Julien Neaves, Editor
Plot: In the year 2089 on the colonised planet of Venus a bubbly reporter and a group of young riders in a Rollerballesque racing sport get embroiled in a war when the forces of the northern continent of Ishtar invade the southern continent of Aphrodia.
Review: I had heard a lot of positive chatter about 1989 anime film The Venus Wars on my classic anime Facebook groups and so I decided to check it out. Based on the manga series by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (original Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Battleship Yamamoto) boasts some of the best-looking animation for the decade. The colours are rich and full-bodied, and the designs of the characters, locations and vehicles are all wonderfully detailed. The visuals alone make the anime worth checking out. The characters, story and action though? Those are more of a mixed bag.
Our protagonist Hiro, haunted young hotshot of the Killer Commandos racing team, makes for a strong lead. And he has an electric chemistry with his girlfriend Maggy. Steely-eyed Killer Commandos leader-turned-resistance fighter Miranda, grizzled manager Gary and assertive young soldier Will were also entertaining to watch. But I was not a fan of annoyingly bubbly reporter Susan Sommers (I wonder where they got that name from), and the other characters were a bit meh.
The story is an intriguing one. I found the pervasive and understated terror of the Ishtar occupation the strongest aspect of the story. The young riders getting forcibly drafted into the Aphrodian Freedom Force was okay, but the ramifications of it were only dealt with on a surface level. The whole theme of the horrors of war truly isn’t explored as deeply as I felt it could have. And the “war” fees like it was over before it had begun. On the action, the racing sequences are intense, and the rapid movement is captured well. The battle scenes, though, were just okay to me.
I had a good time checking out The Venus Wars, but I felt like it did not live up to its potential as one of the best anime films of the era.
Editor Jules’ Score: 7 out of 10
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Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.