Alien 9

Alien 9 is a bizarre and sadly very much underrated coming of age story. It is set in a school which suffers from constant daily alien attacks. Most of the aliens are best-like creatures both in mind and body. Our protagonists are three 12 year old school girls who were in one way or another recruited in the Alien control party.

The basic look and premise of the show do not appear to be special from the first glance, yet mere minutes are enough to see that you are into something much more than just another high-school, moe, action anime. There are a few things ... that make Alien 9 very distinct and give a bizarre and unique feel to the show. First of all the directing. It is slow and methodical with each and every shot meaning something or adding to the underlying themes and overall surreal feel of the show. The smart directing is accompanied by an offbeat soundtrack that helps build the atmosphere. The moe style that the show uses makes the disturbing parts provide even more impact. The tactic that some future shows also used, like Madoka Magica.

The anime itself (at least in my understanding) is a scary allegory of growing up, blooming and being afraid to be left behind. What sets apart this coming of age story from many others is that it is made from the girl's point of view.

The characters I found to be very relatable and well written. The voice actors also did a terrific job.

A downside to otherwise amazing series is that it only adapts the half of the story from manga. The ending does not answer all questions and the story is ultimately left unfinished. While there were attempts to revive the show, it is still stuck in the developmental limbo and has been so for close to 15 years. It is unlikely that we will ever get the rest. Even without the ending. I do advise reading the manga as it is only 3 volumes long and the anime adapts the first 1.5 volumes.

As it stands the show is still very much a fantastic, emotional and thought provoking ride through and through. Sadly this anime is very much underrated and mostly unappreciated. I urge people to give it a try, especially if you are into psychological, thought provoking and disturbing anime.

You know the way stories like to big-up what children can do? Those stupid adults, they can’t fight off these alien monsters. Give it to the children. We’ll set up a club, or pilot a giant robot, or gain magical powers, and then we’ll show those baddies what for. Occasionally though, along comes another show that subverts that formula (apparently the word ‘subversion’ is a dirty word in anime reviewing circles, but I can’t think of a better word and making self-important nerds angry on the internet is fun so I’m going to use it anyway) and demonstrates what would actually happen if you gave ... a child that amount of power and responsibility. Evangelion does that with mecha. Madoka does that with magical girls. Alien 9 does that with a little girl being chosen to fight aliens.

The story is set in a world where aliens are invading, of which they’re not doing a particularly good job of because they keep sending down the equivalent of dogs and bulls instead of laser wielding elite warriors. Or maybe they have no intention of invading, since they have aliens who sit on humans heads to protect them from monsters and helpfully lick their backs for them. Alien 9 is based on a manga that wasn’t completed when the anime was made, so not an awful lot is explained about the setting.

The important part is Otani, a 12 year old girl drafted in her school’s Alien Defence Team. She only got onto the team because nobody else really wanted to, which the club supervisor points out is surprising. I mean, you get off class when aliens invade. You get an awesome pair of rollerblades and a sweet hat. OK you have to fight off aliens in who are intent on ending your life and keep exploding with green blood everywhere, but that’s OK because your hat will keep you safe with its drill tentacle things.

The set up is very much like an awesome kids show where the children join a club and beat the smelly aliens. In reality though, when faced with these scary, angry, vicious aliens, Otani is petrified. Not simply frightened, but complete deadening fear where she can’t be calm as long as she has this post. The show really does drive home how much terror she feels towards aliens, to the point that she can’t function properly as a human being.

What the show probably does best is showing her interactions with other characters and how they treat her fear. Her teammates and friends think they can help her by being supportive, but that completely underestimates the extent of her fear. There’s that truly scrawpy moment where her feelings are channelled directly into the other two’s minds (I think it was through some kind of mindshare the aliens they wear on their heads enable? As I said, not much is explained about the world in this show) and the two of them collapse on the ground in utter terror. The subsequent looks on their faces when they see Otani again show how little they understood of her fear before then.

The club supervisor’s treatment of Otani is a stark contrast to Otani’s feelings. She treats Otani as though she’ll obviously eventually get over it if you just treat her normally, poo-pooing her requests to leave the club. She keeps hold of this idea that eventually she’ll be a good enough fighter by the end of the year when they ‘need them’ (for what reason they need fighters I don’t know, probably have to read the manga for that). It leads to these scenes where you’ll have Otani in a petrified state lying in a heap on the floor as her friends scream her name, followed by the supervisor balancing her pen between her nose and her mouth, being lightly scolded by the school principal for allowing the aliens in captivity to be killed.

Alien 9 does have some obvious issues, such as the one I’ve been alluding to frequently in this post. It’s only a 4 episode OVA and it’s part of a much longer manga, so very little is explained about the world. This also means there’s relatively little development of the characters, beyond them getting even more petrified as it goes on. To be honest though, this isn’t as much as an issue at I’m making it out to be. The story is primarily about how absolutely fucking petrified Otani is, and the show does a fine job of getting that across. The rest is just set dressing.

No, my real problem with this anime is that…well, I didn’t enjoy watching it. It achieves exactly what it sets out to do in portraying this character having her life deadened by fear of a role she has been pushed into, but the experience of watching that play out isn’t enjoyable. Otani is such a wimp at everything in life that it’s difficult to feel any attachment to her. The story has no emotional highs or pay-off at the end. It’s just deadening fear the entire way through. There’s plenty of anime that are gruelling and harrowing to sit through that I absolutely love. Berserk, Infinite Ryvius, heck even the two I referenced at the start, Madoka and Evangelion. Those anime have things like narrative arcs, character progression, thrilling visuals, humour (no, really), emotional payoffs. The gruel and suffering bring about these feelings, while Alien 9 doesn’t. It doesn’t even try to because it’s so focused on the feeling of fear.

