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In a Nutshell
Vandread is a fairly new series compared to the others I've been reviewing and have been known for appreciating in the past. It's a sci-fi comedy set in a period of war between to nations, Taraaku and Mejeiru. However, these aren't any nations, Taraaku is a nation of men and Mejeiru is a nation of women. The society is completely manufactured and neither have any idea of their predecessors on Earth and of the other nations composed of Earth-like societies. Hibiki is a lower class citizen on Taraaku who takes a bet to retrieve parts from a specific Vanguard meccha that his factory produced. However, when he tries to steal it, he finds himself stowed away on Taraaku's flagship cruiser heading into battle against the Mejeiru. He accidentally ends up flying the mech only until the Mejeiru capture his ship. This is where the transformation begins and his Vanguard changes, along with the cruiser and the Mejeiru's Dread fighters. When he is discovered by Mejeiru pilot Dita, things are only beginning to get messy.
The Review
I
had no idea what I was going to watch when I first started into Vandread.
It starts off simply by introducing Hibiki and his bet to retrieve the
marked Vanguard meccha. But when he is thrown into battle against the
Mejeiru, it becomes clear as to what is going on. The gender battle idea
is great, it has a lot of potential to play off of and Vandread does it
superbly.
The battle sequences are amazing, especially when Hibiki's Vanguard
combines with any of the Dread fighters (hence the title, Vandread). My
favorite is either between when Hibiki combines with Dita or Meia. Dita's
combination is simply a large powerful mech that has the look of both her
Dread and his Vanguard. Meia's on the other hand is a flying dragon that
looks great. The battles are choreographed fast paced and have that
certain flair that can be found in Rurouni Kenshin or Gundam Wing because
the Vanguard fights with a sword.
But
the real humor lies in the way that the three men stuck onboard the
Nirvana (the new name the Mejeiru gave to the Taraaku flagship) interact
with the many women onboard. Because all they know is hatred for each
other, it starts off being very biased against the men, and the men have
no choice but to subject to the torture. But because it's a Taraaku ship
and they need Hibiki's Vanguard, they need the men to help out operations
on the Nirvana. There is a lot of ecchi jokes in here with Hibiki
constantly peeking or feeling up the rest of the cast, all completely
unintentional. Slowly, as the crew begins to trust each other, things
change for the better, despite Hibiki being completely stubborn and
self-centered. Dita, the love interest of sorts, is constantly trying to
please Hibiki despite his rejections.
As far as character design is concerned, I love it. I don't think I've the
way every character looked in a series since Ah! My Goddess. They have a
very distinct look that I can only compare with the futuristic look of
Phantasy Star. All of the female main characters are absolutely gorgeous
and each have a style of their own while the male characters have very
distinct design from Hibiki's wild look to Bart's more regimented look.
I could go on forever praising Vandread, but I still have yet to watch the
second stage, which I'm totally looking forward to. The first stage is
visual eye candy with great humor and a charming story thrown in.
Slacker's Final Thoughts
Vandread is incredibly enjoyable yet frustrating at
times because they are so socially inept and stubborn. But the animation
is stellar and the story is good. The use of CG animation is great for the
combat sequences and the character design is flawless from the three main
males to the entire crew of Mejeiru. I highly recommend this if you're in
the mood for a good combination of lite action and a lot of fun.
Story: 9/10
Design: 10/10
Animation: 10/10
Sound & Music: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Awards:
