Post by ravenwithoutcause on Nov 24, 2004 13:15:42 GMT -5
Science fiction has had a long and tender love affair with Mars, starting back with the likes of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and continuing into modern times, with classics like Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, and of course, the movie Total Recall. (What a masterpiece, that last one!) Anime also likes Mars; Cowboy Bebop, arguably the finest work of anime yet produced, uses the red planet for much of its backstory. Zone of the Enders: Idolo also takes place on Mars, but it has the dubious distinction of being based on a video game. What really surprised me about ZOE: Idolo, however, is just how good it is in spite of its origins. This one-shot OVA (followed immediately by a distantly related TV series, ZOE: Dolores, i) is generally good-looking, tightly plotted, and pretty exciting.
So, in the year 2167, humankind has long since colonized Mars. In fact, people are so thoroughly settled on the planet that they've developed separate physical characteristics-- Martians are just as dextrous and intelligent as Terrans, but the planet's reduced gravity has left them with diminished physiques that make the muscular Terrans seem almost superhuman in comparison. This point is driven home early in the OVA, when a Martian pilot and a Terran soldier get into an altercation after a training mission. The Terran smashes the Martian's face in with one punch; when one of the Martian's friends intervenes, his best shot barely bruises the dude from earth.
Of course, there are tensions between Earth and its colony, just like in good old Gundam. Mars seems to have its own government, but it still has to put up with being under Earth's watchful eye. The Martian military aren't happy with this, so they start developing a secret weapons program, the centerpiece of which is a mecha suit called an orbital frame. Pilot Radium Lavans is chosen to put the orbital frame through its trials, and he's a good choice-- he's a talented and ruthless pilot who commands his squad ably in battle. He's also linked to the project by his fiancee, Dolores Hayes, who works as an assistant to orbital frame project leader Dr. Rachel Links. (Pay attention if you watch the video-- Links is ZOE: Idolo's only concrete link to the subsequent TV series.) The team has doubts that Lavans is able to handle the incredibly powerful new weapon, but he's quick to prove them wrong.
The trouble is, the frame (which is called "Idolo", not surprisingly) starts having adverse psychological effects on Lavans. Inside the thingypit of the frame, he's aggressive and confident and drunk with power; outside, he's paranoid and unsociable. His fiancee worries about him, and his old friend and subordinate, Viola, tries reaching out to him, only to be rebuffed. To complicate matters, when Viola attempts to test Idolo herself, the machine flat out rejects her, and starts only responding to Lavans.
The Martian military could care less about this; they're only concerned with results. They like the results they see with Idolo, which chews all oncoming enemy drones to pieces in test runs. But the more Lavans uses Idolo, the more sadistic and delusional he gets. When he finally snaps and leaves behind a wide swath of collateral damage, Dr. Links starts thinking about pulling the plug on Idolo; a possible security leak compounds matters. The military, however, isn't hearing any of this-- and wouldn't you know it, Earth's military knows about Idolo as well, and would like to have it for themselves. It's up to Lavans to overcome his own insecurities and protect Dolores and the orbital frame.
What's interesting about Lavans is that he isn't really up to the task of playing hero at all. He makes a suitable protagonist, but he's anything but an ubermensch-- he's stern and harsh with his friends, whiny and clingy with Dolores, and extremely resentful of most authority figures he encounters, Terran or Martian. Dolores cares about him, but is frightened by his outburst, and old buddy Viola also carries a torch for him. He tries very hard to be honest and honorable, but Idolo-- and the power it represents-- just twists his good intentions completely out of shape.
I like the look of ZOE: Idolo. It's recent, but it's still not one hundred percent digital, and there's something to be said for the frequently obvious warmth and organic feel of good old celluloid animation. The CG sequences are interesting, but a ittle too grainy, oftentimes just feeling like video game cutscenes. (I suppose that's appropriate, given the source material.) My one big complaint is that the orbital frames themselves don't lend themsevles to flat, two-dimensional animation at all. They would have looked more striking if rendered with CG, a la the mechs in Zoids. The mecha design is still solid, oftentimes reminiscent of the style of Mamoru Nagano (Brain Powered). ZOE: Idolo is also the first brief little one-shot I've seen in a while that's sported truly interesting music-- a heavy, throbbing mix of electronic music moves things along nicely and lends the show a noticable air of despair and urgency.
I ended up screening the dub first, and found it to be pleasantly surprising. It's a Monster Island dub, and I've been avoiding their efforts lately because of some bizarre rewrites and egregious mistakes (see also Getter Robo: Armageddon). Charles Campbell and company turn in a very nice English adaptation here, anchored effectively by Ben Wolfe as Lavans. I was also impressed by Dara Hurt's performance as Viola; her Texas brogue comes through a little too thick at times (what do you call a Martian Texan?), but she still portrays the depressed and lovestruck Viola quite well. The only really notable performance in the Japanese version is perennial favorite Takehito Koyasu as Lavans; as always, he's excellent, a good choice for a brooding adult hero.
Zone of the Enders: Idolo is a neat, tidy lead-in to the subsequent TV series. It's well-written, well-paced, and well directed by veteran Tatsuya Watanabe. If I have a complaint about any aspect of the production, it's that the character designs are extremely bland and uninteresting, but ZOE: Idolo is solid enough to rise above that. Fans of the game will definitely appreciate this OVA, as it also leads very directly into the storyline of the Playstation 2 video game. There's also a generous selection of DVD extras, including staff interviews, sketches, and a brief timeline of the future events covered in the Zone of the Enders series.
