Iria: Zeiram the Animation

This is one of those titles I never watched in the 90s as a kid (when I cut my anime teeth on Robot Carnival, Akira, and eventually, Evangelion), but just decided to give it a spin recently now that everything's free on the internet.

I can now see why it's not heralded as an all-time classic, but I really don't want to dwell on the negative here. What kept me watching (despite a noticeable dip in quality after episode 3, I'd argue) is killer originality and style. This applies mainly to visual, and to some extent audio, design (check out the OP animation, which I find to be pretty strong despite the re-use of some clips in reverse), and also to the world the series creates.

I'm going for a zero-spoilers review here, but to speak generally, there are robot/creature/technology designs in this series that are extremely creative, daring and visually interesting, and that are explored consistently from various angles across the episodes. Despite (justified) complaints about the plot, it too has some interesting elements, including the very unusual transformation of a main character early in the series.

I'm sure had I watched this in the 90s, the nostalgia factor would boost my review by several stars, but with apologies to diehard fans, I do feel 6 is appropriate--but I wanted to celebrate what is in some ways objectively a very unique, compelling and probably (in these respects) underrated anime.

This 1994 animation has a retro sound and look - anime's structure, sound, and feel changed very little in the entirety of century-20. Iria is a prequel to the live-action film Zeiram. Just 6 short episodes, it's worth watching this b@d@$$-in-the-making for even the casual anime fan.

Iria is wrapping up her bounty hunter apprenticeship. She's out on a mission with her brother, Gren, when things go horribly wrong. Gren and his partners went after their target, Zeiram, who was surprisingly impervious to their weaponry. Now Gren is missing and presumed dead, though Iria is determined to find him. Gren's partners, Fujikuro and Bob will help her, though a grumbling Fujikuro sometimes claims that he won't. Post Zeiram mission, Bob is reduced to a consciousness existing on a computer, which was the only way he could survive the mission. They want to find Gren, and they want to kill Zeiram - if he can be killed.

Iria has a Cowboy-Bebop-Vibe without the sexual content and the humor. It predates Cowboy Bebop by at least 4 years and seems to have influenced CB. Ed, from CB and Kei, from Iria, are particularly similar. Kei is not unlike Iria, herself. I suspect a cloning program to keep gingers in space! Most of Iria takes place on a planet (Myce) with a landscape very much like Tatooine from Star Wars. I could feel the SW residue, sans the Jedi... or the cuteness - Iria is edgy. Iria, herself, is a cool, brave, talented, and bold lil' sis. She sports a proceed-with-caution beaded hairdo - It's awesome. Iria is not a feel-good show, but it is good ol' Sci-fi. It is smart and direct, like Iria herself.

As of today, Iria is available on Hidive. Some dubbed titles worthy of a visit of Hidive are: Maid Sama 10, Made in Abyss 9 (currently the 3rd movie and S2 are not dubbed. Per Hidive: "Since MADE IN ABYSS: Journey's Dawn... and MADE IN ABYSS: Wandering Twilight... are compilation movies, you can either watch MADE IN ABYSS season 1 or just the two movies before moving on to the MADE IN ABYSS: Dawn of the Deep Soul..., the third movie is NOT optional "); Parasyte the Maxim 8.9, The Eminence in Shadow 8.8, No Game No Life Zero 8.8, RahXephon 8.6, Akame ga Kill! 8.6, Princess Principal 8.6, Chihayafuru 8.5, Girls Last Tour 8.5, CR Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4, Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, Special A Class 8.2, Food Wars 8.2, Land Of The Lustrous 8.1, Girls Und Panzer 8, Land Of The Lustrous 8, Reincarnated as a Sword 8, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU 8, Gate 7.9, Ice 7.8, Ao-chan Can't Study 7.8, Beyond the Boundary 7.8, You're Under Arrest 7.8, Pet Shop of Horrors 7.8, Hakkenden 7.7, Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun 7.7, Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? 7.7, Flowers of Evil 7.7 (not dubbed), Farming Life in Another World 7.7, Princess Resurrection 7.6, Akiba Maid War 7.5, Real Girl 7.5, School Live 7.5, Kokkoku 7.5, Needless 7.5, Senryu Girl 7.5, D4DJ 7.5, Iria 7.5 Kokoro Connect 7.4, Aura Battler Dunbine 7.4, Pet Girl of Sakura Hall 7.3, After the Rain 7.3, BToom! 7.3, Armed Girl's Machiavellism 7.1,

