NoaIzumiAnime Review: Venus Wars
April 14th 2009 18:04
After a fortuitous collision event transformed the planet Venus at the beginning of the 21st century, human colonization began. Now, in 2089, there are two Venusian nations, Ishtar and Aphrodia. When Ishtar launches an invasion of Aphrodia, an unlikely band of thrill-seekers is determined to stop it!
Venus Wars tells its story through the eyes of a team of monocycle racers (monocycle racing is kind of a cross between roller derby and motocross, on one-wheeled machines), who are caught up in the war right from the beginning. The team has a good mix of personalities and attitudes, from the team leader who wants to hit the Ishtarian forces however they can, to the old mechanic who has seen war and just wants to get by in this new one (at least at first). Hiro, the team’s hot-headed but talented champion rider (you knew there had to be one in a film like this), is the protagonist, and he fills out the role of reluctant hero pretty well. But I personally found Susan Sommers, the blonde reporter from Earth, to be the more interesting character. She starts off as just a reporter hoping for a story (she almost openly cheers when the invasion begins), but when she falls in with the ad hoc resistance group, she finds herself being more personally involved, to the point where she can’t stay on the sidelines any more. And as an outsider, she’s probably easier to identify with for most of the audience. It’s only fitting that the movie begins and ends with her.
The animation is pretty good for its time. In a couple of scenes, the animators mate low-resolution real life background with animated bikes. It’s a decent effort, and I admire them for trying it, but it comes off clunky.
In addition, kudos to Makoto Kobayashi, the mechanical designer. The mono-cycles are a really interesting concept, and very believable as drawn. And the flying wing transports and other military vehicles are just plain cool.
Extras: Technically, there are two, but they consist solely of scenes from the movie that highlight certain characters or battles.
Great moments: The last scene on Venus, when Hiro and Maggie are reunited in the refugee camp. (OK, I’m a softie.)
Summary: Good military action in a sci-fi setting. Solid plot, and fairly interesting characters. Grade: B plus
Age rating: 13 and up. Military violence, deaths, one or two fan service shots, one gay character.
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