NoaIzumiAnime Review: MD Geist
November 15th 2008 18:05
(At some point, every anime reviewer has to face it.)
MD Geist. A super soldier created in the future for an unending war. But he was too good at destruction, and was exiled. When he returns, he’s recruited to a mission to prevent the activation of the Death Force, robots created during the war whose sole purpose is to exterminate all life. But will Geist himself be an even worse threat?
MDG was one of the first animes I ever saw, and it came close to derailing my fanship of anime forever. (I only found out later that it is widely considered to be one of worst animes ever made.) Fortunately, I had already seen Princess Mononoke and Patlabor, and the next animes I saw were Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Cowboy Bebop, so my future as an anime fan was saved. MD Geist. Was. Awful. Awful music, poor animation, excessive graphic violence, a non-sensical plot, and an ending that hit me like the brick to the head. So it was with some trepidation that I saw it again to write this review.
The verdict? Actually better than expected. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still awful, it just wasn’t as awful the second time around. Part of the difference is that this time, I saw the Director’s Cut, which has a somewhat better soundtrack, and explains the whole war situation a little better, so that when the Death Force is introduced, rather than being completely ridiculous, it actually made some sense. Of course, it still doesn’t explain why the Jerran forces who controlled the Death Force didn’t activate the machines earlier under controlled circumstances to win the war, and apparently the Earth government would rather commit genocide rather to see one of its subject worlds go its own way, but still, it could happen.
The other difference is that the ending didn’t come as a shock this time. It’s possible I was just naïve, but when I first saw it, I was expecting Geist to be, you know, the hero. Then at the end of the first volume, he does just about the most unheroic thing imaginable (think Snake Plissken at the end of Escape from New York, but WAY worse). It’s easier to see the second time, because the expectation is gone. MD Geist isn’t human, he’s a machine, as soulless as the Death Force itself (irony intended, I assume; geist means “soul” in German).
Still, an empty protagonist is an empty protagonist, whether you expect him to be empty or not. That is one of the fatal flaws in the MD Geist series, the lack of good characters. The second Geist, who’s introduced in the second volume, is given some character development at first, but then he turn out to have a God complex, and in some ways is as brutal as the first. Vaiya, the only one besides Geist I to appear in both the first and second volumes, is sort of a sympathetic character, and is probably one of the most developed characters you’ll find here (the cyborg guy is another), but I couldn’t quite care that much about her, either. You feel for all the people killed, of course, but the series doesn’t give any reason to bond with any of them, so their deaths, even the tragic death at the end of the series, are just abstractions.
And, as advertised, the deaths are gruesome. Blood, guts, severed limbs, and crushed heads galore. If that’s the sort of thing you like (and I’m sure there are a few of you that do), then come on down!
The story’s not particularly well done, either. The first volume isn’t that bad plot wise, although it’s got holes big enough to drive a mecha through. The second one starts off well enough, with a good set up to the plot, but then seems rushed after the first half, like the makers thought they had an hour of screentime to work with and then realized they only had forty minutes. The fight scenes are fine, but by the time the climactic battle between the two Geists came around, I just felt numb.
The uncut edition includes commentary by the creators, which is pretty good. It’s a little lackluster in spots, like the makers realize now that it’s a clunker of a show and are just trying to put the best face on it. But, it does explain certain things, such as that the gore and violence were meant to push the artistic envelope at the time. That particular factoid doesn’t make the blood and gore any easier to watch, but at least it explains why they felt the need to show a guy’s intestines squirting out of his body.
Great moments: I’m tempted to say, “The ending credits, when it’s all over and you don’t have to watch any more,” but I have to admit, the scene in the abandoned city in the second volume, when the Geists are fighting each other and trying to fight and evade the Death Force machines at the same time, is pretty cool.
