009 Re:Cyborg

There's a new fashion in the anime industries the last few years were old school manga are either adapted to anime (like Parasite and Jojo's bizarre adventure) or they are getting reboots (like Sailor moon and Hunter x hunter). Yet in Cyborg 009's case things are different. The classic manga of Ishinomori sensei has three anime adaptations and even more movies. Is like the anime industry wants to introduce to every new generation this classic story. I myself have watched the 2001 version when I was a kid and I can say in a way that I grew up with it. I recently watched ... it again to remember those times and then watch this movie. Well I can say that the results didn't dissapointed me at all.

The story in this movie has a lot of changes than the anime. Actually this movie is loosely based on Ishinomori's epic. This happened because this movie had a big problem. How could it to introduce to teenagers nowadays who grew up with fast paced anime, with lots of gore and fights like Tokyo ghoul, Naruto, Bleach and many more, a story that was written in the middle of the 70's. In order to manage this the movie ditches the somehow naive story of the anime and takes the story's setting to today's world. I liked it that. Sure it didn't remind me at all the classic anime but as I said this is mostly a try to introduce the story to teenagers today. And I believe it did it very well. I had a little problem with the plot though. I would like it if it wasn't so much Americanized. But I will explain this later. Also it isn't necessary to see the anime but I would recommend it if you want to know some things about the characters.

About the animation itself I can't find words to describe it. Production IG did a stunning job. The animation is amazing and the movie doesn't loose any opportunity to show it off in almost every scene. I was captivated by it right from the first moment. I couldn't find any flow in it no matter how hard I tried. If I could rate it with mark above 10 i would gladly do it. Another thing that I liked in this movie was the sound. A first class budged movie demands a first class voice actors. Mamoru Miyano, Daisuke Ono, Toru Okawa Noriaki Sugiyama and all the other seiyuus did an excellent job capturing their characters personalities almost as good as voice actors of the 2001 anime's. Also this movie had excellent OST's and really good sound effects. For the latter you just have to listen to Ivan's voice every time he speaks.

The characters was the weakest link of this movie. Because the characters wouldn't appeal to the teenagers with their obsolete 70's animation changes were made not only in their design (which was fair I have to say) but mostly in their personalities. The movie introduced the characters like they were an X-Men rip off. Because of the already mentioned Americanization the characters were made to look like American superheroes and this way a little bit of their personalities was lost. In either way if you haven't seen any of the previews anime adaptation I don't thing you will have a big problem with this.

Summarizing, I have to say that I was really pleased with this movie. It didn't looked like the anime series at all but I don't think this was a problem. It did a fairly good job at introducing Joe and the others in the new generation. I'm really curious to see if there's gonna be another adaptation. Who knows maybe in a decade or so we will see a crossover between between the 00 cyborgs and X-men. I would like to see that.

Now before beginning a few things that I need to say. I haven't watched the original 009 series which was aired before i was even born but I have watched the 2001 remake when it aired in my country. I have forgotten most of the storyline but I do remember bits and pieces and the feeling that I had when watching it. Cyborg 009 (2001) was possibly the second anime I watched and it was absolutely stunning! at that time. My review down below is taking into consideration what I felt when I first watched the series.

When I watched the movie I was initially excited ... at the way they had changed the character designs and added a touch of freshness.

For those of you who have already watched any of the previous series, NOSTALGIA IS ILL ADVISED. Yes, the characters are a bit nostalgic, yes the action is a bit nostalgic and yes, the overhaul with CG looks amazing initially BUT here are somethings you may not swallow very well. (Forgive me if they seem irate.)

One, I may not remember the 2001 series that well but I most certainly definitely absolutely remember it was lucid and simple plot that my childish brain could follow with ease. Okay, so that generation is all grown up and needs adult material, alright... BUT that does not mean you should make it into some freakin' goddamn Evangelion plot with HIS voice governing all. Yeah, yeah I know you don't give a damn about God but why use it just to give your plot some pseudo-intellectual pseudo-religious air. I mean was 009 ever this psychological?! Hell no. WTF is Freud doing in a sci-fi, battle anime which was much better without that complex mind-curdling crap.
If i want to watch psychological complexity and Freud's theories I'd much rather watch Evangelion and Ergo Proxy. They just ruined a totally fine storyline because they couldn't come with an antithesis? Man, I'm beyond words at this.

