I don't know if there is a technical term for what I am going to explain, so bear with me. The details of the weapon systems and military vehicles were spot on. The way that the characters were designed and the colors that were used throughout the anime were incredible. Once you get beyond the bouncing boobs and panty shots, there is an actual, intense story that is being told.
The hummvee that is acquired by the gang is an M1025, used by the USMC. What gives this away is the exhaust stack running up the rear, port quarter and the intake stack on the right side of the windshield. Other details of the vehicle that stand out are the winch, the ignition switch, the correct location of the lights and reflectors...it's details like that prove to me that the producers went out of their way to make a good anime. The scene where Takashi is in the prone supported position, firing the aforementioned M1A, using Rei's chest as the support. With each shot, her chest moves with the recoil. Here, we can use Newtons 2nd Law of Motion, F=ma, which states the sum of all forces equals mass times acceleration to find out the velocity of her chest caused by the recoil of the rifle (as I am only in the 1st half of the 1st semester of physics, I may have quoted the wrong formula). Then there is SGT Minami, who cooly lets her spotter know if he wants to cop a feel of her girls, he is just gonna have to out shoot her on the range.
My score moves to an 8.
The story itself, touches on some thought provoking subjects, especially in the last couple of episodes. Saeko's sadistic kinks and how Takashi manipulates Saeko so that she can be released from her bonds to accept her kinks ( I don't know if kink is the right word, but her sadistic tendencies are an intricate part of who she is and why she fights ). The ugly and tangled web that is the relationship Saya has with her rich, powerful and influential parents. Armageddon and how do we survive tomorrow and the Russians and the Americans will go down swinging, till the bitter end. 9.
So what is it that makes this a 10 for me. It was only one moment, that I knew this anime was something truly unique. As the credits were beginning to role on the close of episode 1 ( or so I thought was the end ), the closing track begins to play...a few measures of a piano and guitar, then an explosion of notes and vocals as the rest of the band joins the battle. That voice...the pipes of the lead singer and the harmony of the backup singer intertwined with the notes being thrown about by the axe wielding guitarist. I want to hear the song again and rewind but I notice something...the picture in the center of the screen. It's of the whole gang, and then the camera starts to pan back...it's like an impromptu bulletin board in NYC, right after 9/11. Messages of desperation, emptiness and pain. I close my eyes and that song, "Kimi to Taiyo ga Shinda hi", it grabs me and throws me behind the wheel of the Beast, and we are charging hell bent down some god forsaken, desolate highway in the desert with the sun barring down on my left side. The fate of our convoy is sealed, just keep on charging forward, that's all we can do. That one song and the way the producers ended the first episode and every episode thereafter. The emotions that were generated at the close of ep1 is what took HOTD over the top for me. I know, I don't know what I am talking about, it was just a zombie movie.
A special thank you to Angus for recommending this anime. You recommended it for the obvious, I appreciated it for a whole lot more.
