Space Fantasia 2001 Nights

I have to make one thing clear: Space Fantasia 2001 Nights is NOT an anime for everyone. If you want to know if you will enjoy this, just answer these question: Do you like Golden Age Sci Fi, like the novels and short stories of Arthur C. Clarke or Asimov? Do you think that Star Trek TOS is the best Trek? Can you tolerate 80s anime art and animation? If you, just like me, say yes to all of those question above, you will definitely enjoy this hidden gem. This short OVA is a great homage to the now extinct species of old hard sci ... fi, focusing on realism and the sense of wonder at the expense of characterization and conventional plot. For those unsure, here is more detail about various aspect of the show:

Story: like I say, typical Golden Age sci fi done right. Very realistic in the science(as much as they can afford to), with interesting twist and epic scale.

Characters: The OVA is short and not about individual characters. Not for fan of character-driven fiction.

Animation and art: 80s anime art style. The aesthetic is nice, but the animation is not. Lots of panning to hide the lack of movement. Pleasant to look at, but don't expect too much.

Sound and music: strange 80s music. May not for everyone, but fit the OVA perfectly.

Overall I gave this anime an 8 out of 10.

I encourage more people to find this as it is a part of anime history. Truly a monumental achievement back in the eighties, to put the ideas of Clarke and Asimov to paper and shoot cell after cell was pretty kool! lol

We have the basis for most high tech, futuristic genres in this anime. Space exploration for the purpose of repopulating in a cleaner, longer lasting sense via terraforming other worlds. Sound familiar? You bet your cheeks tis'! With this movie you have the idea and what it might seem like to pitch long term space sleep and travel to prospective colonizers ... as well as , to put it bluntly, fruits of the seeding of life labor upon a new world.

The animation was straight outta the eighties which though some may not like; with the rampant need for over ecchi, chibi as can be nonsense these days, it was not bad. It looked like regular people and so it was all drawn as such. I too like larger eyes on my anime characters, but not as large as the overly extreme type many animes can portray.

The music was also straight outta the 1980s, with the ending theme being evocative of some awsome action and intrigue, sultry packed gripping film. HUZZAH!!! Jazz n dance to this ending I says! =p

To summarize:
This Good!
If you are at least 25 ( 20-ish works too) years old, you will probably appreciate this even if its just for that feeling of nostalgia. If you are younger, watch anyways and add another anime notch to that needlessly thin MAL belt. To infinity, and b....whoops, dont sue! T.T

Story
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It's a simple enough plot. Space exploration and attempting to begin life anew elsewhere. The story is told in a detached historical way that I have not seen anywhere else. It just plows on through making brief mention of how the characters are linked. There was also an unhappy mood hanging over the whole story.

Art
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The animation was very poor by today's standards. Considering when it was made though, this is to be expected.

Sound
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... Nothing really stood out. There was happy and sad music in all the appropriate places though so I guess that counts as a plus....

Character
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There wasn't a whole lot of time to go into character development or anything like that. The OVA seems to be focused on telling the story within that short span of time so there wasn't room for details. I think this is the first of anything I have seen where I can't even pick out a main character.

Enjoyment
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I didn't enjoy this one. My biggest complaint is that it's too short, which makes it feel like there isn't any substance to the story or that little effort was put into making its making. Again, I felt pretty detached when watching it and it might well be because of the lack of a lead character that the story follows. Maybe it's suppose to be like that--maybe the story is suppose to be told in a history textbook type manner.

Overall
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Overall, I think 2001 Ya Monogatari could have been a lot better. I wouldn't recommend this one unless you're looking for different anime styles. The way the story in this one was told is definitely different than any I have seen. Considering my complaints though, the style's probably not something I have missed out on.