Customer Reviews

Alien Nine

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had ran accross this title awhile back when it was first released in Japan.

Looking over the design work I had wondered, "WOW, what a cute and interesting looking show." Unfortunately at the time this film, was in the stage of, "Here's another interesting OVA series that might not make it over here." And it was a surprise that it was picked up and released here. I'm glad that they did.

I had the opportunity to view this title over the weekend with a friend. And all I can say is "wow". Very original in it's simplicity and complexity.

While some at first glance may look at it as being cute on the outside the series hides a dark side, a side that is "reality". The whole point of it looking cute was a cover-up. And I must say the creators did a good job at pulling at it off. This is not your typical anime film that manages to "spoon feed", it's viewers. Oh no, this is a very highly psychological piece of work. I say this because, while the film projects one view of things, what you're seeing is not what it appears to be. Many of the elements in this 4-part series are very "symbolic". It's key factor "ADOLESCENCE. The driving force behind what the film is trying to display in another light. Many will not get the references on the first watch taking it as it is.

For example, in one point of the film there is a scene where all the students gather in what appears to be a gym. All the kids there are practically naked except for their gym shorts. They get their measurements taken. Like taking a physical. Yuri Otani, stands on the scale to get weighed and height checked. She notices that she grew an inch or two. One of the girls from a neighboring class (if not the same class) hears this and makes a comment to some of her friends,

"I hear they say that the girls from class ... who wear 'Borgs' on their head, grow an inch taller."

Yuri overhears this. While some of the girls giggle about the comment her friend jumps to her defense even though they were only making fun and didn't mean anything cruel. Looking at this scene directly, it would look like you're typical scene of about something out in open, when in reality it's showing symbolism.

The 'Borgs'symbolically represent an extension or push into adolescence. Basically, the characters Kumi, Kasumi and Yuri are put into these roles that are meant for adults. In other words growing up sooner than they would like. The constant licking of the back area that they get from the 'Borgs' looks like in one view "feeding", when in actuality they are the stimulus to growth. If anyone knows anything about the 'brain's anatomy,that the hypothalamus and pituitary glands are responsible for the secretion of GROWTH hormones. And thus given the understanding behind, "girls who wear 'Borgs' on their head grow faster than everyone else".

You really have to pay close attention to what's said and the visuals in this series to draw a conclusion about some of the elements. Nothing is to be taken literally. This film was meant to make you think.

Although the rating on the case states that the film is for ages 13+ and up, I would not expect anyone under that age to understand this series. Especially, due to some of the more mature if not disturbing issues, that I will not mention. Older viewers may find this a challenge. But eventually understand and enjoy it. Giving insight to younger individuals.

But all in all it's an excellent purchase and worth seeing. I've even recommended this video to our institution's library [School of Visual Arts--NY, USA] video collection. We've just getting courses for anime as part of the animation curriculum. Such film recommendations as this one are a must for students here. We are in the process of getting the manga's as well. Although different from the OVAs, will present a another view of the same story.

Just to clear up some confusion, 'Alien 9' was not created by the same team that did 'Excel Saga'. It was created at the same studio that did 'Excel Saga', but not by the same creator. The same goes for the 'Cowboy Bebop' creator. Just the director for the movie 'Cowboy Bebop: KOHD', worked on this project. The creator of 'Alien 9' is Hitoshi Tomizawa'. He is the true creator. The others were responsible for animated work. Companies here that release anime of such titles, need to be more clear about these things. Vague information can send people the wrong information about a project.

