Aoki Ryuusei SPT Layzner

The story takes place in an alternate reality based in the year 1996, where humanity is advanced enough to develop long-range space travel, as well as bases on both the Moon and Mars. However, the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union have not ended; rather, they've escalated as both sides build military facilities in space, and the shadow of nuclear conflict looms over humanity, both on and off Earth.

Meanwhile, on the Red Planet, an exchange program created by the United Nations to promote peace and understanding is about to begin; the "Cosmic Culture Club," consisting of 16 boys and girls, as well as their instructor Elizabeth, arrives at the UN Mars base. Among the passengers is Anna a 14-year-old girl who serves as the narrator for the story.

Suddenly, four unidentified humanoid robots classified as Super Powered Tracers are detected, engaged in fierce combat with each other. The UN base is caught in the crossfire and quickly destroyed, killing all but six members of the "Cosmic Culture Club"—Elizabeth, Arthur, Roan, David, Simone and Anna, and leaving them stranded on an inhospitable planet that has suddenly become a battlefield. As the battle ends, the lone SPT standing lands next to the terrified group and opens up revealing a pilot, who simply announces to them, "Earth is at stake."

Asuka, Eiji Main

Inoue, Kazuhiko Japanese

Stephanie, Anna Main

Emori, Hiroko Japanese

Gosterro Supporting

Hirose, Masashi Japanese

Kalra, Egiel Supporting

Sasaki, Run Japanese

Rutherford, David Supporting

Umezu, Hideyuki Japanese

Dr. Nizon Supporting

Tokumaru, Kan Japanese

Bill Supporting

Gueler Supporting

Mitsuya, Yuuji Japanese

Getey Supporting

Satou, Masaharu Japanese

Dillinger Supporting

Fujishiro, Yuji Japanese

Ueda, Masuo Producer

Takahashi, Ryousuke Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Original Creator

Yatabe, Katsuyoshi Episode Director, Storyboard

Amino, Tetsurou Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Sep 23, 2021

Atelier_Weiss

Recommended

Aoi Ryuusei SPT Layzner is Ryousuke Takahashi's fifth creative work and one that stands out among his other mecha works for feeling a lot more representative of the genre. While Dougram is a much more politically focused show with action that feels more comprised of guerrilla efforts than giant robots punching each other, Layzner is something that feels a lot more distinctively like a real robot show making it more derivative compared to his other contributions to the industry up to this point yet refreshing in its execution.

Layzner tackles some very interesting concepts within the mecha genre. Taking place in an alternative history where the ... Cold War continued for decades trust between nations is still very weak among the two main superpowers of the aforementioned war which maintained their political and militant prevalence. It's an era where all it takes is one askew action to set off a war and when an unknown alien force helms the charge of a battle on Mars, it was all it took to lead to a mass missile attack on both sides' military bases on the red planet. What's great about this premise is how volatile it can be. Trust between nations is tense after all so when word of a mass attack on a nation occurs each side assumes the other is the cause. In reality it's an entirely alien force known as Grados, humanoid beings very similar to earthlings who using this knowledge of tension declares this attack to make each side attack each other.

The keyword is tension, as the first 24 episodes is very invested in this theme. Trust issues between different parties, the fear of being attacked by a superior alien force, the tension of trying to run from them. From the first episode there's a very clear air of bleakness, a sense of helplessness in an effort to survive a battle that can't be won. And in its execution it's damn good. The main cast comprises mostly of students from a club that were brought to Mars as a peace effort between nations and being thrown into the deep end with civilians that don't have any battle experience puts you in a similar position to them. You're witnessing and feeling the sense of dread they are as giant robots piloted by aliens destroy the one location that separates them from a planet with no atmosphere. It makes the characters feel boxed in, and by extension yourself, following them trying to find any possible survivors and a chance to make their way back home.

That is with the exception of a wild card with the main character, Eiji Asuka. Eiji is the solace in this hopeless situation yet an explosive one that seems to help the civilian crew but given their situation have a hard time trying to trust him. It's a reasonable response as there's no reason for our heroes to figure that there's a coup occurring within an alien army that no earthling is even aware of. Eiji is the bridge that becomes the hope as well as the evidence that the alien adversaries aren't all evil. And it's an endearing experience watching him try to gain the trust of everyone.

