Anime Review: Iron Man

J Sensei — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:41:23 +0000

Better Than I Expected

Before diving into the spoiler space, here’s a general impression.

Themes: Sacrifice, Bonds (See spoiler space.)
Visuals: 8/10 (More than adequate, but not top)
Characters: 9/10 (Better than expected, -1 for annoying reporter)
Sounds/ Music: 7/10 (Good hard rock, but nothing truly special)
OP/ED: 5/10 (Uninspired, meant for easy use in US market i.e. no voice, so no additional $ involved)
Plot: 9/10 (Not perfect but greatly exceeding expectations)

I really was surprised by how much I ended up liking this show, and the ending was particularly strong.

So, this show really did surprise me.

I’m not kidding when I say that the key theme of the show is sacrifice. Tony’s victories come hard, and they come at a cost. If not a cost to him directly, then someone else is paying the price – and that is really the message of this show, that someone has to pay the price of heroism.

Heroism it is, in a way that you’d never suspect from watching the Iron Man movies. The content here is derived from that Tony Stark and that Iron Man, but this plot (all meticulously approved by Marvel, mind you) leaps off in its own completely different direction.

This is a chastened Tony Stark trying to do good in the world by setting up Arc Station in Japan, to take the next step from that gadget keeping his own body (and Iron Man) going and power a nice chunk of Japan with very clean and abundant energy. Even if the dialog is Japanese (but readers may be watching a dubbed version already), Tony’s spirit is very much American… and this creates domestic resentment.

Whoever penned this plot has a very good ear for real-life Japanese political issues, including the specter of nuclear holocaust in Japan, having an American arms dealer on domestic soil (pushing Iron Man clones for the U.S. military), and as a result, very quick suspicion and outright political scapegoating of Tony Stark to take heat off domestic Japanese politicians. Therefore, this is not just a superhero drama; it is a drama about modern Japan, and where it might go if you added a little science fiction to it.

Actually, add a lot of science fiction to it. The robots and cyborgs in the show are very advanced, with those of the mysterious, high tech terrorist organization Zodiac providing a lot of grist for events. This being a 12-ep anime, Zodiac is the enemy throughout, with no true “filler” episodes but with good, character led middle chapters along the way.

The characters are surprisingly good. I mean, even the annoying Japanese reporter girl is a necessary part of the plot and well, she has a role to fill and has a ticket to punch, so let’s not hate her too much, shall we? I know, it’s easy, but someone has to play this role.

The real co-star of the show is the lead scientist of the Arc Station project, a beautiful and highly intelligent woman who naturally gets quite close to Stark (or “Tony”) over the course of the show. But saying more would not be productive.

This is a plot you should see for yourself. Some events you might feel coming, or a lot even, but it is well-executed and given strong emotional impact by seriously well-done virtual acting by the voice actors.

This show did something I didn’t think it had in it: it made me care.

Given the amount of… utter violence done to Tony Stark’s character on the American comic and movie side, this version, fighting for redemption, not for fame but for his soul, and doing the right thing even when it is the very hard thing, is a character I can respect, even cheer for.

Oh, yeah, the battles are more than acceptable. There’s better in the universe, but… how shall I describe it? Popcorn mecha anime, I think. As in, you’re not going to get the most profound experience imaginable from these battles, but it’s fun, and there’s no need to be jaded about it.

This is a very watchable anime, and it has a strong ending.

Overall: 9/10

Greater than the sum of its parts and a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Strongly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in mecha, sci fi, comics and/ or Iron Man.

A More Sincere “Iron Man” Worth Watching

J Sensei — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:20:47 +0000

A Better, More Human Tony Stark

If there’s one thing that I have to criticize the Iron Man movies for, it is having a Tony Stark who is, in terms of his persona, someone absolutely impossible to sympathize with. His runaway ego may be realistic in certain senses, and certainly reflects the actor himself, playing up the runaway billionaire aspect, but it creates a detachment effect between Tony Stark’s character and the viewer that creates much more separation than the armored suit itself.

That’s not what we’re seeing with the Iron Man anime that is currently airing in Japan. The eighth episode has aired, and capping several weeks of strength, we get to see a Tony Stark who is, for one thing, more human.

Put differently, this Tony is better at being human – and he thanks Dr. Yinsen for turning his life around and saving not only his life, but his soul. I have chosen not to write further about this without spoiler tags, because this is a massive plot point for the show, and for now, I will pass because it is not immediately relevant to my point: this Tony is trying hard to live a proper life, but faces great skepticism in his efforts.

This skepticism is rooted in three places: the Japanese public – for Tony is in Japan to oversee the completion of a major company project there; the Japanese government, which deeply distrusts this American; and the terrorist organization Zodiac, which cranks out our regular Enemy of the Week and is, so far, more than adequately filling the role of organizational antagonist.

Zodiac is essentially aiming its efforts at breaking Tony Stark, the human. While it might not shed too many tears if he were to die as a result of its efforts, what they have sought to break is not just his body, but that very human soul that defines Tony’s character in this anime.

This Tony actually says with a straight face that he’s not a man who lies easily. At least, that’s what he tells the girls. Even with Japanese script writing and dialog, he comes through as a very confident man – but with many demons he has fought and continues to fight.

Most importantly, a show like this, to make compelling episodes, has to give us people to care about, even if this process is, by its nature, very “comic book.” That’s not, however, the point.

The point is, the Tony Stark character really does care about the people who he tries to save. It’s the genuine emotion shown by the character for other people, and not simply for his own egotistical satisfaction, for his reputation, for his company, for his legacy, or just because he feels like it, or even to prove his worth as a human being.

He’s doing it because he actually gives a damn.

This is a Tony Stark I have missed, and any reader of recent American comics, or viewer of the Iron Man movies, should know, without further explanation, exactly what I am talking about.

This is a Tony Stark who lives up to the status of hero, and that is something I have not seen for what feels like a very long time.

For that alone, I recommend this show to fans of Iron Man.

I have chosen those words carefully. A great many people are fans of Iron Man while studiously avoiding being fans of Tony Stark. Watch this show, and you won’t have to choose. You can just watch and enjoy.

What more can you ask for?

Tony Stark – Together With Japan

Anime Review: Iron Man

Better Than I Expected

Overall: 9/10

A More Sincere “Iron Man” Worth Watching

A Better, More Human Tony Stark