GEOBREEDERS
Who ya gonna call? Cat Busters!
Review by: Craig “Back Off Man, I’m a Scientist” Norris
Length: 7 episode OAV
Genre: Comedy, action, supernatural
Watched: All, subbed
Once again, my love of catgirls has tested the limits of my patience with low quality anime. And while not as deplorable as some of the other catgirl-based anime I have seen, I realized from watching Geobreeders and its sequel OAV, Geobreeders Breakthrough, that being able to see a really cute girl with cat ears sometimes comes at a high price, usually in the form of time wasted watching an anime that wasn’t worth it.
Plot synopsis: Kagura Total Security Co. Inc. is a private organization that is contracted to exterminate phantom cats, beings that can appear as either cat or human and have control over electronic devices. Not only is Kagura highly disliked by the phantom cats, but their competition doesn’t seem to think too highly of them either, thanks to their penchant for high collateral damage. However, when Maya, their resident phantom cat, gets kidnapped, they’ll need all their experience and skill to rescue her and stop the cats’ plan for destruction of Ayagane City. But is Ayagane City really their true objective, or does their master plan have much more far-reaching consequences?
Artwork: The animation isn't bad, but it looks a bit loder than an OAV made from 1998-2000. There were a few fleeting moments where computer animation was used to try to spruce things up a bit, but for the most part the visuals remain fairly flat. Backgrounds were mediocre at best, and character designs weren’t all that impressive. Action scenes, explosions and such were passable, but I’ve seen much better from that timeframe. The artwork was disappointing, especially since shorter OAVs usually have animation superior to long running series. In this case, it is vice versa.
Music: The music for the OAV was a bit on the eclectic side. There were moments of action, comedy, suspense, and even drama, and the soundtrack had to cater to those moments. The opening is average J-pop, but the closing numbers are much more noticeable (and much sillier). The first one is a catchy mambo, and the second is a bizarre ukulele piece sung by an unknown SD character in a Hawaiian shirt. They’re fun to listen to once, but being heard multiple times quickly causes them to turn stale.
Characters: The employees of Kagura are a motley bunch of outlandish personalities. Their only male employee, Yoichi Taba, is relentlessly picked on by the girls and is always made to do all the hard work while his fellow employees reap the benefits. In reality, the girls of Kagura all like him a lot (some more than others) and secretly appreciate all he does for them. President Yuka Kikujima is a highly excitable redhead who has a very reactionary approach to things. She is very greedy and always thinks about financial gain over helping people. Assisting her on the business end of things is Eiko Rando, who is usually the one responsible for handling contracts and tabulating expenditures. She is also valuable in the field, as she is proficient in martial arts assisted by two sets of brass knuckles. Takami Sakuragi is the computer specialist, and does a lot of computer system infiltration and offsite monitoring. She is almost useless in combat, usually reduced to a catatonic state with watery doe-eyes and her trademark whimper of “Nyuuuuu...” Maki Umezaki has taken it upon herself to be responsible for weapons, as she is quite a gun nut. She has her own suppliers for firearms and explosives, and is widely known as the Crimson Shooting Star, though the significance of the nickname is never explained. Yu Himehagi is the designated driver, as she lives only for cars and cigarettes. When she’s not driving, she is sleeping, and barely pays anyone else any mind. Maya is a phantom cat that Taba found in the rain one day and has since taken care of. She is the only one who is openly loyal to Taba, and seems very lonely and out of place when he is not around. Irie is a member of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and seems to be pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes in regard to thwarting the schemes of the phantom cats. He has a very oily personality, but often the most sensible solutions. Narusawa is a member of Hound, a military-like organization that also exterminates phantom cats. Hound is not fond of Kagura meddling in affairs they are involved with, but Narusawa often helps Taba during investigations. My guess is that this OAV was created mainly for the purpose of throwing all these personalities together and just running with it to see what would happen, since that’s where the majority of the energy is found. It is fun to watch the characters do wacky stuff, and provides far more entertainment value than the plot.
Plot: The plot is full of gaps and holes, and can’t quite form into a cohesive unit. Personally, I would have liked a bit more back story on what exactly the phantom cats are, how they originated, when they first appeared, why they became a menace, etc. Basically all we know is that they are part ghost, part electrical current, and don’t seem too friendly. Also, I don’t believe the agendas of each of the involved organizations were clearly explained, and why such groups as the US Military, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare could claim jurisdiction in the first place. Too many people wound up stepping on too many toes to keep track of who wants to do what and why. If not for the sporadic shots of naked boobies, I probably wouldn’t have even attempted to pay attention. The viewer simply is not told enough to be able to piece everything together. Think of it this way: if you take a test with 100 questions and only answer 50 of them, you’re going to fail that test. Using that logic, this anime definitely deserves to be left back a grade.
CHICKS!: If you like chicks with slender bodies and one or two overarching personality aspects, this OAV serves us quite a heaping helping for you edification. Yuka is a very cost-conscious girl who is easily caught up in the moment. She has a petite figure and expressive eyes, and anyone attempting to win her affection will have to pry her off Taba (that is, if Taba isn’t able to escape himself). Eiko has light purple hair and is the most adult-looking of the Kagura employees. She has a sharp business sense, and is always quick to gouge the client for every possible dime, no matter who it is. If you like riches with your romance, she’s a good match. Takami is the timid tech geek with dark blue hair. She has a decent figure, and sometimes looks so pathetically lost you can’t help but want to give her a big hug. Maki is a dream girl for anyone who is a life member of the NRA. She dresses like a gangster, and knows her guns inside and out. So, if your idea of a fun night is going to a gun show, followed by gently rubbing a coat of oil on a carbine, you may want to pick her up. Yu, though perpetually sleepy and disinterested in anything but her pack of cigarettes, does have one saving grace: the biggest breasts in the anime. Okay, two saving graces. Knowing her, however, she would only be interested in a sexual experience while her foot is on the gas pedal, so a helmet, heavy padding and a roll cage is your best course of action for “safe sex” with her. Narusawa is a good match for people who are more action-oriented, as she has no problem with putting on SWAT gear and sprinting into battle. Plus, she is one of the few people who still looks cute while holding an assault rifle. Last but certainly not least is Maya, the phantom cat. Though she rarely combines her human form with her cat ears, she is certainly able to do that, and her cuteness is almost paralyzing. She is very affectionate to Taba, who seems to treat her more like a little sister than a pet. It isn’t stated exactly how old she is, but she may be a bit on the young side. Nevertheless, she would still be a joy to cuddle with, whether in human or cat form. Taken one at a time the girls aren’t all that much to gawk at, but all of them at once certainly makes for an eye-catching harem.
Overall: Aside from the characters, I wasn’t all that entertained by this anime. It made me laugh a couple of times, but most of that was through slapstick as opposed to clever writing. Basically you’re not going to get much more from this OAV besides a few chuckles and breasts. That may be enough for some, but for me, the lack of coherent plot means that Geobreeders is far from being the cat’s meow.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Fun characters
+ Silly humor
- Sub-par artwork
- Sloppy plot
- Below average entertainment value
Rating: 6/10
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