Copyright © 1998 Ozawa Satoru/Bandai Visual / Toshiba EMI / GONZO
Based on the comic by: Ozawa Satoru
Director: Maeda Mahiro
Mechanical Design: Kawamori Shoji, Maeda Mahiro, Yamashita Ikuto
Character Design: Murata Range, Kusanagi Takuhito

Although we first looked at the Japanese release of BLUE SUBMARINE NO.6 (AO NO ROKUGO) back in EX 4.5, it seemed appropriate to take another look with AnimeVillage.com's release in North America, along with a review of the second volume.
BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 takes places in a future time, with the sea levels dramatically risen and humanity on the losing side of a mysterious war. The story revolves around the Blue Submarine No. 6, a futuristic submarine with a talented military crew. The key characters are Hayami Tetsu (voiced by Goda Hozumi), a great mini-sub pilot but depressed and aimless, and Kino Mayumi (voiced by Nogami Yukana), a cute girl pilot with a strong conviction to fight in this war.
The first episode, "Blues," does a speedy introduction of the world, and drops us into a situation with Mayumi attempting to convince Hayami to return to #6. We also get our first taste of the mysterious underwater enemies, and a large battle ensues.
"Pilots," the second volume, starts to clear up many of the questions introduced in the first episode. Blue #6 returns to its main underwater base, and viewers discover more about the nature of the beast enemy and the scientist Zorndyke who played a major part in the disasters that plague the world. We learn the state of human affairs, and how bad it truly is. It also begins to bring to light some of the mysteries behind Hayami's past as he struggles to find his own purpose. Finally, we discover the true final mission of the Blue Submarine and mankind's last hope (almost in the vein of the Rebel Alliance planning to attack the Death Star in STAR WARS). A large battle erupts, threatening to stop their mission even before it starts.
The most obvious attribute which differentiates BLUE SUBMARINE No. 6 from other anime is the extensive use of 3D computer graphics mixed with 2D cel art. Most scenes are computer enhanced one way or another, from simple cel coloring to full motion and particle/water special effects. The CG defines the art style of the mecha and backgrounds. Characters however are still cels and are based on the character designs of Range Murata, which do have a very distinct style to them.
I do have plenty of criticisms of the show. Many of the plot points are cliche, from the fateful meeting of the injured enemy pilot by one of our protagonists, to the "I'll get you Blue Sub No.6" speech from the enemy commander. Mayumi's voice actress seems poorly cast to her role (i.e. far too cute). The plot seems forced and rushed in areas away from the action. The CG animation varies in quality from great to poor, and is occasionally very jarring from the cel animation. The first volume did not get me into the story, or generate much of an interest into the characters.
However, as a counterbalance, BLUE SUBMARINE has many great elements. I have not seen such intense action as I did in the water combat scenes in this show for a long time. It is very reminiscent of the intro from the PlayStation GHOST IN THE SHELL game. The general quality of the scenes are very high, and in many spots the CG works much better than I had expected. I quite liked the character designs and style. Also, I became much more interested in the plot and the stage after watching the second volume. Overall, I am amazed at how much action they have crammed into these two 30 minute episodes.
Of interest, the third episode of this expected four volume series, "Hearts," has just come out in Japan (08/25/99). It is rare to see North America actually catch up to a Japanese release schedule, and the subtitling work is well done. It is a bit odd to see one episode per tape on a non-Japanese release as well ( deja'vu of the original Pioneer days).
I give BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 a thumbs up to action fans, and am personally looking forward to the next episode. The combat sequences are very well orchestrated and have a cool style of its own. For the value factor thankfully the one episode only tapes are cheaper than average, and the animation quality is of the dying OVA kind. It is a successful experiment in blending 2D and 3D animation styles, although there is still work to be done. It is not perfect, but BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 sure is a wild ride.

English Adaptation © 1999 AnimeVillage.com

Volume 1
VHS, 30 minutes
English Subtitled
catalog no: 0900
ISBN 1-58354-107-1
$19.98

Volume 2
VHS, 30 minutes
English Subtitled
catalog no: 0901
ISBN 1-58354-130-6
$19.98

Available now in the USA
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