The cast of Layzner is really great, it's not going to be winning awards for being groundbreaking but everyone is personable and have varied, believable reactions to what's happening and in general have very likeable personalities. Every character slowly falls into serving a role in the story and it all feels natural. They all receive development that makes you really root for them and become concerned of their wellbeing -- or in some other cases, make you hate them. The further the story goes the more it feels like everything will work out for them. Even when the story does take a significant shift the characters remain who they are and continue to develop remaining true to themselves and not being adjusted to fit the new tone.

I will touch upon the second part of this show briefly because I don't wish to spoil much. Layzner is somewhat infamous in circles that are aware of it for having a pretty drastic shift in tone after episode 24. It loses a lot of the drama and nail-biting suspense as it moves in direction that is a lot more action packed and bombastic. Really, it almost feels like a completely different show. But I want to clarify that this change isn't weak, it's just very different to what came before. As far as individual episodes go I'd almost say it's as good as the first part of the story. The problem more lies in that it's a cancelled show. Layzner is one of the most unfortunate examples of a cancelled show as something that was clearly being created with the intention to be 50 episodes and around 35 episodes in got asked by the Sunrise executives to give it an ending. Narratively, it's not a graceful finish. However when it comes to what it offers within its episodes all the way up to the end Layzner does hold itself intact fairly well, albeit with a few hiccups with how it handles some of its secondary and main characters. Bear in mind as I say this that I did not watch the original TV ending and only viewed the ending that came in the OVA a few months after the show's airing.

With that out of the way, I want to talk more about the positives which include the visuals. Layzner is a gorgeous looking show for its time. As far as TV animation goes for the era, Zeta Gundam's one of the only shows I can think of that looks as detailed and well animated as Layzner, and even then I'd say Zeta's inferior. And it's not just animation, the art is very detailed with mecha designs that are more complex than most in the era and mature character designs that are reminiscent of a softer, less gruff Fist of the North Star. Its storyboard and layout is very nice too, with shot composition that at times can evoke a lot of emotion. There were some visual moments in the show that really stood out to me that I had to pause it or go back and re-experience it.

I also really enjoy the opening theme and animation. Among the fans that's not a unique opinion but it really is great sequence that's well choreographed. I love the change between the first and second openings when Eiji's running as it changes from a determined expression with less urgency in his face to a more aggressive expression that makes him seem at wit's end, running at full speed doing everything his body can handle to complete his mission. It represents well the shift in urgency from the first part to the second.

Regarding the soundtrack it's also quite strong. The aforementioned opening theme is good of course but the soundtrack itself is varied offering a range from classical influences to pop to Aoki Nozomi-like orchestral jazz & rock. It's not a large soundtrack but unlike Dougram which fails in having strong themes Layzner actually benefits from this being able to make some tracks represent certain characters. When you hear certain themes you're a lot more likely to get excited or to react in a particular way compared to Dougram which with its tiny soundtrack and double the runtime ends up making its great tracks carry less weight to them.

All in all, I feel like I could talk more about this show in greater detail but as a written review I'd much rather hit the bullet points and give you a taste of what this show offers. It's something that should be seen for yourself especially if you're a mecha fan. It does have its problems and has a very rushed ending but the content that comes before it and even the ending itself in isolation is highly entertaining. This was a show that came so close to being absolutely amazing, if it was given the chance to be complete it might've become one of my favourite mecha shows of all time. And to have that impression planted upon me despite its handicap is something to be worthy of note.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 7, 2024

SCLFI

Recommended

SPT Layzner occupies its own position within the overarching (if not overbearing) market of 1980s mecha with a political and military focus. Within the decade, director Ryosuke Takahashi’s other works prior to Layzner included VOTOMS, with its focus on a deeply rotten and outright malignantly corrupt military bureaucracy, while Dougram adopted a more domestic sociological perspective, examining the way common people were affected by the colonisation of space. As the most popular franchise within the mecha genre, Gundam would have been the most direct market competitor, with its own thematic and narrative elements broadly comparable to both of these shows, but there is one specific ... area in which Layzner retains a distinct identity from either Takahashi’s other works, or Gundam, and that is in its tone. More so than any specific details of narrative development, Layzner emphasises and materialises a harsh tone and atmosphere within its world, creating a pervasive sense of danger and insecurity at every moment, without reprieve. Sometimes within the mecha genre, the inside of the cockpit is treated as a safe retreat, a position for the pilot to assert their own authority and retain a sense of self, while exerting that will upon others, other times it is within the domestic setting that comfort is found, but Layzner makes the distinct decision to avoid providing comfort within any location in its universe.

