Tetsuwan Birdy

Looking through the gender-bender anime options I found this one and wasn't expecting too much, but I was pleasantly surprised and the short run of four episodes makes it easy for me to recommend it to people. But what makes it good? Well...

- Story & Theme
The story is simple. A spacecop accidentally kills someone, which is a big no-no, and the only way to save him is to merge their bodies together. Hijinx can ensue, right? Sure, too a degree, but the story actually comes off as surprisingly serious and the theme is more sci-fi action mystery then gender-bender rom com. There is a romantic ... interest, but she is handled in a different way than one might expect and while I wouldn't call the story anything more than generic it all just simply works. Part of that is that the story plays to its strengths, but a large part is also...

- Characters & Writing
If anything really shines in this OVA it's the characters. Even the over-the-top aliens and monsters feel like relatable characters and instead of going for tired cliché copies of characters we've already seen the characters are written more believable and normal. They act and talk in believable ways and they all feel like actual people than just tropes. They're clearly not just there for comedic purpose but to flesh out the world and provide an anime that draws you in.

- Graphics & Style
While this is clearly not a high budget animated movie the style still evokes the same kind of idea. There's a lack of animation in many scenes, but a good use of storytelling and cinematography makes the cost-cutting measures blend in as well as they can. The style is less cute and stylized than many other offerings and it feels well balanced against the more serious storytelling. Its clear that this anime is a product of the 90's and I'm all for it.

- Music & Sound
A tad more tracks wouldn't have hurt as the heroic theme is played to death during the action sequences, which there are a lot of, but fortunately what is there is good enough although a bit generic. The ending themes do the job, but not more than that and I wouldn't really listen to them outside the anime.

- Conclusion
If there is one thing I would point out that makes this show really good it's that everything feels cohesive and works well together. I think anyone who likes a solid down-to-earth sci-fi anime would like this and the biggest problem with it is that four episodes is not enough to pull all the threads together and come to a satisfying conclusion. It feels like a solid start to what should have been a 24 episode series and there are a lot of things unfinished storywise and characterwise. At this time I haven't watched Decoded yet so I'm not sure how that plays into this, but it's still a solid recommendation from me.

This anime was so fun! I was pleasantly surprised!

The characters were all very human and well-written, the animation was wonderful and thoughtful, and the soundtrack was cute when it needed to be and serious when it needed to be. All-in-all a really well done series.

Quick synopsis. Cute alien waifu accidentally kills an earth boy and has to fuse her body with his to keep him alive. They have to work together to stop some evil villains from carrying out their evil plans. Think Ranma 1/2 mixed with Parasyte: The Maxim.

I had no expectations going into this and I came out very pleased with what I ... saw. Big recommendation! Plus, Birdy is voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi who is our queen, God bless.

TL;DR: Watch it. It's a very well done project and you can watch the whole thing in like two hours.

Excuse me, I don't usually write in English. If you want you can read my review in Spanish.

Masami Yuuki is known for being the author of Patlabor (1988-1994), but also of other works such as Assemble Insert (1985-1989) or Birdy the Mighty (1985-1988). The latter, like the previous ones, received its own anime in the form of 4 OVAs. The responsible was Yoshiaki Kawajiri, director of films such as Ninja Scroll (1993) and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000), although this time he did not have much creative freedom to shape his interests. Hence, it is difficult to identify the style of the prestigious author, with ... only a few signs such as his predilection for action or spider monsters.

Birdy the Mighty is an action miniseries with science fiction elements that tells the story of a student and an interspace agent, both united in the same body due to an unfortunate incident, who must collaborate to defeat the evil extraterrestrial organization. The main attraction, therefore, is the fact that the main couple live together in the same body. An infrequent change because the usual thing is that the hero ends up in the body of his partner and vice versa, both having to deal with situations that he is not used to. See living the life of another completely different person who reaches the sex, age, occupation, etc.

