Ranked #3448

Avenger

Sometimes you wonder about the 'Why?' of things. For example, why make a movie that will bore the audience to tears? Why bother writing a book if you're going to write poorly? Why throw blue paint on a canvas and then try to call it art? There are some things in life that are just pointless, and I think Avenger happens to be one of those.

I am a Bee Train fan. This must be understood. It hurts to be harsh on this anime, but it is what it is: pointless.

Now, Avenger tells the story of, well, an avenger, Leila Ashley, who lives on the colonised red planet itself. Mars has become a sort of dilapidated planet, with ruins of almost Roman-esque buildings, and it houses scattered groups of humans and androids. It is pretty interesting that children are no longer being born on this dusty planet, thus substantiating the number of android kids who have become a shell-like replacement for real children.

And in this backdrop, Leila Ashley seeks her revenge on the King/Emperor/President (?) of Mars. It all seems pretty interesting, huh? It is. Sadly, the execution of this decent set-up is unforgivably flawed, and there are more questions being asked rather than answered. The numerous plot holes serve only to take away from the development of the story as well.

The art is fairly good, I will admit. The animation is also good. However, there is a really dull use of the colour palette which is ironically, very colourful, with lots of shades of darker colours. There isn't a defined, crispness in the art, and it shows. Also, while some of the first battle and action scenes were done well, the rest seem to fall flat or drip in mediocrity.

Now, you have to be wary of the sound. It's sort of a opera-fuelled techno, so if you're not used to Bee Train's signature sound and their even more signature use of the Ali Project, you may not like the music. While I am partial to the sound, the OP and ED did nearly make my ears bleed with its "screechiness" and sloppy arrangement.

It's sort of a wonder to have the two protagonists of a series to be both vacant and mostly non-communicative throughout the entire show. Both Leila and Nei remain underdeveloped throughout the series. Note, I did not say that they were undeveloped, just underdeveloped. They throw two potentially good characters at us, however they do nothing in terms of development for the duration of the anime. Leila and Nei's relationship however was very interesting, but I can't say this alone was strong because Avenger did nothing but present this relationship rather than dig deeper or give us more than just a surface look at it.

Sadly, Avenger is not an enjoyable anime. With dozens of plot holes, a literally 'Huh...?' ending, stagnant characterisations, mediocre art and sound that clearly is only made to suit certain tastes, it was a frustrating experience and not one I would ever repeat or ever recommend to another to try out. read more

*Constructive* criticism welcome, just leave me a comment.

If you want a quick, no-nonsense action anime, Avenger is your ticket. People looking for good character development and a fleshed-out story will be fine skipping on this.

The story on this one is relatively stripped down and straightforward, though it unfortunately gets a little derailed and doesn't do much to answer many questions or present a complete ending. However, like I said, if you're looking for action, you'll find it here, as much of the story centers around Layla fighting her way to the end of the anime, and there's enough of a difference in her fights to keep your attention. No rehashed fighting animations here! All the cities involved in the story are all unique as well, so you won't feel like the characters aren't going anywhere; it manages to convey that 'going on a journey' feeling quite well, complete with wandering through the barrenness of Mars between cities.

The story fails a little where development is concerned; the Dolls definitely could have been explained more especially since they seem like they should have had more of an impact on the story, as well as Layla's history with Cross. There's a lot of stuff going on in the story concerning the 'Original Twelve', a red moon getting too close to the planet and causing all sorts of ruckus like no babies being born, as well as the general drama associated with the characters. Thirteen episodes is painfully short for how much Bee Train tried to cram into the series, and unfortunately it becomes evident as the story gets holes in it that don't get filled at the end. At some point, it's pretty easy to wonder just where everything is going and what the connection is; it's a frail thread, but the story never quite breaks completely.

The sound and animation, however, are above-average, with themes by the famous Ali Project, and exceptional graphic quality. Like I said, no rehashed animations here! The character designs are all unique, especially that of the 'doll' Nei, and the Original Twelve, not to mention all the differing cities, which are all known by a specific trait that the others do not have. They do well conveying this, so every place manages to look different and doesn't get too repetitive.

When it comes to development of these colorful characters though, the art of it will be obviously skin-deep. Some of the major characters aren't fleshed out at all, leaving you to wonder just what their background is, and what it is that is making them do what they do. However, if all you want is someone having a reason to punch someone else in the face, odds are you probably don't care much about their family drama. XD; There is an attempt to explain Layla's bizarre past, and it is all done in flashbacks that never give you enough pieces to really 'get it'. It is made very obvious why she has a grudge, however, even if her cliche taciturnity is a bit overdone. Unfortunately, most of the characters are forgettable, with the exception of Speedy. He's kind of the black sheep in this anime, and provides the rare moments of needed comedy. I really really wish they had explained Nei completely, for reasons which you will find out, as it is a huge spoiler. XP

Going through this anime, odds are you'll either watch it all to see the fighting, or to see if it ever explains itself. There's not really much to get out of it, just like a summer action blockbuster, but with less explosions. If it had been longer, it definitely would have faired better, but with the amount of story points that were stuffed into it, its easier to just accept it and its flaws and just watch it for the pretty and the unique concept. read more