Customer Reviews

Blue Gender Box Set

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When Blue Gender first aired on Adult Swim, I really got into it but I never saw the whole thing. Just from what I did see I felt justified in buying the box set and I knew I wouldn't regret it. After viewing all 26 episodes, I can go far as to say this is the best anime series I have ever seen with the exception of Cowboy Bebop. Trust me though, Blue Gender is a very close second.

Yuji Kaido, the main character, is diagnosed with an incurable disease so he becomes a "sleeper", and the plan is to wake him when mankind finds a cure. After he has been asleep for much longer than he was told, he is awakened to find out the world he once knew has become his worst nightmare. The Earth has been invaded by giant insects known as the "Blue". The blue have wiped out most of the Earth's population and those who remained left to a space station called Second Earth. It is a recovery team from Second Earth that awakens Yuji, and the team is there with the mission of bringing back as many sleepers from Earth as possible. In fact it is Marlene Angel that wakes Yuji, and the two soon have to work together if they are going to make it out alive.

This is a series filled with emotion, strong violence, and nudity. Some may opt to pass on this series due to these themes, but I can't recommend seeing this enough. Seeing Yuji's nightmare as he awakens on Earth is incredible, as is his transformation into the fighter he becomes. There are twists in the storyline at every turn, and the action is nonstop. I never felt like the plot was dragging, as every episode left me wanting to see more. It is just that incredible. The animation is pretty good and works for this series. I especially like the design of the different kinds of Blue, which add so much to the effect of the action. And the best bug comes in the end, but youll have to see what I mean. Another thing that makes this a great series are the characters, who have so much personality. They are realistic people in a war against a species that has invaded their Earth. So by now you have the basic idea behind Blue Gender, and there are too many great plot twists for me to say anymore about that.

There is a certain reviewer about 3 down from me who claims this anime has a weak story, bad animation and was a total waste of money. I have to ask: what Blue Gender did you watch? I mean I can understand that this might not be a title for everyone, but to say it was a complete waste of 536 minutes with absolutely no good? I have to disagree about the main character Yuji, who is annoying when he first wakes up, but as he realixes what he must do to take back his Earth his personality becomes more complex. But anybody who hasnt seen this, at least rent it first before you buy reviews that tell you that this series is total crap.

Packaging for this set is superb, with a great looking art box to hold all 8 volumes of the series. It is a high price for the whole set, although you can buy the volumes individually for about $20 each. It is definaely cheaper in the long run to buy the box set, and if you look in the right places you can find it for way less than the $120 retail price ( I bought mine for $70 new). As for extras, each volume contains some art galleries, character bios, and trailers for other anime releases. Nothing groundbreaking, but good. All volumes contain the Japanese (for the purists that like the original dialogue) and English tracks with Dts, so if you have a nice system crank it up when you are watching this. If you dont like too much violence you may want to pass this one up. Otherwise, I hope I have persuaded you to at least see this series for yourself and hopefully you will be amazed like I am with what you see.

Yugi is a teenager who has contracted a lethal virus with no hope of a cure. The only option for his survival is to be put into suspended animation in hopes that the future will somehow find a cure for his illness. Fourteen years later, he is awoken with several other people like him. They are now known as "sleepers" and must fight "the blue", or monsters that have taken over the earth.
Sounds formulaic, right? Think again. Blue Gender is a psychological and action trip that will have you like an addiction by the first episode. Many people have been turned off by the title alone, but to those of you not sure what you are getting yourselves into, don't worry. You'll love it. The art is detailed, the music is haunting, and the story is solid in every episode. If you can take political intrigue, loads of mechs, and a ton of blood, you're in for a real treat. This series is undeserving in its constantly overlooked state. Fans of the Macross series, Cowboy Bebop, the Big O, and Gundam: this is for you.

In the future, civilization has collapsed, because the earth is infested by big, big bugs.

It sounds like the stuff of utter mind blowing disaster, but thankfully "Blue Gender" succeeds in being a fairly intelligent, intricate sci-fi anime. Lots of horror, giant bugs and a fish-out-of-water hero who manages to be fairly interesting as he becomes a seasoned warrior, but the characters develop by leaps and bounds -- and the ending is completely out of left field, apparently in an attempt to be bleak and "deep."

