009-1 is based on a late sixties manga by Ishinomori Shotaro and in regards to the show's stylish nature this is definitely something to take note of. The series is done in a very old school manner that will mainly appeal to those of that era; admittedly it does possess some modern traits but this anime is not for everyone.
The manga was set during the Cold War. The anime follows its manga counterpart and pushes the Cold War beyond the nineties adding mutant children, advanced weaponry, cyborgs, and androids. 009-1 shares similarities to James Bond, but in many ways lacks the cleverness of the suave special agent.
At first glance, 009-1 appears to be another chicks with guns anime series packed with fan service, mindless sex scenes, and very campy action scenes. Serious viewers could find it tough to get past the first episode. The first episode is action packed with a good amount of shoot outs and hand to hand scenes, but it has a very cheesy feel to it. Honestly, had I been watching this series seven years ago, I would have dropped it right away. Fortunately, these days I can watch almost anything. Therefore, when I do start on something I try my best to finish it no matter how painful it could be.
Now, by the time the second episode arrives, the series takes a different turn and you soon realize you're not watching just another totally mindless girls with guns anime. The story mainly revolves around Myleen and develops her character through her solo missions. Even though Myleen is a professional and takes her job seriously. She often shows compassion to her victims loved ones and sometimes even to her targets; but she will deal out death to those whom she really believes deserves it. This bit of character depth is very much needed because Myleen comes off as a total sleaze. She sleeps with almost all of her targets and I'm not into trashy characters such as these.
This anime is plotless(until the last three episodes) and it follows an episodic format. Normally, anime like this would follow a certain predictable pattern. This follows a pattern somewhat, with almost every episode beginning slow paced, and later building up to an action packed ending but there is variety in the show. Some of the stories have great endings simply because they abandon all clichés. I'll leave this part up in the air to avoid spoilers; but I will say episode four stands as my favorite.
009-1 is a watchable series yet has its flaws, and it doesn't reach its full potential. For one thing, Myleen is the only character whom is developed. The others in her squad receive no background and their roles are pretty much non existent. There really isn't much of an excuse for this, because at least two episodes served very little purpose. One in particular because I felt later on the subject concerning Myleen's compassion for others was a dead horse taking a beating. I also have a problem with some of the writing. I mentioned this series is similar to James Bond but minus the cleverness. I'll elaborate on this subject. While the character of James utilized wits, gadgets, and the story overall used strong, and imaginative writing to depict his escape from capture. Myleen was forced to resort to very uninteresting gimmicks such as the breast guns(which is so corny) and at least one time, her escape provided no explanation at all(how did she get out of those chains?), the writing can be way too weak.
I also mentioned the sex scenes earlier. The scenes really don't hurt the series because they aren't graphic and are mainly left to your imagination, plus the series isn't packed with them as a desperate attempt to push the episodic plot. The ending was somewhat tacked on and it didn't provide enough closure.
The biggest issue I have with this series is definitely the character designs. There was some effort put into the females of the series, especially, in the case of Myleen. They went out of their way to make her as sexy as possible, but too bad everyone else received the cold shoulder. The character designs are horrible especially for those use to more modern anime. The artwork for the backgrounds are just as bad at times. The buildings look almost like building blocks on some occassions. Other times, the artwork can be outstanding, especially, for the sunsets and night time backgrounds. The soundtrack was pretty good to me, but it could of used a few more songs. Overall, they fit very well with the series consisting of jazz and modern rock. The series also has solid voice acting. The English version contains a bit of foul language. I haven't seen the sub.
009-1 surprised me early, admittedly because I set my expectations very low. It's an entertaining series that establishes its own identity, and doesn't always rely on cheap gimmicks; as for the artwork, I get what the intention is here but that doesn't mean I have to fully like it or like it at all. I don't regret watching this series. However, if I had something better at the time, I would have put this on the shelf for a little while.
Highs: Bloody action and action packed, decent stories, good music
Lows: Very bad character designs, a bit of weak writing
