SABER MARIONETTE J AGAIN
Who says you can't beat the real thing?
Review by: Craig "FAT32" Norris
Length: 6 episode OAV
Genre: Comedy, action, sci-fi
Watched: 1-6, subbed
I'm not quite sure why I decided to watch this. The first series was good, but not great, and the ending was such a blatant call for a sequel. I felt a little cheapened by watching it, gratifying the creators' cheeky plea to watch more. And, while there was substance to the first series, most of it was just a bunch of hot robot chicks living with a guy and trying to score with him... You know what? I think I just figured out why I decided to watch this.
Plot synopsis: After the return of his beloved marionettes to Terra II, Otaru finds himself the host to not three, but six marionettes, as Faust sent Lynx, Tiger, and Panther to live with Otaru in an attempt to make them more well-rounded. As if that wasn't enough trouble, Otaru's town becomes targeted by a skilled thief. Lime accidentally tracks the thief down, and to everyone's surprise, it is another marionette. Otaru agrees to allow her to live with the rest of them, and she begins a new life, complete with a new name: Marine. But the kingdom of New Texas views Marine as a serious threat, and will use any means necessary to destroy her, even though she may be the only one who can save the planet from certain destruction.
Artwork: True to series-turned-OAV formula, the animation looks a lot more polished than it did in the series that spawned it. Still, the visuals are nothing that impress to any great degree. Use of color is diverse and in some cases overused; seemingly every single color in the Crayola database is visible when the majority of marionettes are on screen at the same time. By and large, the OAV's artwork contains many of the same highs and lows that the series did.
Music: Most of the in-episode tracks seem rather uninspired. However, it's worth sitting through the mediocre melodies to get to the crown jewels of the soundtrack, the opening and closing themes. Apparently, the only thing that may represent an obstacle in Megumi Hayashibara's voice acting career is a case of laryngitis. Despite giving Lime a harsh, screeching voice that would make the throats of most people bleed, she still had enough left to sing the closing theme song, her golden voice working on all cylinders. Each episode of the OAV has a different opening theme song, sung by a different voice actress, and all of them are at least good. It is a shame that the momentum set by these songs didn't carry through each episode, however.
Characters: Essentially, each character is the same as they were in the TV series. Lime is still innocent and energetic, Cherry is still modest and romantic, and Bloodberry is still assertive and unabashed. Otaru is still helpful and humble, and Hanagata is still gay. Very, very gay. Faust's marionettes seem less uptight having been sent to live with Otaru. Panther doesn't seem too happy about the situation, but Lynx is much more receptive, believing that she will learn how to better serve Faust. Tiger's maiden circuit has yet to be fixed, trapping her mind in the last time she was truly happy: being with the young Faust before the memory tranfer. Lorelei has become a chief scientist for the kingdom, overseeing the female cloning project and all marionette technology. She is nearly consumed by guilt over how deeply the affect of her rescue was felt, especially for Otaru. Marine is a hard character to describe in terms of personality. Her emotional maturity occurs at such a fast pace that she's essentially a different person from episode to episode. Her unique construction makes her the focal point of the OAV. Anyone who was entertained by the characters in the TV series will no doubt be delighted with how their personalities carried over.
Plot: Even though the TV series ended with a note of anticipation, this OAV was pretty unnecessary. All that was pertinent to the world of Saber Marionette J was addressed and resolved. Dragging it out with a plot about one marionette-who didn't even exist prior to this OAV-being the only way to save the planet really seemed like a cheap play on its popularity. What made it even worse was that the plot went in a circle; essentially the characters' situation in the end was the same as at the beginning. Plots where nothing changes are not things that I can endorse. The OAV was basically three hours of filler and nothing more.
CHICKS!: While Otaru's marionettes retained their initial appeal, the real treat was getting to see the more human side of Faust's marionettes. Panther is a lot like Bloodberry, having little patience and an aggressive streak. Lynx looks up to Cherry as a chef and housekeeper, and seems more inclined to want to live a quiet lifestyle. Because of her broken maiden circuit, Tiger is little more than a doll at this point, but it's an improvement over her previous habits of constantly sneering and trying to kill everyone. And, as if I needed to mention it, they're all extremely easy on the eyes. Marine starts out deathly afraid of men, but this is a result of her construction. Her emotions are much more powerful than those of the other marionettes, causing her maturity to occur very rapidly. She has a nice figure, tanned skin, and long aquamarine hair, making her easily the most exotic in appearance. Lorelei is kind of nice, but she's too depressing, and in terms of looks can't quite stack up to the marionettes. So let's see: I was insanely jealous of Otaru when he only had three hot robot chicks living with him. The fact that he got four more by not even trying shows me just how unfair life has been to me. But I'm taller than him, so there!
Overall: Any sequel that tries to get by solely on the popularity of its characters is, more often than not, doomed to mediocrity (if they're lucky). While this OAV was not a complete failure, it failed to show much of a spark, and in the end was not the best way to spend three hours of my life. If this is the best that could be done with a continuation of a marginally promising series, I think I'll skip the rest of the sequels and find me another bunch of robot chicks to drool at. I wonder if they're still producing that sequel to Hand Maid May...
IN A NUTSHELL:
+ Some really nice songs
+ Slight improvement in animation
- Totally unnecessary
- Relies on pre-attained popularity
Rating: 6/10
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