Planzet

When people think of 3D CG animation from the Far East, they normally remember certain cut scenes from video games, some of which are truly breathtaking works that combine imaginative storytelling with top notch cinematography. It's strange then, that the skill and passion that goes into making these visual feasts is sorely lacking where the anime industry is concerned, and the shows that have tried to walk the path of 3D CG have generally failed at capturing the attention of the audience.

There is at least one star shining in the darkness though, and thankfully it's not Planzet.

In 2047 the Earth has reached the point where ... it will become uninhabitable in another ten years, and forced with this choice of move or die, humanity has decided to pack up what it can and colonize Mars. The story begins with Akeshima Koushiro, a commander in the military, asking his son Hiroshi about his future plans while his daughter sketches in the garden, little knowing that this is the day when humanity will face a crisis even greater than that posed by the average removal company.

The storyline is generally easy to follow, especially as it's nothing more than a cross between Independence Day and Top wo Nerae (amongst others), but problems arise with some of the key plot elements. One of the greater issues is that there are very few explanations for the major shifts in the story, and the overly convoluted sequence of events only exacerbates the lack of detail in the narrative. In addition to this the show tries too hard to justify the actions of the characters, and this leads to conversations and monologues that have very little depth of emotion, and feel as contrived as an excuse from Bart Simpson.

The inherent problem though, is that all of this has been done before.

Aliens attacking the Earth is not a new storyline, nor is humans having to leave because the planet is uninhabitable (Wall-E immediately springs to mind). There are plenty of elements in the plot that have been utilised in some other tale, but that isn't the problem here. The real issue is content, or more specifically, moderation and refining of the plot. The screenplay for Planzet looks like it was put together by a science fiction fanboy as it attempts to cram a number of well known and disparate threads into its 55 minutes, all of which ultimately leaves a confused and somewhat sour aftertaste as viewers alternate between wanting to punch the lead and wondering what the hell is going on (which, ironically enough, sounds a bit like the average reaction to Neon Genesis Evangelion).

That said, the brainchild of Awazu Jun (who wrote the screenplay and directed the feature), really does look good.

Planzet is one of those movies that boasts amazingly detailed graphics and realism, and one look at any screenshot will highlight just how much of a step forward this feature could have been.

Could have been ...

Beauty is only skin deep, and nowhere in anime is this more true than where this film is concerned. The visuals are generally excellent, with a level of detail that puts many other shows, and even a number of cut-scenes, to shame. Unfortunately the same level of commitment and attention to detail seems to have gone missing when it came to animating Planzet, so rather than watching something truly breathtaking that might have counterbalanced the shoddy storyline, viewers are instead subjected to strange postures and weird doll-like actions.

The problem is further aggravated by the acting as most of the cast seem to do nothing more than a simple recitation of their lines and pause unnaturally during conversations. Part of this is due to the script, which is little more than an overly simplistic and rather cheesy attempt at character studies, but this is compounded by the mechanical delivery of the seiyuu who sound like they had to take turns when speaking.

Sadly, not even the talents of Miyano Mamoru (Akeshima Hiroshi), whose roles include Yagami Light, Suoh Tamaki and Death the Kid, can raise the level of acting from mediocrity, especially when faced with a script like this one.

The music has a martial theme to it that is reflective of the heroic, post apocalypse struggle for survival, and in general it works well enough if not for the ending theme, Ryuuguu no Tsukai by Hajime Chitose. Unfortunately this little ballad is sung in a manner reminiscent of Alanis Morissette crossed with yowling cats, which results in a high pitched warbling that both I and the movie really could have done without.

Thankfully the audio effects are pretty good, but this may be nothing more than a fluke when all things are considered.

Now given that this is a 55 minute movie, the average viewer may not expect much in the way of characterisation and development. Well ask and ye shall receive, because there isn't. Each role is as flat as a billiard table, and while there are attempts at justifying the actions, thoughts and emotions of the characters, these feel forced and dispassionate.

Even knowing this though, the viewer is subjected to a diatribe about why these people are fighting against an alien invasion, which is basically like saying the survival of the human race is not enough of a reason to take up arms.

On a slightly different note, there will be people out there wondering why I insist on calling the lead character Hiroshi instead of Taishi (which is what everyone else seems to be calling him). The reason for this is because his father calls him by that name during the first minute of the film.

