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The Venus Wars Director: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Number of Items: 1 Format: Animated, Color Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 104 minutes Studio: Central Park Media C Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-01-28 Buy from Amazon |
 "It's wars...on Venus!"If you're looking at Venus Wars, then it probably means you saw it Saturday morning many years ago on the Sci-Fi channel. Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed about. We all did. And let's face it, their Saturday morning animes really did introduce many of us into the genre. Without it, very little of us would know of anime, except for things like "Spirited Away" or "Princess Mononoke". Venus Wars was the first anime I had ever seen (save Gigantor), and I still hold a special place for it. For starters, its art style is very interesting. Venus has a very post-apocalyptic type atmosphere to it. Most of the places are destroyed from war and very deserted. All of the combat takes place while the characters are riding on futuristic motorcycles, so the movie is very fast paced. To top it all off, it has one of the best soundtracks ever to grace an anime. Unfortunately, the movie suffers from very mild characters. Hiro is just a punk kid who happens to be able to drive, and his girlfriend is really annoying. To further annoy you, some of the voice actors are beyond horrible. So, it can be mixed. But if you just look past the voices, you will find that this is a very good movie. If you just want a fun "blow up stuff" movie with some distinguished style to it, then you will definitely enjoy this.  "great animation and action"I am not really a japanese animation fan, but I saw this movie a while ago and I just had to get it. I loved the carnage and action in the film(there is a lot) and I just love the ideas they have in this film. The storyline is not to complicated and the music is okay. I got the movie sub-titled so I get to hear the original language which, to me, makes the movie a little better. If you like much japanese action, then I think that you will enjoy this film. "Venus Wars- A Good Beginning When Watching Anime"Venus Wars is a great feature film that combines great animation, compelling story-line, and realistic action. Those new to anime might think that anime is too gory or too lude to watch. While others think that anime is just a cartoon and should not be taken seriously. Venus Wars is middle ground for anyone who wants to start watching anime. The animation is very detailed, from the monobikes to the landscapes and characters; they are all well done. The charachters have depth. They are not confusing with no history as to why they behave the way that they do. There is death and violence, but its not overdone and is in line with what's going on in the movie. The story line seems believeable, in my eyes, and its an anime movie that doesn't do anything so unrealistic that its totally unbelieveable. The main character is Hiro, a rebellious mono bike (motorcycle with one wheel)racer. He and his motorcycle racing team are busy with the ins and outs of living on Venus, when they are thrust into a war with another country. All of their lives and dreams are put on hold and they must choose to fight for what they believe in. He and his friends learn that fighting for what you believe comes at a great cost. Many of Hiro's friends die fighting for their freedom. Its also a tale of lost love. The action sequences between the monobikes and tanks are spectacular. It makes you want to run out and race on a motorbike yourself. I can't say enough good things about Venus Wars. If you want a good start in Anime this is the film to buy.  "Far Better Than I Expected"If some one had told me this film would turn into a story of an actual war between nations, I would have watched it sooner. The reviews I had read for it made it sound like a rip-off of Akira, and the first hour or so makes you think it just might be it. A group of friends who are in a sort of Xtreme motorcycle sport find themselves in the middle of their nation Aphrodia invaded by the nation of their enemy Ishtar. They quickly find themselves under military rule, and have to deal with life changing in such a time period. The group eventually decides to do some guerilla action and attack an enemy tank that is always in their stadium. Then, just as the tank is destroyed and reinforcements are coming up, and the hero is about to be run over...a Free IO soldier fires a missile into the Octo and destroys it. Then the movie becomes a story of a nation fighting for their freedom, as the group joins the free soldiers who are fighting Ishtar all the way back out of IO. Eventually the hero, at first sympathetic, is convinced to join forces. The final battle takes place in the capital of IO, and what a climax it is. Overall, the film boasts fine animation and retro 80's anime design. The action is well done and the mecha designs even better, and the storyline is also exceptionally well done. You get a good sense of a population under foreign rule, and its good to see an anime exploring such depths. Also, the politics of a nation in exile fighting for their return is equally unique. Maybe its because I'm a political nut, but I found it all interesting. If I had known I would have enjoyed this film, I would have watched it far sooner than I did. Oh well...I bought the DVD the minute I saw it. I'm proud to own it. And thats my word. "Anime That Doesn't Suck!"After 400 episodes of mind bogglingly crappy shows like Gundam Wing and Tenchi Muyo, I found this. Thank god for it else I might have started lobbying to cut off relations with Japan... |
