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Vandread, directed by Takeshi Mori, is an
anime that attempts to combine elements of action, romance, comedy,
and the occasional piece of
Star Trek-ish technobabble, and is achieved with a certain degree of
skill. Vandread presents a mix of cleanly rendered CG-combat,
well-animated characters in the
BESM style, comedy ranging from slapstick to subtle humor, and
characters and action sequences that aim to be both memorable and
entertaining.
The setup for this anime is fairly implausible (although it is later
explained), but in this universe where men and women are completely
segregated (on completely different planets, at that!), the gender wars
are more than just a metaphor. Hibiki Tokai, a 3rd class laboror, takes up
a bet to steal a high-tech humanoid robot, known as a
Vanguard, from the male attack force about to fight the 'evil
females.' Caught onboard when it takes off, the ship is rapidly attacked
and all males evacuated, with the exception of Hibiki, Duero McFile
(Ship's doctor and total
badass), and Bart Garsus (Designed as an unfortunate and pathetic
character who doesn't really mature until the 2nd season, when he becomes
genuinely likable. Oh, Bart is also the only one who can pilot the
Nirvana). Stuck onboard the damaged warship with female pirates all
around, things seem to have his an all time low until the retreating males
fire a rather large torpedo at the ship to prevent it from falling into
women's hands. The core of the ship, a mysterious crystalline entity,
protects itself by eradicating the missile and fusing the large warship
with the female craft, making a quirky ship with very smooth lines, a host
of technical problems, which episodes are often aimed at solving, and
various hidden capabilites that become apparent in later episodes. Three
guys on a ship full of girls, might seem like a great setup for a
hentai, but it's not that simple.
In this alternate, futuristic universe. Men and women consider each
other to be completely separate species (Hibiki gains the nickname 'Mr.
Alien' from one of the many female leads), and the three put up with much
abuse at the hands of their female captors, but gradually make their
presense accepted: Hibiki as a primo fighter, Duero as a skilled doctor
AND engineer, and Bart as the ship's navigator.
This review is heavily focusing on the three males, simply because it
is easiest. There are many female leads, and it's far more fun to watch
the anime than read an explanation of the development of various
relationships.
The story of the season is the trip to the female homeworld, and along
the way the crew encounters strange, robotic creatures that are both
enigmatic and rather
borg-like, though they do not communicate at all. The subsequent
battles provide the action sequences for the first two seasons, with the
setup for a third season being quite clear.
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