Planzet is an odd movie, mainly because of the number of things it managed to do in order to sabotage itself. Whilst the visuals are impressive, the lack of coherency, consistency and intelligence in almost every other department makes this a difficult show to watch without getting angry about one thing or another.

This really isn't the best example of the 3D side of the industry. On the one hand it takes itself too seriously, but on the other it displays an almost criminal lack of passion, professionalism and pride, and it's the latter factor that really kills this film.

One can only wonder where the shining future that was heralded by Hottarake no Shima: Haruka to Mahou no Kagami has gone.

Planzet, a movie that takes place in the future 3 decades from now. Like any other alien movies, this one is also about alien invasion and humankind trying to defend themselves.
Story (6/10):
I'd have to give this anime a 6/10 for story. The idea of having an alien invasion and humans defending their planet and themselves is an overused idea I'd say. Even in the Western Culture, we see movies about this come up all the time. For example: Cowboys vs. Aliens and Battle of Los Angeles.
Art (7/10):
The 3D animation for this movie was not all that bad. Considering it was aired last year, I'd ... expected the 3D animation to be better.
Sound (7/10):
The sound for this movie wasn't all that bad. There wasn't enough emotions in the words at times.
Character (6/10):
I'd liked it if the characters were developed a bit more. Although the movie was only 55 minutes long, they could've extended the movie and added more details to the characters and their past.
Enjoyment (6/10):
This movie was watchable for me. I did not have to pause the movie or take a break. The beginning of the movie was a bit slow at first. I'd like this movie more if they had showed a bit more of what happened after defeating the aliens though.
Overall (6/10):
Overall this movie was okay. I enjoy watching a movie or anime about aliens once every while and this did not disappoint me.

Planzet

The story takes place in the future. It's basically about an alien invasion in the main character trying to defend planet earth while defeating the enemy.

This movie is for sci-fi/mecha fans esp. those who like the end of the world stories. Also if you are not a big fan of 3-D animation you might not like it all. When it first started I was not a fan of the animation nor how the story was going. It was coming off a lil boring and I thought for the advancement in technology this 3-D animation was coming a lil weak in coolness. I didn't start to ... get into it until the action began which might be a lil too late for some. The end was expected but still nice. I would say this movies is okay because it wouldn't reach general audiences in being cool. I liked it because it was sci-fi, I disliked it because if you are not into sci-fi or 3D animation you might find it a waste of time.

Story: 6/10 In 52 mins you can only do so much, it would have better with a more interesting beginning.

Art: 6/10 When the movie first started I thought it was crappy 3-D but when the action started I didn't seem to mind any more. The animation looks better after the movies goes along.

Character: 6/10 The main character matured so that's always a plus.

Enjoyment: 6/10 I ended up taking a nap somewhere before the action started. When I woke up and the fighting began I started to enjoy it.

Overall: 6/10 If you are a sci-fi geek like me you will like it at most, if you like 3-D animation you would enjoy it even more.

When it comes recommendations, I would recommend this to a Sci-fi, 3-D, Mecha fan (esp. if they enjoy short movies) who else nothing better to do with time to kill. Anyone else might find it boring.

well , let me start by saying it pains me how such a visually beautiful anmie with potential can be ruined by totally inept scripting, clueless character development or a plot less story.

The visual were breathtaking and i loved the whole retro look.The sound wasn't bad either, its just it was a a let down , it wanted to be so much more but wasn't.I will not say it had its moments but overall but the guys who wrote this drivel couldn't ... even write a book for kindergarten children.

I really rarely giving damning reviews but overall this sucked.

You ever play a grindy video game and loot one of those uber legendary mythic weapons from the final boss on the first playthrough that turns out to be less than stellar than what got you past level ten? That's how I felt after watching Planzet. Turns out I'd been very spoiled by Appleseed, Vexille, Advent Children, hell even early seasons of REBOOT, when it comes to CG animation. This film was by no means up to par.

It looked interesting, the first step to fan interest in anything. But it turned out to be sugarless eye candy. It actually has ... a good idea in concept, but it faceplants often and hard in the execution. Little non sequitors in the animation that take you out of the story, a story that stumbles more than a blackout drunk, and too many wait what the hell moments.

Poorly executed scifi, imperfect animation, bad pacing, not worth seeing twice unless you and your friends do MST3K drinking night. On the plus side, I'm glad I got it on sale.