Two, the characters. Well given the short timespan, they did a fine job at introducing the characters. But they cannot be fleshed out as well as they were in the series. The sense of familiarity is reduced because the characters hardly get much time except 009 of course. The rest have to spew the stupid psychological shit in the extremely limited time they get. I'm wondering if they forgot about half of the team less than halfway through the movie. But well I liked Joe and Francoise, and their little eyecandy, so ok...

Third, the art and animation. In my view it is clearly rushed and subpar. If they think that CG can make it astounding they are so wrong. The character designs are more elaborate but not well rounded. The animation is clearly so stiff that I am thoroughly disappointed. This possibly due to overuse of CG in every aspect. Guess they didn't want much fine-tuned work on it eh? But the backgrounds and special effects are done quite well.

If you can get past all of those this movie is enjoyable enough. The action scenes are fine and the sound tracks are good. For someone like me who was a big fan of the original series, it is enjoyable even if a turnoff.

Bottomline, Rushed anime, Altered plot, Unneeded improvisation but worth a watch.

LOL I seem really sarcastic here. But believe, it is worth watching even if just for the eye candy.

Story
I haven't watched the original series, and i didn't understand most of what was going on. however, i got the basic message of the movie. the movie was great in many ways and i was highly entertained.
Art
The art was outstanding. the environment is a mixture of 2 and 3-d rendering. the buildings are especially exquisite and i loved the characters interaction and movement. although, they could have done better with the sea. they remained stagnate. most individuals will probably not notice.

Sound
The movie sound was great. the voice actors did an amazing job in my opinion.

Character
For a 1 hr movie you ... could feel the depth of each character. they all had their differences especially Joe and jet.

Enjoyment
I personally thoroughly enjoyed this movie. For an individual like myself that enjoy most action anime, this has one of the best action sequence anyone can ask for. if you love action movies or anime don't pass this. it should be ranked among the top 100 anime. i enjoyed the movie to the fullest. i wish their was more action or something like a last boss/antagonist.

Overall
There's nothing much to say that i haven't already said. the anime was highly entertaining and had a decent message to the viewers. it reminded me of a story in the bible... i urge everyone to give this a try. it's only less than 2 hrs of your life, so watch and be entertained.

After 32 years of the previous movie, Production IG took Toei place and did a remake of the series.

This time around instead of mechanical monsters or aliens that are threatening the Cyborg team, its suicide bomber!

Yeah.

Let me just say the kid stuffs has been replaced with adult theme problems, as the cyborgs reassemble to fight for humanity in 21th century. I mean seriously, what do you expect from the studio who made Ghost in the Shell?

When I start to watch this movie, or any of these movies, I try to keep an open mind so that my judgement wouldn't be clouded by what ... the series previous has shown. Especially for this one since people either thought this was a clever way of introducing the series to a newer audience or hated it for how gritty it is was.

But let’s look at the good parts first.

The action scenes in this movie are incredible. The CGI really does the work as the scenes looks much grander and more detailed than any other of the movies. Even if the CGI is used much during the movie, it ties in and doesn't become too distracting.

As for the design, I like it. It fits with the mood well. Sure it doesn't look too cartoonish, but same time, it doesn't look too realistic. It’s a nice blend between those elements and the design does make the cyborgs look like real people, which is an achievement in itself.

Now what about story and the characters? Well, if you expect this movie to be similar to the other movies I’ve reviewed, then you’re mistaken.

I think there are two problems that people mostly see in this movie. One is that this movie is much darker than the other movies. And two, that this doesn't have much chemistry between most the members.

People may argu that this movie is too dark and too psychological for the series, but if you have ever read the God War arc, then you know it’s not true. So it’s not about “if they can embrace darker themes”, but more “how they embrace it”. I mean, gritty remakes or re-imaging have been executed quite well. But there’s always a problem that it might not represent the original or keep it spirit alive, and here, it’s close to that problem.

As for the characters, this movie felt like the watchmen all over again, with all the character questioning their moral and ending up fighting against one another. Even if this is a remake of the God arc, I wouldn't really call this a remake, as it feels like it’s already been built on a establish version. Which why newer audience might not see the cyborgs much as a good team.

