Customer Reviews

Exosquad: Abandoned & Brood [VHS]

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

 

 

It's a shame it never acquired a greater audience. Although Exo-Squad only made it through 3 seasons, it still managed to tell some surprisingly mature science fiction storytelling. The series revolves around the adventures of a troop of Exo-suit pilots fighting to liberate humanity from an advanced race of genetically engineered humans called the Neosapiens. Created to help terraform Venus and Mars, the Neosapiens were freed from slavery but only after their rebellion was brutally repressed sowing a bitter seed in the Neosapien race. The Neosapiens were granted autonomy on Mars, and now, their leader Phaeton has secretly built a massive military and is sanguinely waiting for the right time to launch a sneak attack on the inner planets. The only thing that stands between humanity and extinction is the Exo-Fleet and its legions of Exo-suits, powerful robotic chassis that carry an awesome array of weapons. Thus begins the first phase of a long and devastating war that blazes accross the solar system. Such plots involving interplanetary war are common throughout science fiction, but Exo-Squad's treatment give this story a unique and satisfying flavor. Although Exo-Squad doesn't achieve the sublime visual level of Japanese style anime, it offers a mature story with intriguing characters and an intricate plot that still affords the viewer some rewarding moments that compensate for its shortcomings. The characters aren't the gum chewing, buxom teenage renegade stereotypes of anime but are given a fleshed out, dignified treatment. If you get these videos, get ready to be surprised. In Exo-Squad, all the main characters are equally complicated, nothing is completely good or evil, and the protagonists don't always win the most important battles.

I started watching this show when it was on TV and I was impressed by the depth of the characters and the complexity of the story which includes such present-day problems such as racism, war, loss,and cloning. There is no good or bad in this show-there are just sides. If you don't like to have your opinions questioned or are adverse to a little soul-searching, don't try it. But if you would like to see a real depiction of war and the impact it has on people's lives, these are videos you should try.

Though Abandoned and The Brood are just one of many excellent episodes in the EXO-SQUAD saga. I selected The Brood as being the greatest, not for how well the story was told but for what it ingrained in every sensor I had in my body, filling it with ...Inspiration, and hope. This is a Cartoon to some, but it has the strength of any great NOVEL and I encourage you to just take a chance... watch, and listen. Be inspired.

Exosquad was maybe the best action cartoon ever, with a plot that adults will enjoy as much or maybe more than kids. It really shows the cost of war. Trust me on this one; it's a solid buy.