Alien 9 achieves what it sets out to do. It’s definitely left an effect on me too, as proven by the fact that simply hearing the BGM when I went back to take screencaps made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. But the experience isn’t particularly enjoyable. It’s for a similar reason I don’t really have any intention in checking out the manga. As a short OVA series, it’s effective at getting that feeling across it’s supposed to be portraying, but I don’t know if I could handle any more without getting tired of it.

Man what the hell do I even say about this one?

This is an anime that works much more solidly on a thematic and symbolic level than it does on a basic plot level, with most of the actions and scenarios set up for meaning rather than for story. This isn't necessarily an inherently bad way to go about constructing a series, but it will absolutely put off any viewers that aren't prepared for this kind of narrative.

Personally, this is the kind of anime that I've been craving for a lot as of late since I've been looking for shows that break the mold of what ... the current industry has become, so I found Alien Nine to be quite thrilling, but in a much more unnerving and unsettling way, which is another style that I've been craving a lot lately. Perhaps the ending of Berserk has finally broken me, but that's neither here nor there.

This anime delves into a lot of themes relating to puberty and the general discomfort and fear of growing up, with some scenes being nice and subtle, and other quite literally bashing you over the head. While this might appear as having a sporadic and uneven tone to some, I think it actually fits the allegory for adolescence quite nicely.

It's also a horror anime in the sense of what I mean when I talk about true horror, in that there is something outside of your control bearing down on you, digging into your weak points and dragging you through some truly dreadful experiences. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that Gen Urobuchi had seen this anime at some point and let some of its themes influence his work on Madoka Magica. This is purely a hypothetical conjecture obviously and I'm not in any way suggesting that Alien Nine had a direct influence on Madoka, but they do seem rather similar to me when it comes to the terrifying circumstances that both casts have to deal with.

However, I do have to knock off a few points for almost wrapping up the ending nicely, but then throwing in a scene at the very end that leaves a gaping hole in the conclusion that desperately needs more content that will never be animated due to lack of popularity.

Much like the story, the characters operate on a much more symbolic level than a logical one, and because there's a lot of implicit meaning behind their actions that isn't openly stated, a lot of what these characters do may come off as irrational and just plain stupid sometimes. I did find Yuri to be an excellent youth protagonist, though a tiny bit annoying sometimes, and watching her struggle with the aforementioned themes, and even just her daily school life, made the peak moments of terror all the more traumatic and unnerving.

The animation is handled by J.C. Staff, and while I'm not gonna pretend that the animation holds of really well (this is an OVA from the early 2000s after all), I am surprised by how much detail went into both the environments and the alien designs. There's also a fluidity of movement that you don't see very often outside of the experimental OVA field and I wish I could see more often in regular TV anime, though I believe it would be more accurate to say that I wish there were more TV anime with darker, more emotional themes and experimental storytelling methods that can push the boundaries of what a visual medium can do. The character designs are fairly simple and do their job in creating unique and memorable characters, but the consistency does leave a lot to be desired. There's also some pretty nasty CG that pops up constantly, which put a big damper on some of the more important scenes.

As for the soundtrack, I've noticed that a lot of the most striking soundtracks come from works that have less of a need to stick to a traditional classical or rock sound, and that is certainly the case with Kuniaki Haishima's work on this anime. There really isn't a selection of words or phrases that I could describe this soundtrack with other than bizarre, with a lot of different styles and sounds crashing together to create some extremely unsettling and agitating tunes, and I will definitely be coming back to this soundtrack in the near future.

Overall, if you're not one to stray from traditional storytelling and dialogue, then you will probably have a lot of difficulties watching this anime, but if you're like me and feel that you can get suckered into this strange world, only to have your heart slump down awkwardly in your chest as the fear and anxiety wash over you, then give this one a try.

I was a bit indecisive about what kind of rating I wanted to give this one, but then I remembered that I completely ignored my dinner just so that I could finish the series, so I guess I have my answer.

At the time of writing this review Alien 9 sits at 6.71 on MAL. I’ve been told that I underrate most of the stuff I watch and I gave it a 9. Did I do it to sync my score up with the title because I have a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder? Possibly, but let’s delve a little deeper.

Some of the themes Alien 9 ruminates on include weakness, fear, loneliness, blossoming and completely unwanted sexuality. “But Boss Chrissy,” you might say “the cover here looks like a few moe girls with butterfly nets and roller skates. I assume they’re chasing cute little aliens. ... In fact this is just Pokémon isn’t it you sly fox?!” That’s where we run into problems I reckon. Folks go into Alien 9 expecting it to be something it’s not (which I believe is completely intentional). It lures you in with a sweet glass of lemonade and then hurls a bitter glass of sorrow straight at your unsuspecting noggin.

