Mar: Volume 1 (DVD)

Introduction

I've long held the position that anime is a good thing. It's a medium that can be used to tell entertaining and varied stories in ways that aren't tackled by traditional Western entertainment forms. Adding a little anime to the daily televisual diet only serves to broaden the palette. However too much of anything, even anime stops being good and starts being detrimental to the viewer and even the industry. Just as good television has to climb out from a sea of mediocrity, so it is that the better anime shows are standing on the shoulders of lesser, forgettable shows. The thing is that the lesser, forgettable shows are cheaper, and in a climate where distributors are tightening their belts, the temptation is to release these shows instead, to keep the industry ticking over on idle until the good times roll back in. They are easy to spot by the way. They are sub-Naruto fare, catering for young male audiences, and running for hundreds of repetitive episodes. Tune in on Saturday mornings and you'll find them on television channels all over, your Pokemons and Digimons, regrettably the only anime that has a regular spot on national television. It's a truism in entertainment, mediocrity plays to the masses, and millions will watch Eastenders and Big Brother, while shows with intelligence and wit struggle to get even a percentage point of their ratings.

Manga Entertainment's distribution deal with Viz Entertainment means that there are a lot of teen male oriented shows coming over to the UK. We already have the long running Bleach and Naruto, and recently the more adult Death Note has debuted. There is Buso Renkin to look forward to, but given the sort of titles and target demographic, the likelihood of one of those mediocre series showing up has increased. MAR or Märchen Awakens Romance looks as if it is one of those series. The PR blurb states "A great series for younger kids or mature viewers with a strong aversion to growing up." It's a show that in three years has already chalked up a three-figure episode count, and the story synopsis places it firmly in the Saturday morning toon category. Anyway, after a game of reviewer pass the parcel, I was left holding the baby… Prejudiced, moi?



Ginta Toramizu is your typical bookish schoolboy. He's none too athletic, and his eyesight has been rendered opaque through years of videogaming. What makes him stand out is his constant daydreaming about a fairytale world, a world where he gets to be the hero. Naturally such an attitude sees him picked on more than most at school. Even his mother, an established author of fairytales has little time for his fantasies. The only one who believes him and stands up for him is a girl in his class named Koyuki. Nevertheless, his belief in this other world remains absolute. It's a good thing too, as the other world is real, it's called Mar-Heaven and one day a dimensional portal opens up and he is pulled through. He finds the fairy tale world of his dreams, a world where heroes and villains exist, mythical beings and monsters, all competing to possess ÄRMs, magical pieces of jewellery that can transform into weapons, guardian beasts, open portals, heal and curse, and possess other fantastic attributes. It's also a world where his eyesight is perfect, and he's strong and athletic too. When he comes into the possession of an ÄRM named Babbo, his adventures truly begin. Babbo is unique in that he is alive, can speak, and can be shaped into different forms using Ginta's imagination. An ÄRM such as this is truly coveted, and it isn't long before he is the target of thieves, bandits and mercenaries, all looking to possess Babbo. The real reason why Ginta is in Mar-Heaven becomes clear when he meets Alviss, the one who summoned him. Mar-Heaven is in danger from the Chess Pieces, a group that wishes to take over the world. The people of Mar-Heaven need a hero from Earth to protect them. Ginta is that hero, and on his travels he will make new friends and allies in his quest.

The first thirteen episodes are presented across 3 discs.

Disc 1
1. Open! Door To Another World
2. Babbo, The Legendary ÄRM!
3. Jack's Battle Shovel In Action
4. Lost and Found Babbo

Disc 2
5. Alviss, The Mysterious Young Man
6. Snow, The Young Girl Inside The Ice
7. Awaken: Meet The Other Ed!
9. Phantom, The Undead Knight
10. The Training Gate - Merilo and Bumoru

Disc 3
11. The Second Great War Begins!
12. Babbo: Version 2
13. Nanashi, Chief Of Luberia
14. Nanashi Vs. Orco At The Underground Lake

Picture

Oh dear. On the bright side, the 4:3 regular transfer can't be faulted. It's clear and sharp, the colours are strong and vibrant, and the image is clear of any significant artefacts. But the animation is extremely simple, the character designs are utterly forgettable, and there is no sense of depth whatsoever. The animation is replete with clean lines and primary colours, and the look of the piece is one step above a simple Flash animation. That's except the CGI. Most of the major magic moments, the arrival of Guardian beasts and dimensional rifts are accomplished through CGI. Of course there is no attempt to marry the two formats, and in some cases the 2D imagery is crudely pasted over the CG work.

Sound

Oh dear, oh dear. You have a choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese, with optional translated subtitles. The Japanese is the way to go, with actors that suit the characters. The music suits the fairy tale world and the story, although it does sound annoyingly like the synth muzak that you get piped into lifts. The English dub is a rebuggering of the whole thing. Thank PCB Productions for that, who adapted the show for the US market. Not only do the characters get the Saturday morning 'toon treatment, but the soundtrack is altered to give it a heavy metal thrash appeal, the sort which makes my gums bleed. It also means that the original opening and closing sequences are confined to the wastebin of history (or Youtube), and in their place, on both English and Japanese versions, we get a short guitar spasm, designed to squeeze an extra couple of adverts in.

