3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Now it's time to drink deeply of life's richness!", November 4, 2007
This review is from: The Humanoid (DVD)
"Who can say a machine has no soul?" That's the question posed by the title character's brilliant inventor in this timeless tale of love, robots, and coffee.
On the beautiful and serene planet of Lazeria...with its expansive green fields and forests, and sparkling blue waters...humans live peacefully alongside the displaced citizens of planet Megalos. The Megalosian Emperor and his people retreated to Lazeria in the wake of a devastating war. Since the Emperor's recent death, his lovely young daughter, Princess Ignasia, has represented the Megalosians, guided by the faithful but follicly-challenged Minister Libero and his unscrupulous lavender-cheeked contemporary, Governor Proud. Earthlings on Lazeria are represented by the mustachioed scientific genius, Dr. Watson, and his vivacious granddaughter, Sheri.
Three months ago, a caffeine-addicted astronaut named Alan and his lovesick long-haired crewman, Eric, left Earth on a supply run to Dr. Watson's Lazerian laboratory. With touchdown imminent, Eric double-checks the B3 system while Alan downs another steaming mug of joe as countless computer screens flicker around him. "Coffee: My salvation from my day-to-day drudgery," he sighs. Suddenly, their spacecraft loses power and begins descending steadily towards the vast landscape of Lazeria. Red warning lights flash wildly as the ship plummets ever faster. "We'll have to use the escape pod!" shouts a panicky Alan as he tries in vein to avoid spilling his precious black drink. Seconds later, the two spacemen huddle in the cramped cylinder, watching their disabled gray craft as it smashes through the foliage of Lazeria's jungle. But their trauma is far from over! A fleet of crimson turbo planes careens at them from an ancient ruined building, launching a barrage of missiles and machinegun blasts in their pod's direction! Before they know what hit them, Eric and Alan are crawling out of the river, relieved that their smoking space pod remained good to the last drop.
Inexplicably, the robust-looking Alan is nearly dead with exhaustion after the pair's hike through the tranquil Lazerian fields, but they eventually arrive at the palatial home of Dr. Watson and the wide-eyed beauty in short-shorts, Sheri--the girl Eric's been pining for during the torturously lengthy interstellar voyage. Here, they meet Watson's stunning masterpiece, Antoinette, an artificial human female designed to interact harmoniously with nature. "I knew the doctor's project was gonna be special," says Eric as he admires the curvaceous robot in the pale-yellow jumpsuit, "And I'm glad he had a sense of form as well!" Alan couldn't care less about the humanoid's form; he just wants another sip of that famous, full-bodied coffee she serves up! "I can feel life flowing back into me," exclaims the caffeine connoisseur after gulping a hot mouthful and inhaling the rich aroma of Antoinette's special brew, "You made my day!" Later, the orange-vested java junkie and the emotional chrome-plated cutie stare out the window at the reunited lovebirds, Eric and Sheri. "Human emotions such as love are impossible to convert into computer data," Alan explains to the inquisitive android. But the jealous look in her ample, blue-green eyes as she watches Eric embracing his pretty blonde sweetheart in the moonlight says otherwise...
Featuring gorgeous character designs by Hajime Sorayama, a fearlessly vibrant color palate, and thrilling action sequences punctuated by pounding 80's-style beats, `The Humanoid' is a stylish work of art...as well as a unique tribute to the world's most popular beverage. The only thing against this spectacularly entertaining anime is its disappointingly short running time of just 47 minutes. I mean, that's less than an hour (duh!). It would have been nice if the folks at Central Park Media had made this DVD a double-feature along with some other short anime, but they did include a funny and informative feature called "Fun Facts." When you select this option, you'll be bombarded with all kinds of pop-up information as you watch the film. You'll learn that one of Sorayama's robots can be found on the cover of Aerosmith's "
Just Push Play" album, and that the term "Internet" was first used in 1982. You'll also learn about famous bald people; things that are dangerous; deforestation; and how to determine if a Y is a vowel or a consonant. `The Humanoid' is rated 13 and up despite the fact that the English-language version contains nothing offensive aside from some violence against robots. This film is best enjoyed while drinking Dunkin' Donuts Coffee, Original Blend.
"Now the world begins to dim from sight, masked in shade. I hardly feel the loss of memories, as they fade. Still it hurts as tears cut down my cheek, like a blade. I wish I dared to call out to you, oh my love. Loving you, in Platinum. Only you, so very close at hand, but so far away."
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