Battle Angel [Gunnm] Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2006-10-22 (updated 2011-08-09)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

Gunnm (or Battle Angel, if you prefer) has everything you could ask for in such a short OAV series--gorgeous art, engaging plot, nuanced storytelling, and characters as developed as the compact runtime allows. Based on the opening parts of the lengthy manga series by Yukito Kishiro, the only disappointment about Gunnm is that there isn't more of it. Though the series never resorts to lengthy exposition or unnecessary narration, the characters feel fleshed out beyond their basic stereotypes--the good doctor, the kid with a dream--and it clearly establishes the world as a decaying, corrupt place ruled by greed, inequity and the darkest parts of human nature. This is contrasted with bits of humanity and hope in the face of despair, and while the story is not uplifting, it does make its point. The visuals are simply beautiful--in particular the polished linework faithful to Kishiro's manga--as is Kaoru Wada's terse musical score. A quality Japanese voice cast supplies the finishing touch.

In all, whether you call "Rusty Angel" and "Tears Sign" Gunnm or Battle Angel, the pair are a masterwork among OAVs. Whether you like cyberpunk, dark action, or sci-fi drama, it is a singularly well crafted series that comes with my highest recommendation.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2006-10-22 (updated 2011-08-09)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

Gunnm has everything you could ask for in such a short OAV series--gorgeous art, engaging plot, nuanced storytelling, and characters as developed as the compact runtime allows. Based on the opening chapters of the post-apocalyptic cyberpunk action manga by Yukito Kishiro, the only disappointment about Gunnm is that there isn't more of it.

The US release of the anime is dubbed "Battle Angel" after VIZ's alternate title for the manga, which I refuse to use (though I admit it's not at all inappropriate). The animated version only retells a compact part of Kishiro's sprawling epic, yet manages to feel self-contained and conclusive at the end without seriously altering the plot. The tightly-written story is neither oversimplified nor confusingly dense, so it can be enjoyed entirely on its own, or as a more reserved retelling of the manga.

In fact, the animated version makes some improvements on the somewhat more action-oriented original. In particular, the manga is perforated with exaggerated and extremely graphic violence, and although the animated version is by no means stripped of its violent edge, it omits some of the more overdone bits of action and gratuitous gore.

The writing is appealingly concise; the motivations of the characters and the how and why of the world are never explained in great detail, but both are clearly established. Brief conversations and simple, wordless gestures explain more than enough without resorting to narration or unnecessary exposition.

Gunnm's setting--cyberpunk with a Mad Max twist--is vividly established as a decaying, corrupt place ruled by greed and inequity and rife with violence, despair, and the darkest parts of human nature. The series' message, though, is a sort of optimism--the dreams, kindness, and humanity that survive even in this unforgiving environment.

To this end, it offers a small but well-developed cast of characters. Gally, a cyborg without a past, is more than just a stock amnesiac--she has a girlish charm and humanity, but at the same time a gritty determination and a hint of unnerving bloodlust hiding inside. Yugo, likewise, is the kid with a dream, but with a much darker edge than most characters of the sort; pursuit of his dream is a driving obsession overriding even morality. Ido and Chiren provide a much more mature mirror of these same divisions; Ido stands at the fringe of morality but refuses to give up his humanity, while Chiren has been driven by bitterness and the dream of escape to justify debasing herself.

The visuals are beautiful. The character design and art closely match Kishiro's angular style and detailed linework--some of the finest-looking cel art I can think of, and, if anything, better than the art in the early manga chapters. I also consider Kishiro the master of hair, and that style is carried through into the anime version, with a lifelike attention to volume, texture, and individual strands. The backgrounds are similarly rich, from the dense, decaying cyberpunk streets of Scrap Iron City to the fantastic vision of Zalem looming in the blue sky above. The use of light and color is memorable; the mountains of scrap at the center of the city are often shown in the rusty oranges of sunset, time spent on the rooftops above the city, which are used to symbolize hope, is warmly lit by bright sunshine, and the dangerous streets below are usually covered in heavy shadow. The animation is the closest thing to a weak point, in that it's merely good in contrast to the otherwise exceptional visuals. The frame rate is more than sufficient, but most of the character animation isn't impressive.

Kaoru Wada's terse musical score fits the production perfectly. Action scenes are paired with driving industrial percussion, while emotional bits are matched with a simple, haunting flute piece. The most dramatic scenes, notably, are usually left to stand on their own, which allows the subtler visual cues and nuanced voice performances to stand on their own, without embellishment--a tactic that works quite well. The melancholy rock song "Cyborg Mermaid" that serves as the end theme (the episodes have no opening sequence, or eyecatch for that matter) is somewhat different in style, but it feels like a fitting punctuation mark in both mood and quality.

The Japanese voice acting is the final component of the near-perfect picture. Miki Itoh gives Gally both her girlish innocence and fierce growl, and handles the emotional drama with force and believability. Chiren, voiced by Mami Koyama, is the other noteworthy performance--mature and nuanced. The other two major characters are also handled well--Kappei Yamaguchi sounds appropriately youthful as Yugo, and Shunsuke Kariya (in his first and only anime role, so far as I know) makes for a slightly baritone but otherwise acceptable Ido. The remaining characters are considerably broader--the omnipresent Shigeru Chiba gives Vector's voice an appropriately menacing sleaze, but the variety of monstrous cyborgs are generic roaring maniacs.

I haven't listened to ADV's dub; their subtitles (the same are used in all releases as of this writing) are light on the cheesy one-liners, but take some liberties with the details.

In all, whether you call "Rusty Angel" and "Tears Sign" Gunnm or Battle Angel, the pair are a masterwork among OAVs. Whether you like cyberpunk, dark action, or sci-fi drama, it is a singularly well-crafted series that comes with my highest recommendation.

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