In its approach to worldbuilding, Layzner is remarkably subdued, infusing its Cold War setting with an appropriate sense of realism, an aspect which also applies to its technological design, most prominently seen through items like computers and radar systems, missiles and ships, all of which have a consistent and uncompromisingly rectangular, blocky form. This effectively encapsulates the post-detente era and its indefinite extension as depicted within the story, and secondarily it is able to add to the plausibility of the situation, not just in the design of its mechs but in all aspects that inform them. With this in mind, Layzner is not directly concerned with realism, it is only the byproduct of an intelligently restrained use of its setting. On a narrative level, the robots are a mechanism used for achieving goals, not a means unto themselves, and the overarching goal that Layzner is principally concerned with is inducing a sense of pure terror. Not in the sense of the horror genre, which centralises its entire sense of fear and danger through a single character, consequently relying on profoundly stupid characters, and even stupider strings of cliches in order to function. Layzner moves a step in the right direction, by instead endeavouring to make the very environment itself outright hostile to its characters’ survival, with dust storms on the surface of Mars completely obfuscating any sense of direction or vision, and the complete absence of any organic life on the planet can hardly be viewed as a reassuring omen. The only inorganic life found on the planet would be human life, and considering that the only other people are already dead, killed instantly with no possibility of escape, this too compounds the predicament and does little for the fighting spirit.

As a furtherance of this hostility, the robotic weaponry used for humanity’s survival carries its own first-person identity. Hiroki Azuma has invoked the idea that science fiction anime depicts a classic philosophical grand narrative within circumstances that make its realisation impossible, and likewise, Layzner’s pursuit of scientific achievement, predominantly done within the context of geopolitical conquest and great power games, builds a universe in which this pursuit of scientific perfection is initiated, but with inherent qualities that make perfection an impossibility, and with far-reaching consequences. The computers that control the mechs within the series have their own thinking processes, giving information to the pilot, and recommending specific courses of action, with the unstated caveat that they are programmed in such a way that their decision making is deliberately limited and biased, at times counter to the pilot’s intentions, making the specific mecha on which humanity entrusts its own survival, unreliable and untrustworthy for that purpose. Found along this trajectory are the unmanned robots who hunt down the unarmed survivors of humanity, which only exemplifies the pure hostility inherent within the machinery. The unmanned robots (whose designs are inarguably the absolute coolest thing within the series) are not used to support a squad, they offer no tactical advantage, they are only used out of pure genocidal hatred, to kill unarmed survivors in the depths of the underground. Naturally, this sort of genocidal hatred is not limited to robots, in that respect the most deranged behaviour is found within the select few who infuse their organic bodies with wire and metal a la Giger, an option only accessible enough to those psychotic enough to accept their own destruction because they value the death of others more than their own sense of self. Christopher Bolton suggested that the fear of integrating with technology eroding the essence of humanity is one of the main concerns exhibited within the science fiction genre, but the character of Gosterro disregards that idea, outright enthused in himself when he says “I’m not even sure how much of me is human at this point”, spoken through a visage that lacks the elegance of Robocop, looking more like if an IED were a person, with metallic armour smashed into his face and eyes, with other parts of tissue and wire exposed openly as they contort in purely inhuman ways.

