Armored Trooper Votoms 1: Uoodo City
Yep, just like the other websites had warned, this series contains some really old animation--those were my first thoughts as I watched Uoodo City. I noticed that the DVD case didn't show a single frame anywhere, as if the distributors had realised that doing so would do their sales more harm than good. The simple DVD menu animation (you seem to be in the cockpit of a Votom) was nearly as good as the animation of the show itself! Still, the opening sequence and theme song seemed kind of cool ("When you see the face of hell / it will squeeze your heart dry"). I was startled by Chirico's blue-gray hair--he's supposed to be 18, but looked more like 50 to me (yeah, I know, who am I to criticise the hairstyles of another galaxy?). For some reason I like the way Chirico personally narrates each episode (an expert critic would say that this is how the makers of Votoms got around the problem of Chirico's "loner" personality interfering with the unveiling of the plot; I say it's "cool"). It was clear from the start that there was going to be plenty of gunplay, explosions, violence, etcetera. What with the modest early-80's animation this could quickly become tedious, as it drags you away from one of this series' saving graces--a fairly complex plot, with genuinely intriguing and plausible twists. Of course the main question so far is who was that beautiful woman (with yet another unusual hairstyle) and why is she so important? I also quickly took a liking to the supporting charachters. Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna are three outwardly cynical, selfish people, yet somehow clearly good at heart. Initially, they hope to exploit Chirico for their own benefits, but they have no idea of the web of conspiracy they have gotten themselves into! Their irreverant banter can be laugh-out-loud funny at times. I think the one factor which most affects my estimation of the quality of anime is the number of memorable lines of dialogue that come up--good jokes, and comments that make you think. Votoms definitely has more than you'd expect. Fans of Mecha anime will be delighted by the DVD extras, namely the detailed information about the Votoms, vehicles, weapons, etc, that appear in the show. I am hooked--this series is more fun than you'd think it had any right to be. Be warned, though, that I've read that the four Stages of the entire series are not exactly self-contained, with cliffhangers and plot threads left unresolved until the very end. Indeed, the only thing that was clear at the end of this stage was that the charachters were finally leaving Uoodo City and the story would continue somewhere else. Votoms as a whole is a long series, indeed, a sub-genre, with OVAs, the spinoff Kikou Ryohei Mellowlink (OVA), and the recent prequel, Soukou Kihei Votoms - Pailsen Files, so be prepared for quite a commitment.
My favorite line: "(at) times like this, I wish I really was a heartless bastard" --Vanilla
Last updated Monday, February 04 2008.
|
