Cosmo Warrior Zero

A very uneven series, "Cosmo Warrior Zero" feels like the script needed to go through a couple more drafts and the animation is nothing special. However, an excellent English dub saves it from the trash heap.

STORY

"Cosmo Warrior Zero" feels disjointed and rushed, like they were trying to cram 26 episodes into 13. The plot jumps around and takes hard turns out of nowhere. I was watching the big battle that takes up the final 4 or so episodes and was left thinking "wait, how did we get here?" The set-up is vague as well. For a series that makes such a big deal about Humans ... and Machine Men learning to live together in peace it spends next to no time actually setting up what the pre-conditions of their interactions were to begin with. We're told that the Humans and Machine Men recently fought a war, it went poorly for the Humans, and they had to sign an unfavorable peace treaty to make it stop. Yet we still see large numbers of Machine Men serving in the Independent Earth Fleet as low-ranking sailors and even being discriminated against by Humans. But at other times the series acts like the Machine Men have some kind of power over the Humans and the Earth only has limited autonomy so what exactly is going on? This series skimped on the world-building and rushed through its story and it shows.

ART

The animation is about what you'd expect from a 20 year old series. Nothing great like "Cowboy Bebop" or "Hidamari No Ki", but not terrible either. Matsumoto Leiji's instantly recognizable art style is the high point here. Your opinion of the art will be greatly influenced by your opinion of his distinct character designs.

SOUND

The English dub of "Cosmo Warrior Zero" is top-heavy. The lead actors include some legendary A-listers such as Crispin Freeman, Steve Blum, and Karen Strassman, and even a cameo appearance by Wendee Lee. But farther down the list it can get a little iffy and some of the supporting cast are merely passable for a 20 year old dub. But Freeman (Zero) and Blum (Harlock) discussing honor and duty over a glass of whiskey has got to be a contender for "The Manliest Conversation Ever Recorded". The music is more middle of the road. The OP is a classical piece with violins and flutes that's forgettable, and the ED is an earworm for all the wrong reasons. It tries to be somber and emotional, but ends up being nonsensical because it's being sung in English by a Japanese singer. Maybe it sounded OK in Japan, but native English speakers are going to want to skip it.

CHARACTER

Any series that has Emeraldas as a recurring character can't be all bad. The cast suffers from the jumbled plot since it rushes them through their character arcs if it even resolves them at all. They're serviceable enough to get you through a short space opera at least, so it's not all terrible. Also, there is Emeraldas- the Sorceress of Space. She is a badass and this show is amazing for having her (but that's the fanboy talking).

ENJOYMENT

You know those 'Yakuza' video games that SEGA puts out? They have this very unique tone, going back and forth between melodrama, mafia movie shootouts, wacky side-stories, and silly little mini-games whenever they feel like it. If you're on-board with that the games are amazing, but they're a harder sell for people who just can't get into the vibe. The Leijiverse is like that as well. It's a universe where one of the most iconic spaceships looks like an old pirate galleon hanging from a zeppelin, but the characters take themselves dead serious. It's a unique experience that some people crave and others might find strange or silly.

OVERALL

A pretty mediocre entry for the Leijiverse, but good for one watch if you're into this sort of thing.