METAL FIGHTER MIKU
Wrestlemania, brought to you by Platex
Review by: Craig “I Can’t Smell What the Rock is Cooking” Norris
Length: 13 episodes
Genre: Fighting, wrestling
Watched: All, subbed
Wrestling always holds a special place in my heart. Not the soap opera that it has become now; I’m talking about the classic WWF wrestling with such great names as Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Captain Lou Albano. Good guy versus bad guy, totally fake, totally hokey, but still so very entertaining. This anime took me back to the days of my youth, reminding me of wrestling’s simpler times. That is, aside from the state of the art combat suits.
Plot synopsis: In 2061 AD Tokyo, competitive women’s wrestling has begun to establish a large fan base and marketing potential. In an effort to corner the market, Shibano Consulting has established a universal championship tournament, with the best team from each independent league vying for the championship belt, held by the legendary wrestler Aquamarine. One of the teams challenged is the exhibition team Pretty Four, consisting of the young girls Sayaka, Nana, Ginko, and the newest addition, Miku. Standing in their path on the road to the championship is the fearsome wrestler Sapphire, as well as a rival league that will stop at nothing to see them fail.
Artwork: Typical mid-90s fare. It’s not that impressive even when compared to some of its more famous contemporaries, but it’s certainly not the worst artwork that has come out of that decade, either. Character designs, as well as the designs of the metal suits used during the wrestling matches are decent, but the fight scenes themselves suffer from either a lack of energy, or too much energy. Some fights make judicious use of shaking camera still-frames and swooshing line backgrounds, while others seem to attempt to show every single motion, making the scenes very hard to follow. Even the pre-match suit-up is a bit ridiculous, as the Pretty Four change into their battle suits in a sequence startlingly similar to a magical girl transformation scene, complete with a Gainax Bounce™. However, since it’s about wrestling and is therefore not supposed to be taken seriously by default, the artwork’s shortcomings don’t detract too much from the overall quality.
Music: Lots of J-pop, and not very good J-pop at that. The opening and closing themes are very forgettable, and the in-episode tracks fail to grab much attention. Despite the fact that some original songs get thrown in due to the Pretty Four moonlighting as pop idols, I was not in the least bit impressed with the soundtrack. I’ve certainly heard more soundtracks that were better than I have soundtracks that were worse.
Characters: The development of characters in this series was spotty at best. Some were developed to a much higher degrees than others, despite receiving comparable screen time. For example, the only one of the Pretty Four that gets developed greatly is Miku; the personalities of the other three girls (especially Sayaka and Nana) are barely explored at all. Basically, Miku wants to become the next great wrestler, surpassing the current champion, Aquamarine. Her dreams are nearly derailed as she is placed through overly rigorous training by her new coach, Eiichi Suo. He’s another fairly stereotypical character: a former elite coach and drunk seeking redemption, masking his heart of gold and dedicated work ethic behind a veneer of total dick-headedness. Yoko Shibano of Shibano Consulting is spearheading the effort to gain control over all professional female wrestling, intending to win the tournament with the wrestling team Moonlight Jewels, led by top contender Sapphire. However, her father and brother resort to much more underhanded tactics to thwart the Pretty Four, because of a long-standing grudge between Yoko’s father, Kozo, and Tochikiro Harakuji, manager of the Pretty Four. The Pretty Four are assisted by Kinta, who is the chief mechanic for the metal suits, and an aspiring love interest of Miku. He is extremely dedicated to the team, sometimes to the point of blaming himself and putting himself in jeopardy when things get tough. With a cast that seemed to be ripped directly from a Disney movie, the characters are not a group that one would easily get excited over. Count me among the masses in that department.
Plot: Speaking of being ripped straight from a Disney movie, there aren’t many more plots that are as formulaic and predictable as a young girl seeking to beat seemingly insurmountable odds and become the greatest champion ever seen in her respective sport. Admittedly, sometimes I am in the mood for something along those lines. But that’s really all the series has to offer. If you have a tendency to roll your eyes at conventional plot devices such as signature moves, hidden lessons, and training montages, then this anime will give your eyes quite a workout.
CHICKS!: Despite the fact that I didn’t see even a teaspoon of Jell-o during any of the matches, hot chicks wrestling still lights a fire in my loins. Unfortunately, a good many of the wrestlers aren’t hot at all, and are ridiculously massive or otherwise just plain misshapen. But in the few cases where there is actually a ring full of hot chicks waling on one another, my goodness, it is a sight to behold! The Pretty Four are aptly named, as they are easily the most attractive wrestling team as a whole. The toned and sinewy Ginko, the short and spunky Nana, the tall and slender Sayaka, and the lithe and girlish Miku combine to form a tag team that I would love to get suplexed by any day. Yoko is quite the looker herself, having a decidedly more mature and curvaceous figure that is nicely attired in a jacket and miniskirt. Sapphire, despite being a little haughty and rough, is the most attractive of the rival wrestlers. Even her metal suit can do little to hide her muscular, but still feminine, frame. The champion, Aquamarine, is a bit intimidating to me. She has a neck like an offensive lineman, arms thicker around than most people’s legs, and thighs that appear able to squish someone’s head like an overripe grape. Meaning, of course, she’s right up Stan’s alley. He can keep her; I’m not fond of the idea of rolling out of bed with bruises. Well, not many bruises, anyway.
Overall: Kinda sappy, kinda cliché, kinda low-budget. Which means that it successfully captured the spirit of professional wrestling. As far as anime is concerned, it’s not that great, by any means. If you’re in the mood for an uplifting story with no surprises, this one should suffice. If you’re looking for an anime with style, edginess, and grit, look elsewhere. And if you’re looking for hot chicks beating the crap out of each other, you’ve just found the Holy Grail!
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Simple, somewhat inspirational story
+ Hot chicks grabbing each other
- Unimpressive art and music
- Characters are too formulaic
- Generally uninspired
Rating: 5.5/10
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