Iria: Zeiram the Animation

This is one of those titles I never watched in the 90s as a kid (when I cut my anime teeth on Robot Carnival, Akira, and eventually, Evangelion), but just decided to give it a spin recently now that everything's free on the internet.

I can now see why it's not heralded as an all-time classic, but I really don't want to dwell on the negative here. What kept me watching (despite a noticeable dip in quality after episode 3, I'd argue) is killer originality and style. This applies mainly to visual, and to some extent audio, design (check out the OP animation, which I find to be pretty strong despite the re-use of some clips in reverse), and also to the world the series creates.

I'm going for a zero-spoilers review here, but to speak generally, there are robot/creature/technology designs in this series that are extremely creative, daring and visually interesting, and that are explored consistently from various angles across the episodes. Despite (justified) complaints about the plot, it too has some interesting elements, including the very unusual transformation of a main character early in the series.

I'm sure had I watched this in the 90s, the nostalgia factor would boost my review by several stars, but with apologies to diehard fans, I do feel 6 is appropriate--but I wanted to celebrate what is in some ways objectively a very unique, compelling and probably (in these respects) underrated anime.

Basically about this bounty hunter/ gun for higher crew that take on a mission that goes awry when they encounter a nearly immortal alien being and the rest of the episodes are basically this one gal's quest to ( you guessed it) try to destroy it.

They story is nothing special. The mechanical designs and world building are specifically very un-special. It's trying to do cross between woodlands and sci-fi. Think the whole Ewok sequence in Star Wars or a way lesser Tenchi Muyo. The animation has it's moments where it shines with all it's retro charm, specifically the last episode. But I really couldn't get over how boring the weapons and creatures were.

Iria is beautiful. Iria is young. And Iria can kick more butt than Xena on her best day. The animation is terrific, and Zeiram is a terrific monster. Okay, the plot. Iria's brother dies on a mission that involves the invincible monster Zeiram. She vows revenge on it, using every weapon she has and every plan she can possibly conceive. For those of you who are tired of Ellen Ripley being the only real tough Science Fiction heroine, I recommend Iria.

Viewed on Retro Crush.

An OVA miniseries (6 episodes) that follows a futuristic bounty hunter named Iria whom gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving a suspicious mega corporation & a nearly indestructible hostile alien lifeform called "Zeiram", after being sent out on a mission to rescue the crew of a ship that has sent out a distress signal.

It clearly owes it's core concept to "Alien", however it does enough of it's own to justify it's existence. The conflict between Iria & Zeiram becomes personal in a way that it's inspiration wasn't, and Zeiram itself has an eye catching design (a theme that carries over to the series as a whole, it mixes sci-fi grandeur with traditional Japanese/Asian aesthetic influences much like other sci-fi anime of the time like "Tenchi Muyo!" & "Outlaw Star"). Not the best thing ever, but I liked it more than I had imaged I would going in.

I highly enjoyed Amemiya Keita's live-action 'Zeiram' films, two terrific blasts of genre fare that also boasted outstanding practical effects and otherwise visuals. The second maybe wasn't as strong as the first, but more than anything else that speaks to how excellent the progenitor was. It's only fair to wonder how an OVA might compare to Amemiya's works, not least when it notably does not have the same cast and crew that both live-action flicks did. However, in no time after we start watching it becomes evident that such questions of comparison are beside the point: in any medium the franchise is nothing if not an opportunity to blend together science fiction and action with a little humor and horror on the side, and 'Iria: Zeiram the animation' easily holds its own. As far as I'm concerned this is fantastic!

The anime occupies an interesting point of both serving as a prequel for the movies - providing a backstory for bounty hunter Iria - and to some small degree reimagining the story of the movies, especially since Iria is shown here as encountering Zeiram earlier in her career. With that in mind, one is maybe best served by thinking of this not strictly as an addition to narrative canon, but as another interpretation of these characters and their universe. There are perhaps additional minutiae one might nitpick, but I think the one other most salient point to raise is that the visuals are surely more visceral in their live-action format, particularly when it comes to any creatures. That is in no way a reflection on the quality here, but I think it's simply a matter of the vibrancy of something we could theoretically touch for ourselves versus the vibrancy of a purely two-dimensional representation. And still, all this is just rumination on where these six episodes fit in alongside their full-length kin; one way or another, the OVA is really fun, and well worth checking out on its own merits regardless of our relationship with the features.

