Agent Aika

Agent Aika plays like an animated Russ Meyer movie. It's perfect 1:00 AM entertainment and great way to play 'count-the-panties' (you won't be able to keep up). I suggest watching the subtitled version, as the dub verges on unlistenable. Just kick back and have fun with this flick. DON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!!!!

Well, all I have to say in regard to this film is that it isn't worth watching. Its a manga cartoon that verges on hentai but fails to be either. This film is a disgrace to the genre, so of which I am a big fan, but attempted cartoon porn is simply neither here nor there. it is not worth wasting your time to watch this movie.

This is a satire of all the sexist nonsense from female-hero anime and carries over to a lot of female-hero films you see today.

Sexist camera angles are taken to extremes in this series, actually to the point of being funny rather than annoying like they are in so many productions. The transformation into a magical form that so often includes a hint that the person might be naked midway through now not only leaves no doubt but the machine causing the transformation actually grows hands and starts pulling clothes off her.

Not that women are the only objects of ridicule in this. The evil mastermind come creepy voyeur is so camp he should be teaching a masterclass in the subject.

... and what it is mostly is an exercise in finding excuses for gratuitous lingerie shots, masquerading as a female-oriented spy thriller. To that end, most of the characters are young, female and attractive and involved in a lot of wild and occasionally skirt-raising action. The baddies have a literal army of short-skirted minions, viewed typically from a low angle, while our intrepid heroines seem to have great trouble finding clothes that can hold together in the whirl of battle.

It's all rather silly and obvious, but it's well-drawn, decently plotted and good-looking entertainment for what it is. Just don't expect Lupin III, and get ready for more fan service in the first half hour than in a whole season of any other show.

Whenever people are talking about Aika, the first things I get to hear are complains about panty shots, wannabe porn, wannabe hentai etc. Well, I guess for the vast majority of viewers, Aika is indeed nothing more than this.

However, a few will like the show, but for others things: The story is absurd, but funny and fast paced (I emphasize this because all the other Animes I've been watching so far seemed quite boring after some time). The characters are rather likable, except for Hagen and his sister, nobody is completely unappealing. There's a lot of violence in the show, but almost nobody gets killed and even seriously hurt (I really appreciate this in a action movie). Most of the characters are rather beautyful and some even admirable.

But the main reason for me to love Aika is the fact, that some of the characters even develop some deeper kind of identity. I mean, it is obvious that the creators didn't intend to make more than a simple action flick with only two dimensional characters. But nevertheless some of the characters seem to grow when the show is going on, and some of them I really learned to love (especially the White Delmo couple and the Golden Delmos).

In my opinion, the second series ("New mission", trial 5 to 7) is far better than the first, because it's less harsh but more entertaining (with these terrible Hagen and Nena being replaced by the much more appealing Miss Bianca and her crew).

Whether you enjoy the show or not, it's quite a matter of taste. However, there's more than just panties in it.