Zone of the Enders, in general, shows every indication of being the next great franchise from video game maker Konami. Their games have been pretty well-received, and this OVA compliments the game much better than any previous video game tie-in I've seen-- not to mention being strong enough to stand up as a stand-alone story quite easily. ZOE: Idolo might cover some familiar sci-fi territory (as director Watanabe notes in the interviews, everyone has been influenced by Gundam at this point), but it's a tough and refreshing slice of action in its own right. Fans of fast-paced, gritty "real robot" action will be right at home with it.
Bottom line, an 8.5/10
So, in the year 2167, humankind has long since colonized Mars. In fact, people are so thoroughly settled on the planet that they've developed separate physical characteristics-- Martians are just as dextrous and intelligent as Terrans, but the planet's reduced gravity has left them with diminished physiques that make the muscular Terrans seem almost superhuman in comparison. This point is driven home early in the OVA, when a Martian pilot and a Terran soldier get into an altercation after a training mission. The Terran smashes the Martian's face in with one punch; when one of the Martian's friends intervenes, his best shot barely bruises the dude from earth.
Of course, there are tensions between Earth and its colony, just like in good old Gundam. Mars seems to have its own government, but it still has to put up with being under Earth's watchful eye. The Martian military aren't happy with this, so they start developing a secret weapons program, the centerpiece of which is a mecha suit called an orbital frame. Pilot Radium Lavans is chosen to put the orbital frame through its trials, and he's a good choice-- he's a talented and ruthless pilot who commands his squad ably in battle. He's also linked to the project by his fiancee, Dolores Hayes, who works as an assistant to orbital frame project leader Dr. Rachel Links. (Pay attention if you watch the video-- Links is ZOE: Idolo's only concrete link to the subsequent TV series.) The team has doubts that Lavans is able to handle the incredibly powerful new weapon, but he's quick to prove them wrong.
The trouble is, the frame (which is called "Idolo", not surprisingly) starts having adverse psychological effects on Lavans. Inside the thingypit of the frame, he's aggressive and confident and drunk with power; outside, he's paranoid and unsociable. His fiancee worries about him, and his old friend and subordinate, Viola, tries reaching out to him, only to be rebuffed. To complicate matters, when Viola attempts to test Idolo herself, the machine flat out rejects her, and starts only responding to Lavans.
The Martian military could care less about this; they're only concerned with results. They like the results they see with Idolo, which chews all oncoming enemy drones to pieces in test runs. But the more Lavans uses Idolo, the more sadistic and delusional he gets. When he finally snaps and leaves behind a wide swath of collateral damage, Dr. Links starts thinking about pulling the plug on Idolo; a possible security leak compounds matters. The military, however, isn't hearing any of this-- and wouldn't you know it, Earth's military knows about Idolo as well, and would like to have it for themselves. It's up to Lavans to overcome his own insecurities and protect Dolores and the orbital frame.
What's interesting about Lavans is that he isn't really up to the task of playing hero at all. He makes a suitable protagonist, but he's anything but an ubermensch-- he's stern and harsh with his friends, whiny and clingy with Dolores, and extremely resentful of most authority figures he encounters, Terran or Martian. Dolores cares about him, but is frightened by his outburst, and old buddy Viola also carries a torch for him. He tries very hard to be honest and honorable, but Idolo-- and the power it represents-- just twists his good intentions completely out of shape.
I like the look of ZOE: Idolo. It's recent, but it's still not one hundred percent digital, and there's something to be said for the frequently obvious warmth and organic feel of good old celluloid animation. The CG sequences are interesting, but a ittle too grainy, oftentimes just feeling like video game cutscenes. (I suppose that's appropriate, given the source material.) My one big complaint is that the orbital frames themselves don't lend themsevles to flat, two-dimensional animation at all. They would have looked more striking if rendered with CG, a la the mechs in Zoids. The mecha design is still solid, oftentimes reminiscent of the style of Mamoru Nagano (Brain Powered). ZOE: Idolo is also the first brief little one-shot I've seen in a while that's sported truly interesting music-- a heavy, throbbing mix of electronic music moves things along nicely and lends the show a noticable air of despair and urgency.
I ended up screening the dub first, and found it to be pleasantly surprising. It's a Monster Island dub, and I've been avoiding their efforts lately because of some bizarre rewrites and egregious mistakes (see also Getter Robo: Armageddon). Charles Campbell and company turn in a very nice English adaptation here, anchored effectively by Ben Wolfe as Lavans. I was also impressed by Dara Hurt's performance as Viola; her Texas brogue comes through a little too thick at times (what do you call a Martian Texan?), but she still portrays the depressed and lovestruck Viola quite well. The only really notable performance in the Japanese version is perennial favorite Takehito Koyasu as Lavans; as always, he's excellent, a good choice for a brooding adult hero.
Zone of the Enders: Idolo is a neat, tidy lead-in to the subsequent TV series. It's well-written, well-paced, and well directed by veteran Tatsuya Watanabe. If I have a complaint about any aspect of the production, it's that the character designs are extremely bland and uninteresting, but ZOE: Idolo is solid enough to rise above that. Fans of the game will definitely appreciate this OVA, as it also leads very directly into the storyline of the Playstation 2 video game. There's also a generous selection of DVD extras, including staff interviews, sketches, and a brief timeline of the future events covered in the Zone of the Enders series.
Zone of the Enders, in general, shows every indication of being the next great franchise from video game maker Konami. Their games have been pretty well-received, and this OVA compliments the game much better than any previous video game tie-in I've seen-- not to mention being strong enough to stand up as a stand-alone story quite easily. ZOE: Idolo might cover some familiar sci-fi territory (as director Watanabe notes in the interviews, everyone has been influenced by Gundam at this point), but it's a tough and refreshing slice of action in its own right. Fans of fast-paced, gritty "real robot" action will be right at home with it.
Bottom line, an 8.5/10
