Vandread
Vandread is kind of a weird mashup. Stir up Star Trek: Voyager, Battlestar Galactica (the newer one) and just a splash of transforming Mecha. Oh, and why not set it in the middle of a Gender War? That’s Vandread.
Surprisingly it’s not as bad as it sounds. They’ve managed to use humor and action in just the right amounts to make that goofy description into a fairly entertaining anime.
Story
Hibiki is a third class citizen from a planet in the middle of a war. Their enemies are the most savage and bloodthirsty creatures imaginable. Women. On Hibiki’s world babies are made in factories and not many men have ever seen a woman, unless it was on the field of battle.
Then Hibiki is captured by pirates, lady pirates. During the battle his ship is flung to a far corner of the galaxy. He has no choice but to join forces with the enemy just to survive.
My Opinion
I was kind of skeptical when I started watching Vandread. It just sounded so weird. After a couple of episodes I was hooked. They’ve managed to make a good anime show from a really strange concept.
The mecha are pretty darn cool. Hibiki’s Vanguard is altered during the battle, and so are the pirates’ Dreads. Thanks to the alteration they’re able to combine and make a few different super mechs. It’s like getting hit with a club inscribed with “Working Together Is Good”. I’m a Star Trek fan though, so I’m used to ham fisted morals.
Is it worth it?
As strange as it sounds this one should go to the top of your rental list. Vandread has some good humor and decent space battles. If you can ignore the message of “Can’t we all just get along?” then I think you’ll enjoy this anime.
Anime, Reviews, Vandread, Mecha, Sci Fi, Comedy, Space Battle, Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager, Battlestar Galactica
January 26th, 2008 at 5:38 am
hello!
im a japanease.i lived in tokyo and i am an otaku.
i really liked vandread.when i was a junior high school student,i loved hibiki very much.it is very surprise thing for me that american people also like this anime.
in japan,they hate otaku people.
do american usual people don’t like otaku?
please tell me your thinking!
i want to know what american people always think about being otaku.
i like kimi ga nozomu eien and evangelion.
if you also like these anime,your message please!!!
January 26th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Hi thanks for stopping by.
Anime and manga are both growing in America. More and more people are becoming anime fans every day.
I think the definition of otaku is viewed differently in America. It’s kind of been adopted by the anime fan community. When the word otaku is used over here, a lot of the time it just means an anime or manga fan. It doesn’t even have to refer to someone who is a devoted fan. Sure there are people who think it’s weird, but I don’t think there is a prejudice against otaku in America.
I haven’t heard of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien before. I looked it up on AnimeNewsNetwork though. It’s called Rumbling Hearts over here. It looks like something I would like. I might have to check it out.
I think I’m in the minority when it comes to Evangelion. I’m one of the few people that aren’t crazy about it. I’ve only seen a few episodes though. Maybe I should give it another chance.
Feel free to ask anything you’d like. I’ll do my best to answer.
Oh, and let me know what you think about the stuff I write. It would be nice to get a different perspective on things.