Tatakae!! Iczer-1

A three OVA series, Tatakae!! Iczer-1 it's an experimental piece of animation that came out from Japan between 1985 and 1987. Its a blend of sci-fi, horror, mecha and unapologetic erotism. A mixture that defined the 80s and early 90s OVA scene in Japan.

Hirano Toshiki, the director, worked on major productions in different roles such as animation director for Macross: Do You Remember Love? and Urusei Yatsura 1981 series, but also as a storyboard and character design for Megazone 23. He went on to direct other OVAs like Kyuuketsuhime Miyu, Project Zeorymer and a couple of modern ONAs, a non-negligible portfolio even though not the ... first of the class. The direction in Iczer-1 it's pretty good even though the action scenes might not be considered that memorable. The animation, on the other hand, it's not consistent but quite satisfactory to watch when it's well exectued, with creepy creatures and erotica-themes tailored for an adult audience.

Background music it's okay, even though not outstanding in any department while the ending it's what you would expect from that era: guitar riffs and catchy heroic tunes. A solid anime to watch if you're a fan of the 80s productions: mecha and a sexy heroine, what's not to love there?

Story: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Animation: 1/2
Characters: 1/2
Music: 1/2
Bonus points: 1/2

Final score: 6/10

"Fight! Iczer-1" is a largely unmemorable mecha OVA with gory body horror, hand-to-hand light saber battles, androids, and elements of tentacle porn.

Largely unmemorable except for its largely female cast. Who are also largely unmemorable.

Oh and the hilariously bad English dubbing, which may actually be worth the watch for fans of movies with bad dubs and above-average-for-the-time animation and soundtracks.

Watching the dub, it's clear the voice actors were just as confused by and unconvinced of the film as the people who ultimately watch the film.

It's not quite as hilariously bad as the "Urotsukidoji" English dub, but it's also (thankfully) less overtly sexual or disturbing.

Still, as a ... viewer, the most believable and relatable part of the film is Nagisa's frequent outbursts of "What?" and "Why?" and "No!"

Up until I watched Iczer 1, I thought the cliche of "tentacle rape" was a fabrication, or the realm solely of Urotsukidoji.

It really isn't. Iczer 1 has phallic tendrils in abundance, and its all-female cast getting drenched with a variety of organic fluids, tied up, and threatened with penetration. To be honest this is actually really creepy.

The plot is pretty much non-existent, with enemies invading and being fought by first human soldiers and then by the heroes with their mystical robot that involves naked girls covered in electrodes. It's got the bizarre pacing of something like Zeorymer, and a real focus on extreme gore and ... sexuality. The fights are not exactly dynamic or interesting, with the main robot having a limited range of attacks which often aren't that flashy or exciting. The on-foot stuff tends towards predictable sequences of people (mostly families) exploding messily into tentacled monsters who then shamble around and menace the female cast.

What it does have going for it is reasonable art. The style is classic 80s OVA, and handled well. However, the mech designs are nothing new if you've seen Zeorymer, Detonator Orgun or any similar OVAs, and the characters aren't massively interestingly designed either. Shiny black outfits predominate, and 80s hair styles.

The soundtrack isn't exceptional (not compared to something awesome like MD Geist's use of Merciless Soldier), either.

All told, Iczer 1 is worth watching only if you really like ecchi, bondage and guro interspersed with mecha action. Not one of Obari's finest hours, especially when compared to something hilarious and fun like Gravion or SRW The Inspectors.