SUMMARY
A hundred years ago, an alien race attacked the
Earth. Despite being driven back, fear of their return has
prompted the military to take a rather aggressive stance against
them.
All Tin Wang wants to do is be a
normal kid. Unfortunately, because he is of mixed alien heritage, the citizens of Bird Island treat him like an
outcast. He especially earns the wrath of Kit, who
constantly tries provoke the "alien" to loose control so
his father can place Tin into confinement.
When
the aliens arrive, the "Yani People" orders the
citizens of Bird Island to surrender a mysterious statue. When
their terrible powers cause massive destruction, the government
decides that Tin is the only one who can help.
WIDESCREEN
REVIEW
STORY: Much like De Cheng, Bird Island reminds me of
some of the adventure books I used to read as a young adult. Both
share similar themes, and similar pacing.
ACTING:
The
English voice cast are all well known "anime" voice
actors. While the ADR is a little rough at times, they do a fine
job. Unfortunately, as these are screener copies, we are missing the
Chinese language track. According to our interview with Brian
YuZheng, the original Mandarin audio track will be included in the release
version.
FAN SERVICE: Some of the motorcycle designs are
right out of "Akira" and "Bubblegum Crisis". The
aliens are also similar to several of the Chinese gods.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the closest to "anime"
of all the titles, Bird Island is more than just an "Earth Vs.
Aliens" story. It's a story about trying to fit in, and come to
grips with who you are. Sort of like a Sci-Fi "Breakfast
Club".
Right from the get-go, we see that Tin is no
average kid. Not only does he have mixed blood, but he has psychic
abilities. Tin's past is a mystery. His grandfather either
doesn't know or refuses to tell Tin the truth about his origins.
Along with his frustration at not knowing about his origins, he has to
contend with the suspicious nature of his fellow classmate, Kit.
Kit is
an obnoxious kid, constantly trying to prove that he is better than
Tin. Jealous of Tin's abilities, he constantly challenges the young man to a fight. When
the aliens arrive, his paranoia and hate toward Tin grows to a dangerous
level. Kit convinces his father, a government official, that Tin
needs to be locked up, or eliminated.
Kit isn't the only one who is
paranoid about Tin. A mysterious man named Mr. Dream is also keeping
an eye on things. Close with Kit's father, he manipulates
events from behind the scenes. He has no problem with sacrificing
people or even the island to further his own ends.
There is not a lot of exposition
about the aliens, the war, or Kit's origins. The focus of these
episodes is on the relationship between the characters, and the machinations
of the government. Like any great adventure, it's the voyage of
discovery that keeps you interested. It's also a great way to get
you to keep watching!
While all of the "Chinamation"
titles are geared toward the 3-16 year old age range, this one is closer
to the 13 and above. There is some under-age
drinking, blood, and minor gunplay that may cause parents some
concern.
Perhaps the closest to "anime"
of all the titles in terms of animation quality. There is a
lot more detail than the other "Chinamation" titles. Most avid
anime fans would consider it low end. The character designs remind
me of early Aeon Flux. They use digital video, resulting in a
very nice balance of color. It also makes for some interesting
looking pans and zooms.
In episode three, we are treated to
a delightful surprise. The character of Rainbow sings us a
song. Instead of dubbing it, we get the original Mandarin
version of "Starry Sky of Love"! It's very folksy and very
sweet song, that tugs at the heart.
Bird Island is my favorite of
all the "Chinamation" titles, and the one that will appeal to
most anime fans. If you are interested in "Chinamation",
start with this one.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
