- What is it ?
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Blue Gender is a story about a young man of today waking up in a brutal futuristic world. Yugi Kaido was one of many people in the early 21st century, who were diagnosed with a strange genetic disease. With the absence of a cure, they had no other option but to enter cryogenic sleep, until one was found. Suddenly, Yugi is wakened into a future where the Earth is overrun by an insectoid species called "The Blue". Their vast numbers and ability to adapt to all situations have made them an almost unbeatable foe. The remnants of mankind have been forced to leave Earth and make a huge space station their new home. Those not smart or rich enough to be given a ticket to space, were left behind and are considered dead. Humans only come down to earth to fight the Blue and gather resources. In one of those expeditions Yugi is accidentally awakened and he is forced to face the fact that the world he knew is gone and a horrible nightmare has taken its place.
Blue Gender is a post apocalyptic / Sci-fi series that shares similarities with movies like Aliens or Starship Troopers. I'd have a hard time finding many anime counterparts. It shows us a dark future where humans live in perpetual danger and are constantly hunted down by a relentless foe. The soldiers that come to Earth to fight, have to shut down their emotions in order to cope with the atrocities they have to face. Yugi on the other hand has to face the terror of a new, haunting, reality and has to try to cooperate with people that have forgotten how to be humans. He has to deal with the fact that they don`t even consider him a person but rather they think of him as a "sample". This series isn't just a dystopian action thriller though, it's also a critique on humanity and its constant urge to expand and devour. It`s a study of human psyche and how it reacts in conditions of isolation and desolation.
On the other hand, we have Marlene. She experienced the infestation of the blue at a very young age and can only remember this devastating world. She was assigned a role in the combat devision and she was the one that found Yugi. In order to survive she has shielded herself from everything and can only think of her mission objectives. She considers Yugi as just another objective and a hindrance that he`s awakened, since now she has to babysit a pathetic remnant of the past. In time she will change her opinion of him and she will change herself, not only because Yugi will help in the fight for survival, but also because he will break down her barriers with his hopeful demeanor. The interesting thing here is that these two characters will even exchange roles. It's one of the few cases in anime where "Character progression" isn't the usual unrealistic and forced fare, but it actually feels right. So, eventually Blue Gender is also a story about love and newfound hope.
- How does it look ?
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You wont find colorful scenes and shiny mecha here. The world is painted in bleak colors, with crumbled cities full of Blue nests and ugly monsters roaming the streets. The mecha actually look like human exoskeletons designed for combat and not like plastic toys. I really liked the character designs, especially the two protagonists who look completely distinguishable from other anime characters without being caricatures. The animation quality is good, not top notch, but for a 1999 anime you've got nothing to complain about. It could use a bit more fluidity in the combat scenes, but I don't recall any still frames, or any early 3D and that's a plus. In the audio department things look even better. Both the opening (a powerful hard rock song) and the ending (an atmospheric ballad) are beautiful tracks and it`s one of the few times where their English versions are equally good. As for the Voice Overs, both the Japanese and English are professional, without being anything exceptional though. The actual soundtrack consists mainly of ambient tracks that never take a prominent position, but they usually add to the atmosphere. I especially remember a haunting tune that played when we were first shown the ruined cities, it was very fitting.
- What it tries to do ?
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Thankfully, this anime isn't based on an on-going manga, so it has a start, a real ending and a normal length.
This is an anime that tries to cater the adult crowd, or should I say the anime crowd that would like some less childish entertainment. The protagonists are adults (or almost adults) and they have to face life threatening situations in realistic --in the context-- environments. Gone are the schoolboy protagonists, gone is the teenage angst, gone are the awkward Japanese attempts at slapstick comedy. Ok, we aren't completely ridden of cliché. The main character does have a special ability, but at least he isn't the only one, it's not really a blessing and he doesn't save the world or something like that. Yes, the anime tries to be dark and gritty and it's mostly successful. There is a lot of gore but it never feels too excessive. Also, there are some showings of sexual acts, and some of them do feel a bit unnecessary, but in a world where people drool over bouncing ecchi boobs and pantie flashing, I'll take a god to honest sex scene every day, thank you very much.
Let's set aside the grittiness though, because it's just a wrapping. The anime is ultimately trying to convey a message. It's trying to criticize many aspects of human behavior. And it does this successfully, without being didactic, without being naive or forceful. It's a simple message, it's not an overly optimistic message, but it's a good one and it's refreshing to see it in such a story. Blue Gender isn't a masterpiece. It could have had a more fleshed-out story, it could have had more interesting side-characters (and one less annoying side character), it could also use a couple more episodes to make the pace better in the second season. It's not as deep as Ghost in the Shell and it's not as stylish as Cowboy Bebop, but it's a very good series, one that deserves better recognition. It's a post-apoc/sci-fi action thriller, it`s a love story and it`s a critique on humanity's faults all wrapped up in a neat little 26 episode package. If you like post apocalyptic, or sci-fi settings and won`t shy away from a bit of gore, give it a try, you may find more than what you were expecting.
