Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01

If you find a mysterious box on a truck in your technical college, the best and most obvious course of action to take is to open it. If it happens to contain a suit of powered armor and a manual,only read the passage that tells you how to turn it on and get inside. After that happens, there's no better way to celebrate the activation of your newly-found robot suit by visiting your ex-girlfriend in a crowded tower.

Uh-huh.

Metal Skin Panic Madox-01 (don't you love those old-school robot titles? 'Armored Trooper Votoms', 'Blue Comet Super Powered-Tracer Layzner'...) is another one of those old 80s ... shows with a plot seems more like an excuse for the directors and animators to cram as many cool fight scenes as they can into an hour of programming. It's a tried-and-true formula that produces morsels of crunchy animated entertainment and doesn't attempt to reinvent or blend any genres or push the envelope, and that's just fine. It's not intellectually stimulating or engaging, but it won't bore you to tears with hours of pointless filler or aimless dialog between sparkly-eyed effeminate men wearing goofy outfits in the pouring rain staring at opposite sides of the screen. Who also happen to be ninjas.

Everything is resolved at the end, nothing sticks out and needs to be hammered down. The fight scenes are fun, the animation's good, the English dub is awkward, and the artists seem to take too much pleasure in drawing little X-wing style flip-up targeting computers...

Seriously. There are like, several of them (I counted 5) and they all work with the same weapon. You'd think the company would have added a digital copy of the manual onboard, but... Whatever.

Okay lets start this review of right from the start of this OVA.
We're presented with a beautiful scene of the development/testing of an exoskeleton (the Madox). This mecha/scifi goodness got me hyped up for all that is to come. Only to be disappointed by a very mediocre story about a guy, his girlfriend who's about to go study abroad and the Madox. How does this all add up? I don't have a clue! It's like a math assignment Einstein wouldn't be able to solve. I know alot of OVA are pretty horrible due to the fact that it's hard to setup a plot, develop ... the characters and have a likeable story just in about 40 to 55 minutes. But Madox doesn't even try to do any of this! There's OVA that are horribly mediocre and have the most cringy dialogue which still makes it worth the watch but this was just a pain. Like sitting on a medieval torture device praying to God to make it stop.

To be honest there's not even anything to review other than me saying; It's a golden turd. Once the opening scene is over the cast comes off and you're left with a smelly brown mushy turd. Beyond that the 2nd best part was the ending, because 1 I was glad it was over and 2 the ending song was okay. But still that doesn't say much.

Overal I'd give this a 3 out of 10. One for existing, which in itself is actually a sin worthy of being called the 8th sin. Another one for the likeable (but misleading) opening and finally; one more for the ending theme.

Nothing of value was lost, but only my time watching this. DO NOT watch this. And if you still want to; Watch the opening and be done with it.

Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 is an 42 min. OVA from 1987 that delivers fast-paced over-the-top mecha action.

The story is quite simple yet effective, it doesnt challenge intelectually the viewer but it is still thrilling and keeps you looking at the screen until credit end titles pop up. However this might be the weakest point of MADOX-01, as, at least in my case, it leaves the sensation that five to ten minutes more of footage could have improved the overall result. A bit more of character development, exposition about the world in which the action takes place or whatever that could have enriched the storyline ... surely would be welcomed. In any case, it's just an appreciation, i am ok with the story for the most part. The main story concept is still pretty cool and badass and the characters are sympathetic even if a little bit typical, specially the villain.

The visuals and design are alright, the MADOX is pretty cool and the plot leave enough place to show off properly all the blaze and guns, the character design is nothing special yet not bad, mildly above average. Animation itself goes the same way, not the richest you'll see but actually good for a production of this scale, with cool chases and fights, explosions, city destruction and all that.

The sound is pretty much the same as with the visuals, correct for the most part. As i have seen a subbed version i wont really talk much about it, the seiyuus seem appropriate and deliver convincing performances.

As for the enjoyment, here is where Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 excells. Despite it small scale, recurrent setting and lack of depth, the fast pace where there is no window for a breath prevents from distracting and the coolness and 80's charm also do their work on making the viewer overlook the OVA flaws.

This isn't the definitive anime, it doesnt even come near to be a classic, but that is part of the play. You wont get a fond impression that will change you forever, instead when you stop the video at the end you will be think "yeah, that was pretty rad".