Not to mention that all the character doesn't seem to have a fully develop personalities or have the time to do so. You will understand when you watch it. But for those who does have the time, it really contrasts on how much mature and serious the characters are from their counterparts. For example, 003 and 009 had a more innocent relationship in the first three movies. They are holding hands and hug each other times to time, showing it off in the most kid friendly way. But here, they DEFIANTLY have a sexual thing for each other. No use of hiding it, these two have gone beyond the first base. If you know what I mean.

And for once, they even discuss the consequences of never ageing. Which is again very fitting and should be brought up as 009 always remain as a teen throughout the years.
It might be going too much, but I think that the way the character acts are very fitting for a group who has been separated for years and been living in a grey yet subtle world.

But what is not subtle is the symbolism. Religious symbolism is at full force in this movie, and it can get very tedious. It’s everywhere. Now I know that this is Production I.G. we are talking about, who usually show off their philosophical pattering thought Sci-Fi films. But I think they might could had been more subtle like they did in Ghost in the shell and not as hammered in.

The antagonist in this movie, unlike the rest of the movies before, is actually an intimidating. Unlike Black Ghost who answered to all evil in heart of men, and Zoa who wanted to rule over the universe, “His voice” is a concept of justice and purity that could strike anyone. It could turn anyone who hears it be loyal to its bidding and commit horrible acts without them releasing it. That, is a scary concept as it has no specific form or shape. Although the pronoun game is very strong in this movie, the force seems to be one of the most powerful things that the Cyborgs has ever faced.

As I said before, this movie isn't as light-hearted as the other movies. I will not further spoil this movie or bring up any other plot element, as it has to be seen to believe. Especially the ending, which is open to interpretation.

People may be pissed off since they have been attached to the TV series, but I think it was worth it to see how the same concept could be handled with much darker. Beside, this is an adaptation of an unfinished arc which was supposed to be the last of the Cyborgs, so it might not be too bad as people claim it to be. But still, this movie has some flaws that won’t satisfy the fans.

For me, you need to be in a right mood to watch it. Don’t expect this to be much of the traditional cyborg stuff. I mean, THIS MOVIE OPENS UP WITH SUIDICE BOMBING, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IT TO BE?

Watch it if you want to see more mature Cyborgs being hunted by angels from the unknown.

I saw this for the first time, and quite frankly, I fail to see how this anime - based on the 009 Cyborg series, apparently - is given so much slam and so much rage against it. Personally speaking, I actually loved this anime. I actually find it to be a really well thought out movie which introduced a new viewer to the series itself.

Story

The thing which made this anime standout, for me, was how the anime itself addressed the question of "His Voice", and actually carried itself not just that as a plot device, but also the in-anime presentation to proceed with the anime ... itself. The perspective given by "His Voice"; as explained in the movie, was not only sufficient (for me as a first time viewer) to appreciate the story as well as give an interesting philosophical perspective on its origins. Yes, there is a cliffhanger ending in terms of HOW the characters - Gilmour, Joe, GB, Palma, Henrick, Jumani, Francoise, 001 and Jeb - wound up in the ending, but for me it certainly provided room for perspective and ascertainment of what could be the possible causes of it. If anything else, the story was handled well and used its characters, art, and sound well.

Art

Personally, I found this anime to be gorgeous. The use of CGI may be slammed in general by anime fans - but then again, anime fans love Naruto which is a shitty anime. It was realistic enough in its textures and detailing of the characters, as well as their environment. Addition to this was the subtlety that was imbued through the anime to portray the emotions and general feelings and thoughts going through the minds of the characters - supporting, main, and NPCs alike. What's more, it gave the action more depth and involvement and frankly, I couldn't fault it in any form or way and find it surprising that people would slam it. The subtlety in each scene is integral and adds to the viewing pleasure of this anime movie.

Sound

The best way to experience this movie, is through the English dub. The acting in the dub represents all the characters well and all of the standout. Granted, there could be raised the concern regarding the soundtrack, but personally I overlooked it because it matched the mood which was needed in each and every scene. Furthermore, the anime in its quiet moments added to the feel and the character arcs of each of the cast, which makes it as good as it can get for 2012. Kudos for a good job.