So if we aren’t watching a cute girls chasing cute aliens show what are we watching? Something very special indeed as far as I’m concerned. Alien 9 made me feel…weird. A strange, almost guilty kind of weird. The series focuses on Yuri, the most reluctant of reluctant heroes. And my god does Yuri suck at catching aliens. And you know how in like, every other anime, the hero like…gets better and stuff? Yuri…never…does. There is no badass scene of breathtaking alien catching action, no steady improvement shown in a training montage. Just an unending sense of inadequacy, a sense of guilt for having to completely rely on others and the dreadful feeling that Yuri has to wake up the next day and do it all over again. And the next day too. And the next.

“But Chrissy! What about my power fantasy!? I don’t want to be subjected to how a small child might really feel were they put in this horrible situation!” Well sir, neither did a whole lot of other people, which probably explains why this show is rated so low and why people think Shinji is whiny. But I digress. Yes, if you watch Alien 9 you’re going to see some things that will make you feel awkward. There is a certain unease the series just radiates, and as the story unfolds the feeling increases. But dammit this is art! This is Madoka before Madoka! Art should make you feel uncomfortable! Art should impose itself on you! I want my anime weird and dark and frankly kind of mean! I want my anime like Alien 9!

Other things I liked about Alien 9 that you probably won’t like about Alien 9:
The soundtrack: for the most part it’s completely insane.
The voice acting: Yuri sounds like an actual person as opposed to a character. This one’s hard to explain but I think you’ll get what I mean if you watch the series. I feel like an entire essay can be written on her performance alone and how vulnerable she sounds which totally escalates the strangeness and queasiness Alien 9 conjures up in the viewer.

In closing: I bet I could write a novella about Alien 9 but I’m a tired boy. Sometimes life is weird and uncomfortable and gross, and I know a lot of folks watch anime to ESCAPE from these unfortunate adjectives. But Alien 9’s not gonna let you do that. Let it in. Let it change you.

Alien 9: Consistently weird and uncomfortable and gross.

I haven't read the manga, and it's clear that there's more to this than whatever is revealed in the OVA's four episodes, but Alien Nine is a winsome and subtly troubling depiction of looming adolescence. Using "alien" school invasions as a metaphor for burgeoning puberty, three tween girls with dramatically different personalities are tasked with taking care of these pests by using the powers of their own, symbiotic aliens against them. If the premise sounds like it's suited for a high-flying action series or magical girl show, Alien Nine remains firmly grounded in the mundane, as "alien invasions" are treated like everday occurrences despite their ... potential for death and destruction. Though each episode is jam-packed and feels longer than its 27-minute runtime, it still ends on an inconclusive note of mystery and menace, which I imagine is further developed by the source material, but works remarkably well for this body-horror coming-of-age story.

Spoiler free and short review!
I cannot understate how much this broke my heart. Alien 9 caught me off guard, I read the concept and went into it thinking that it'd be a short but quirky and fun adventure of girls fighting aliens and having to balance it with school life! Nope! Not at all!

Alien 9 is a harrowing story about growing up, the fear of being alone, and I'm sure a plethora of other messages and metaphors I was unable to pick up on. The premise seems simple, three girls from middle school are chosen by their classes to fight off alien invaders that come ... to their schoolgrounds with unknown reason, but usually it's just to cause chaos and attack the students.

The real kicker is in the emotional pull. Some of the vocal performances and the animations really push the heartbreak, Otani is one of the sweetest characters ever and doesn't deserve to be thrust into this unfortunate, hellish occupation. None of the main girls do. What with the emotional, physical and mutational turmoil it puts them through.

The show is great, but short, and so it's highly suggested to continue with the manga after watching. It's more of this fascinating little world, and even more exploration with the characters. It's really truly fantastic.

Kids placed in dangerous positions bearing great responsibility has proved a hugely popular premise over the years, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and 'Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica' being but two examples. It is surprising, then, that 'Alien Nine' hasn't shared anywhere near the same success as the aforementioned two. A shame, as although 'Alien Nine' hasn't had the same backing and remains incomplete, it's still a unique, unforgettable experience. One reason that people come away from 'Alien Nine' disappointed is that they aren't sure what to expect, so before I continue I need to get this out of the way.

Despite its cheerful OP and cute character designs, ... 'Alien Nine' isn't an innocent slice-of-life. The imagery is very disturbing and the events that transpire are quite frankly horrifying. The girls are constantly at odds with life-threatening alien encounters and bizarre mind-rapes, generally resulting in the main character sobbing into the ground. For all its merits, 'Alien Nine' is not an easy show to watch.

Now without further ado, onto the review!

The first voice we hear in 'Alien Nine' is that of a student counting votes. “Ootani-san, Ootani-san, Ootani-san...”, are the words spoken as our distressed protagonist, Yuri Ootani, looks on. It turns out the votes are to decide who joins the Alien Party, a club concerned with capturing aliens. Unfortunately for Yuri, the result is unanimous. Joined by fellow sixth graders Kumi Kawamura and Kasumi Tomine, they form a symbiotic relationship with their Borg and set out to capture aliens. Little else can be said without giving spoilers, but ultimately 'Alien Nine' is about how kids react when forced to grow up.

What most sets 'Alien Nine' apart from similar shows is its distinct atmosphere. Young girls are expected to deal with ghastly aliens, yet the narrative treats this as if it's normal. Regardless of the fact that Yuri is clearly not cut out for the job, she receives little sympathy from her friends, parents or teachers. In fact, her struggle is trivialised by comments like, “you can skip classes and get no homework, right?”. Even the music and cinematography seem to be against Yuri. The only ones who can see just how wrong everything is is the audience, who are helpless to influence the outcome. It's a peculiar atmosphere, but wholly effective.

