Venus Wars

Uinasu senki, a.k.a. Venus Wars, is a pretty good war film. However, I find it lags in some spots, and I never really was a fan of animated characters on a moving live-action backdrop. Other than these minor complaints, the movie is enjoyable.

Recommended to any space opera lovers with no reservations.

In The Venus Wars, mankind now resides on two planets: civilized Earth and fractious terra-formed Venus. In the midst of fighting between the two nation-colonies of Ishtar and Aphrodia, a group of monocycle racers accidentally befriends a feisty reporter (Susan Somers) who hopes to advance her career through gritty reports on the war from the Aphrodian side. There are plenty of opportunities for the characters to demonstrate their different attitudes and spirit. It is nice to see characters that are true to their natures and which do not exhibit that nasty tendency to change personalities in midstream just because it was convenient to give a shortcut to the plot. There are no shortcuts in the plot and it is a fast moving action-filled drama in true grand anime style.

The characters have genuine quality character designs and the mecha designs are detailed and innovative. The director was also willing to experiment with different artistic filming styles. As subtitles go, Studio Nemo (an Arizona group) was competent and placed the titles so that the action was not obscured.

Some people may compare this movie to Akira in grandeur, but there are differences. This movie is darker in color (more tones instead of bright colors), grittier in plotting whereas Akira used shock value instead, and has a stronger moving plot than does Akira with a definite goal in mind. A telling difference is that the soundtrack of Venus Wars is much more listenable with strong catchy vocals and epic background music for the sequences that need it. What's similar? Both have lavish budgets used to develop high quality detailed animation for theatre release. This movie has a timeless animation style and fluid plotline which makes it worthwhile in any anime collection.

The animation is good for 1989, but the plot is nothing more than an idealized war story with kids. And it is all happening on Venus of all places. The heroes are a bunch of motorcycle kids who want to save their city from the invaders. They are not even alien invaders, just a bunch of other people. They get some weapons, mount a rebellion which amounts to little, but in the process they get the attention of the army proper and they are conscripted. The day is saved.

The problem with the characters is that they are all teens. However annoying they may be, they are acting according to their role. Damn unsympathetic, though. The glory of war pop music on the background was also irritating. Bottom line: lame story, but good animation.

I remember seeing this title in the Anime section at Tower Records years ago, and loosely recall reading about it and maybe seeing a preview or two.

So I bought a copy and was very pleased with a very solid story about a colonized Venus that proved to be an allegory for turmoil in the middle east, complete with massive fire fights, daring heroics, and fanatical religious overtones.

Venus, as some of you may know, is world embroiled by a massive greenhouse effect by sulfuric acid clouds, creating molten like heat on the surface. This film shows us a terra-formed Venus suitable for human habitation. But, humans being humans, they bring their ways, good and bad, with them to the worlds they form to call home.

There's the dashing loner teenager who races bikes for a living, his caring love interest who helps harbor him during times of crisis, the spunky and energetic reporter who is also a one-woman video crew, and the older and wiser veteran bikers and pit crew chief. Then there's the malevolent and monomaniacal Saddam Hussein type who has initiated the entire political conflagration on colonized Venus.

Race scenes, battle scenes, massive tanks and air ships, tracers shooting through the air, espionage--it's all here. The voice acting in the original Japanese language is typical Japanese; marginally over the top, but all the while complimenting the film at the same time. The music is okay (though I can't remember much of it), the translated and dubbed English dialogue is okay, but the restraints and compactness of the Japanese language as usual give the English translation a rushed feel (nothing new to anime fans, or anyone who's seen a dubbed Japanese film).

The animation is above normal for a Japanese feature, but isn't quite up to Disney specs. Still, it's very watchable and entertaining.

Nothing deep here. This is a good simple action film with some comments on the situation in the middle east. Good action and battle sequences, as well as romance and heroics. If you're an anime fan, then give it a shot.

Enjoy.