Iria: Zeiram The Animation

Iria: Zeiram the Animation is a bizarre case indeed. On the face of it it seems as though this is just another 90s sci-fi action OVA, and in many ways it is, but upon closer inspection it manages to set itself apart in a variety of interesting and bizarre ways. For example, this anime is actually a prequel to the live action film Zeiram from 1991. When considering this weird production trajectory, backed up by an utterly unique art style and fun campy premise, it's clear that this anime is more than just a throwaway OVA. Beginning with the story, it's fairly straightforward, and heavily ... reminiscent of the Alien franchise. Two so-called 'hunters' and an apprentice are sent up to a ship in crisis to evacuate the crew and retrieve the cargo, only to find a horrible, seemingly invincible humanoid monster with grotesque biological abilities has escaped, which then begins to wreak havoc across the system. Despite being a touch predictable and perhaps heavy-handed with its Alien influences, it manages to execute its formula well and remain a distinctly badass early 90s romp throughout. It really feels like something meant for popping in the VCR, then cracking open a few beers and ordering a couple pizzas with your friends.

Moving on to the art, it is this anime's strongest aspect. The general art direction is incredibly strong, with a real vision for a unique and fantastic world distinct all its own. It has this engaging blend of the futuristic and the traditional, combined with a style which draws heavily from Southeast Asian cultures in a broad sense, namely in terms of architecture and fashion. The backgrounds are also consistently impressive, and seem to be where most of the budget went. Overall, it reminds me more of an 80s anime than a 90s anime, due in part to some of the stylistic choices they make throughout. Unfortunately, while the characters themselves have good designs and are well-animated in combat scenes, they often feel somewhat cheap in comparison to the rest of the show, and sometimes suffer from what I term the 'dreaded mask', where the characters' facial expressions seem stiff and unemotional at moments where they absolutely should not be. One final note here is that the experience is improved by watching it through a CRT filter, or on a CRT TV itself- the darks are richer, the warm colors pop, and imperfections like production mistakes and digital artifacts are obscured, resulting in a better image. In any case, the art is what really sets this anime apart- it is a creative, totally distinct visual work, with many memorable moments.

The sound is good, meeting all standards of quality for the time, and supported by an energetic and almost trippy synth soundtrack that sounds straight out of the 80s.

The characters fit their setting rather well, even if they're not very deeply explored. Among the cast, my favorites are Fujikuro and Komimasa, because in comparison to everybody else, they feel somehow the most believable. Fujikuro has this rough exterior which evolves over the course of the show to the point he really grows as a person, and as a result has actual layers to his character, whereas Komimasa acts in a fashion which befits a street urchin with a sense of honor, and his moments of dialogue almost feel like they come from a different anime altogether- he is a more believable depiction of what he is than his friend Kei, for example. Overall, Iria: Zeiram the Animation is a fun 90s action romp, to be enjoyed with your brain on or off, and even if its not perfect, I definitely recommend it.

I'll be honest from the get go, this anime is not a 10, it's not a 9, it's probably around a mid 8.5 from a fair objective standpoint. However, I'm inflating my review after looking at some of the other reviews. Mainly because there is an unfortunate portion of modern anime viewers that see old school animation, and that's all she wrote folks, that's all it takes to make it average... Except Iria Zeiram is a badass anime, with beautiful hand crafted art, and a strong female lead that isn't drenched with fan service, characters like this are why I fell in love with anime ... all those years ago.

Anywho, I'll (try to) keep the rest of my review fairly short. The art for me is the standout, along with some really refreshing character design/writing. The art is classic late 80s to 90s hand drawn goodness, if you're in a nostalgic scifi mood look no further, especially if you've seen the usual recommendations. Character design is awesome, modern anime is a little uh, sexist? I hesitate to use the word, but really it's refreshing to see an anime without fan service, while still being mature make no mistake. Weird how you can make a strong sexy female character without their boobs flopping about, go figure.

Having listed the strengths, the weaknesses are undoubtedly the story and sound. Story is really nothing to salivate over. Depending on your exposure level to anime/manga/books/cinema, then a fair rating would fall somewhere between an 8 to 6. If you're experienced, it's a 6, otherwise it could range up to an 8 if you aren't familiar (bored) with common anime tropes. Sound is to me the weakest part, it's by no means bad but there's nary a banger to me found here IMO, but lovers of 80s sound design might really dig this.

Overall this one really took me by surprise, the MAL reviews made me hesitate. Reviews be damned though, this is a keeper anime, and when you've been around the anime block as long as me that's rare. Granted some of this might have to do with my disillusionment for modern anime, it's getting old seeing awesome stories/characters ruined by horndogs beating the fan service cash cow like there's no tomorrow.

I should preface this by saying that I watched the dub of this OVA, as I was unable to find the subtitled version.

The OVA scratches a particular 90's anime itch, it does this fairly well. However the show is incredibly average. Though it has some truly inspired visuals, it's never cohesive enough to really sell the world. There is this awkward mix of high and low tech that feels awkward in some places, though most of the weapons are cool. The show never really pushes it's art style forward.

The plot is pretty thin, but it serves it's purpose of motivating the characters and adding ... some drama. However the pacing is quite rough. Each episode feels the same and it feels as if nothing is ever accomplished.

Iria: Zeiram The Animation is not bad by any means, it is intensely competent, but never becomes anything more.