Honorable Mention: Wasteful Days of High School Girls, Blue Seed, Patlabor, Get Backers, Clannad, Tsurune, Tada Never Falls in Love, Kino's Journey, Lupin III.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬7.5 📝7.5 🎭7.5 🌞5 🎨7⚡7 🎵 7.5 😅3 🤔6 🔚8.3

Age 13+ feeling up breasts, underwear joke - mild; Hot shower scene, we see a taught backside and the side-boob. Iria has a rocking hard bod with full udders.

Re-📺? Possibly.

Basically about this bounty hunter/ gun for higher crew that take on a mission that goes awry when they encounter a nearly immortal alien being and the rest of the episodes are basically this one gal's quest to ( you guessed it) try to destroy it.

They story is nothing special. The mechanical designs and world building are specifically very un-special. It's trying to do cross between woodlands and sci-fi. Think the whole Ewok sequence in Star Wars or a way lesser Tenchi Muyo. The animation has it's moments where it shines with all it's retro charm, specifically the last episode. But I really couldn't get over how boring the weapons and creatures were.

Iria has long been one of my favorite animes. The characters, locations, weapons, vehicles, and just about everything else are so uniquely designed it's incredible. They really put in the effort to create a truly unique sci-fi universe.

Iria is a young bounty hunter following in the footsteps of her older brother Gren. There's a big corporate cover-up going on and a deadly alien monster named Zeiram on the loose. I don't want to spoil the story so I'll keep the details brief.

The anime revolves around mystery and action. When things start to get too slow, a heavy dose of Iria's fighting abilities come into play. Iria's right up there with Armitage, Faye, and Motoko Kusanagi of Ghost in the Shell. Between her incredibly designed armor, Bond like gadgets, and fighting style, there's plenty to keep things fresh.

I absolutely love how they designed Iria. The hair, the weapons, the blue and white armor... it's all very cool. If you're not an Iria fan just by watching the opening then we've got different tastes. She has moves that would make Batman jealous and a good sense of humor to boot.

The music is really catchy... I always have the opening theme in my head for days after watching the movie. It's a really great song that truly fits with the style and theme of the animation.

This one's a good family anime. The message is good and the action is sure to keep everyone interested. There's a real brief shower scene in the full sub version though. It's not fan service, but brief nudity none the less.

The story itself is well told and will keep you guessing. There's plenty of twists and turns to keep things moving and interesting. All in all this is a great anime that has been a favorite of mine for many years now. Give it a shot if you like bounty hunters, female fighters, alien monster sci-fi, and/or mysteries.

• Rirath_com

Viewed on Retro Crush.

An OVA miniseries (6 episodes) that follows a futuristic bounty hunter named Iria whom gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving a suspicious mega corporation & a nearly indestructible hostile alien lifeform called "Zeiram", after being sent out on a mission to rescue the crew of a ship that has sent out a distress signal.

It clearly owes it's core concept to "Alien", however it does enough of it's own to justify it's existence. The conflict between Iria & Zeiram becomes personal in a way that it's inspiration wasn't, and Zeiram itself has an eye catching design (a theme that carries over to the series as a whole, it mixes sci-fi grandeur with traditional Japanese/Asian aesthetic influences much like other sci-fi anime of the time like "Tenchi Muyo!" & "Outlaw Star"). Not the best thing ever, but I liked it more than I had imaged I would going in.