Neo Ranga tells the story of three average girls put into an extra ordinary position. After their brothers passing, the girl's "inherit" a God named Ranga. This gift-of-such however is not always a blessing, for the people of Japan are not sure how to accept this newcomer.
The three sisters have their own ideas of how to use Ranga. The oldest sister, concerned about her family's well being tries to profit from their new found fame. The middle sister tries to help the people of Japan with Ranga's power. The youngest sister, infuriated about the welcoming home, tries to use Ranga to destroy the population of Japan and her enemies.
Because of the sisters indecision, Ranga is torn and develops a personality all of his own. The people fear Ranga, and with due cause. A 50' Bio-Beast now lives in the city, destroying it piece by piece every time he moves. Yes, he has helped the people, but at what cost...??
As the story progresses, and the characters develop, we learn that the sisters all have similar goals in mind and that Ranga is no more of a God than we ourselves are.
Story 10
Neo Ranga is by far one of the nicest stories I have watched in quite some time. Right from the first 10 minute episode (which at first I was not overly fond of, but by the end of the series I really got into) I knew that this was going to be sometime special. You know the feeling when eveything just clicks within the first few moments and you know right then are there that nothing about the series could disappoint you...that's the feeling you get...POW right off the bat.
Though not comepletely original (pleanty of series have giant "monsters" or "Gods" as a main focus for a story), something about this series stands apart. Perhaps it's the interaction between the main and supporting characters. Perhaps it's the way the series plays off both sides to each senerio (meaning who is right and who is wrong??). Perhaps it's the way Neo Ranga himself is portrayed as a God, but has so much humanity and flaws within himself that you feel for him. I can't put my finger on it but the story rocked.
Art 8
Nothing about the way this series was drawn was overwhelming. That's what made it so friggin' fantastic. Yes it was produced in '99 and yes since then anime has come a long way, but the grittiness and flawed production quality is one of the reasons that this title stands leagues above others.
Sound 9
The soundtrack suited the series just fine. I'll be the first to admit that rarely do I sit through the opening and closing credits, and this series was no different. Also, I don't really pay that much attention to the background music. I'm sure everything was just fine beacuse I didn't sit up and say, "Well that sounded stupid".
I did however like the English voice cast. I think they cast the actors very well and that 90% or more of the cast suited the characters perfectly. That being said, I didn't watch any of the series in it's orignal Japanese language so they may or may not sound good. Couldn't tell you.
Character 10
One of the best things about this series was how completely believable each and everyone of the characters are. You can put yourself in each one of their shoes and be like, "Yup, that's what I would do." And I am not just refering to the main actresses. All the supporting roles were right-on-the-money too.
It was also nice to see female lead characters that were just normal. They weren't stupid. They didn't have shill voices. They didn't have tits that were falling out of their barely-there clothes. They were just your run-of-the-mill, girl-next-door kinda girls. The have problems with work, with school and with boys. The don't always know what is right, and make mistakes just like the rest of us. It was a real treat to sit down to an anime that I could relate to.
Enjoyment 9
I loved it. Beautifully crafted. Great story, which came to a great conclusion. Couple twists and turns thrown it to keep it interesting (sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't). It was a pretty orignal idea for the most part even though some concepts were loosely borrowed. It was just a fun, emotion filled series.
Overall 9
After watching fanservice after samurai after mecha series, Neo Ranga was a great change of pace. With 10 minute episodes you can really sit back and power through the series quickly or take your time and enjoy each and every episode. Well worth a watch and if you have the money to buy it...it's worth every penny.
