Post by Bytor on May 10, 2012 18:59:30 GMT -5
-Details-
Genre: Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic
Company: Nippon Animation
Format: TV 26 Episodes
Date: April 4, 1978 – October 31, 1978
-Visuals- 8.5/10
This is an old anime (1978), and at times it shows. Having said that the visuals are crisp. concise and extremely well rendered. Unless you knew for sure how old this was I imagine (although I also imagine you would realize it is old) you would have a hard time telling how old this actually is. Everything looks nice, the characters are very well animated and the backgrounds fit nicely. It's certainly not the best looking thing I have ever seen but I could certainly imagine it would be simple to suspend disbelief and view it as relatively modern.
-Sound- 8.5/10
Ok, let's look at two aspects of the sound evaluation. On the one hand the voice acting is very, very good and portrays emotion and evokes feelings the characters are experiencing wonderfully, although I admit I did get a tad tired of "Lana" and "Conan" being screamed (watch it and you will understand). Each character is individual and I simply loved the repartee between Jimsey and Conan, actually I loved Jimsey period, lol. Now, on to the soundtrack...himmm...how to say it..well, be prepared for some serious 70's vibes, ,lol. At first the music can be a tad distracting I guess due to the simple fact that it is certainly dated. However, as the show progresses I found myself realizing a simple truth, some things are timeless. Something that works wonderfully may not always work wonderfully but sometimes it certainly may. And this is a case where the music is wonderfully fit to the show.
-Characters- 9.3/10
You will find few shows with this many varied and fun characters, and the interactions between them are not only great in the beginning but as they develop and get to know each other even more they evolve and grow in their interactions. I simply loved Conan and Jimsey's friendship (and especially the rivalry they experience in the beginning) and the relationship between Lana and her grandfather is also wonderful. But the best one I actually cannot mention as it would provide one seriously huge spoiler, suffice it to say it is handled equally as well, and as believable as the other relationships which develop in this show.
-Story- 9.0/10
The world has been destroyed by a cataclysmic war which has not only changed the face of the entire world but decimated the population and almost, well pretty much in most areas, destroyed all vestiges of civilization and technology. Conan is born on an island of space faring survivors but he, and his grandfather, the last of the survivors believe all that is left of the world is what is on their island, that is until Lana washes ashore. Turns out there is still a refuge of technology, Industria, but it is run by an evil ruler who cares nothing about anything except capturing an old man who knows how to resurrect the solar power which will give him complete control of what is left of civilization, the old man is Lana's grandfather. What follows is an enjoyable story of pursuit and capture where the line between good guys and bad guys becomes a tad blurred as each gets to know the other. Through it all Conan, Jimsy and Lana retain a wonderful friendship which carries the story forward and touches all who meet them. This is not a complex Theo-philosophical story but what it is is a wonderful tale of friends growing together and realizing that no matter what they are still friends.
-Overall- 9.1/10
I had so much fun watching this anime. the story was so well told and the characters so well developed that I easily overcame the slight issues i had with some of soundtrack and with some of the light halfheartedness of the story combined with some of the more serious aspects. The balance was firmly established enough and to be honest simply told so well that I suspended disbelief and simply enjoyed my time spent in this wonderful anime.