Another interesting quality of 'Alien Nine' is the number of different ways it can be interpreted. It can be viewed as a scare allegory for growing up, an anime about overcoming sexual abuse or even taken on a literal level. Those who fear that 'Alien Nine' is mere shock value can lay to rest those concerns, as this is a mature story immersed in symbolism and disturbing imagery.

Unfortunately, 'Alien Nine' suffers from being incomplete. The OVA only covers 14 chapters of the manga and while plans were announced to make a sequel it has been over 10 years since, so the chances we'll ever get one are unlikely. Consequently, background information and certain character motivations are missing, and after everything the characters endure there is no emotional pay-off. While scans for the completed manga can be found online, it lacks the atmosphere that made the anime an interesting viewing in the first place. A shame, as if any anime deserves a sequel it's 'Alien Nine'.

Moving on, a big part of what makes the story successful is the characters and how they react to the situations they are put in. While the cast isn't huge it works to the anime's advantage as little time is wasted on unimportant side or tertiary characters. Given the focus is mainly on Yuri it would make sense to begin with her.

Of the three members that encompass the Alien Party, Yuri is the one most averse to capturing aliens. She is the least capable member, oft breaking out into tears when confronted by a problem. While her incessant crying may grate on some, it's important to bear in mind that Yuri is a young girl who's been forced into things she clearly isn't ready for. The torment she endures is incredible, yet she receives little sympathy.

The second member, Kumi, is perhaps the most interesting. In contrast to Yuri's over-dependence on others, Kumi is very self-reliant. Her father died when she was four years old, so was forced into becoming independent at a young age. Kumi had previously been student president for a number of years and her motivation behind joining the Alien Party was so that she no longer had to help other kids deal with their problems. Ironically, this is exactly what she ends up doing for Yuri upon joining.

The final member, Kasumi, is your typical “Ms. Perfect” archetype. She's an exceptionally high achiever that does everything with aplomb. Given Kasumi's archetype she does takes a back seat position to Yuri and Kumi, so she isn't quite as interesting. However, her relationship with her brother is a significant point in the latter episodes and adds another dimension to her character.

Outside of the main three, there's their teacher, Hisakawa. Despite her kind demeanour, there's a constant sense that there's more to her character than she let's on. Unfortunately, because 'Alien Nine' is incomplete we don't get to learn much about her. There's also Miyu, Yuri's best friend and the only character seen with the main three during their leisure. Her role is to provide Yuri with emotional support during the early episodes, but otherwise she isn't seen much. Finally there's the Borg, the aliens that sit atop the girls' heads. They aren't awfully involved, generally just mirroring their partners' personalities, but they do have their moments. Overall, the secondary characters do feel a bit under-utilised, but given the length of 'Alien Nine' one can't really complain.

The biggest issue surrounding the characters derives from 'Alien Nine' being an incomplete adaptation. It was made with a sequel in mind and without it the characters can come across as one-dimensional. There is little backdrop and what character development there is is scarce. The characters therefore feel inorganic. That is, they feel more like tools to drive the story forward rather than real girls. Consequently, it is harder for the audience to relate to and sympathise with the characters. One can't be too harsh on 'Alien Nine' for this as it seemed there was going to be a sequel, and had it materialised then this most likely wouldn't have been a problem. However, as it is it proves a weakness.

On the technical side of things, 'Alien Nine' was produced in 2001 by J.C.Staff, a studio renowned for its moe character designs. Unlike other seinen titles being released at the time, 'Alien Nine' decided against a realistic art style and instead opted for cute character designs. This deceives people into thinking it's simply another innocent slice-of-life, but the reality couldn't be further from the truth.

The girls' light, round faces with cute, disproportionately sized eyes and ears are contrasted with the dark, grotesque, insect/amphibian inspired character designs of the aliens. It's a very effective juxtaposition as it makes the events that transpire so much more disturbing.

The colour palette used in 'Alien Nine' is impressively varied. Light blue skies and purple leaves are used to paint an idyllic image of school during Spring term while the dark and grey of the alien storage room reminds us not to let our guard down. Lighting is also used to great effect – foreboding early on that 'Alien Nine' isn't what it initially seems.

For all the stick that CGI gets, 'Alien Nine' gets it spot on. The drills that extend from the Borg are genuinely terrifying and don't feel at all out of place. There isn't a huge amount otherwise, but what little there is works to the OVA's advantage.

The cinematography in 'Alien Nine' is instrumental in creating its unique atmosphere. Everything is filmed in a way that makes Yuri appear completely helpless. Low angles are used to make the aliens more intimidating while a variety of other creative camera angles are used to great effect. A special mention also has to be made for the brilliantly shot dream sequences. They felt like something you'd see in a Satoshi Kon film, and I mean that very much as a compliment.

Overall, 'Alien Nine' is a visual delight, easy on the eye and instrumental in creating its atmosphere, but what about the audio? Does it meet the high standards set by the art? Short answer no, but the sound in 'Alien Nine' still has plenty going for it.

The OP, 'Flower Psychedelic', is a comically cheerful track not unlike something you'd hear in a kids' anime. Its lyrics foreshadow what 'Alien Nine' is about, but musically it's nothing special. By contrast, 'Rebirth' by en avant is much more in key with the cruel nature of the show. It's a slow, sombre song with reflective lyrics sung over piano work - a fitting note to end each episode on.