A group of girls saving the world from aliens and other yucksome thingies -- wonderful stuff, such stories: Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Shadow Lady. And aliens, some of them distinctly yucksome, abound in Alien Nine, together with three 6th grade heroines named Kumi, Kusumi, and Yuri. Rollerblading around the school with lacrosse rackets and wearing their borg helmets - a type of symbiotic alien who protects them with what look like long, thin, and very dangerous wriggly drill bits - the girls catch aliens who otherwise would do yucksome things to everybody. The only tiniest problem is that Yuri is scared, just plain terrified. --- In Alien Nine, we see beneath the cheerful superheroine antics of chasing aliens. Kusumi is a lonely overachiever, Kumi a lonely leader of her schoolmates, and Yuri is just lonely. Depressed and sad, Yuri wants nothing to do with deadly aliens nor the lunatic boys who use their own borgs to attack her nor crazed teachers who seem to have set up these alien-chasing games as an arcane test of things unsaid and unstated. --- And so we encounter not yucksome alien thingies from spaceships, but the alienness of what is within, the fear of growing up into a (sexual) adult, the terror of losing oneself in the all-engulfing needs of another person, the lethal dread of being abandoned. --- So why watch Alien Nine? Because Yuri hasn't given up yet. Lonely, terrified, she rollerblades onward, crying, having nightmares, unable to aim her dart gun, and, in one genuinely stunning scene that's worth the price of the whole DVD, turning and killing her attackers. --- Alien Nine is not about aliens, yucksome or otherwise. It's a superb exploration of what alienation truly means: of being a child and having to grow up because your body is changing out from under you. The aliens - and this holds for the manga as well - are a metaphor for becoming someone else. Not everyone makes it, either. Unfortunately, the DVD is unfinished, and we do not find out what happens at the end. Maybe that's part of the message: we don't know, not really, how life will turn out. But (in the meantime) Alien Nine is well worth watching: haunting, grim, powerful, and ultimately completely convincing.

If you're interested in this anime because you like animation or you find the drawing on the cover appealing let me warn you: This is based on a manga, that as of yet is not completed. That means that the first three episodes here introduce our heroines and sort of gets the ball rolling as it were and then all of a sudden BAM! It ends after episode four. Only it doesn't really end. You see, one of the characters apparantly gets sucked into a giant whale like alien, and something really weird happens, and I'm not sure, but I think one of the main characters was seen lying dead in a pool of her own blood in the end?! Meanwhile a weird plot is slowly unfurling in the background about some alien stuff and their trainer seems to be involved somehow... Clearly as you can see, not a lot of answers are given at this early stage, yet it must be noted that the series is very well drawn, the animation is of a very high quality and provided there's more episodes coming in the future, I certainly plan to stick around. Also there are plenty of special features on the disc so you do get your money's worth.
Originally I was gonna give this 3 stars only but I just can't do it. Anyone who comes up with the idea of putting frog-like aliens on the heads of three 6th graders and then have them rollerscating around after weird vegetablelike aliens with nets and dart guns deserves 4 stars for originality. Only in anime could this happen, and that's why I love it.
Now where is the rest!?

This anime DVD has received rave reviews since its release back in 2003 and having heard so much about this anime and its manga series, I figured that I'll give a try since you can literally pick this title up for around $5 online (or $15 for the Ultimate Collection which includes the three manga graphic novels).

The storyline focuses on three girls:

Otani Yuri - Yuri is a sixth grader and the eldest of the three and somewhat the main character of this OAV series. She was elected by her classmates to be the representative for the Alien Party (their duty is to capture aliens that land in their school yard). Yuri is a fearful girl, always scared, very shy and cries nearly about everything.

Kawamura Kumi - A sixth grader and is the tallest member of the group, member of the student council and independent. Since her father has passed away, she has lived life as a mature young girl, assisting her mother in work duties, chores and very disciplined.

Tomine Kasumi - A sixth grader that is multi-talented. She excels in everything she does and has trophies and awards for her accomplishments. She is the shortest member and when she talks, her vocabulary is like a young girl and answers with a neko-style "nya".

These three sixth graders make up the Alien Party under the tutelage of Hisakawa Megumi, their advisor and councellor.

Being a member of the Alien Party may seem exciting. If there is an alien that has landed in school, you don't have to attend classes and you are somewhat popular among your classmates for the work that you do. But for Yuri, she didn't want to do this.

She hates the aliens, she hates conflict, she hates having to be an active person and she hates that she has to bond with a borg.

A borg is symbiotic life form that bonds with their host. They are worn on the heads of an Alien Party member and provide the offense and defense for them. In return for what they do for the Alien Party members, they request to feed off the waste (typically licking the backs of sweat or whatever on the girls).

The first four episodes are more about friendship and how these three young girls get along, especially since they are quite different from each other.