Also, with subtitles like "Your power lacks the power"; a little extra proofreading wouldn't have been amiss. The translation is quite American-centric. The Japanese for curry is surprisingly, 'curry'. But the subtitles we get say 'Fried Chicken', even when the dish, crudely animated as it is, looks nothing like it.

Extras

Disc 1 offers trailers for Buso Renkin, Death Note, Bleach, and Naruto the Movie, and that's your lot.

Conclusion

Were this review as clichéd as the show, this would be the point, where following my thoroughly disparaging opening, I eat my hat and pronounce MAR to be the greatest anime ever made (quote that out of context and I'll curse your descendants), as while MAR wasn't quite the utter waste of time that I was expecting, it's hardly going to go down in the annals of anime history as anything other than a bargain basement, cliché ridden, run of the mill, RPG action show, which while entertaining is also instantly forgettable.



It's another case of being in the wrong audience demographic for me, as my inner 8 year old remained hidden during the duration of the show, but I'm guessing that age bracket would far more appreciate the light action and goofball comedy contained herein. If MAR had a regular Saturday morning TV slot, then I would think this series would do far better than it probably will in actuality. It's one of those collect-'em-up fantasy adventures of the like of Pokemon and Digimon, only instead of monsters and cards; the item of desire is the ÄRM, complete with infuriating umlaut. The heroes and villains all compete to possess these odd items of jewellery, which when invoked cast spells, grant powers, and turn into weapons. As convention would dictate, the ÄRM that our hero Ginta comes into possession of is unique in its ability and form, is actually alive and possesses quite the personality. The overall quest is to defeat the evil Chess Pieces, save the kingdom and find a way back home, and the story takes the well-travelled route of one-on-one battles, training and powering up, unleashing ever greater abilities etc etc.



There's little fresh about the story, it relies heavily on fairy tale conventions and clichés without the originality to make it interesting. It also failed my insomnia test, putting me to sleep during a 'Sleeping Beauty' episode, and the production values are low to the point of submerged. There's no attempt to integrate the 3DCG with the 2D graphics, the animation is simple, the character designs even more so, and the music annoying in both versions. What gives MAR a reprieve is the pace and energy of the show. It's fast moving and action packed, and while the overall battle of good versus evil may be familiar, it's no less entertaining for that. What also add to the interest are the characterisations. They may be the stock characters that inhabit all shows of this type, but they are imbued with such energy that it really doesn't matter. They are entertaining regardless. Ginta is a likeable hero, but his companions provide the most entertainment, especially Babbo, the narcissistic weapon ÄRM, who would constantly preen his moustaches if he had fingers, and whose self-image as a 'gentleman' makes for most of the show's laughs. Also entertaining is the witch Dorothy that Ginta encounters early on, whose self-interest and mercenary streak clash with a cheeky sauciness that is quite endearing. While she is soon attached to Ginta, Ginta's attention turns to Princess Snow, who bears an uncanny likeness to best friend Koyuki, and who he rescues from the frozen ice. Her bodyguard Ed, a warrior who has to timeshare his body with a dog protects her, and also trains Ginta (When the dog falls unconscious or asleep three times, he turns into the warrior, the warrior only has to fall asleep once to turn back into the dog.) Early on we meet Jack, a farmer's boy who joins Ginta after he saves his farm from a couple of big bad wolves. His weapon is the trusty shovel, and while more timid than Ginta, and blessed with a visage that even a mother would call simian, he soon joins in the fun, trusty as an ally, although exhibiting a jealous streak when he sees how much female attention that Ginta attracts.



The show continues from venue to venue, from battle to battle, ever expanding its roster of characters, and by the end of this set of discs, the battle between the heroes and the Chess Pieces is truly getting underway. By the end of this volume, the Chess Pieces have begun to lay waste to Mar-Heaven, and Ginta's band is playing catch up. As the episodes close out, they encounter an enigmatic thief who looks as if he will join the group. Nanashi is strong and vain, and voiced by the same Japanese VA who voiced Vash the Stampede in Trigun. If there is a depth to the show, it's in the back-story. The world of Mar-Heaven is inexplicably linked to Ginta's, there was a hero who previously came and defeated the Chess Pieces, and as the show progresses, the hints are several that Ginta has more in common with the earlier hero than just a world of origin. Also, in Ginta's world while he is absent, Koyuki starts having dreams from Princess Snow's point of view, vicariously sharing in Ginta's adventures.

I don't know about MAR. It certainly doesn't appeal to my demographic, and I doubt that anyone with disposable income will opt for it. It's aimed at younger audiences, and it's not even an exemplar of the sorts of shows that populate the Saturday morning schedules, and without a TV presence, I don't see how it will attract that audience. Worryingly, in the US where it was played on Jetix, Viz only released 4 DVDs before cancelling it. That's sixteen episodes, meaning if we get to the second volume of MAR, we'll have surpassed Region 1. If you want to treat your sprogs to something cheap and cheerful, MAR is it…