Yuji Kaido was an ordinary teenager in the not-too-distant future, until he came down with a strange disease. The only hope for a cure is to be put into cryogenic sleep.

A few decades later, he awakes to a whole new Earth -- sparsely populated, civilization overturned, and with every continent overrun by hideous enormous insects called the Blue. Then two enormous mecha piloted by humans appear, and after many dangers Yuji is taken by a chilly soldier named Marlene to Second Earth, a space station where humanity is organizing a fight against the Blue.

But Yuji soon learns that life is dangerous -- not just because of the Blue, but because of the militarized humans on Second Earth, who see him just as a sample to be used. After Yuji vanishes, Marlene begins a desperate quest to find him, even if it gets her in hot water. And when she does find him, they both discover the secret of Yuji and the Sleepers, and why they may be the key to destroying the Blue once and for all. Except of course things aren't that simple.

"Blue Gender" has a pretty generic sci-fi concept behind it, the sort of thing you'd probably see on a Sci Fi original movie. Fortunately the actual series is much better than you'd think -- a vivid cocktail of action, conspiracy-laden suspense and science fiction in equal measure, but with the occasional pauses injected between the action and suspense sequences, where the writers can focus on the characters and what they feel.

Along the way, there's lots of grotesque, vaguely Freudian megabugs that have swarmed all over the globe, and whose origins are explored even as they eat people and overturn large machines. Lots of splattered gore, enormous insects that almost look real, and big industrial-looking mecha. But as the series winds on, there's an increasing emphasis on what the humans are doing as well, and their desperation to defeat the Blue -- and there are some surprising plot twists thrown into the mix.

The biggest weak point? The ending is a disaster that throws out most of what comes before it, in the name of a bizarre pseudo-environmental message that just explodes out of the, ahem, Blue. It feels like the writers couldn't come up with a suitably epic ending, so they went for the most bleak and "deep" finale they could.

Yuji is a bit of a pain at first, since he does nothing but scream and panic over the first few episodes. But after a little while, he decides to become master of his own fate, and his story arc shows him turn from a nice ordinary guy to a hardened soldier. On the flipside, Marlene starts as an ice princess, but we see her gradually
thawing under Yuji's influence until she has become more like he once was, and vice versa. Most of the secondary characters die off or vanish pretty quickly, but they're well-drawn as well.

"Blue Gender Box Set" is a solid sci-fi/action anime with plenty of giant bugs and military attacks, but the ending entirely spins out of control.

Blue Gender intrigued me when I caught a few episodes on Adult Swim, enough to buy the set. And it's quite an adventure. The animation ranges from stunning to just okay, but the story arc is riveting and very powerful. The box set is the way to go, because if you miss an episode, you miss a major part of the plot. And there are some wonderfully enexpected twists. Yuji Kaido, awoken from an illness-induced cryogenic sleep to a world gone mad, and Marlene Angel, the seemingly emotionless perfect soldier, are the central characters. Over the course of the series they undergo remarkable growth, discovering their own strengths and limitations, and of course learning to care about each other. It is a harsh, bitter environment these people inhabit. Other characters come and go. Many die shocking, horrible deaths. But Marlene and Yuji are the heart, soul and emotional core in this story of giant mutated insects and armored mech suits. The English dub is quite good, although Yuji's helpless whining when he is first awoken does get irritating. The orchestral score is terrific, perfectly capturing the suspense and drama playing out on screen. At times the music and sound effects are positively chilling. The DVDs do contain some sexual situations and graphic gore that was cut from the Cartoon Network broadcast. Overall, Blue Gender is a strong series. But be forewarned, once you are caught up in the story, you may not be able to stop watching.

The basic story is unorigional: boy winds up in an horrible desolute future filled with horrors he has trouble coping with, the graphics are unremarkable: lots of animation reuse, well but not exceptionaly well drawn scenery and characters, the enemy is rehashed: giant bugs! the staple of many, many anime (the japanese and their giant bugs...) going all the way back to tekkamon blade (anyone remember that incredible anime!...anyone?...anyone?), yet this is one of the greatest anime of all time.

