlier Japanese animation style, vaguely resembling Tezuka’s work.
The First Three Episodes:
1: The "Mod Squad" of cyborg babes rescue a scientist and save some sort of peace conference(It wasn't super clear to me, but I just figured they saved the day.
2: The most depressing damn Christmas episode of any show ever. Mylene's Christmas mission is to accompany a mutant (psychic person) disposal squad and make sure its carried out... People Die. Merry Christmas.
3: Mylene is sent to stop a East Block sniper assassin called The Egg. It’s a spy vs. spy episode, and a pretty interesting one. To say anything else would give away some plot.
Review: I rank this in the "I'd pick it up again" category. The animation was a nice modern/retro combination and, although somewhat dated, the concept of a world in the midst of a 140 yr old cold war was depicted in a very interesting and probably accurate way. It is very gorey and the mood tends to stick on the darker side (almost film noir, which I personally liked), so if you're looking for a comedic tale of the zany adventures of a perky cyborg babe and her wacky friends, this is not your anime. However there are boobs. And the unsexiest lesbian sex you will ever almost see.
My main problems with this anime were A. the overly sexualized depiction of women (which I feel like will go without saying for a majority of these reviews) and B. that, save maybe Mylene, everyone else doesn't really have that developed of a personality. One, however, did sport a really bad cockney accent, which was terrible enough to equivocate 5 poorly developed personalities.
So yes, if you are in to shows with a darker noir tone, lots of action, and super cyborg babes, this is probably your thing.
Observe!
And there's the first post! Hope it makes it a little easier to
have fun otaku-ing!
