Orguss 02

Orguss 02 is quite possibly the most overlooked and underappreciated work of great anime ever. I'm surprised at how few Anime websites mention this 6 episode OAV at all, but then again it is based on a TV series which has never aired in America, and only half of which was ever released here on VHS tape. What also surprised me was how much I enjoyed it! Going into it, I was under the impression that this was going to be a sort of "poor man's Macross Plus", but I found it to have a unique story and a style of it's own. Seriously, it even gives that classic a run for it's money, and likewise you don't need to be well versed in the original TV series to enjoy it. It began with a snazzy opening sequence featuring the haunting theme song "The Dream I Had in the Cosmos". Initially the voice acting seemed a little hokey, and a common complaint is that the series as a whole is a little slow getting started, but these problems soon lost my attention. I was concentrating on all the neat little things about this series--things like the bogus language spoken by the Zafrins (definitely not Japanese!), the way that the architecture and landscapes would have me swear that this was all taking place in Eastern Europe, and best of all, the clever and amusing banter between the characters. The plot moves rapidly forward, in a way which, for the most part, really could take place. My only problems were a few incidents which neared the limits of believability--such as the scene in which Lean, completely untrained as a Decimator pilot, nevertheless jumps into one and promptly defeats another in a dogfight (Well, it WAS a life-or-death situation, and he finishes his opponent off in a cool way). One thing which became clear early on was that the makers of this series were not afraid to show blood getting splattered all over the place--kind of chilling, after seeing so much Anime in which you'd think everybody's circulatory system had completely dried up.

The charachters are perhaps the best element of the series. My personal favorite is Lt. Manning, who is a skillful and shameless manipulator of other people, yet a guy you eventually can't help liking. This little recruiting spiel he gives Lean on the eve of war tells a lot about his opportunistic attitude: "Wanna get rich? 'Cause being a soldier's gonna be very lucrative. There's money in war, boy; join up and you'll be rolling in wealth". Nataruma is a young woman who is one of two people who possess a unique ability to control decimators effectively. She goes AWOL from the Zafrin military, which resorts to controlling it's best decimator with teams of psychics who have a habit of dropping dead with blood spurting from their noses. She happens to run into Lean, who she persuades--at gunpoint--to help her escape. Things don't exactly go as she had hoped--"Great rescue, Liar!" she exclaims at one point. The other person with the precious skill is the principal villain, whose identity isn't revealed until two-thirds of the way through the series--and unless you've paid close attention to every clue, it's the last person you would have expected! This charachter comes out on top in the Revilian political power struggle, and promptly cuts loose with the Kingdom's secret weapon, a super-decimator.

I don't expect you to believe one person's raving about how great an obscure OVA is, so how's about some other opinions?

"Orguss 02 is one the best robot related series I have ever come to watch. This OVA is very well crafted with an intricate story that combines love, war, intrigue, and insanity. The action scenes are very well animated, with some intricate flying and battles... I recommend Orguss 02 whole heartedly." --Andrew Tei, Anime on DVD

"Orguss 02 reminded me of why I love anime. Plot, action, characters, and drama are all well-developed. The series is tinged with that otherworldly patina that makes anime special. Orguss 02 develops quickly, ensnaring the viewers and taking them on a wild journey through war, love, adventure, and destruction. As the series rushed forward, I marveled at the creative nobility of the work." --Rob Lineberger, DVD Verdict Review

"Orguss 02 is a great title full of plot twists, and excitement. With original character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto and an excellent plot-driven story, how can you go wrong?" --Rice Burner, GamePro.com

"The script... manages to pull strong political overtones out of a story that would have been good enough if it were just a straightforward actioner. A superior giant-robot series." --The Anime Encyclopedia

"This is one of those great anime series that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. There is plenty of action, and the story line is rich & completely unpredictable. You never know which way things are going to go, or what characters are going to be eliminated next. Another great anime series that I very highly recommend. It gets better each time you watch it." --Robert's Anime Corner

I agree! Rewatching this old favorite yet again was what inspired me to overhaul this page. The first time I watched Orguss 02 I knew nothing about the TV series it was based on, but thoroughly enjoyed it nevertheless. Having seen some of the TV series since then, I would say that whereas the strong point of the original Orguss was it's comedy, Orguss 02 emphasizes drama and action. The climax comes about at a fast pace, amid fairly grisly violence, but in a pleasingly unpredictable way. Then the series comes to an end in a way that is both touching and complete--complete in the sense that, for once I think I actually completely understood what had just happened! (now that takes some skillful writing and directing!). I'm just in awe of the complex yet still fun and believable storyline which this series contains--truly a tragically underappreciated work of art! This is my number one favorite Mecha series; I've rewatched it numerous times, and even bought the DVD version even though I already had the VHS tapes.

My favorite line: "So much for [the city of] Alu Natzaru, eh Manning? Within 2 or 3 years this place will house beautiful flowers and greenery. The bodies will make good fertilizer".

4/03 #5

Drama : Med
Comedy : Low
Action : High
SciFi : High
Ecchi : Low / Med

Just like Stretch, my favorite person is Lt Manning, he is so much like Rabat from Vandread that I took a shine to him immediately. The story is a bit farfetched but this is something from the 90's so I didn't expect that much of a story line. At least it isn't the drawn out soap opera that Macross is.

While I didn't give it a buy rating, it is worth a buy, I kept comparing it to Macross and Vandread and found both of those superior to this. So it's a high rent.