SABER MARIONETTE J
Why put in a personal ad when you can build your own date?
Review by: Craig "Abort, retry, stare dumbfounded" Norris
Length: 25 episodes
Genre: Little bit of everything
Watched: 1-25, subbed
Ah, robot chicks. Call me chauvinistic, but there’s something I find very appealing about the concept of building your own chick to specifications unattainable by most women, whether it be personality or physical dimensions. And so, I have made it my mission to watch as many robogirl animes as I can get my hands on. Saber Marionette J was the latest title on my list, and presented a diverse array of elements that made it a moderately successful title for fans of anime in general.
Plot synopsis: The planet Terra II has become the refuge of humankind after the devastation of the planet Earth. Unfortunately, the only survivors of earth are all male, and must resort to cloning to survive. To fill in the role of women, men created marionettes, androids that resemble women in appearance and act as housekeepers and companions. After nearly drowning, Otaru Mamiya activates a marionette named Lime who instantly becomes inseparable from him. 
However, this particular marionette is equipped with a circuit that allows for emotional development. After activating two other marionettes with the emotion circuits, the leaders of the world reveal to Otaru that he and his marionettes are the salvation of all humankind on Terra II.
Artwork: It’s from the same studio that brought us Slayers, so don’t expect anything groundbreaking. Some of the character designs look a bit off; some facial features, whether it be hair, eyes, or lips seem needlessly exaggerated. Outfits range from plain to gaudy to flat-out ridiculous. Apparently, some of the marionettes lack the fashion sense circuit. Backgrounds are adequate at best, and the use of color is excessive in spots. Overall the animation is rather sub-par, even considering its age.
Music: Again, nothing real special. Expect factory-issue j-pop and appropriate mood-setting background music. During the episodes I barely noticed the music, so it’s a good bet that it doesn’t really work as a stand alone soundtrack. It’s hard to make a good soundtrack for a series that employs a wide variety of genres, and the music production undoubtedly succumbed to the eclectic nature of the show.
Characters: Some of the characters were fairly archetypical, but considering the nature of the characters that fact actually plays into the plot. Otaru can be described as a typical male lead. He’s far from dashing, but he has energy and emotion that all the other characters seem to feed off. Lime possesses an innocence and emotional immaturity that conveys extreme childishness, and closely parallels one of Megumi Hayashibara’s other characters, Nuku Nuku. However, sometimes her childishness crosses the line from endearing to obnoxious, but for the most part her high energy is very entertaining. Cherry is another of Otaru’s marionettes and is much more shy and reserved. She is very possessive of Otaru and is prone to jealousy when someone else makes advances towards him. Bloodberry is the third of Otaru’s marionettes and is much more forward, whether it be in battle or romance. She constantly tries to monopolize Otaru, much to the chagrin of Lime and Cherry. Hanagata is Otaru’s neighbor, and is quite possibly the most blatantly homosexual man in all of anime. He makes many unabashed and elaborate passes at Otaru, and gets absolutely no respect from anyone. He doesn’t really deserve it, though, since 
he’s such a pest. In contrast to Otaru’s marionettes, the three from the warlike kingdom of Gartlant radiate very little warmth and kindness. They unquestioningly follow the orders of their master Faust, and more often than not the orders consist of murder and destruction. Despite being grossly underappreciated by Faust, the marionettes remain wholly devoted to him. The characters aren’t very deep, but they change and develop enough throughout the series to move things along.
Plot: Many of the plot elements relate directly back to the development of characters, and as such there is a lot of filler that does not relate to the overarching conflict of unrest between kingdoms on Terra II. In reality, though, the development of the marionettes on an emotional level plays a crucial role during the final episodes, so keep that in mind as you sit through the seemingly insignificant situational episodes. Sometimes the series is episodic, but by and large it should be watched in order as important events happen that drastically effect the plot progression.
CHICKS!: By and large, robot chicks do not disappoint. Saber Marionette J offers a variety of personalities. Lime is like a child in an adult’s body. She has a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and could even be considered hyperactive. As such, unless you have the time and energy required to keep up with her, a relationship with Lime would be a very draining experience. Cherry has a petite figure, and subtle grace and charm. She likes to cook and would seem to fit in perfectly with the role of housewife. Bloodberry is curvaceous and not at all shy about propositioning Otaru. Her fiery red hair fits in perfectly with her shamelessly open personality. In terms of pure sex appeal, the Gartlant marionettes, Panther, Tiger, and Lynx, beat everyone hands-down. And it really burns me up to see Faust not respect them at all, despite the fact that they’re unquestioningly loyal and have bodies that I would gladly murder an acquaintance to see naked. Meanwhile I appreciate such beauty, and get nothing. Once again, the unfairness of life rears its ugly, spiteful head.
Overall: For someone who has little experience in watching anime, this would be a good title to ease them into the conventions and style that many different series employ. However, for seasoned viewers, this title is largely unimpressive in many aspects, and offers little to save it from mediocrity. It’s not a bad series, but it lacks that little extra something that makes a series great, and by and large my yawns outnumbered my chuckles and tears. By today’s standards the series is very tame, but it’s not a total waste of time. Especially if you like hot robot chicks.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Development of characters
+ Good beginner’s anime
- Lackluster production values
- Can’t make the jump from “decent” to “great”
Rating: 7/10
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