Genesis Climber MOSPEADA
1983-1984
Studios: Atmic (Bubblegum Crissis, Casshan: Robot Hunter) and Tetsunoku Studios (Little Bits, Kashirn)
Directed By: Shinji Aramaki (Halo Legends: The Package, Gasaraki) and Hideki Kakinuma (Bubblegum Crisis, Armitage: Duel Matrix).
Distributor: As Roboteck: Harmony Gold USA (Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years, Dragon Ball); Not as MOSPEADA: ADV (Oh My Goddess, Parasite Dolls).
Suggested Age Range: Fifteen years and older (15+). The show deals with war and death, and while the main cast comes off mostly unscathed, there is plenty of death and destruction to go around. Even with the use of ray guns, it shows how devastating these weapons are. There is some nudity sprinkeled through out, but it tends to be minimal, although it?s annoying the two or three times the youngest character, Mint has a few wardrobe mishaps (this is played more for laughs though). In other words, a good old fashion R rated anime until it became PG, borderline PG-13 when it became Roboteck. Regardles, MOSPEDIA is NOT A KID SHOW!
Accessibility to the General Viewing Public: MOSPEDA has no English Dub outside of the Roboteck stuff, so you do have to be a big anime fan or at least into the foreign film fandom as you will be reading subtitles. However, this aside, I think most mature High school or adult viewers of any fandom can enjoy this.
The Review:
Sometime after the 21st century, a mysterious alien invader called the Inbit invade Earth, and with superior force, tactics, and weapons, defeat the Earth?s military force. The story beguines with a second liberation force, from Mars colony to purge the Inbit from humanity?s home world. However, the Inbit are a much fiercer fighting force waiting for them, and nearly the entire fleet is destroyed, with only a handful of survivors making it to Earth.
One of these survivors is a hot headed pilot named Stick Bernard. While a skilled fighter, well adapted to using both the his fighter plane which can transform into a fighting robot to accomadate changing battle situations, and the MOSPEDIA motor cycle to can transform into a power armor for Stick, he has his issiues. Largely he has nothing but a fanatical view point of the Earth and humanity, and seeing the Earth for what it is, and what people are really like when things hit the fan, often conflict with his idealisom. Morover he has this extream hate for the Inbit for the fact that his Fiancy, a bridge bunny one of the ships he was stationed on, was killed in the assult on Earth.
All throughout the show, Stick is trying to reach the main base of the Inbit, a place designated as Reflex Point. Along the way, he meets up with a wise cracking, and very knowledgeable Ray, a seventeen year old scavenger simply trying to survive out in the world. He joins Stick, for one reason or another, and but proves his worth his intuitive nature, intelligence, easy going personality, and even a few skills in getting food and figuring out how the Inbet mechs work.
Other characters join them, each with their own quirks and memorable moments. In no particular order:
Mint, a thirteen year old girl who was abandoned by her parents and who?s running gag is finding a husband and being hyperactive. Though annoying at times, she is kind of a mascot for the group, and has her moments from time to time.
Hauquet, a gorgeous former gang member and skilled MOSPEDIA rider who has a tough exterior, and sensitive interior. There is a bit of a will they or wont they kind of subplot involving her and Ray, but going farther than that would involve some heavy spoilers.
Jim is a mechanic, and self described coward. However, he has more than proved otherwise throughout the show, works in support with the others by repairing their machines or bringing on the heavy weapons.
Yellow is another interesting character, and one of my favorites. Like Stick he is a survivor of the Second Earth Recapturing Fleet, but he is more level headed than his fellow soldier despite only being a couple years older. If there is a voice of reason in the group, and one the other characters would listen to, it?s him. Before joining Stick and company, Yellow hid in plain view as a popular pop singer, but was more impressive was he did it as a woman, able to change his voice, personality, and even his body shape at a moment?s notice. This is also done respectfully, not as a running gag, although this has it?s moments in a very tasteful manner (seriously, finding out the pop start you?ve had a crush on is a strait man is heart breaking to any fan with a crush).
The last character to join is strange amnesiac woman who is drop dead gorgeous and has this aura of innocence to her. More importantly, she is somehow able to sense the Inbit when they approach near her. Don?t worry, there is nothing that the first disk or the first disk special features would already spoil.
Overall, this is a great show. It does have its moments where it falls sort of the goal, but has aged well. Where the show shines is how serious it takes itself with how gritty war is, even one as justified as this one. There are good people fighting for the humans, and there is some real slime as well. Stick himself is a stick in the mud with his fanatical views, and doesn?t really change much throughout the show. Ray tends to be a more of a realist, Harquet is a product of her environment, Jim is Shell Shocked, and Mint is just seeking attention. Even the clichés tend to hold up well, though I have some issues with the last episode.
Visually, it actually looks great. It?s over eighteen year old, and it shows, but it still holds up with its movements, it?s timing, and, and most importantly for an action anime, it?s actions scenes. They actually animate movements. Yes, there is stock footage, but they actually do that very well, so with a few standard problems old anime in general, it holds up pretty well.
Music is very well done, with it taking a more bluesy, jazzy influence than the normal pop/rock that permeates anime. The pop songs they do use are sound pretty good on the ears, with my only problem is they use them too much in the last disk or so. The opening and the closing on the other hand as general rule get a full score. The opening is a light rock piece that gets you pumped up, and the closing is this clam blues song. So it gets you excited for the show, and calms you down at the end.
The overall problems with the show is simply in th DVD?s as they do character bios and dome sketches, not much else. Also the only dub of this show in English is Roboteck, and that is a slightly different animal. However, with a different uncut dub I can see this show getting into the mid 80?s out of a hundred, while coupled with better DVD extras would push it into th 90?s range.
However, as is I?m giving this a 74/100, which is by no means a bad film, definitely well worth a good look-see.