Give it a chance and you wont be dissapointed, just be sure to know what you are getting into

Aaaah yes, a golden oldie for me Metal skin panic is one of those Ova´s that was just ´out there´, in the VHS stores and wether u wanted to watch it or not is totally up to the person itself. In my case as an oldskool anime nerd i was lucky not to regret . At first glance u can see that this ova definetly was inspired by the mechaboom and ova boom of the late 80´s Thank you gundam( for the mecha boom) and thank you Megazone 23( for the OVA boom) and was right with the fashion those days. The storyline was´nt all ... too predictable and had really nice layout from beginning to end , about a schoolstudent that find a secret millitary weapon after a crash occured , and get all eyes on him after it was´caught´by the weapon, lots of action and explosions from there on!
For the art it was rather ok, u have to see it from a point of having not much money but to make the best out of it, and it was another era ofc that unlike today EVERYTHING was handdrawn, even the background animation of crowded ppl when all hell breaks loose is quite detailed, especially when u see the animation moving towards you, the better it looks frame by frame. U can´t miss the late 1980´s music here ! nicely mixed it during the movie, and i mean during the shootouts and stuff.
Some of the charachters here acted a bit onesided and stereotypical a la 1987! but the main protagonist at least had a more emotional and uplifting role, same for the villian, though he acted more like a hardball.
It was not a dissapointing movie overall, and merely because oldskool anime´s has lots of popculture references and parody´s if u look right, and man oh man it was actionpacked alright. something i would say for a sundaynight with a beer or two .AWESOMETACULAIR

Random car mechanic gets his hands on a mobile war machine, chaos ensues.
Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01, is a mecha OVA brought to life by a team of notorious animators and designers, who managed to deliver a competent action experience.
The story is pretty simple. The protagonist, a car mechanic called Koji Sugimoto, stumbles upon a top secret JSDF anti tank humanoid power armor called rhe MADOX-01, enters it and is unable to get out. Now he must escape from the military and go to a building to meet his girlfriend, confronting an officer called Kilgore on the way, and the original pilot of the MADOX, Eriko ... Kusumoto.
But let's be honest, MADOX isn't really about the story. At all.
What MADOX actually has to offer comes in the form of its visuals, particularly the mechanical animation. Shinji Aramaki (who also directed and idealized the project) provides the designs of the machines here, and while the MADOX itself is pretty iconic and cool, (also being a clear homage to Naoyuki Katou's Marauder Suit) it's the way it moves that really shines. The intricate movement of each of the components inside the cockpit, the power of its weaponry, its weight, all brilliantly conveyed through very detailed and carefully crafted animation. You can tell it was made with love for this awesome machine.
The character animation is serviceable, but nothing really mind blowing. Again, they were not meant to be.
Ken Yajima's music is appropriately energetic and stylish, bringing life to every tense chase sequence.
You can tell the crew was very enthusiastic about making this OVA overall, as its most important aspects were crafted with care.
It's like watching project made my a group of friends composed of sf nerds. Only this group of friends is also extremely talented at their respective areas, and made of talented animators and directors like Anno, Takahiro Oomori and Koji Ito.
Overall, MADOX-01 is an enjoyable experience, just don't expect anything spectacular.

A run of the mill 80's OVA with absolutely no surprises, the best adjective I can use to describe MADOX-01 is "inoffensive". Well, that's not entirely true, considering the only female character with any semblance of agency is praised for piloting the MADOX "despite being a woman".

It's clear they had a really cool mecha design and had to produce an OVA around it - the intro is some pretty great mech porn, and the MADOX itself is a really cool, smaller-sized design that's more in line with something like an exosuit than a full-sized super robot. They put a decent amount of thought into ... it's operation, right down to the unique way the MADOX is entered through the back. The military porn is top notch too. It's pretty clear where their priorities went...

...because everything else is excessively underwhelming. Character designs are basic with excessively simple jawlines - no matter how many romantic soft-filters put on them, they still come out looking ugly.

The protagonist in particular is the convenient kind of dumb that a lot of lesser mecha shows thrive on. He finds the MADOX after a terrorist attack leaves it's transport immobile, and being your average anime prodigy with a head of bricks he brings it to life, only to get stuck inside of it. He remembers that his girlfriend is leaving for London in a few days, so of course he prioritizes her over getting out of this expensive piece of military hardware, property damage, and murder - but it's okay because the MADOX's systems are automated! He of course gets a grip and becomes a near prodigy over the span of a few hours, of course.

Being completely realistic, most OVAs of this time were of this caliber of writing, but it didn't matter because the production values beat the shit out of anything on TV at the time. So enjoy the cool designs and explosions! I did to a decent degree - that's why I'm nice enough to give it a 4. Try not to let the shoddy everything else get in the way, though.

If you really enjoy mecha with multifunctional equipments, or you're a gunpla model builder, i strongly suggest you check this ova out.
Basically this short ova is to show off the madox suit, and i gotta say it's pretty amazing.
I really enjoyed all the different equipment this suit has, however, this is all we get hahaha.

under here there is a spoiler:

The plot is really funny, a military top secret suit got lost, and the guy that found it decided that using it would be a cool idea, then he proceed to go around in the city, when suddently an apache rolls out.
here a full on war ... is started in the middle of the city xD, proceeding then to the skycraper, where a crazy tanker, with a prototype, proceed to have a full scale 1 vs 1 on the higher floors, (with all the civilians on the top floor).

half of the time i was amazed by the suit and the drawing of it, and the other half i was laughing hard at the plot and conversations between the protagonist.

