Review of Adventures With Iczer III

Introduction

Adventures With Iczer III confuses the issue straight away by actually being the middle part of a trilogy, coming between Iczer-1 and Iczelion, although only Iczer III is available as yet. Set in an undefined future era, a scientist developed the ultimate weapon against evil. Powerful, adaptive and resilient, it takes the form of a young girl, Iczer-1. Adventures With Iczer III picks up where the first series left off, and Manga entertainment present the entire OVA series of six episodes on two single-layer discs. 3 hours of anime excitement can be had for just over ten notes if you shop around.

The story begins with the aftermath of Iczer-1`s world-shattering battle with Neos Gold. Neos Gold survives in a weakened state, and declares revenge against Iczer-1. Unable to attack her directly, Neos Gold vows to destroy the world dearest to Iczer-1. Soon Neos Gold and her minions are wreaking havoc on a defenceless Earth, and destroying civilisation as we know it. The Moonbase is the last bastion against the onslaught, but it too soon crumbles under the assault. Part-time worker Nagisa Kasumi and her friends try to get to Earth`s last starship The Queen Fuji to escape, but Neos` minions await them. Iczer-1 meanwhile is recuperating from the battle, and as she is too injured to help, she sends her younger sister Iczer-3 to save humanity. Iczer-3 arrives just in time to save Nagisa, with whom she has a telepathic bond, and they manage to escape in the ship. Now it`s up to Iczer-3 to realise her full potential and defeat Neos Gold. Before she can do that though, she must battle her minions, a cloned version of herself, and the resurrected Iczer-2.

Video

Adventures With Iczer III comes with a 4:3 regular transfer. Made in 1990, you can expect hand drawn animation, slightly muted colours and some slightly stilted animation. The transfer does an adequate job and there are no technical flaws to complain about. Expect plenty of large eyed heroines and small pupilled villains. There`s a goodly amount of nicely animated mecha action too. It looks as if Manga Entertainment have given their logo an overhaul, it looks shiny and sparkly CGI now.

Audio

Manga Entertainment go all out for the sound options on their discs. Here you get a choice of DD 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS sound. Unfortunately they are all the same teeth-grindingly awful English dub, although given the story, I doubt the original Japanese could have been much better. The surround is loud if anything. The speakers are all called into use, but it`s none too dynamic. I should once again emphasise how loud this disc is. Normally when watching DVDs, I tend to turn the volume up. This time I actually had to turn the volume down when the bass on the Manga logo actually sounded distorted. There are no subtitles with this release.

Features

7 minutes of Manga Entertainment previews. Animated menus.

Conclusion

Adventures With Iczer III is the funniest thing I have seen this week, which would have been good if this was a comedy. It isn`t. If you have seen the average Saturday morning Japanese import, then you will be familiar with this kind of animation. It`s a mite more brutal, there is a smidgen of mild profanity, but other than that, it`s the sort of animation that has been sapping IQs for years now. I could mention the lack of characterisation, the shoddy story and plotting, a lack of continuity, or the fact that most of the character interactions and exposition takes place off-screen, but that hardly does this ridiculous anime justice.

There is a level of appreciation to be had from Iczer though. It helps if you have a little experience with anime, as there comes a point halfway through the first episode that the sheer preponderance of clichés, along with the atrocious English dialogue, combine to comedic effect. The villain is of the old school, prone to maniacal laughter and possessing the intelligence of an emotionally challenged squid. She will send her minions one by one to challenge Iczer, giving her just enough time to recuperate between battles, and when they fail, Neos punishes them with execution, thus reducing her own forces. It`s practically obligatory for there to be giant mecha versus giant monster action in the lowest common denominator animes, and Iczer is no exception. Iczer-3`s robo only works when both she and Nagisa are installed, but Nagisa is only there for moral support, and has to be suspended in the cockpit stark naked, except for some strategically placed straps. Also there is more lightsaber action than the average Star Wars movie, complete with Lucasfilm`s sound effects. If you have a good enough knowledge of anime clichés, then Iczer III could prove the basis of a decent drinking game.

Adventures With Iczer III isn`t original, nor is it entertaining. It`s missing two important ingredients, characters and a story. There`s plenty of eye-candy, but after fifteen years it doesn`t really set the screen alight. Don`t be fooled into thinking that 3 hours of animation at a cheap price represents good value for money, as Iczer harks back to the bad old days of anime, when poor dubs and eye-candy overrode thoughts of story and characterisation. It may serve a little purpose as nostalgia though. Adventures With Iczer III, so bad it`s laughable.