Now let's look at an Anime based on a Sega Master System game.
The planet Maris is under attack from a malevolent race known as the Nohzas. The humans are granted access to three guns containing a powerful energy known as Zillion which can one shot kill most beings. Using these guns are an elite team of teens called the White Nuts, no that's not a typo, that's what they're called but at least the translators were more kind to give them the name White Knights.
Our team consists of idiot hero JJ, who now I think of it looks suspiciously like Yuri on Ice's JJ.
Champ who acts as the leader.
Apple who keeps them in check.
Dave who is support and carrier pilot.
Amy and Mr Gord who give orders.
And to tie it to Sega, Opa Opa is here.
I want to like this, I really do, but it's very formulaic; the Nohzas attack a major target, White Nuts are deployed looking like a laser tag team, JJ does something stupid, at least three times an episode and they somehow make it out having foiled the Nohzas attack.
It doesn't help that the guns are stupidly over powered and only fail on command for plot devices, not made any easier by the lack of character development with the exception of Apple who still makes the anime watchable.
The soundtrack is brilliant though, I'd be happy just getting the CD Soundtrack.
Dub is not that bad but stupidly rare as they only dubbed five episodes and the OVA.
Zillion seems to have some unique factoids.
1. The anime featured in music video Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson.
2. Opa Opa is likely the first Sega character to appear in an anime and one of the earliest examples of a guest character.
3. Zillion the game was so popular in Brazil that it prolonged the life of the Master System long after it was defunct and Japan even had to make merchandise exclusive to the region.
4. It's also Production I.G's first ever anime.
5. The dub was also sampled on the single Cyberpunks by Del the Funky Homosapien (the rapping ape that once sang with the Gorillaz)
6. The guns were modelled on Sega's Light Phaser Gun for the Master System.
Pretty unique title.
Final Verdict: It's formulaic but an okay watch, it's place in anime and gaming history is a lot more interesting as well as the soundtrack.