Here's another 80s mecha anime for you to check out. Metal Skin Panic Madox-01 is a one episode 42 minute OVA that follows Sugimoto Kouji, an engineering student who happens to have an odd combination of good and bad luck. The plot of this OVA is fairly simple in that Kouji happens to come across the Madox-01 military exo-skeleton after it is lost in a transportation accident. As Kouji is reading the manual on how to operate the Madox, he inadvertently gets locked into the suit.From there, pretty much all hell breaks loose until the end of the film.

There were a lot of really strong ... elements in this OVA that made it great to watch. First and foremost, it's old school anime, and second to that it has mecha suits and tanks. Those two alone made this a winning combination in my books. Another strong point was that the story didn't have too much going on. It was easy enough to follow, while still stimulating enough to continue watching without going into boredom shock. The animation style was very much what you would expect from the time period as was the music (very much in line with Patlabor or Dominion Tank Police).

I have to say that I also enjoyed the creativity that the writers had in developing the concept of exo-skeleton suits. While this is a technology that by today's standards seems less than science-fiction, consider that this OVA was produced in 1987. Back then (and yes I was only two years old at that time), the concepts being touched on by the writers seemed almost out of reach. One of the enticing factors for me in selecting to watch this was the fact that it really focused on the Madox exo-skeleton. I have always been fascinated by the ability to combine human functionality with robotics in a manner similar to what is expressed in Metal Skin Panic Madox-01 (I'm not referring to the war component by the way, just the ability to enhance human abilities with robotics). This specific element really allowed me as a viewer to make more of a personal connection with the show.

Overall, I think it goes without saying that I advocate checking out Metal Skin Panic Madox-01. If you are a fan of such films as Ghost in the Shell, then this one will resonate with you as well.

The verdict: Wow, this was quite a bit *worse* than I expected.

The only way to attempt to enjoy this, is to realize that it is, at its heart, a COMEDY. Not some military enthusiast's wet dream. Not some mecha-suit lover's paradise. But straight-up for laughs.

I say this, because the premise and the story are outright silly. The world's most high-tech piece of new weaponry that can kill tanks like it is squashing bugs, and it just falls into the hands of a college student. So what does he do? Why, ... he decides to check it out, gets trapped inside and can't get out. But, oh, turns out he can adroitly operate this high-tech mecha suit after briefly glancing at the manual. And saunter about the city with a few odd stares and that's it.

Oh, and destroy lots and lots of things. Like tens (or hundreds) of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure damage. Without really injuring anyone. And with zero response from the police forces of the city itself.

Instead you have Cute Girl Who Is Also A Pilot come after him, but also Obsessed Military Guy With A Grudge trying to get him first. And yet, Stupid Boy keeps bemoaning "why can't they just leave me alone!" as he is causing untold damage in a highly-classified and dangerous military weapon in the middle of a crowded city.

I have been told that people who are into military stuff like this little story, because of the "realistic" type of military equipment. Or that fans of armored suits in anime like this, due to the "realistic" way that MADOX operates. However, this is all completely thrown out the window because the story that wraps around it all is just so unrealistic. So, throw your logic circuits out the window, otherwise you will just keep getting irked over and over again as Stupid Boy fills up his suit with diesel at the gas station, or tries to eat takeout food while stuck in his suit, or other wacky hijinks that are just as stupid as hell.

Character designs are kinda wonky, but artwork and animation is decent. And that's all I have to say about that.

Perhaps what possessed me to watch this mess was that it was on Amazon Prime, but anyhow, yikes.

Really, in what world do you find dangerous sealed military equipment, open it, and decide to pilot it? Okay, maybe you're dumb and dont grasp the consequences of getting arrested over it, surely when you get confronted you'll cooperate right?

Nah, you try to MURDER them, and even succeed when you shoot down aircraft remorselessly. You call everyone dumb for trying to stop you from meeting your ex-girlfriend while rampaging Tokyo. That woman in the robo suit who wants to reason with you? Shoot her too.

Dear lord, can ... this even be considered a plot? Amazon should've left this in some basement where it belongs.

Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 does not have a good story, does not have any compelling characters, and makes little to no sense. However there are moments where the animation quality and level of detail are pretty good. The character designs are dated, the music is dated, even the animation is dated. But sometimes at 2x speed when the animation and music sync, it oozes 80’s nostalgia. This is not a good anime but it does have some quality OVA animation. With the plot being so weak it is hard to recommend to all but the most diehard OVA enjoyers. ... Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 is a mess, a likable mess, but still a mess.

I was extremely surprised how little I cared about this. The core premise is great--dude accidentally gets stuck in a mecha suit while he's trying not to get dumped by his girlfriend--but it turns into bunches of chase scenes and not much character development on any end. Still, with animation this nice... it's a real shame that not that much was done with the whole thing. I do NOT think the short length is at fault here because you can do great things in only a half-hour. I think the production went into the mecha designs and fight scenes and they just decided not to ... give much care to characters or story. Which is OK in the short term but certainly doesn't help us remember the movie today.

Half of my runtime was spent remembering that the girlfriend Shiori's name is most likely written as 栞, which means her name means "bookmark." Why did people name their kids after a bookmark...