On the contrary, here we speak of a different experience, in the sense that they must find a way in which both guests are satisfied. On the one hand, Birdy must preserve Tsutomu's life in the same state he was in before. On the other hand, the boy must accept Birdy's mission and collaborate with her. Contrary to what might seem, coexistence does not take long to take place, with some initial friction before Tsutomu's annoyance and Birdy's abruptness that are resolved by the need to cancel the threat. In other words, the dramatic and emotional dimension does not have much of a journey, despite the fact that the nature of the situation could be used to strengthen ties at a more intimate level. They also don't take much advantage of the comedic realm, settling for some jokes that Birdy plays on handling his body around the city or hugging his friend. At least, the experience serves to get us out of unnecessary romances and that the protagonist is an easy target in the face of enemy attacks.

In the same way, the potential of the couple did not reach its maximum either. Neither together nor apart. Like many others, Tsutomu and Birdy are a duo whose interactions are sympathetic, but lacking a singular team chemistry in the absence of contrasts or bonding elements. The exception is on the battlefield, as each brings their own: Birdy the strength and Tsutomu the decisive ideas. Which, by the way, one wonders where he gets them from because the boy is not the brightest or the most interested in science. Either way, the true pillar of the group is Birdy. Facing the ordinary student with no more conflict than recovering her previous life, we have a woman of action endowed with a certain spark due to her beauty, strength and fighting character. Unlike the teenager, the intergalactic agent has a personal goal: to get revenge on Christella Revi for the murder of a loved one. Hence her commitment and responsibility for her work since she is always attentive to any signal and patrolling the area. Unfortunately, we did not get to explore her personal drama because the story is incomplete.

Of the secondary my opinion is shorter. They serve mainly to configure the personal environment of the protagonist, allowing us to better understand why he wants to preserve his intact life. At the same time they also fulfill a comic function. Be it the family with the overprotective mother, the annoying sister and the clumsy father or the classmates who dedicate themselves to teaching you erotic magazines. In a higher place is Tsutomu's friend: Hayamiya. We can point out the same topics about her as about other classmates with the same role, but the most disappointing thing is the resolution of the conflict in which Birdy's identity is revealed. The reason is that he ends with a simple "tell me when you are ready", returning to the status quo.

On the enemy side we have something more of value, although nothing to make coherent. Starting off, we have the main village: Revi. Undoubtedly, the presence of women draws her attention because she is always surrounded by luxury and an interest in fashion and personal beauty, but by depriving ourselves of a direct conflict with her there is nothing more to say. Instead, we have the antagonist of the arc: Seichiro Hikawa. He is a researcher who experimented with human beings during World War II to create perfect soldiers, but after these events he could not continue and his "work" was never recognized until Revi's arrival. He is perfectly suited to the classic narcissistic scientist who trusts in his evil genius, but does not bring a fresh approach. At the very least, he does not stay in something more generic thanks to the background granted by the police investigation and the Machiavellian plan to transform the inhabitants of Tokyo into monsters with psychic powers.

Despite the fact that the work does not stand out in the previous aspects, at least it gives greater emphasis and attention to the action and the development of the combat. A very favorable point when the intellectual pretensions are of such a small size. The clashes involve Birdy and the organization's enemies, who are capable of using superhuman or psychic powers. In general, these encounters are remarkable for several reasons. First of all, it hardly uses limited animation resources. You will not witness static images or recycling of sequences or substitution of backgrounds. Instead the movement is clean and fluid. Second, the battles are free from the most obnoxious obstacles in fighting shonen like annoying exposure or deliberate slowness to stretch.

Afterward, he has enough choreography and visual effects to put on a little show. In this sense, some animators like Yoshiyuki Ito (Cowboy Bebop, 1998; and Soul Eater, 2008) have contributed some sensational action scenes. Of course, the action manages to be clear to the viewer. On the other hand, there is plenty and variety in the fights, changing the enemies and the locations (buildings, aquariums, amusement parks, train tracks, etc). However, they are far from perfect. For example, music is far from memorable, however fitting. Some impact on the action is also missing because Birdy is almost never seriously injured, even if they can put her in trouble. As a last detail, it would have been better not to omit certain punches or kicks at the moment of impact. If you asked me what the best battle is, I'd say Birdy vs. Ondine.

You can read my review here: https://elarmarioanimados.blogspot.com/2018/06/resena-birdy-mighty.html