This generally applied use of technology as a means to invoke its warlike terror is present throughout the entirety of the series, as it moves from Mars to the alien occupation of Earth, as the survivors begin a resistance movement in New York City, which has since been reduced to a deprived slum, with its black skyscrapers looking condemned and its citizens living in abject misery – aliens haven’t erected a giant pyramid outside Yankee Stadium yet, but apart from that they did accurately capture what it’s been like since Rudy Giuliani retired as mayor. Since the 1980s, which happens to be when Layzner was aired, the notion of high concept film has permeated the industry globally, and it is much easier to find something that fits into the concept of high concept than the opposite. In that respect, it’s difficult to truly find an area in which Layzner could be considered high concept, as it lacks the purely adrenaline-driven emotionally charged protagonists of other action franchises, nor the sort of deep examination of minutiae and internal lore that is designed to appeal to dedicated otaku. Layzner has one thing to its credit, and that is its tension and atmosphere, which is unrelentingly carried across each of its episodes. It may not be a popular thing to have such an uncompromisingly hopeless atmosphere, the lack of popularity of Takahashi’s later Blue Gender, which doubled down on injecting horror into a mecha setting would seem to corroborate the idea, although in this respect Layzner would be seen as ahead of the post-Lost Decade zeitgeist that facilitated that sort of narrative direction. It’s certainly not high concept in the manner in which it is typically understood, but Layzner, which may not have done much to help reassure or comfort any of its audience about their fears of MAD, did at least manage to orchestrate a poignant sense of insecurity within all that encapsulates its visual and narrative design and structure, creating an emotionally engaging piece that contrasts with the genre’s established conventions, and the asphyxiating pressure and fear that defines Layzner as a series is idiosyncratic and incomparable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 24, 2024

Patfine

Recommended

Review written in English and French / Critique disponible en anglais et en français

~~~~~~

What can be said about Layzner?

First of all, it’s the fourth major work of my favorite mecha anime director: Ryousuke Takahashi. Being a big fan of Votoms and especially Dougram, I had high expectations for Layzner. And indeed, I was happy to find Takahashi’s signature style.

The series is divided into two distinct parts: episodes 1 to 24 and episodes 26 to 38 (the 25th is a summary). Without spoiling what they consist of, they are nevertheless radically different in tone.

For the first part, we have a very dark story. The extended Cold ... War setting works really well and adds to the constant hostility that prevails. The atmosphere is meant to be tense with a constant threat, an emergency situation, and limited resources for the protagonists. And it works really well. You could even call it a thriller. On top of that, Takahashi is not the master of Real Robot for nothing, and even if he doesn't go as far in realism as in Dougram for example, his signature style and attention to plausibility are entirely present. Apart from certain technologies, everything is meant to be realistic, especially the reactions of the various characters and the political decisions made. Until then, few anime, I think, had managed to so well capture how people would react to an extraterrestrial attack. This first part is really well-executed; I would even say it is comparable to an arc of Votoms (which is no small feat).

The second part is radically different. We move to a more post-apocalyptic/dystopian atmosphere, and in fact, the series starts to resemble a bit, in a sense, Fist of the North Star with mechas (yeah I’m not kidding). While I find the idea good, with many interesting changes and initial episodes that work, it ultimately proves to be inferior to the previous part. The tone shifts drastically, and so does the narrative: the fast-paced, relentless plot is replaced by a more episodic format. Unfortunately, I find the writing less inspired, and above all, the tone is much less dark, even though this new setting would allow it just as much. Is it really bad for that reason? I wouldn't go that far, and there are still good aspects, but compared to the excellent first part, it is still inferior.

The series was also shortened, but in fact, they just cut all the episodes that were supposed to be between the 37th and the last one to jump directly to the latter, so it doesn’t make much sense. Fortunately, out of the 3 released OVAs, the first 2 are summaries of the first 37 episodes, but the third provides the ending the series deserves. It’s not perfect because it’s shorter than planned, but it’s largely acceptable and satisfying. If you watch the series, you should simply replace the last episode with the last OVA for the best experience.

Moreover, my explanation for the slight drop in quality is that due to the series' lack of success (and more specifically the merchandise sales), Takahashi likely had his creative freedom restricted. He explained in an interview I saw that the merchandise sales model for mecha series wasn’t a problem that made the series commercialized, but rather that he had complete artistic freedom as long as sales were satisfactory. In the same way, he likely lost some freedom with sales below expectations.

Despite everything, it’s a very good series that is really worth watching, at least for its first part especially, and even during the second, you have a good time without any problems. So I highly recommend it for Real Robot fans, in spite of the fews flaws of the second part.

