Anime Preview: Neo Ranga

[Ryoutarou]

Introduction

If you're like me you saw this title and thought, "What? Neo Ranger?" No, this is not Neo Ranger… not even close. This is not some kind of "misspelling" like Neo Renjaa or Neoraiger. It's Neo Ranga. Got that? And if what you're looking for is an anime about Neo Ranger chicks in pimped Sentai costumes, battling monsters with special attacks Bubble Gum Crisis or even Sailor Moon style… it ain't here! If you're still reading this review after that, this anime from director, Jun Kamiya (Blue Seed), just might be the anime you're looking for.

Story

"Across the ocean, on the tiny island kingdom of Barou, something wakes an ancient god—Neo Ranga—from his slumber. He is drawn to Tokyo, and nothing's going to stop him as he searches for Minami, Ushio and Yuuhi, three beautiful sisters who are unwittingly linked to him. But instead of rolling out the red carpet, the military rolls out the weaponry, and things start to get nasty.

As Neo Ranga goes on his rough-and-tumble, crush-and-crumble romp through the city, the mystery grows. Is he a vehicle for corruption, or is he simply uncovering what already dwells within the city? Is he a messenger with a warning for humankind, or just a big boy out for a good time? Can Ranga defeat the military's fully-loaded ACE robot and the power-mad pilot who's out to blast him to bits? When they're forced to confront him – and each other – will the people of Tokyo actually learn anything from all this? And what's behind Ranga's mysterious eyes?"--

Review

This is not an action anime, at least not yet. This is a tale of three sisters and their giant monster, Neo Ranga. As opposed to what we've come to expect from a formula like this, Neo Ranga takes a decidedly different approach to bringing across this story. Instead of the enemy being some corrupt organization that's looking to duke it out with Neo Ranga and his rag-tag band of female guardians, the enemy is fear itself and how the people of the world cope with it.

The anime opens up with the military opening fire and trying to prevent Neo Ranga from destroying any more of Tokyo in his search for the three Shimahara sisters who'd awakened him. Once everyone calms down enough for the girls to bring their awakened god home, the show shifts gears and switches to more of a drama. Some people of the city welcome the coming of Neo Ranga, as he brings tourists and their business booms. Others on the other hand have an internal well of fear that slowly builds the longer they have to tolerate a monster sitting around in their own neighborhood. The director, Jun Kamiya, seems to hint the he knows what we were expecting in short scenes where the youngest Shimahara sister shouts into her wrist for Neo Ranga to spring into action or in the 1st Volume's only mecha pilot who's itching to try out his mech, Ace, and battle for "truth and freedom." Still, Kamiya, stays true to the story he's trying to tell without slipping into using usual clich? storytelling formats, prominent in anime of this kind.

The animation is pretty average. It slips in quality for a swift second here and there, but its level of quality stays consistant. The design of Neo Ranga himself is captivating and foreboding. The hulking mass doesn't seem to overtly mean anyone harm, but there's always an air about him, like a bomb that you're not sure is difused or not. The Opening Theme also reveals what I assume are the Shimahara sister's future costumes and weapons. Those also are quite appealing to the eye and give the series a real ancient tribal quality to it, but don't quite come into play in the 1st Volume. In terms of the soundtrack, this anime definitely shines. Not any kind of tech-rock or j-pop, but a bass driven tribal score rings in the opening of every episode.

Episodes in this DVD included:

Episode 1 - Showdown at tennozu isle
Episode 2 - The paradise where God dwells
Episode 3- The deceived twilight
Episode 4- Embraced in a flash
Episode 5- Carnival in the desert
Episode 6- Shrine shrapnel shine
Episode 7- The Musashino festival
Episode 8- The landscape seen through Yuuhi's eyes

Final Thoughts

Fans of action anime, unless you have patience this anime is not meant for you. Who it's meant for is those who enjoy an enthralling story that focuses on people, more than slam-bang action. This anime garnered a pretty strong and huge following in Japan, so if you're fans of Jun Kamiya's work such as Blue Seed, then you should definitely step into the world of Neo Ranga and see where this newest journey will take you.