Summary: Thin story and thinner characters. Some decent action scenes, but too much reliance on the shock value of blood and guts. Whatever you do, do not watch while eating. Grade: D
Cover of the MD Geist DVD
MD Geist. A super soldier created in the future for an unending war. But he was too good at destruction, and was exiled. When he returns, he’s recruited to a mission to prevent the activation of the Death Force, robots created during the war whose sole purpose is to exterminate all life. But will Geist himself be an even worse threat?
MDG was one of the first animes I ever saw, and it came close to derailing my fanship of anime forever. (I only found out later that it is widely considered to be one of worst animes ever made.) Fortunately, I had already seen Princess Mononoke and Patlabor, and the next animes I saw were Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Cowboy Bebop, so my future as an anime fan was saved. MD Geist. Was. Awful. Awful music, poor animation, excessive graphic violence, a non-sensical plot, and an ending that hit me like the brick to the head. So it was with some trepidation that I saw it again to write this review.
The verdict? Actually better than expected. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still awful, it just wasn’t as awful the second time around. Part of the difference is that this time, I saw the Director’s Cut, which has a somewhat better soundtrack, and explains the whole war situation a little better, so that when the Death Force is introduced, rather than being completely ridiculous, it actually made some sense. Of course, it still doesn’t explain why the Jerran forces who controlled the Death Force didn’t activate the machines earlier under controlled circumstances to win the war, and apparently the Earth government would rather commit genocide rather to see one of its subject worlds go its own way, but still, it could happen.
The other difference is that the ending didn’t come as a shock this time. It’s possible I was just naïve, but when I first saw it, I was expecting Geist to be, you know, the hero. Then at the end of the first volume, he does just about the most unheroic thing imaginable (think Snake Plissken at the end of Escape from New York, but WAY worse). It’s easier to see the second time, because the expectation is gone. MD Geist isn’t human, he’s a machine, as soulless as the Death Force itself (irony intended, I assume; geist means “soul” in German).
Still, an empty protagonist is an empty protagonist, whether you expect him to be empty or not. That is one of the fatal flaws in the MD Geist series, the lack of good characters. The second Geist, who’s introduced in the second volume, is given some character development at first, but then he turn out to have a God complex, and in some ways is as brutal as the first. Vaiya, the only one besides Geist I to appear in both the first and second volumes, is sort of a sympathetic character, and is probably one of the most developed characters you’ll find here (the cyborg guy is another), but I couldn’t quite care that much about her, either. You feel for all the people killed, of course, but the series doesn’t give any reason to bond with any of them, so their deaths, even the tragic death at the end of the series, are just abstractions.
And, as advertised, the deaths are gruesome. Blood, guts, severed limbs, and crushed heads galore. If that’s the sort of thing you like (and I’m sure there are a few of you that do), then come on down!
OK, that's taking the Blades of Blood attack a little too far.
The story’s not particularly well done, either. The first volume isn’t that bad plot wise, although it’s got holes big enough to drive a mecha through. The second one starts off well enough, with a good set up to the plot, but then seems rushed after the first half, like the makers thought they had an hour of screentime to work with and then realized they only had forty minutes. The fight scenes are fine, but by the time the climactic battle between the two Geists came around, I just felt numb.
The uncut edition includes commentary by the creators, which is pretty good. It’s a little lackluster in spots, like the makers realize now that it’s a clunker of a show and are just trying to put the best face on it. But, it does explain certain things, such as that the gore and violence were meant to push the artistic envelope at the time. That particular factoid doesn’t make the blood and gore any easier to watch, but at least it explains why they felt the need to show a guy’s intestines squirting out of his body.
Great moments: I’m tempted to say, “The ending credits, when it’s all over and you don’t have to watch any more,” but I have to admit, the scene in the abandoned city in the second volume, when the Geists are fighting each other and trying to fight and evade the Death Force machines at the same time, is pretty cool.
Summary: Thin story and thinner characters. Some decent action scenes, but too much reliance on the shock value of blood and guts. Whatever you do, do not watch while eating. Grade: D
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