Blue Gender

—by John Yung

BLUE GENDER, Takahashi Ryousuke's (GASARAKI and ARMORED TROOPER VOTOMS) latest directorial effort, follows a trend in Takahashi's choice of the mecha genre. Instead of concentrating on the gee-whiz factor of mecha combat (of which there is plenty), Takahashi explores the human condition and complex plotlines. In BLUE GENDER, he uses a Rip Van Winkle premise to give the now hackneyed bug hunt plot a fresh angle and to examine the human condition under such circumstances.
Diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, Kaidou Yuji was put into cold-sleep in the hope that someday a cure may be found. He receives a rude awakening when he is revived in the middle of a military operation to evacuate him out of the cold-sleep facility. The group is attacked by a giant bug-like creature which wrenches two members into a grotesque cocoon before it is killed by the powersuit escort. It seems like a nightmare, but it's very much a reality for Yuji. He discovers that his abductors are humans under their skull-like masks and that his powersuited rescuer is a young woman named Marlene Angel.
Marlene explains that it is now the year 2031, meaning that Yuji was in cold-sleep for 22 years. In that time, a genetic experiment went awry and created giant bug-like creatures called Blue which have taken over the world. The soldiers' mission is to recover human genes from before the Blue cataclysm, namely genes from sleepers like Yuji, and transport them up to a space station called Second Earth, where the fortunate humans retreated.
Things, of course, don't go smoothly as planned. The Blue spring a surprise attack on the orbital launch base before the humans are able to board the shuttle. Marlene and Yuji are able to escape with two team members, Robert and Joey, but the rest of the people at the base aren't as fortunate. The survivors start on a long trek to another orbital launch base, battling Blue almost every step of the way. Unsatisfied with being luggage, Yuji takes up training from the soldiers so that he's able to contribute to their fight for survival.
The four come across a group of humans living in a ruined city. This settlement managed to survive by isolating themselves on the island section of the city. With the paranoid reception that Yuji receives because of his Second Earth uniform, he realizes that there is a schism between the people left behind on earth and the people from orbit. The presence of a Blue hive nearby changes our heroes' travel plans. Their attempt to erradicate the local Blue population is successful but at a costly price, leaving only Marlene and Yuji remaining to continue their journey.
If you haven't realized by now, BLUE GENDER is quite a depressing series in the way it seems to trivialize the value of life. Some of the casualties are pretty gruesome for a TV anime show, which gives BLUE GENDER a strong semblance to Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS movie (as if a war against giant bug-like creatures isn't enough of a similarity between the two already). Looks are misleading though; the plot has more in common with David Gerrold's WAR AGAINST THE CHTORR trilogy. As the series progresses, there are hints revealed about the Blue, and hopefully by the story's end, we'll know the connection between the Blue DNA and Yuji. The other strong point of the series is the character development of Marlene, Yuji, and the people they encounter. They all value life in their own ways: Because he knows he's dying, and after seeing so many senseless deaths, Yuji is the good Samaritan once he gets over the future shock; Marlene just wants to be a good soldier and survive, but her hardened personality begins to soften after meeting Yuji. It would be interesting to see if the hints of romantic involvement lead anywhere by the 26th episode.
The visual presentation of BLUE GENDER is a mixed bag. The animation quality is average for a TV anime series, so don't expect anything rivaling the high-budget work that Tippett Studios did for the STARSHIP TROOPERS movie or even Foundation Imaging's work on the ROUGHNECKS: STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICLES. The character designs aren't that great either; they don't look too appealing, but they are appropriate for the genre. The various Blue species look very intriguing; you can easily see why they are so tough to erradicate, but it also makes their weak spot seem contrived. The robotic mecha designs are pretty cool looking, although some mecha fans may have issues with a few design flaws. The real stinkers are the vehicles, which were designed without safety restraints—and it's a plot device that's overused in this series.
The audio portion of BLUE GENDER is also a mixed bag, but it fares better in production quality. The voice acting is good; Yuji starts out sounding too emotional, but it's understandable given his situation; Marlene is quite the opposite with her curt responses. The sound effects, on the whole, are competently executed, but the gunfire lack that certain "oomphf," and one huge explosion sounded like a bang instead of a boom. At least the Blue roars and clicks sound unique. The musical direction by Haishima Kuniaki (who also composed music for GASARAKI) is excellent and definitely makes up for the other audio shortcomings. Some pieces are mixes of tribal and urban influences reminiscent of the AKIRA movie soundtrack, and other pieces are edgy ones that would fit in action movies.
BLUE GENDER is an uncommon case where the plot and music are better than the animation. There's plenty of action each episode to keep things from feeling slow, but it's the character development that draws more attention. The graphic death toll in the beginning is a turn-off and could have been depicted as tastefully as the later deaths, although all of their significance is questionable to the plot. Once the series hits its stride, its study of human survival becomes more engaging. Fans of Takahashi Ryousuke's work will definitely want to give this series a try. Casual anime fans looking for a substantial plot may also want see a few episodes at least (with the graphical death warning in mind). People expecting an anime rehash of the STARSHIP TROOPERS movie should best look elsewheres.

YOUMEX (Toshiba EMI Limited)
Each volume approximately 50 mins.
Vol. 1 (of 13) - VHS: TYVY-1160 / LD: TYLY-1160 / DVD: TYBY-2002
Vol. 2 - VHS: TYVY-1161 / LD: TYLY-1161 / DVD: TYBY-2003
Vol. 3 - VHS: TYVY-1162 / LD: TYLY-1162 / DVD: TYBY-2004
Vol. 4 - VHS: TYVY-1163 / LD: TYLY-1163 / DVD: TYBY-2005
Vol. 5 - VHS: TYVY-1164 / LD: TYLY-1164 / DVD: TYBY-2006
Vol. 6 - VHS: TYVY-1165 / LD: TYLY-1165 / DVD: TYBY-2007
Vol. 7 - VHS: TYVY-1166 / LD: TYLY-1166 / DVD: TYBY-2008
Vol. 8 - VHS: TYVY-1167 / LD: TYLY-1167 / DVD: TYBY-2009
Vol. 9 - VHS: TYVY-1168 / LD: TYLY-1168 / DVD: TYBY-2010 (5/17/2000)
Vol. 10 - VHS: TYVY-1169 / LD: TYLY-1169 / DVD: TYBY-2011 (5/31/2000)
¥ 5250 each
Available now in Japan
Where to buy