This short series took me totally by surprise. Just like its titular character, 009-1 lured me in by its classy old school appearance and charmed me by its deeply human interior.
Don't let the frequent action or the funny designs fool you, this is a very mature character driven series. It tells of an unfortunate secret agent named Mylene or 009-1, who's great at her job but who has to witness people getting hurt time and again as a part of it. What's even more unfortunate for her, it's implied there's no way out, she's too deep in the Western Bloc intelligence organisation to ever get away from it alive. So, she's doomed to do the kind of work that makes her feel sad. It's quite an original and interesting approach to the secret agent genre.
Mylene is a truly magnificent person. At first she appears cold and ruthless, willing to use her body to seduce opposing agents and ready to kill them without a flinch. Soon, however, we get to see how this emotionless exterior of hers is just an act, well refined and nearly perfected through the years of her service, but still just an act. There are moments when we can see this facade of hers breaking for an instant, her emotions almost getting the better of her, but even then she remains calm and composed most of the time; a testament to her strong nature.
The series is based on a manga created in the late sixties by the renowned author Shotaro Ishinomori, and it is amazing how fresh some of the central themes have remained through the decades. Of course, the world is no longer as sharply divided in two and the threat of a global nuclear war has lessened to a degree, but the issues of ethics and loyalty when serving ones homeland are today as relevant as ever.
Even more amazing is how the creators of the anime have transferred the atmosphere of Cold War, hippies and sexual revolution that was so central in the sixties to an alternate future of cybertechnology so that everything fits very seamlessly. This has been achieved mainly thanks to the excellent musical score and flawless animation. While neither aspect may be perfect when compared to high budget animated films of the day, they are both certainly perfect for this series, from the somber jazz tunes to the exquisite fashion of Mylene. Presented in anamorphic widescreen and with an excellent 5.1 English dub, this is one of the few anime series that requires a home theater setup with a big screen to be fully appreciated.
The only real weakness of the series is that it's clearly not made for everyone: it lacks conventional anime stereotypes and instead uses very unique designs that some might call outdated, there's very little comedy and nearly all the characters are adults. There are also some gruesome deaths and plenty of female nudity, which makes 009-1 unsuitable for children. Also, the series starts rather uneven and doesn't get great until later. The third and last DVD with episodes 9-12, plus the unaired bonus episode, is clearly the best of the series.
There are some great liner notes and interviews included on the DVDs, explaining how the series came to be and what parts of the original manga had to be modified to make it work today, while still keeping it true to the spirit and ideas of Ishinomori. I, for one, feel they've succeeded brilliantly. Most of the episodes are stand alone storylines, based on single chapters of the original manga, but there's a strong overarching theme of Mylene's search for her real feelings that at the end ties in with the main storyline.
The ending is cruel in many ways, but it certainly left me wanting for more. Like many others, I really hope there's a sequel or some other kind of addition to this unique series.
Explanation by t-cypher on Friday, 25.02.2011 17:08