I actually enjoyed the series but I admit that my patience was wearing thin in regards to the character of Otani Yuri.

For me, I do no like characters that continually cry and whine (a side note: It's one of the reasons why in the past, I have not finished "Neon Genesis Evangelion" because of the whining of character Shinji) and I have found the character of Otani Yuri to be just that.

It's one thing if they become a whiny underdog and then proves everyone wrong as the character matures but for Otani, it was becoming a drag to hear her cry so much throughout this OAV series at almost everything that happens to her. But if there was one positive of the OAV series being only four episodes long, that is the viewer is not subject to whining and crying for a long period of time.

Each time she's scared or yelled at, she cries. And these are not few or small segments, she does it too much! Yes, I'm sure that is how her character is and how it was probably show in the manga but there is only so much crying that can be done and since her character is a primary character in this OAV series, you would hope that she grows from it.

I kept asking myself, what if she was put in the situation where she needs to save someones life. Would she cower in fear or save their life and in episode 4, she is put into that predicament.

So, the over abundance of crying scenes by Otani's character was starting to wear thin for me but I'm sure other viewers took it in stride and have more patience than I do.

Episode 4 is a bit more darker and definitely opened things up for something exciting to happen between the members of the Alien Party in future episodes and that is where another problem that I had with the series begins.

There are no future episodes. There are no plans for a TV series or OAV series since the release of the four episode OAV back in 2001.

For an anime and manga series that was well-liked in Japan, you can only hope that an animated version would continue.

But similar to a series like "Submarine 707-R", I dislike watching a series that you really get into and enjoy but knowing that there are no further episodes left to watch, that kind of sucks!

There is a one volume manga series titled "Alien Nine Emulators" released by Central Park Media which follows the three Alien Party members as they enter Junior High and having to adjust to puberty and emotions. Also, "emulators" is supposed to be much darker and more violent and there are other manga that have been released in Japan but that is if you are willing to import it.

But as for the DVD and OAV series, "ALIEN NINE" was a series that I did enjoy. Yes, it's a cutesy anime but it is quite unique in its own way. The anime features way too much crying that nearly wanted to make me yank my hair out but all in all, it got very interesting as the storyline progressed and I actually wanted to see more.

Now, there is an ultimate version of this DVD release available that comes with the manga graphic novels. I've been told by many that the manga and anime versions are quite different and where the anime focuses on friendships, there is more than friendship going on in the manga series.

Needless to say, after watching this regular edition, I now regret not picking up the ultimate edition because at least maybe there would be some areas that would fill in some plot holes and at least show me this other side in the manga series not explored in the animated OAV series.

But all in all, both DVD versions can be found quite cheap online (and that's new not used). Plus it's full of special features, so for its current price online, it's an OAV series definitely worth checking out.

Perhaps the best transaction I've had on Amazon. Absolutely fantastic price on this brand new item. Very fast shipping. I fully intend to do business with this company again.

This is one of those gloriously strange things that some of us like so much in anime (be warned, if that doesn't include you, stay well clear!)

A lot of the strangeness comes from what is surely a perfectly deliberate mismatch between the character design and what's actually going on in the plot. Think Azumanga Daio meets H.P. Lovecraft ...

There's quite a lot of alien gore, but little of the human sort. However there are bucketfuls of human psychological collateral damage, done all too realistically. Some scenes came as near to making me cover my eyes as anything since the very different (and by no means subtle) Elfen Lied. And I particularly remember a smile from one of these oh-so-cute characters, in the last episode, which is frankly spine-chilling. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

What makes this so good is the characterisation and fairly subtle implications about what's happening which are very skilfully hinted at rather than shouted out loud ... a lot of the shivers come from reflecting afterwards as realisation dawns ...

This can also be a weakness, and come close to costing a star in my estimation; the anime ends on a cliffhanger with none of the mysteries explained, although a lot of fairly clear hints. If that is likely to annoy you, I wouldn't even start.

Some of the threads are apparently tied up in the manga, though I gather that is pretty open-ended too.

I think the object was really just to create a mood of extreme creepiness rather than a fully realised world. If so, this anime succeeds better than almost any other that I've seen. I can readily imagine it causing nightmares in the imaginative. The animation is technically expert and beautiful in its peculiar way and contributes well the the unnerving effect.

Looking at the cover, you might think that this is one of those adorable/cuddly little anime that isn't going to disturb anyone....

This is an excellent anime, but it isn't sweet. The alien presence seems to symbolize adulthood, and this anime takes the position that adults ALWAYS have a hidden agenda.

I think most teenagers would like this, but most parents would not.
If you do watch it, be sure to watch the end credits of the final episode.

The animation in Alien Nine is beautiful, both the dub and original voice acting is fair, and the music is strange yet entertaining. It also makes a very nice addition to the manga (term for a Japanese comic book). By this statement, I mean that the movie essentially NEEDS it's manga counterpart to feel like an entire series. The episodes just cut off with next-to-no hope for another volume, which tends to be the style of many Japaneses animes, which are normally intended for a Japanese audience that always has easy access to manga. This anime isn't for everyone, it's a very interesting mixture of cute people and grotesque aliens that they have to fight with exploding-green-alien-blood-and-guts results (think the Men in Black movies ). If this isn't your cup of tea, or if you aren't intending to read the manga, then I'd suggest steering clear. Otherwise, I would definitely suggest seeing it. It's a funky, fun addition to the wonderful manga series.

This is a fully developed but freakish alternate reality firmly grounded in the psychology of our "real" world.

I was NOT prepared for this and you won't be either. Frankly, nothing can prepare you. You will either love it or hate it. Or both.

You will be missing out on a very unique experience if you don't watch this one.

The story takes place in the not-too-distant-future. (Actually for a while I often wondered if the story was really supposed to take place on earth and if the characters were really supposed to be human, based solely on the fact that none of them appear to have a nose.) Aliens have made contact with us (we never do see how this first happened,) and now they frequently make trouble for people. They don't appear to have technology, (except maybe for the organic-looking ships they arrive in,) but are more animal-like. How do the athorities combat them? By sending in conventional military forces? No, silly. This is anime. Kids are the ones sent to do battle with these hostile invaders-in this case, a trio of 6 grade girls. (This brings me to a problem I've had with a lot of action anime shows made recently, where there is some terrible threat to the world and Japan and/or America responds by sending kids under 18 to deal with it. Look at FULL METAL PANIC! Souskae is only 17, yet not only is he in the military and going on life-or-death missions, he is a seargent. I'm I the only 1 who has a problem with that?)

The youth of the world's saviors, the lack of an origin story showing how the aliens first got here (as well as the apparent lack of noses) are some of the problems I have with this video. Now comes my biggest complaint: the heroine, Yuri, is quite possibly the whinest crybaby ever to star in an anime show. This girl actually makes the title character from SAILOR MOON look like a badass by compairison. Even in her wimpiest moments, Serina/Usagi looks like Ellen Ripley next to Yuri. Also, Sailor Moon grows as a character and in the ends is much braver and stronger than she was at the beginning. Yuri spends all her time whenever she's engaged in battle standing around crying and talking about how scared she is and relying on her living alien helmet (all 3 girls have 1,) to do all the work for her, and she's every bit as wimpy at the end of the show as she was at the beginning. Admittedly, she is at a very tender age to be confronting enemies, and she was drafted into it. Also, 4 episodes dosen't allow much room for development. (There is a manga, though, that runs longer than the anime. I haven't read it, however.) Still and all, if Yuri dosen't develop some backbone QUICKLY, I don't know that I'd be that interested in reading it anyway. She was so grating I kept hoping 1 of the other girls would get fed up and slap her and then tell her to buck up already.

On the plus side, this DVD has a nice extra with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the dub. I always enjoy getting to see the people working behind the scenes and hearing their thoughts on their work.

Oh, yeah, 1 more drawback. Another girl in the show, Kasumi, often mews like a cat for no apparent reason. (Again, she isn't the only anime character who dose this; there was a girl in I MY ME STRAWBERRIE EGGS who was the same way.) Is this just an anime thing or are there really girls in Japan who like to do this? I don't know if this is supposed to be cute or funny or whatever, but try to imagine a girl in America doing this and the kind of strange looks she'd get.