GENESHAFT
I’m just talkin’ ‘bout Shaft.
Review by: Craig “Chromosome Six” Norris
Length: 13 episodes
Genre: Drama, sci-fi, action
Watched: All, subbed
The Japanese don’t seem to have very high hopes for the future. Nearly every post-apocalyptic anime I have ever seen starts with humanity nearly destroying itself some time in the 21st century. That makes me wonder why the Japanese are such a hard-working and well-educated people if they think everything they have ever worked for will be eradicated within the next hundred years. Hey, Japan: instead of giving us square watermelon and the N360, why not use all that industry and know-how to work on a way for humans to not destroy the planet?
Plot synopsis: In the middle of the 21st century, society on earth collapsed, nearly causing the extinction of human beings. In order to prevent this in the future, genetic sequencing was adopted for all humanity. Now the government controls reproduction, the skills and talents of people are decided in a laboratory, and everyone is born with a specific function in mind. When mysterious rings appear orbiting Earth, the government and the military see them as a threat to the way of life they have created. Mika Seido, a young soldier whose genes have remained white since birth (indicating no proven abilities), has been assigned to a top secret mission to learn the origins of these rings, and destroy the threat. The main weapons against these rings are a ship built from ancient alien technology, and a mecha known as a Shaft. Mika and the crew of the Bilkis have been charged with preserving the existence of humanity in the universe.
Artwork: The artwork for the series is very good. The majority of the outer space action scenes are rendered in CG, and the flow is very smooth and crisp. Planets are rendered excellently; if I didn’t know better, I’d say they were photos. The CG actually blends well with the cel animation, which was also very well done. Character designs were handled very well, as the cast looked fairly well grounded in reality; aside, of course, from the standard off-color hair and eyes. Overall the visuals in the series are above average.
Music: The soundtrack is mostly rock and metal, which actually fits in very well with the series. Watching a huge mech destroy a giant golden alien ring is best accompanied by some brutal guitar riffs. The theme song is an excellent metal song; the ending song, not so much. It’s some cheesy ballad where some guy is singing about a broken camera. I didn’t get it, myself. Still, the rest of the music is blacker than the blackest black, times infinity.
Characters: For a futuristic society that prides itself on genetic conformity and the suppression of emotion, it has quite a few warped people in it. Of all the main characters, Mika has the most genuinely human traits, including mourning the loss of those close to her, and holding grudges against those she thinks are responsible for her losses. That, and the fact that she has unproven genetics, makes many people dismiss her as defective or crazy. Unlike them, her best friend Sofia likes Mika’s unpredictability. She treats Mika a lot like a little sister, and often restrains her from acting too rashly. Hiroto is the captain of the Bilkis, and is the one whom Mika blames for the death of her friend. Hiroto is cold and distant, and insists that obsessing over the dead is not necessary. Mario is the backup captain, and his philosophy differs greatly from Hiroto’s. He believes that genetic manipulation cannot erase the human spirit, and that the old way of life is still alive inside everyone. His genetic sister, Tiki, is a pilot of the Shaft. She has a very child-like, easygoing attitude, and is very attached to Mario. She likes to playfully tease those around her. Mir is considered a superior human with perfect skills; just ask her. In fact, the mere existence of others appears to offend her, as she believes she is the most capable at anything. Predictably, she does not have many friends. The one friend that she does have is Sergei, otherwise known as Lord Sneak. Sergei trained her from her youth, and now is a top military official. As with most top military officials, his motives are not clear. Remmy isn’t a friend of Mir’s so much as a suck-up. She appears to be infatuated by Mir’s abilities, and pretty much attaches herself to her completely. Mir seems to tolerate her presence more than most. Due to a “self-destructive” tendency that could not be eliminated from the male genome, each male in a high-ranking position is assigned a Register to keep this tendency in check. Hiroto’s register is Beatrice, who seems like nothing more than an automaton. However, her time aboard the Bilkis and with her crew gradually begins to reawaken her humanity. Dolce is a programmer who was brought on board to debug the Shaft’s systems. She rarely says a word herself, but she speaks her mind through a doll made in her likeness. She is possibly even fuller of herself than Mir, and she is a complete slave driver. The bleak future painted by this series is made all the more bleak by some of the highly unstable personalities that seem to run it, exacerbated by the typical madness that seems to accompany space travel. All in all, the characters fail to be all that engaging, and no one stands out as someone to care about on a personal level.
Plot: The only disappointing thing about this series was the plot, but it was a fairly big disappointment. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the series doesn’t do anything new. The plot devices have all been recycled from other series, motives are practically stolen, and everything proceeds very predictably, making it hard to really get into the series. The series seems very hollow and without spirit, like it’s just going through the motions. In the end the series sure looks pretty, but overall it is as empty and unsatisfying as a twinkie without the filling.
CHICKS!: Overall a future where genetics is controlled by the government is pretty shitty, but one great thing is that the ideal male to female ratio has been determined to be 1:9! Mika would be a pretty good catch, since her firebrand nature and her penchant for emotional outbursts leads me to believe she’d be a tigress in the sack. If you could tame her, oh the fun you could have with her! Sofia is a little bit distant, but she warms up to most people readily enough. She has a pretty buff physique, so those with a GNC rewards card would likely be the first in line to get with her. As for Mir, it’s a shame she’s a stuck-up turbo bitch, because she’s got blonde locks and a hot body to just die for. If you can hack an iPhone in 30 seconds, bench press 400 pounds, and beat a tag-team of Jet Li, Jean Claude Van Dam, and Chuck Norris in a martial arts competition, you just might have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning her respect. Remmy’s a pleasant looking girl with a cute pair of glasses, and if she wasn’t such a shallow brown-noser she would be my first choice. Beatrice seems to have a lot of hidden chick potential, as her emotions are suppressed due to her duties as a Register. She’s pretty thin-skinned, so be gentle and patient in your pursuit of her. Individually some of the girls seem like worthy targets, but bear in mind that, in this futuristic society, physical love has been all but eradicated. Therefore, it may be necessary to give these girls the “talk” before you get them to agree to climb in bed with you.
Overall: At first glance there is a lot about this series to like. However, that soon gives way to the realization that it’s just like so many sci-fi space anime before it. It’s got all the standard elements: Misunderstood alien technology, a society that has lost its way, a headstrong young lead who is the salvation of humankind, secret government and military organizations, a renegade madman out to destroy humanity, and a Motley Crew of Girls Girls Girls who Kickstart My Heart. It’s not a waste of time to watch this series, but don’t expect to be surprised at all.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Great soundtrack
+ Good use of CG
- Unimpressive characters
- Plot is totally recycled
Rating: 6.5/10
Return to Index