~~~~~~

Que dire de Layzner ?

Tout d'abord, c'est la quatrième réalisation importante de mon réalisateur d'anime de mechas préféré : Ryousuke Takahashi. Étant très fan de Votoms et surtout de Dougram, j'avais de grandes attentes pour Layzner. Et effectivement, j'ai été heureux de retrouver la patte de Takahashi.

La série se découpe en deux parties distinctes : les épisodes 1 à 24 et les épisodes 26 à 38 (le 25e est un résumé). Si je ne vais pas spoiler en quoi elles consistent, elles sont tout de même radicalement différentes en termes de ton.

Pour la première, on est déjà sur une histoire très sombre. Le cadre de Guerre froide prolongée fonctionne vraiment bien et ajoute à l'hostilité permanente qui règne. L'ambiance se veut angoissante avec une menace constante, une situation d'urgence et des ressources limitées des protagonistes. Et ça fonctionne vraiment bien. On pourrait même la qualifier de thriller. En plus de ça, Takahashi n'est pas le maître du Real Robot pour rien, et même s'il ne va pas aussi loin dans le réalisme que dans Dougram par exemple, on retrouve totalement sa patte et son attention à la vraisemblance. À part certaines technologies, tout se veut réaliste, en particulier les réactions des différents personnages et les décisions politiques prises. Jusqu'alors, peu d'anime avaient, je pense, réussi à aussi bien cerner comment des gens réagiraient à une attaque extraterrestre. Cette première partie est vraiment très maîtrisée, je dirais même qu'elle vaut sans problème un arc de Votoms (ce qui n'est pas rien).

La seconde est radicalement différente. On passe à une ambiance plus post-apo/dystopique et en fait, la série commence à ressembler un peu, en un sens, à du Ken le survivant avec des mechas (oui, oui, je ne délire pas). Si je trouve l'idée bonne, avec de nombreux changements intéressants et des premiers épisodes qui fonctionnent, elle se révèle malgré tout en dessous de la précédente partie. Si le ton tranche radicalement, c'est aussi narrativement : le rythme soutenu et l'intrigue sans temps mort sont remplacés par un format plus épisodique. Malheureusement, je trouve l'écriture moins inspirée, et surtout, le ton est nettement moins sombre, alors que ce nouveau cadre le permettait tout autant. Est-ce que c'est vraiment mauvais pour autant ? Je n'irais pas jusque-là, et il y a encore de bonnes choses, mais par rapport à l'excellente première partie, c'est quand même en dessous.

La série a d'ailleurs été raccourcie, mais en fait, ils ont juste coupé tous les épisodes qui devaient être entre le 37e et le dernier pour passer directement à celui-ci, du coup on ne comprend pas grand-chose. Heureusement, sur les 3 OAV sortis, les 2 premiers sont des résumés des 37 premiers épisodes, mais le troisième apporte la fin que la série mérite. Ce n'est pas parfait car de toute façon plus court que prévu, mais largement acceptable et satisfaisant. Si vous devez regarder la série, il faut donc remplacer tout simplement le dernier épisode par le dernier OAV pour la meilleure expérience.

D'ailleurs, mon explication pour la légère baisse de qualité, c'est qu'en raison du manque de succès de la série (et plus spécifiquement des ventes de produits dérivés), Takahashi a dû voir son niveau de liberté restreint. Il a expliqué dans une interview que j'avais vue que le modèle de vente de produits dérivés pour les séries de mechas n'était pas du tout un problème qui rendait les séries mercantiles, mais qu'au contraire, il avait pleine liberté artistique tant que les ventes étaient satisfaisantes. De la même manière, il a sans doute perdu en liberté avec des ventes en dessous des attentes.

Malgré tout, c'est une très bonne série qui vaut vraiment le coup, au moins pour sa première partie surtout, et même devant la seconde, on passe un bon moment sans problème. Donc je la recommande vivement pour les amateurs de Real Robot, malgré les défauts de la seconde partie.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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