And here comes the long version of all the praise:
Heat Guy J was one of those pleasant surprises that happen once in a while. I grabbed the DVD box set from the bargain bin - vintage 2002, in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and with Japanese; English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtrack - can't resist a deal like this, right? In hindsight I have no clue how I managed to overlook this series for all these years.
Storyline (might contain minor spoilers):
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The main character Daisuke Aurora works with his android partner J for the City Safety Management Agency in the town of Judoh. The unit is supposed to investigate "signs which indicate that future crimes may be committed" - something like a preemptive task force it seems. The team is supplemented by Kyoko Milchan who is the office manager and has an eye on the budget. She also oversees the distribution of Daisukes weapon and ammunition which usually amounts to handing out a whopping three bullets (seems like they operate on a really strict budget, but on the other hand - who needs a lot of firepower with a guy like J around?).
When Daisuke is not hanging around the office idling on the couch, evading requests for written reports and ignoring taciturn and motionless J standing on call, the episodes follow our heroes while doing their work, which consists mainly of information gathering from various sources in the town of Judoh. This way the main setting, which is the city of Judoh, slowly takes shape and the supporting characters are introduced. The early episodes concentrate on Clair "Vampire" Leonelli, the young and seemingly psychopathic newly established Don of the Company Vita Crime Syndicate, who is in the process of claiming leadership and taking over the operations after his father died. Organized crime is doing well in the city of Judoh and besides the Leonellis there are various other groups of mobsters watching over their turfs.
General overview:
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What at first glance seems to be just a sequence of unrelated stand-alone episodes and disjointed cases slowly develops into a deeper and more complex plot while hints and bits and pieces of information begin to fall into place and allow glimpses into a rather intricately woven world. After episode four even the most casual watcher will suspect that a conspiracy is lurking somewhere ahead. The storytelling is excellent and never confuses its audience with nonessential information or the useless techno-babble that futuristic settings usually seem to spout . The plot unfolds in an unhurried way and then sucks the viewer in. The individual stories are interesting and well-structured with twists and turns and supported by memorable characters.
The core of Heat Guy J is a classic detective story comprising (political) thriller elements and borrowings from the good fellas and buddy cop genres. The setting is vaguely futuristic, the cityscape and some scenes are so Blade Runnerish that calling them only "inspired by" is a rather friendly way to describe it. The creators designed a highly atmospheric and fascinating environment. The city of Judoh is done very convincingly, the streets are lively and busy with passers-by, bustling shops, traffic and a changing day and night scenery.
The character cast is vast and all the recurring characters are well developed - many of them have an interesting background story, vices, quirks, problems and their own way of looking at life. The cast includes cynical cops, streetwise (small) girls, small-time crooks, gene-manipulated beings and corruptionists, to list just a few. All of them have a reason to be in the story and are not just padding or backdrop. The character interactions are convincing and entertaining. I found that only J himself of all things was lacking a bit in depth and personality, but oh well, he is a machine after all. He seems to gain a limited understanding of the world surrounding him in the course of the series though. Daisuke has this laid-back and politely observing way of doing things that makes him very endearing and as a bonus he is sharp as a tack. In the beginning it is hard to determine if he is simply phlegmatic or extremely broad-minded. Anyways, he is one cool guy.
Although the scenery can be quite gritty and dark, there is not an overwhelming amount of violence or gore. Action scenes are not overly abundant and mostly short but they are nicely orchestrated when they occur. If you are looking for a shootout every two minutes or a non-stop action flick you better look somewhere else. You will get some impressive hand to hand combat, shiny sword action, gun fights - including even some tank fireworks - but only if the story really warrants such action. Also do not expect over the top comedy; the creator decided to incorporate some dry humor (in case of J a substantial amount of whacky one-liners...) and the dosage slightly increases in the later episodes but you will probably not suffer an uncontrollable laughing fit while watching.
The underlying themes in the anime are about the importance and worth of friendship and loyalty, and the question if satisfying one's desire for revenge will make you a happier being or ruin you.
Visuals:
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The artwork is stunning. Yes I said stunning. Although panels get reused and there are stills (with only camera pans and zooms used to liven them up some), the background artwork is gorgeous and atmospheric. Everything gives off the vibes the scene demands - be it dark, gritty and depressing or lively, refreshing and colorful. The setting is modern with a futuristic looking scenery as well as some retro elements. It is a weird mix of technologically highly advanced features and a lot of outdated machinery that looks like it was imported straight from the 50s.
The character artwork is very unique with a slightly old-style feeling and might not be everyone's cup of tea. Heat Guy J was directed by Kazuki Akane with Nobuteru Yuki doing the character designs, both were also working on Escaflowne - so it is not a great surprise that the two shows share the look to some extent. If you have seen Escaflowne you will certainly recognize the noses. Woah, that nose! (ever read Asterix and Cleopatra btw? But I digress... sorry).
The animation of the action scenes is nicely choreographed and really snappy-looking. Sadly I have to mention the 3D integration too I am afraid. It is not really good. Especially having to watch Daisuke ride his favorite vehicle (a kind of futuristically inspired motorbike with sidecar) on multiple occasions borders on irritating. But luckily the 3D CG parts are used sparingly overall - so it does not distract too much from the rest of the visuals and designs which are truly awesome.
Sound:
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Holy cow! The score.
I went searching for the OST directly after watching the first episode. This is one of the best anime scores I have ever heard. Electric guitars paired with folkloristic elements, choirs, piano, eery female vocals, tribal oriental-sounding tunes, acoustic guitar, percussion and techno beats, as well as a lot of other weird sounds. And best of all: bagpipes. Yes absolutely, I kid you not, they used bagpipes. All these ingredients produce one hell of a unique and adorable soundtrack. The music itself is used fittingly throughout the anime and adds the right mood, atmosphere and impact to the scenes. The OP "Face" by Try Force is a catchy rock song and fits the show well, the two EDs are nice but not very memorable.
I cannot comment on the English dub, since I only watched the Japanese version. The 5.1 DTS track does not make much use of the back speakers, it is mainly center-oriented. Otherwise the sound mixing is fine. Music, speech and sound effects are clear and distinct. The Japanese voice cast is consistently excellent.
Grumbling:
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Is Heat Guy J perfect? No. It falls slightly short of excellence. The end is rushed (maybe budgeting issues or just direction?). Although the finale has lots of oomph, the solution to the conflict for me was unconvincing and even kind of cheesy. There are also various plot holes and inconsistencies in the storyline. In the end the imaginative world setting had not enough depth. I wish they had elaborated more on the directly antecedent history of the world and its power structures. Too much of the political, economical and social environment was left hazy and unclear. Another thing that bugged me was the lack of understanding and the insufficient interaction between Daisuke and J through great parts of the show.
The Good:
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Bagpipes obviously. In addition Heat Guy J is stylish with a considerable cool-factor. It is good-looking, entertaining, has likable and unconventional characters, very well orchestrated action, an intelligent plot, and awesome music. Did I mention the bagpipes?
Heat Guy J will probably appeal to people who like old-style adventure telling and detective/ thriller stories augmented with reasonably dosed action.
