Dating from 1983, VOTOMS is a mecha story about renegade ace pilot Chirico Cuvie. We follow his struggles to escape death at the hands of a powerful secret society while driven to find again a mysterious female "Perfect Soldier." US Manga's Stage 2 starts off at episodes 14 and 15 with an episode long recap of events from the earlier story.
After escaping from Uoodo city, Chirico arrives in the Kummen jungle and signs up as a mercenary at a base named Assemble EX-10. In a violent civil war, the government and religious rebels are inflicting heavy casualities on both sides. Chirico quickly gets into trouble and is accused of being a spy when it is discovered that a homing becon has been planted in his body (by his enemies). The base commander clears him after hearing about his information on the Perfect Soldiers (pilots with amazing reflexes and abilities), but his superior still harbors enmity towards him. Chirico soon discovers that his friends have come here (and done well for themselves, too). But while fighting, he finds a blue enemy AT that fights too well for a normal human.
Along with the political trials and betrayals, VOTOMS' distinctive element is the armored troopers themselves with three lenses mounted on the heads. The designers (other than trying to make a good toy line) attempted to make them realistic, mass produced, small scale military machines. Combat scenes detail the foot angle movements, shell casings falling from smoking guns, and the swiveling and focusing of the head cameras.
The animation is good for the time period and relatively realistic (although compared to current anime this could be considered below average). The voice acting is good, the music complements the dramatic scenes well, and those famous reused mecha movement sound effects are prevalent. US Manga's subtitles are their standard good job as well.
What surprised me about the series is the effort put to make this a believable, serious story; from the deployment methods and missions, to the vaccinations and medical checks of the mercenaries. Chirico's friends are the needed friendly faces in this hostile world, where sometimes everything seems to be against the hero. I would have to say I enjoyed this tape and found myself wanting to see more.
While I would suggest watching from the beginning of the series with Stage 1: Uoodo City (reviewed in issue 3), the recap in Stage 2 is a good crash course, lightly covering the major events of the past thirteen episodes. I can definitely recommend this series to Gundam/mecha fans or anyone looking for a good, serious action anime. Although the animation is showing its age in comparison to today's hits, VOTOMS can hold its own in telling a good story.

Armored Trooper VOTOMS Stage 2: Kummen Jungle Wars, Volume 1
US MANGA CORPS / CENTRAL PARK MEDIA
72 MINUTES, VHS
SUBTITLED (SRP $24.95) CATALOG NUMBER: USM 1482
Copyright © Nippon Sunrise