Him and haw as we may about the particulars - as we usually and rightly anticipate of Japanese animation, the artists turned in phenomenal work in shaping the look and feel of the series. Every facet of the visuals are rich with superb detail and imagination, from backgrounds and settings including landscapes and outer space, building interiors and even more so the exterior of structures, and hardly any less so the active animated elements. Iria and Zeiram mostly retain the same appearance as in the live-action pictures but are also tweaked here; from weapons and sundry items, to vehicles and other characters, and not least the gnarly creature designs, everything looks superb and it's clear how much effort went into making this worthy of the medium at large, and the composite genres, and its longer brethren. Action sequences and effects are exciting and invigorating, and there are plenty of nice little touches everywhere in the animation to grab our eyes even beyond the foremost spectacle.

To my pleasure, that latter phrase quite extends to the writing as well, a credit to director Amino Tetsuro, and colleagues Arakawa Naruhisa and Matsumoto Hajime - with Matsumoto, as Amemiya's co-writer, being the one link on the production side of things between the live-action flicks and the anime. Tiny odds and ends populate each episode that are gratifying for how they demonstrate the intelligence and care of all involved; whether providing fuel for the animators, enriching some aspect of the writing, or both, there's much to get our attention all throughout. The plot in each film was relatively simple and straightforward, mostly just serving as a platform for the romp to follow, but in this rendition considerable welcome thought was poured into a bigger overarching narrative that's solidly engaging and compelling in its own right, with admirable themes and ideas, and a definitive progression as the saga unfolds and expands from one half-hour to the next. In tracing Iria's early days as a bounty hunter we've also given a tale of corruption, malfeasance, conspiracy, and shortsightedness, and even on paper this has us locked in for the ride as the saga eventually comes full circle. The characters are fleshed out more, with Iria certainly being given more complexity (and broadly made genuinely more interesting in the process), and fine dialogue adds to both the flavor and the plot development across sharp scenes that are themselves ably engrossing.

Even with the action violence and darker genre facets the overall vibe is surely lighter than what we got in the movies. I say this not least as a couple supporting characters, including a kid, are written if not for outright comic relief, then to further humanize a protagonist that we previously have known chiefly as a skilled warrior. Animation also allows for otherworldly settings that innately offer more of a sense of whimsy, contrasting with the predominantly urban, industrial, or otherwise realistic settings in the films that automatically lend themselves to a measure of grit. Then again, those settings and even those youths fit into a story that gets decidedly more grim and violent in the back half, most notably in the fourth and fifth episodes which Matsumoto had written where horror very emphatically and dramatically rears its head. To that same end, while the opening and closing themes are very catchy, easy on the ears, and upbeat - I could easily listen to Goto Yayoi's "At the end of the melting dream" and SAEKO's "Although the dream is far" on repeat - Yoshikawa Yoichiro's score, itself a swell complement, also grows more somber and pensive in the last three episodes. There is a real, meaningful progression from start to finish, and I really appreciate that.

Capped off with top-notch direction, great and expressive voice acting, and marvelous sound effects, this really is very well done all around. I assumed I'd enjoy it, but particularly between the strong writing and visuals, I'm so very pleased with just how good the OVA turned out to be. Whether one is a fan of Amemiya's 'Zeiram' and 'Zeiram 2,' a fan of anime generally, or just looking for a good time with sci-fi action, I think most anyone could sit to watch this three hours and step away entertained and satisfied. I wouldn't go so far as to say it fully demands viewership, but if you have the chance to see it then I'm happy to give 'Iria: Zeiram the animation' my high recommendation!