Burakku Majikku M-66

Ok, so it opens with the obligatory nekkid chick shot, the plot is basically The Terminator, the characterisation, dialogue and voice talent (in the English dubbed version) are just what you'd expect from a 12th grade media project, and the facial expressions are exaggerated Japanese home market stuff (this appears to be a series pilot).

However, this is a pacy little action flick, cleanly animated at an acceptable frame rate, with plenty of scene changes and none of the tedious long pauses or pans across static backgrounds typical of more artsy anime. It just gets on with telling an exciting story without delving into muddled metaphysical ramblings or over-stylised posturing. There are a few moments of genuine tension (spoiled only by the monotonous dubbed wails of Wimpy Female Victim) and in fact some of the English dub dialogue lines are delivered with something approaching real passion, an unusual treat.

Not a film to obsess over or watch 400 times, maybe not even worth a rent, but definitely worth catching on cable.

Black Magic M-66 is an anime based on Masamune Shirows manga of the same name, or to be more precise on the chapter Booby Trap. It was also Shirows first and last time he took a seat in the director's chair, there being so many problems behind the scenes that he refused to have anything to do with the future of the franchise. Luckily he met Mamoru Oshi and the rest is history.

The anime is clearly influenced by James Camerons the Terminator and Aliens. The story is about an seemingly indestructible cyborg on the hunt for some hapless victim. It is a fast paced, short and action packed anime that manages to hold your breath for its complete run of 50 minutes.

The animation is similar to that of Appleseed the ova which was released the following year and which was also based on a Shirow manga. The animation clearly makes it a product of its time, the late eighties early nineties, and are perhaps a notch or two better than that of Appleseed. Nevertheless if you like cyberpunk anime like Appleseed or the first Terminator movie you should give this one a try.

Notice that there are many first in the crew, like Hiroki Hayashi (Bubble Gum Crisis 2040) and Hiroyuki Okiura (Jin-Roh).

A sleek, explosive '80s cyberpunk gem - killer androids, nonstop action, and gritty style. Pure adrenaline with a classic anime edge.

Stylish, sharp, and short. A must for retro sci-fi fans.

I will give this series solid (7/10) Starts slow but rewards patience.

A dark, thought-provoking look at justice and surveillance.

This is a real gem, 50 minutes of pure joy and brain-massage, ahhhh.

In a nutshell, it's Terminator gone animated, with a cutesy cast and some great fights with the killer robots - keep your overblown plots and twists which don't make sense, this is what entertainment is all about. Military VS murder machines, what a result! If nothing else, watch this once for those few scenes - some of the best sci-fi combat I've seen on any medium.

Although it's a only a short-film, there's nothing to really go wrong and the pace is so fast that you're too busy enjoying the ride to get nitpicky.

If you like sci-fi anime, Masamune Shirow or wearing a smile then this is headed for your DVD collection.

Black Magic M66 is a anime OVA from the 80s is sort of like a mix between The Terminator and Ghost in the Shell with a plot involved two extremely dangerous cyborg from the military get loose in the jungle after an plane accident and started to killing all the people who get in their way to hunt down the main target.Because this is a short anime so don't hope the plot explain much,it also very chessy and some time a character make very dumb choice,Beside that the hand drawing animation is fantastic,the action scene is cool and violent although it not super gory like most of 80s anime but it enough to keep you entertain through out the movie