'Alien Nine' has a variety of BGM, some subtle and some blunt. Woodwind and brass instrumentals are used often while computerised beats can also be heard now and again. Despite not being a very memorable OST, it is aided by the brilliant music direction. For example, in the first episode the Alien Fighters attempt to capture their first alien. What should be terrifying is treated as fun and games because of the playful music that accompanies it. Soundtrack dissonance is pivotal in creating the unique atmosphere felt in 'Alien Nine'.

Judging the quality of voice acting in a foreign language is never easy, but it sounded competent to my non-fluent ears. The Alien Fighters sounded as sixth grade Japanese girls should and did a good job of bringing them to life. Hisakawa's Seiyuu (who, incidentally, shares the same name as her character) did a good job at having her appear overtly kind, yet suspicious. However, I'm on the fence regarding the Borg. They didn't sound like aliens, but whether that's what 'Alien Nine' was going for I don't know. I haven't seen the English dub, so I can't comment on that.

In conclusion, 'Alien Nine' is more of an experience than anything else. It's a difficult show to watch, and I'm still not sure whether I enjoyed it, but the fact it still lingers in my mind is testament to how much of an impact it made. The biggest thing working against 'Alien Nine' is that it's incomplete, but if you can overlook that then it's a good investment of one's time. As long as one knows what to expect from 'Alien Nine' then it's usually a fulfilling experience.

Alien 9 is one of those hidden gems you find every now and then with anime. It just barely catches your eye, so you pick it up, dust it off, and find an incredible piece of work that has, somehow, against all odds, remained in relative obscurity, languishing with a mediocre reception. I stumbled upon it by total accident as I was looking for a quick watch, and armed with nothing but a brief description I settled in for what I thought was going to be a fun yet average experience. I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, I got ... Madoka before Madoka. I got a lovingly crafted fever dream about aliens, puberty, and the terrors of growing up. I got Alien 9. Beginning with the story, which is its strongest aspect, it must first be understood as a wild thing that evades intellectual understanding and rational capture at every turn, all while not slipping into the realm of the totally absurd. Building from a premise which is simple enough, where a group of late elementary school girls are tasked with defending their school from regular attacks by monstrous aliens, it builds into something so much more than that. It tackles the psychological burden of growing up, and navigating life as it changes around and within you, regardless of how you feel about it. People look at you differently, you look at yourself differently, and the whole world becomes complicated, and while you understand more of it and develop a real identity for the first time, the less of it seems to make sense, and that fragile sense of self is challenged by difficulties you must overcome. But it's also beautiful, in its own bizarre way, as the worries and uncertainties of childhood evolve into a resolve to be who you want to be. I'd say the tentpole of the story is this, that coming of age dynamic, but it covers a lot more ground within and around that concept- loneliness, depression, anxiety, friendship, social expectations, personal discovery, psychological trauma, defiant adaptation, and so much more. I could go on for hours, really. Its depiction of how scary and uncertain the transition into adolescence can be is uniquely raw and authentic, while its cautious moments of peace and togetherness are simple yet warm and infinitely meaningful. I've seen this piece compared to Madoka Magica, which would come a decade later, and the resemblance is definitely there. A lot of despair inflicted on young girls who are chosen to battle horrible monsters, pushed along by sinister forces beyond their understanding, embodying a subversion of the magical girl genre. However, there is a distinct difference that I believe makes Alien 9 decidedly superior- it feels so much more authentic. Madoka Magica is good, don't get me wrong, but the sheer depths of its edgy darkness feel almost manufactured, like the rules of that world are engineered for maximum grimness, and leaves many of its other themes under-examined. Meanwhile, Alien 9 covers so much emotional and conceptual ground in the space of only a handful of episodes, and in a few words or passing scenes manages to deeply fathom all of its major questions and ideas, leaving a distinct mark upon the viewer. It grabs you, and doesn't let go. Emotions leap through the screen directly into your chest, feeling a direct connection to the joys, anxieties, victories, and fears which unfold before you. More mechanically, the story's episodes feel like just the right length, with a somewhat disjointed pacing that lends itself well to the cerebral aspect of the show. Though, it does leave a lot of things open, and makes one wonder if that was on purpose or just a necessary exclusion to get the anime done on time.

Next, the art is wonderful, combining a cute, emotive style, characterized by the distinctive inclusion of large ears and eyes, with painstakingly detailed backgrounds and alien designs that feel haunting and otherworldly. Its use of color, poses, shot composition, and smooth animation all make the art style and execution feel distinctly timeless. It cannot be understated just how great this looks for an OVA from 2001. In a phrase, it's easy to sit back and get lost in for a while.

In a similar vein, the sound design is masterfully experimental. The voice work is immaculate, with voice acting that makes the characters feel more like actual people instead of just pawns for the designs of the author. They feel seriously authentic, and that is backed up with weeping that feels so genuine that its actually arresting. Definitely some of the realest crying in anime. The sound design goes on to impress with sounds of life that carry physicality and weight, with the meaty thwack of alien biology under a swift blow, or the gentle shuffle of nervous footsteps. Though, all of this auditory excellence pales in comparison with the OST. The music is bold and unlike anything else in the genre, forging ahead with a wanton experimentality, fusing cutesy slice-of-life tunes with the gripping mechanical edge of a psychological sci-fi thriller. It is a feat all on its own, distorting the perception of a given scene through a myriad of emotional dimensions, complimenting and subverting at a whim.