This anime is real. Its portrayal of human emotion, its mecha and even the movement and actions of the insects are stark and lifelike. The main characters are not invincible, but very much human. Sub characters drop like flies and never did I once feel like there wasn't a sense of urgency or danger in any one of the predicements encountered by Yuji and co. (unlike many other popular anime series: DBZ, Gundam, R. Kenshin)I was constantly at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. Even the "larger plot" (for newbies: The larger meaning many anime try to convey which usually trips them up in the end: the final revelation in Evangelion, the Gasaraki's conundrum, GITS' "cyborg mating"...I digress)is cogent and only serves to add to the overall story and not detract from it.

Overall this anime is a plus to any otaku's collection, and I recommend it to many newbies as well, though not as their first anime.

This anime is not for children. It is incredibly violent and utterly devoid of "fuzzy" comic relief.

Blue Gender is one of them Anime's that has you on the tip of your Seat, with one killing after another of the Sleeper Recovery Teams members, Blue Gender is packed with loads of action. Mechs, giant Bugs and loads of Guns. What else could you ask for ?

The Story is pretty solid for a Sci-Fi Anime, at the beginning of the series its fairly annoying with Yuji Kaido's whining, Marlene is boring and has no Emotions for the first half or so. But after the 5th Episode it really starts to advance and the parts of the story start to add up. You could say the story is about a Man's regained Strengh and a Women's regained Tenderness.

The Animation of Blue Gender is outstanding, the colours blend in well together and the Backgrounds are very well detailed and the character designs even better. Although in Episode's you may notice that the Animation change's slightly as if the Animator's couldnt decide on what to go with.

Also Blue Gender contains alot of Blood and Gore, so it might not be an intrest to those with Weak Stomachs...

Blue Gender is considered sometimes to be one of those 'silent hits'. It's a great series, but doesn't have a huge group to appeal too. It's a great anime series meant for the mature anime audience. It's also been joked about how it has some similarities to Starship Troopers, although I doubt it was intentional.

Blue Gender follows the characters Yuji Kaido and Marlene Angel. Yuji is a young man who was put on ice in 2007 because of an illness, then wakes up in 2031 to find the world infested by the Blue, insect like creatures. Marlene is a soldier from a space station called Second Earth, who was sent to retrieve him. This sets the stage for action, sadness, drama, the whole 9 yards. However, this series lacks comedy, as it wasn't meant to have it. Blue Gender is a dark and bloody series, with many tragic and sad moments to make the audience feel for the characters.

This is an excellent series, the characters are well developed, the animation is great and consistant, and it makes you think. Blue Gender shouldn't be underestimated for not being as wide spread as other animes (Such as Mobile Suit Gundam or Dragon Ball), but this series packs alot of punch. However, it should be noted that this series also doesn't shy away from fanservice, as there is a quite a bit of it. However, it's fairly kept under control.

If you're a mature anime fan who wants a great series that is dark, Blue Gender is the one for you! Don't get this if you're young(It's meant for 15 and above, which isn't an understatement) or faint of heart. There is alot of tragedy and sadness, but it helps progress the story to a great ending.

If you want to get all of Blue Gender in one shot, go for the DVD set if you can, it saves yout time and money, as you get it all in one package. It's cheaper in the long run(Compared to buying each DVD separately), and saves time as you get all the DVDs at once.

Five out of five stars in my book, Blue Gender gets my thumbs up!

Amazing anime, nothing but good things to say about it. I have seen the show a couple of times and it's just outstanding. if you ever buy an anime buy this one especially if your an action fan.

Un-****in'-believable!! I've seen this series shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block several times, but there's something about having the original episodes, without any edit or crop jobs. I've heard people compare it to an animated version of "Starship Troopers" but I think it goes far beyond that. Another reviewer mentioned the "toughness of a man" and the "tenderness of a woman" which sums this series up perfectly. It's loaded with action, from the very beginning!!

Don't let the giant bug thing put you off. This is one of the better written love stories (and better written character devlopments) I've encountered in an anime series. It is just very well done and doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves.