Iria: Zeiram the Animation
Sex/Nudity: None. Two scenes in the shower, but they are short and discrete.
Music:
Runtime Episodes: 29min / 6
Overall Rating: A -
Artwork: A
Story: B +
Comments: Iria the anime is actually a prequel to the two live action movies called Zeiram. It was also released in 2000 by Central Park Media. The image above is of the 2000 edition. There have been several reports as to how long the DVD is. I have it clocked at 180 min. I think this is important since duration can give me some hint as to whether one version is edited or not when such information is hard to come by.
Voice Acting English: A -
Voice Acting Japanese: A
Genre: Science Fiction
Extras: Interviews with voice actors and creators. Previews, resin model images, sing-along, clean opening, character designs, production designs, concept designs.
Date Reviewed: 0/0/00 Last Updated: 10/25/09
Basic Premise: none yet.
Review: The story takes place when Iria is only a bounty hunter in training. She works with her brother, Gren to arrest fugitives and collect the bounty, but often times Fujikuro seems to get in the way and steal Iria's bounty after Iria does he hard work. To be honest I can't really blam Fujikuro. Iria is very good at what she does and has been getting nearly all of the bounty lately and she is not even a full fledged bounty hunter yet. This means that Iria has been collecting bounty before she has a right to. No matter. The thing to know is that Iria is very good at what she does and her brother Gren who she works for is well known as being more than just good. He is extraordinarily good and is Iria's mentor.
One day a bounty comes in about a spacestation that has been taken over and that there are hostages that are being held there. When Iria, Gren, and Fujikuro get there they discover that things are far worse than they realized. The hostages are not being held hostage, but are being hunted as a creature has escaped that is known as Zeiram. Very little is known about the creature except that he is indestructable, does nothing but destroy, he assimilates creatures and machines to become like him.
As it becomes clear what this demon like creature is Iria and Fujikuro manage to escape with one scientist who it is discovered later is more than just a scientist, but is responsible for trying to capture Zeiram and harness it's power thus setting it free to wreak havoc on several civilizations. Iria's brother Gren however does not escape and is assimilated by the Zeiram, who absorbs his memories and shape. Iria is haunted by his tragedy and becomes obsessed with the destruction of the Zeiram.
As the story progresses Iria travels to many new and exotic places where she meets up with different cultures and creatures. She often pairs up with Fujikuro who has an attitude of caring only about what is best for himself, but really likes Iria a little like an uncle. Zeiram makes an appearance in every episode, but not an unwelcome one. Often times we are trying to learn more about the creature and some of the conspiracy surounding him.
Iria the animation turns out to be an enjoyable eye candy type of movie that has some plot to it. This truly is a straight science fiction anime. The visuals are great and I loved the opening to each episode. If you are looking for a fun science fiction anime that serves as a good prequel to something else then this would be it. If you are looking for a series that is more of a movie or is a story in and of itself then this may still work for you, but it will leave you with the feeling that there should be more. There is of course. There is the live action movie. I am just not so sure as the live action movie is quite as good as the anime though. That is usually the case for Japan.
Overall if you have more discriminating anime tastes and like quality anime that was not a rush job this is worth your time.
Conclusion: None yet.
Publisher: animeworks, mediablasters
Related Website: none yet.
Where Found: try animecastle.com, amazon.com, and rightstuf.com
Copyright: 1994 / 2004
Author: unknown
If you enjoyed this anime try: none yet.
Screenshots
