Armitage III

Anime is well known for it's cyperpunk sub genre that flourished from the late 80's trough the 90's, and the Arimtage III OVAs are an example of one of the better offerings this era produced. In the future Mars has been colonized by humans, the center of the bulk of the colonist live in a sprawling metropolis(which looks like an anime version of Blade Runner's Los Angeles) where androids exist has second class citizens. When a string of brutal murders targeting androids occurs, the martian police for put Armitage, feisty, trigger happy, leather clad female android on the case, partnered with a stoic officer from Earth, who has his own issues with androids. Together the two uncover a deadly conspiracy that could affect both planets futures drastically and discover the truth behind Armitage's origins. These OVA's are a treat to sci-fi and/or cyberpunk fans. The animation has held up fine, the plot is complex and intriguing, there are plenty of high voltage action scenes and Armitage herself is a hugely appealing main character; strong, smart, sexy, spunky and very easy to sympathize with and root for. Alas the same cannot be said for our male protagonist who is a bit to wooden and low key for his role. Also, the show looses a bit of steam during it's final lap, while this is unfortunate, it not nearly enough to make one loose interest in the proceedings. Armitage III is highly recommened.

Grade:A-

Reviewed:OVA's 1-4(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.