Anime Blue Gender

GenericHero5 · Oct 8, 2002

Okay...I saw this rather empty forum, and, well, i did some digging. Here's what i got:

BLUE GENDER, Takahashi Ryousuke's (GASARAKI and ARMORED TROOPER VOTOMS) latest directorial effort, follows a trend in Takahashi's choice of the mecha genre. Instead of concentrating on the gee-whiz factor of mecha combat (of which there is plenty), Takahashi explores the human condition and complex plotlines. In BLUE GENDER, he uses a Rip Van Winkle premise to give the now hackneyed bug hunt plot a fresh angle and to examine the human condition under such circumstances.

Diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, Kaidou Yuji was put into cold-sleep in the hope that someday a cure may be found. He receives a rude awakening when he is revived in the middle of a military operation to evacuate him out of the cold-sleep facility. The group is attacked by a giant bug-like creature which wrenches two members into a grotesque cocoon before it is killed by the powersuit escort. It seems like a nightmare, but it's very much a reality for Yuji. He discovers that his abductors are humans under their skull-like masks and that his powersuited rescuer is a young woman named Marlene Angel.

Marlene explains that it is now the year 2031, meaning that Yuji was in cold-sleep for 22 years. In that time, a genetic experiment went awry and created giant bug-like creatures called Blue which have taken over the world. The soldiers' mission is to recover human genes from before the Blue cataclysm, namely genes from sleepers like Yuji, and transport them up to a space station called Second Earth, where the fortunate humans retreated.

Things, of course, don't go smoothly as planned. The Blue spring a surprise attack on the orbital launch base before the humans are able to board the shuttle. Marlene and Yuji are able to escape with two team members, Robert and Joey, but the rest of the people at the base aren't as fortunate. The survivors start on a long trek to another orbital launch base, battling Blue almost every step of the way. Unsatisfied with being luggage, Yuji takes up training from the soldiers so that he's able to contribute to their fight for survival.

The four come across a group of humans living in a ruined city. This settlement managed to survive by isolating themselves on the island section of the city. With the paranoid reception that Yuji receives because of his Second Earth uniform, he realizes that there is a schism between the people left behind on earth and the people from orbit. The presence of a Blue hive nearby changes our heroes' travel plans. Their attempt to erradicate the local Blue population is successful but at a costly price, leaving only Marlene and Yuji remaining to continue their journey.
If you haven't realized by now, BLUE GENDER is quite a depressing series in the way it seems to trivialize the value of life. Some of the casualties are pretty gruesome for a TV anime show, which gives BLUE GENDER a strong semblance to Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS movie (as if a war against giant bug-like creatures isn't enough of a similarity between the two already). Looks are misleading though; the plot has more in common with David Gerrold's WAR AGAINST THE CHTORR trilogy.

As the series progresses, there are hints revealed about the Blue, and hopefully by the story's end, we'll know the connection between the Blue DNA and Yuji. The other strong point of the series is the character development of Marlene, Yuji, and the people they encounter. They all value life in their own ways: Because he knows he's dying, and after seeing so many senseless deaths, Yuji is the good Samaritan once he gets over the future shock; Marlene just wants to be a good soldier and survive, but her hardened personality begins to soften after meeting Yuji.

The visual presentation of BLUE GENDER is a mixed bag. The animation quality is average for a TV anime series, so don't expect anything rivaling the high-budget work that Tippett Studios did for the STARSHIP TROOPERS movie or even Foundation Imaging's work on the ROUGHNECKS: STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICLES. The character designs aren't that great either; they don't look too appealing, but they are appropriate for the genre. The various Blue species look very intriguing; you can easily see why they are so tough to erradicate, but it also makes their weak spot seem contrived. The robotic mecha designs are pretty cool looking, although some mecha fans may have issues with a few design flaws.

---------------Taken from www.ex.org
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YokoburiKinura · Oct 10, 2002

Looks like I've gotta research this a little more. I had heard earlier that Ryosuke Takahashi directed this series, but I looked elsewhere and it seemed to not be the case. So, I gotta go look again and make sure, just cause I'm suspicious like that...

YokoburiKinura · Oct 13, 2002

The reviews at AnimeOnDVD are calling this one of the most underrated series of the year, which is drawing me toward checking it out, but funimation's episode count for the discs makes me think I've gotta find somewhere online where I can get it at least like 30-50% off for me to check it out.

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