Character

Perhaps the single biggest facet for me to watch this anime was the characters - I really do feel like investing myself in the 009 anime series to know the characters and their back stories. Even if I didn't know that, I found the characters were likeable, and I could relate with their struggles as a viewer. Everyone did a good job and fulfilled their roles well, even providing a realistic representation of how they would act if put in such a situation which is unfolded in the story.

Overall, I found this anime to be a significantly better and more satisfying and entertaining sit than the crappy Sengoku Basara, and makes me feel satisfied enough to want to know the series more. I personally recommend it, even if other people don't.

This shall be short or at least that is the aim.

Firstly one must not require previous knowledge into this franchise to enjoy this movie. Prior knowledge would help greatly and help understand the background and relationships of the characters a lot more but most certainly is not a requirement.

One of the elements i enjoyed most about this movie was its sound. Everything from the music to the sound effects to the voice acting, very easy on the ears in all respects. One thing i can’t stand is when a simple explosion feels wrong because it sound like nails on a chalkboard. I can only imagine ... how good it must sound in a theatre.

Coming from the studio and director of GiTS SAC/SSS you can certainly expect high production values and the art and animation definitely have some GiTS vibes and as much as the sound was pleasurable to the ears, the art is most pleasurable to the eyes.

So are you looking for an action sci-fi movie with mecha elements? Then do not over look this one. It even has a little romance too which i love to have in a mostly action movie/series.

*First Written Review of Anything in the Internet, Ever Warning*

I need a map to find out where the hell to start with contemplating this masterpiece. And by needing a map, I mean it pretty contextually, because by god this is a very convoluted movie.

I didn't exactly grew up with this show. I had watched an OVA of Devilman a looong while ago. I fell in love with it growing up. Then Cyborg 009 vs Devilman popped up on Netflix. Now, I wanted to give it a go, but I wanted to know about Cyborg 009's origins before I watched those OVAS. I'm saying all of ... this because while I didn't grow up with it, I still visited ALL of it. Their debut OVA in the 60's. Both colored tv shows from the '79 and '01. Then I watched this movie. So I do understand exactly how drastically they escalated the whole plot.

Story

I do understand, that the series never had a grimey atmosphere. I mean, it was an actual kids show at first. But this is a reenvision of these characters' universe and a close-up of the insane spike in the proportions of the calamities taking place.
With that being said, there's many moments where while there were many VERY interesting concepts being presented about our instinctive preservation of mental sanity through religious constructs, and a very heightened climax, many philosophies kept dragging on. Again, I am fascinated by the development, especially the cyborgs not being able to trust each other, but their "hypothesizing/getting nowhere" scenes are.

-----> 9/10


Characters

The characters were absolutely fantastic. It is extremely hard to make a movie where you have to make 9 main characters likeable. Sure, much of it was prioritized to Joe, Jet, and Francois. But every character has AT LEAST one or more scenes where they just absolutely kick ass...
Except for Pyunma. Man... That's just... Not cool.

------> 8/10 Only because Pyunma


Sound

The score is ear-throbbingly gorgeous. They reaally know how to make a scene look as downright badass as possible. Sounds effects were also a thing of notice, with the Accelerator slo mo, as well as Ivan talking


----->10/10


Art

To save you the trouble, if you're an absolute anti-fan of 3D anime... TRY starting with this one. Even if you hate the plot. Even if you don't understand any of it. Look. At. This. Art. This is without a doubt, the absolute epitome of 3D anime. It feels so damn stylized, you could swear you're watching a 24 fps anime. Because it actually is a 24 fps anime. And then you try to analyze how they made 3d art look this amazing in 24 fps. Same CANNOT be said about Cyborg 009's latest show on Netflix, but that's another review for another day. Regardless, this is leagues above any other 3D anime to this day, period. Especially if you're into actual 3D animation like I am. I'm TELLING you. This flashy flick flows flawlessly.

$10,000/10


Overall

Give it a shot. Learn more about the characters. Star Wars started in Episode IV and no one needed a goddamned tutorial for it, smh.

------>9/10

...Because Pyunma...