The characters are also incredibly strong, representing the main drivers of the anime as a whole, where the story is determined by their actions rather than the whims of the plot. Their interplay is easy to get invested in, and nobody in the main cast is left wanting for depth or characterization. Beyond an engaging visual design, they are shockingly multifaceted, and are somehow able to embody this three-dimensional complexity over the course of a brief OVA. My favorite characters are Yuri Otani and Kumi Kawamura. Otani feels like one of the most authentic adolescent protagonists in anime, and since the viewer is often inside her head with her thoughts, we get a front row seat to the complex cacophony of debilitating anxiety and a desire to rise above it. She's not some special hero, she's not a secret savant, she's just a girl, a girl who's doing her best in the face of it all. Of all the things in this anime which defy logic and convention, she remains distinctly, almost defiantly, grounded. That is refreshing in a way that's hard to describe, and a surefire formula for a good character. Meanwhile, Kawamura is such a strong character for what her presence says about the story itself. She doesn't get as much characterization as Otani, but by the subtext of her actions, and brief interactions with people outside school, we get a rich portrait of her anyway. Really, that's a testament to how this anime tells its story, and handles its characters. Overall, Alien 9 is a work of art that is criminally underappreciated, but still leaves so many things unsaid. With so many open questions fluttering in the breeze, it may fail to satisfy some people, but if you can appreciate it for what it is, you will walk away with an anime that you can not only feel smug about liking, but also acknowledge as something special, a rare but brief moment that punches far above its weight.

Alien 9 mixes the mundane with a creepy, psychological horror twist. The short, 4 episode OVA series follows three young school girls who are tasked to join an exclusive club for capturing alien lifeforms invading planet Earth. Armed with zero knowledge, rollerblades, lacrosse sticks and their very own body juice sucking alien buddies, the girls are thrown into a cruel new life.

On top of the aforementioned line, even the viewer is mostly clueless regarding lore and background info. Almost nothing is explained and the viewer is supposed to come up with conclusions themselves, which will certainly divide enjoyment among viewers. Personally I found the series ... handling the mystery in an interest piquing way.

The characters are a mixed bag. We have the crybaby Yuri who is clearly ill-suited for the job, the level-headed and reasonable Kumi and the bratty yet hyped for her new job Kasumi. Despite Yuri's constant crying being fairly annoying, I still appreciated the characters feeling flawed in a realistic way.

However the series isn't without issues at all. The biggest problem is that it's way too short. We barely established anything by the time it's all over already. And to make things worse, it ends on a huge cliff hanger which basically demands you to check out the source material if you want any kind of closure.

Although the short runtime did probably help in one side of the series, the art and animation. Despite being over two decades old, it still looks great and has some really impressive, fluid animation mixed in the action scenes. Even the small use of CGI doesn't feel jarring and actually adds to the eeriness of the alien lifeforms.

Overall I still enjoyed the series. I just really wish it was longer because it could have been amazing. As is, two hours just flew by watching the whole thing. Recommended for anyone not bothered by a sudden stop and wanting an interesting horror experience.

"Loneliness-- He uses loneliness as his mean to fight with us."

Alien 9, is a very unusual slice of life type of a modern horror anime, where only four episodes in it. It may look cute to you at first, but it actually is (I think, at least) for mentally matured people, not for juvenile. You may regret watching it if you cannot stand the psychological horror stuff. This is a strange anime for tasting our creepy dark side of feelings towards children.

I was interested in this anime because I found it on the recommendations page of my favorite anime, Ground Defense Force Mao-chan. (also ... because it had a dubbed version too) Sure, the basic settings are similar. Both of them feature a group of three grade-schooler girls who are facing, capturing aliens to protect the peace. However, the tastes of the two are completely different. While Mao-chan is overall light-hearted comedy, Alien 9 is full of disturbing moments!

Honestly, I was hardly able to enjoy this anime. So... why I have scored it quite fairly despite the fact that I felt so bad I almost threw up while watching the poor girl being pushed into her unwilling duty of dealing with violence, grotesque aliens? It's simple, I don't want to judge things unreasonablly just by my own preference. Besides, people can, and should decide which anime they try next without considering its score too much.

Actually, the anime is created very fine, even though it's quite short. The premise that regards the alien's invasion and the counter-measures against them as the daily usual chokes is quite interesting. The fighting style using Bougu (in Japanese it means 'a protector' like a helmet, simply) is something cool I have never seen. And aliens, yeah, they are aliens, not (like Mao-chan does) cute aliens.

Again, this is an unusual slice of school horror life anime that features a poor girl who always gets soaked by the aliens' green blood. Have you been intrigued? Okay, fine... I'm going to watch Mao-chan.

Alien Nine is something, with its visual style and characters who at first glance look about as interesting as a piece of cardboard with wet paint on it. However, the anime builds its characters with how scary puberty can be to someone growing up.
Alien Nine shows this to its viewers in a great way by visualizing the anxiety of the characters and the constant fear of being left behind by your peers. Is this anime anything new? In short, no. It's not breaking any new ground but with its short 4 episodes, it is a nice little story about 3 girls who are probably ... not the best people to be cleaning up the alien mess that the Men in Black don't have time to deal with.

