(12 episodes)
What’s it about ?
Adaptation of a manga series about mutants ESPer terrorists trying to take over Japan.
Characters
The Brotherhood of Evil Espers have launched an attack against Tokyo, which involves multiple bombing and stuff like stealing the Diet. You know, the whole building housing the Parliament. (And obviously that makes a lot of hostages.) The Doctor, our Magneto figure, has illusion powers ; his right-hand-woman teleports around, which makes her swords even deadlier. They have various other members in the building and on the ground.
The authorities’ reaction is rather lackluster. All those tanks deployed everywhere beforehand ? Completely useless. The attempts to parachute special forces onto the flying Diet ? The copter can’t even get close enough. Section Four of the Anti-Esper forces are the only one shown as remotely badass (yay bike-fu !), and they can barely manage a fragile draw against one esper.
It’s thus not surprising that most people are pining their hopes on the return of the White Girl, who apparently showed up in previous crises to save the day. It’s just too bad that the anti-Esper ban covers her too. But come on, like that’s going to stop her.
The episode does a good job of building suspense around her arrival. Instead, most of it is devoted to her band of usual associates stepping up to help out, however little they can. (It’s not like the psychometric and precognitive kids can go hand-to-hand against the baddies.) They haven’t been in contact with her, but surely she’s coming any moment now, right ?
This is apparently set in the same universe as Ga-Rei: Zero, and its heroines have a gratuitous cameo right before the shit hits the fan. I’ve not watched that series, but their one minute of interaction and the overall writing quality at play here have bumped up my list.
Production Values
Very impressive. A lot of budget is spent on making the superpowers look cool, and it shows. (They really didn’t need to make the teleporting effects look so elaborate, but I’m glad they did.) It’s a big spectacle show, and it delivers.
Unfortunately, this is also the kind of world where super-powered women have their suits’ zippers down to their navel for no good reason. Oh, well.
Overall Impression
Well, that was fun. It’s not exactly high art, but it’s well-filmed superheroics with some strong atmosphere and a decently-rounded cast. Good soundtrack, too. Sometimes it gets a bit too stupid for its own good (lol the normal dude who wields two guns at once, like that ever works), but most of the time it looks cool enough to get away with it.
I’m game for this.
