Æon Flux

Having first seen Aeon Flux as MTV shorts I was instantly captivated, breaking free from the constraints of the "standard" method of story telling, so much is left in the mysterious and unknown, with very imaginative and surreal atmosphere, in some cases one feels like they have just been dropped in the middle of a story with no real explanation of what is going on, its not needed it adds to effect. An interesting format that the heroine is killed off only to be reincarnated in the next short, almost like a video game in some contexts.

This format was eventually abandoned and a more story like series followed, which might lead one to believe that the initial shorts might of been proof of concept or tests? These episodes are very similar in the same surreal atmosphere but with a little more story line and plot driven in to make them more durable.

A highly imaginative animation series that is worth inclusion in anyones collection especially those seeking something a little off the beaten path.

If you're looking for the series that breaks Japanimation's stranglehold on quality mature cartoons, this is it. Aeon Flux is Peter Chung's twisted brainchild, a fantastic future world where everyone and no one are everything they seem, and more, and less. This is not the series you want if you're looking for easily acceptable doses of comprehensible violence and sex. Aeon Flux attacks your brainpan directly through your optic nerve, inducing afterthought in the brain. If you are ready to go beyond, to enjoy boundary-cracking animation that switches in and out of characterization, plot, action, and even dialogue, then go find this tape. Buy it. You'll thank me later.

I rewatched this little series lately and I just can state: Aeon Flux is still pushing boundaries regarding storytelling for a sci-fi animation show. With its own visual style and story (ideas) plus the sometimes weird storytelling techniques still a pleasure to watch. Such kind of experimental stuff they do only very rare these days - just look what MTV has become...

Too be honest, I never cared that much about MTV: The programming of that channel seems to keep getting worse year by year...However, I really liked some of the animated shows produced by that channel, such as "Liquid Television", "Beavis and Butthead", the excellent adaptation of Sam Kieth's comic "The Maxx", "Daria"...And this show.

Stylih, surreal and unique "Æon Flux" is possibly one of the most original and daring cartoons ever made in America, being like nothing ever made before, not only in the visual aspect, but also in the stories and the characters: Instead of the typical battle of "Good vs Evil" that was so common in the cartoons of the time,"Æon Flux" had an ambiguous tone, where the "heroine" and the "villain" had strange and vague motivations(And even weirder ways to accomplish their objectives) What's even more, despite their antagonistic ideologies, both characters had a strange love/hate relationship, an element that worked as a sub-plot in most of the chapters, and worked incredibly well.

This deliberately ambiguous tone of the story, joined to the grotesque, but at the same time beautiful imagery of each chapter showed how mature and artistic Western animation could be, despite the prejudices of some part of the public against this genre, considering that cartoons are only "kiddy stuff", despite the existence of incredible works such as this.

"Æon Flux" was ahead its time, and maybe for that reason, I didn't get the recognition it deserved...However, a few episodes (and shorts) were enough to appreciate the full quality of this animated masterpiece, being one of the most original and artistic TV -shows ever made, such as "Twin Peaks", "The Maxx" and "The Prisoner".

Oh, yeah,there was also a terrible live-action movie made in the 2005, but that film lacked of every single one of the great elements of this excellent series. The less said about that lousy film, the better.

I remember watching this series late at night about 5 years ago on MuchMusic (Canada's MTV equivalent). It was (and probably still is) the most innovative animated series I've had the chance to lay my eyes on (and wrap my brain around). Definitely not for kids, definitely not straightforward, this series fluctuates between abstract narratives, warped motives, and unconventional characters to tell us the stories of a futuristic communist society ruled by Trevor Goodchild and clashed with by the ever-present iconoclast known as Aeon Flux, a society that is both a distortion and a reflection of our own. Nothing in this series is clear-cut and the writing definitely lets you think your way through instead of being spoon-fed. Thank you, mister Chung, for the great work.