I was not prepared for this roller coaster - and it is a roller coaster. It's not the best, life-changing roller coaster that you've ever been on. It's a lot like a wooden roller coaster at a tiny, local amusement park that probably hasn't passed safety inspection in a few years. Rickety, probably not constructed properly, may have some missing tracks but the paint job looks good, and even though you were so terrified you almost soiled yourself by golly you had a lot of fun(?). Like the best roller coasters, it's best the first go-round when you have no previous knowledge of what to ... expect. I won't give any spoilers, but please, if you want to enjoy this anime at it's fullest potential, do not look anything up before you watch it or read the original manga.

On to the actual scores.

Story: 6/10. There is clearly something missing. This OVA series only covers about half of the manga, so when it ends you feel a bit cheated. However, it is intriguing, and it does make you crave understanding of this strange little world.

Art: 7/10. I already like cute art, and I'm a huge sucker for cute art in a horror/scifi context. I almost said it was original before remembering that this premiered in 2001, and they were probably trying to emulate the kids' shows of the day in design. However, it's still enjoyable, and I love early 2000s anime color palettes.

Sound: 10/10. This may come across as overly high praise, but the sound design on this show was phenomenal. The soundtrack is appropriately cute and creepy, with plinking piano and synth keys combined with off-key and minor chorded choir hums. It is absolutely terrifying.

Character: 5/10. Due to time constraints placed on a four-episode OVA, you don't really get to spend that much time with each girl. A lot of exposition is dumped onto the viewer so fleetingly that sometimes it's hard to figure out what's going on in each girls' head. I became surprisingly attached to Yuri, which is odd considering how much I usually dislike cry baby characters. However, in the context of Alien 9, you really sympathize with her tears. Her world is insane, creepy, and sending out little girls to fight dangerous aliens. I'd cry too, Yuri. There's not a lot of actual development, and if I was scoring only that I'd give it about a 1. As a character *study*, particularly a study of Yuri, it's very fascinating. You follow her dreams and fears so closely that you empathize with her deeply, but that's a disadvantage by the time the fourth episode comes a knockin'. By then, you don't care about the characters in more peril the way you should, and Yuri is practically pushed to the sidelines. I'm sure this is done more fluidly in the manga, but in the OVA, it's not executed very well.

Overall: 7/10. I enjoyed this anime. I'd recommend it to anyone who has about two hours to kill and a love for all things unsettling and creepy. It's not very well fleshed out, but it makes for an interesting little journey into a world that's not quite right. Listen to the soundtrack. Read the manga if you want something "tastier". But check this out if you have the time and the desire for this type of show.

This is an Alien World, Otani Yuri simply lives in it.

"Deconstruction" is an often used buzzword that people usually use to describe anime that subverts their own genre tropes and logic in favor of a more "realistic" (Though it often ends up being some sort of romantic pessimism) system.
Alien 9, however, excels at it quite naturally.

Alien 9 is an experimental story, and the fact that some of it's elements don't have hidden meanings behind them only makes it more experimental: It is, more than anything, a story that you must "feel" in order to grasp.
We follow Otani Yuri, a fairly unpopular middle-school student with ... a single friend that ends up forced into the school's task-force of dealing with aliens.

Aliens, in this world are at the same time "a part of life", but also something "exterior": For something that is so recurrent, we never see any institutions or structures made to deal with them, yet at the same time their presence is never seen as unnatural. For someone 40 years ago, having most of humanity's knowledge at the palm of their hand would've been a world-changing event, nowadays we simply call it "having a smartphone", for most people, having to move to a safe shelter after hearing sirens might seem like a nightmare, for some, however, that's simply a weekly occurrence.
Yuri is essentially "us", the viewer, one that is weirded by the weirdness of an unnatural world where no one seems to see a problem, she's the girl that actually sees the king naked when everyone else sees him fully clothed. This constant juxtaposition leaves us, just like Yuri, with a sense of "uneasiness".

In a certain scene, while an alien tries to dear down a classroom door full of grade-school children, clearly distraught and frightened, they are assured by their teacher that there is nothing to fear. That teacher isn't hiding her fear, she deals with the entire situation with a robotic lack of sentiment: If that is the difference between a small child and an adult, then Yuri never left being a child.

Yuri's story is one of solitude, is one of being abused by the world around her, and one could even see her as being analogous to someone with a neurodivergence. We are constantly exposed to a world full of shade, of silence, full of empty places that give us a liminal feeling (And he directing really sells that compared to the manga), Yuri is like the Chosen One in the Matrix, but what good is a Chosen One if every human in the Matrix knows of their situation, accepts it, and lives side-by-side with the machines?
We might feel that there are constant implications that there is some sort of conspiracy at bay, that the world isn't normal... but alas, there is none, that world is how it is: Sadly the anime doesn't cover it, but as the manga passes the reality never changes, yet Yuri is still able to find happiness on small things and have some of the normal experiences of a teenager, she still has do deal with aliens later in her life, but now she isn't the little child that couldn't even move, frozen in fear, but rather a girl with friends that simply doesn't like her job, a true incarnation of "It doesn't get easier, you just get stronger".

Aliens are everywhere: They're your neighbor, your classmate, your boss, your friend. Yuri can't accept that reality, and thus gets constantly lambasted and yelled to "just suck it up" and that "it isn't too bad", yet Alien 9 is also rife with empathy, from when Kumi and Kasumi are forced to share Yuri's feelings of crippling fear and dread, to when, during the vacation episodes, we see Yuri's paranoia even when nothing is there, preventing her from simply living a normal life. This is galvanized by the choice of having Yuri be voiced by a 11-12 year old on her first anime voice-acting role ever (Ihata Juri), while Kumi's (Shimizu Kaori) and Kasumi's (Shitaya Noriko), despite also being at the start of their careers in anime, were 6-7 years older, in contrast with Alien characters, that were voiced by older more experienced seiyuu at the time. Pure coincidence? Maybe, but if so, then it was a welcoming one.

