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VIRUS: Vol 1

VIRUS BUSTER SERGE

Review by Matthew Anderson

12 Episode TV Series

Company: Manga Entertainment

Running Time: 120 Min (4 episodes)

Region: 1

Rating: PG-13 (Language, Violence, Partial Nudity)

EXTERNAL EXAM

2097, Neo Hong Kong. A city that teeters on the brink of destruction.

All across this blighted place are high tech bio-labs that illegally produce bio-technological creatures. Sometimes, these creatures become viruses that can infect man and machine, causing strange body mutations. The Zaniell Corporation has created S.T.A.N.D, led by the enigmatic Captain Raven, to fight this "problem". Equipped with super powered suits called Veritable Gears, Team leader Macus, fighters Gouichrou, Erika and computer expert Mirei are the only ones able to combat this menace.

Living in the slums of Neo Hong Kong is Serge. It seems that he has no memory of his past. Also, he is plagued by strange dream of him being "murdered" by Captain Raven. One day during a virus incident, Serge attempts to kill Raven. After his assassination attempt fails, Serge tries to escape by stealing a STAND vehicle. Inside the machine is a Veritable Gear, specifically designed for him. Even though he defeated the monster, Serge is arrested byt the other members of STAND. While in jail, Raven gives him an offer he can't refuse; join STAND, or go to prison.

Now, Serge and the team must learn how to work together, while trying to find out the truth behind the virus outbreak.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Decent, better than the video release. The colors are clearer and the image sharper with only some light moments. There are some artifacts on images with a solid color. While there is film grain and specks, these are from the source material. Some cleaning up would have been nice.

AUDIO: The Japanese 2.0 is the loudest and the sharpest of the three tracks. The English 2.0 is a little quieter, and not as sharp. The English 5.1 is by far the worst 5.1 I have ever heard. When played on our Pioneer DVD player, I could not tell the difference between the English 2.0 and the 5.1. On our Dell computer, it was so quiet, I had to turn up the speakers. I think someone made a mistake. It should be Japanese 5.1, and English 2.0 and 2.0 (that is how bad the English 5.1 is).

EDITS: Well, to the actual episodes, none. To the opening and closing animation, plenty! The opening crudely splices in scenes from Episode one and two of Virus, along with a forced widescreen view. It also added cheesy video effects, and eliminates all of the Japanese text.

The closing animation has been changed to a freeze frame of the original ending. Unfortunately, they froze the scene before the word Virus had fully appeared, so you get URS.

All in all, the open and the ending look crappy.

EXTRAS: More than Manga Entertainment's usual practice of the Manga's KMFDM music video and fan club catalogue. There is a very well done collection of Character and Mecha Design boards, along with some STAND files, which help explain some of the finer details of the characters. We have some Virus and Manga trailers, and fear not, the good ole club catalogue is included as well.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: While the story may not be new (hey, what is anymore), it is quite good. Fans of Masami Obari's work on the Bubblegum Crisis OVA will not be disappointed. This is a dark, moody, cyberpunk noir that would give author William Gibson a run for his money. Full of conspiracies, techno babble, and neo-gothic undertones, you will be drawn into this world, and tremble in fear.

ACTING: The Japanese is superb. Full of dynamic range and emotion. Everyone is superb, and are a perfect match to the characters. Hirotaka Suzuoki's deep voice is perfectly suited for the mysterious Raven. Tenchi fans may recognize Ryoko voice actress Ai Orikasa as the sultry Donna. This really is the best way to enjoy this series.

English wise, not so good. The voices are decent enough, but not a lot of emotional range. They are trying too hard to act as cool as these characters are supposed to be, thus sacrificing any semblance of emotion. While I love Jessica Cavello's other work, her voice is way too high for Donna, and Bill Fowler delivery as the chief is very stiff.

FAN SERVICE: Erika and Yurin are big busted fan serve babes to the max, but no nudity for them. You do get a couple of butt shots of Serge, ladies.

FINAL EXAM

I have always like movies and shows where people get "borged". From Star Trek to the movie Virus (staring Jamie Lee Curits) I will watch them all. These TV programs and movies show us that man and machine are not so far apart.

Virus Buster Serge is a great entry into this sub-genre of Science Fiction. The story follows a young man named Serge, who (for reasons yet to be revealed) is plagued by memories of a strange event. In typical anime fashion, he encounters the ultra secret, ultra cool, anti-virus team STAND, and becomes a member. All around him, things start to come together, with STAND leader Raven the only one with all the cards.

While the plot may seem simple, there are a lot of little things you have to watch for. All these seemingly random events are setting the stage for something big. While some secrets are revealed in these first four episodes, you know that you will have to watch the rest of Virus Buster Serge to get the whole story.

Many site Virus Buster Serge as a prime example of the decline in Japanese animation. They say it's cheaply produced, it relies on mind numbing plot twists to cover up the small budget, and that the animation is rough and unfinished. While it may not look as smooth as shows like "Real Bout High School", it has enough style, action, and cool mechanical designs to keep even the most jaded anime fan interested. Besides, Lain was cheep, and look how much people love it!

On the technical side, I am very disappointed with the 5.1 English dub. The sound has no dynamic range, no surround sound, and is too low for my system. Fortunately, I don't like the acting, so I really don't listen to it much.

As for the video, I think some work should have been done on sharpening the picture If I can make it look better on my photo editor, surely, Manga can spend a couple of bucks and do it for the transfer.

The edits to the open and close also bother me. Normally, it's not a big deal. I have no problem with using the clean opening and closing on most series. But this rather sloppy splicing and the forced widescreen perspective is just strange. Surly they had to know that this would royally annoy the hard core otaku. While this isn't a reason not to get this disc, I don't blame those who may feel a bit slighted.

Despite my issues with the English acting, the audio, and the edits, Virus Buster Serge is still a great anime to get into. It has a great plot, cool characters, and an interesting style. Give it a chance, and you might be surprised!

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