SUMMARY
Kouji is your typical college student. He tries to juggle school
and his part time job so he can spend time with his girlfriend Shiroi. When Kouji learns that Shiori is moving away, he decides to
break up with her. When Kouji's friend tells him that Shiori wants to
talk, he decides to go see her.
Getting to her is not as easy as it sounds. He has
become trapped in a highly advanced battle suit called the Madox-01.
He also has the suits creator Ellie Kusumoto, the US Army, and a psychotic soldier named
Lt. Kilgore after him. If the Army doesn't kill him, the suit might!
DVD
VISION TEST
VIDEO:
A beautiful looking transfer for this 15th anniversary DVD. The
colors are perfect, there are no pixels, wrinkles, or defects. This
looks a lot better than their VHS or laser disc release.
AUDIO:
A very rich sounding Dolby 2.0
English audio track. The music is crystal clear, as is the dialogue, and
all are blended perfectly. The same goes for the Japanese 2.0, but it is a
little quieter.
EDITS: Not a single frame has been edited.
EXTRAS: An extensive interviews with AnimEigo CEO Robert J. Woodhead,
and English Voice Director Eric Tomosukas. There is also a
documentary on comparing the weapons in Madox-01 with real world
counterparts. A "Director's Commentary" track is also
included.
There is something else I can't tell you about. Why can't I tell
you? I am under threat of
death by Anita at AnimEigo.
WIDESCREEN
REVIEW
STORY: This is pretty much a
one dimensional story about a boy and his battle suit. There is no
deep message, no angst, and no boring speeches. This is 50 minutes
of action and comedy.
ACTING: The cast is pretty good on
both the Japanese and English casts. While no one really stands out,
they all play their parts with the right amount of enthusiasm.
FAN SERVICE: Well, we get to see pilot Ellie Kusumoto in a bra.
There are some references to "Apocalypse Now" thrown in as
well.
CONCLUSION:
Back in 1989, AnimEigo released
the first VHS anime title, a little known
anime called Metal Skin Panic: Madox-01. A surprise runaway hit (pun
intended), Madox 01 was the start of the "Golden Age" of anime
in America. To celebrate their 15th anniversary, AnimEigo has finally
released their contribution of anime history on DVD.
I will say right off the bat, Madox-01 is nothing new. In fact,
it wasn't even new back in the 80's. With only a 50 minute runtime, the
main focus is on the action, not the motivations of the characters.
From start to finish, writer/director Shinji Aramaki keeps a relentless
pace, with very little down time.
The characters are all typical anime stereotypes. There is the
clever hero, the psychotic military officer, and the beautiful love
interest. Throw in arrogant "sex object" Ellie Kusumoto, and you have the makings of your typical, vapid Hollywood movie.
So, you may be asking; "Other than the historical value, why on
Earth should I get Madox-01?"
Because of it's simplicity. In this post "Evangelion"
and "Gasaraki" world, it's refreshing to see something so
straightforward. There are no mind bending plots, no deep rooted psychosis,
and absolutely no tragic characters. It's fun, pure and simple.
The animation is another reason to get this one. There is level
of detail that is sorely lacking in most new anime. The mechanical designs are
also impressive. Madox-01 helps to remind us of an age where
computer aided animation was not required to make things look good.
Going all out, AnimEigo has given us the best presentation of Madox-01
to date. The video quality is superb, with 0 imperfections.
You can really make out the detail of every little thing. The audio
is also well done, on all three 2.0 audio tracks.
The extras are interesting. For you military aficionados, you get
the original documentary comparing the real world weapons with the ones in
the film. You get a rare interview with the "the man"
himself, CEO of AnimEigo, Robert Woodhead. It's pretty candid, with
tons of insider information. We also get an interview with English Voice
Director Eric Tomosukas, and a commentary track with Eric and some of the
voice actors.
Metal Skin Panic: Madox-01 is a welcome return of a "Golden
Age" title. It's 50 minutes of pure anime entertainment.
Just get inside the Madox-01, and enjoy the ride.
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