Not much else to say about the more technical side of it outside of compliments:
*The directing makes so certain scenes have more "gravitas" compared to their manga counterparts.
*Kuniaki Haishima's OST feels unique and memorable.
*The aforementioned nice use of shade, silence and emptiness.
*Nice use of CG that doesn't feel at odds with the rest of the animation.
*Fairly distinguishable artstyle.
*Smart use of surreal visuals (Sometimes paired with a bit of body horror) to convey it's psychological feeling.

Just bear in mind that it's an incomplete story that only covers 14 chapters of a 30 chapter manga with a seven chapter sequel, so you'll have to read the source material if you want to know how it ends.

I really enjoyed Alien 9. So much so that I felt compelled to make it my first review on MAL, to defend it against its unmerited (in my opinion) low score. Its oddly cut-off ending and shortness aside, Alien 9 has a tone to it that is completely unique.
The characterizations are very simplified, but that feels like a symptom of the genre and shortness of the show. I tend to like "crybaby" protagonists like Shinji (NGE) and Yuri Ootani because they don't allow viewers to skim over the emotional weight of the events happening to them. There are definitely a few frustrating moments where Yuri ... is frozen with fear or indecision, but this serves to keep the viewer from simplifying her down to a hero. She's just a 12 yr old girl who was given a scary, gross, and isolating job by adults who refuse to fix the problem themselves. That's a pretty relatable position to be in for many younger people.
The alien designs are incredible, ranging from cute and creepy to just bizzare.
I love the funky OP, and the music helps set the strange tone of the show. If you're a fan of the visuals of Madoka Magica then you'll probably like its unsettling moe predecessor.
Alien 9 gives you a lot within 4 episodes. With complex symbolism, fantastic creature design, and a banger of an OP, I think that Alien 9 is absolutely worth the watch.

(this is my first review, cheers to that)

I saw this when I was a child. I was between the ages of 7-9 when I watched this with my older brother and maybe my older sister. I thought the main character was horrible. Yuri, as a joke played on her, her classmates nominate and vote her democratically to defend her school from aliens over her best friend who actually could handle it. The 12 year olds who are elected for this task have to go on patrol for aliens bringing along symbiotic alien beings they wear on their head that are used like bioweapons/armor. They essentially ... become after school child soilders. Yuri is berated and shown scorn and disrespect by the serious Kumi, niether fitting in with her or her other partner bubbly Kasumi. They fight, capture and kill aliens and Yuri's sensitive nature and sad demeanor causes her to cry and weep constantly while trying to preform the tasks which she mainly lags behind and burdens her fellow "Alien Party". Her Borg and her friend seem to be her only allies. As the show goes on, the awful situations Yuri and the other face continue to escalate and the trauma, horrendous and tragedy in the show stings and perfumes any screen showing this anime.

This depressing, confusing four episodes make up an incredible artwork and a truly unforgettable experience. It captures, marries and inflicts the surreality of cruel fate and the drama of realism in this at simultaneously genre-frenetic yet focused, grounded marvel. When you finish watching this show, you aren't the same person anymore. As I've said, I thought Yuri was a horrible crybaby when I first watched this. It's amazing how growing up and living life so many years after this show, I've realized that Yuri isn't some mere fish out of water. You experience her pains and her reactions to that pain are with her jarring display of emotion, (in my opinion) more accurately providing that window and pontoon bridge into her psychology and despair, because the show doesn't try to let you relate to <i>her</i>. She is (metaphorically, psychologically) tortured and even though the show rings you through despair, you experience it differently from Yuri. It is only if or when your own life allows you to become more like her, will you better understand her character. And in that way, one can truly feel how alone and broken she really is. It is a brave to have a vision in a show so uncompromising and so crammed with emotional experience.

I will continue to go back to this show to be in awe of it's story. On occasion.

At surface level this anime appears to about three girls being recruited into a to club of sorts that stops aliens from attacking the school. Our MC is a reluctant heroine, she didn't want this role but she was chosen for it and must step up! But wait there's a catch! The girls must create a symbiotic relationship with another kind of alien called 'Borgs', and only with the help of the Borgs and by growing as a team can they protect the school!

But that's the surface level, when looking further in, this is a story fundamentally abut depression, loneliness and the importance on ... relying on others to overcome these challenges. It is a relatively short story that puts an emphasis on opening up to others.

I can't say much else as this OVA is only 4 30 minute episodes.

This anime is weird, I recommend it to people who like looking for those odd lesser known anime.

Alien Nine is certainly worth a watch if only because it is very short and very strange, in an intriguing way.

I don't necessarily think it's the best storytelling or writing ever but the mechanics and creatures of this world are so interesting that it elevates the rest. The designs are fascinating and distinct, the weird alien helmets and their long combat drill-tentacles alone are so unique and cool without even considering the larger aliens they fight.

The weakest point is that it ends very abruptly and the characters have little to no development. There's a manga but it's not terribly good and this short series almost ... feels better if only because it contains all the good without dragging it out.