Customer Reviews

Iria 3: Zeiram the Animation [VHS]

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

At some time in the future a young woman named Iria and her brother Glen, both bounty hunters, join in an contract to rescue the passengers from the crash of a space transport. This mission takes a turn for the worse when the rescue team find themselves face to face with an indestructible killer - Zeiram. The result is disastrous; one team member killed, and Iria is forced to leave her brother behind to fight the monster. For the rest of the episodes Iria dedicates herself to solving the mystery of the Zeiram and saving her brother.

Several things set this 1995 OVA series apart from female (or male, for that matter) heroic anime. While the primary plot isn't entirely original the characters are notable and are allowed to develop well-crafted personalities. Iria is young, intelligent, and fiercely capable - a completely independent woman. Fujikuro is more than a little crooked, but, despite his antics, loyal to Iria. Bob - a bounty hunter turned into a computer ghost. And Kei, who is a younger reflection of Iria. All of these characters and others leave lasting impressions as the result of the find scripting and conceptual work of Keita Amemiya.

The artwork remains outstanding even by today's standards. The series is based on an original live action film, but animation can go where file can only follow at great cost. Character design (Masakazu Katsura) and set design (Amemiya, et. al.) combine to provide a fresh looking universe that combines traditional Japanese and Chinese elements with fantasy visions that rival Yoshitaka Amano, peopled with contraptions that Da Vinci would have envied.

The set includes an additional DVD with graphics and interviews with Amemiya, Katsura and several of the voice actors. If you are lucky enough to find the limited edition you will also get a metal container for the set. This is another of those 'must see' that both stretch the boundaries of anime and provide great entertainment as well.

I could be mistaken, but I think I've found the holy grail of anime sci-fi action. But what makes for a good sci-fi action show? In my experience, it a combination of a likable character, excellent fight choreography, a sweet soundtrack, cool weapons and gadgets, atmosphere, and action, action, action.

First of all, this OVA has some of the slickest presentation I've ever seen in an anime. The opening, the closing, the music, the way the shots are composed...10 out of 10. The animation and artwork are also absolutely top-notch. Looking at the backgrounds in this show made me think of some of the awesome concept art we sometimes see in the opening or closing of a show but almost never in the actual show. How to describe the style? It's a bit like the very best art in Outlaw Star, but kicked up a notch. Everything has a kind of oriental/Star Wars Episode IV style to it (from people wearing old battle armor with cloaks over them to cities and transportation that looks like it's made of stuff found in a futuristic junk-yard).

As far as characters go, the main one in this show is mighty cool. Iria wears ceramic-looking body armor, carries a cool looking gun, and has more gadgets for fighting than you can shake a light-saber at. Of course if you are into sci-fi gadgetry there are also the speeder-type transports that can jump into hyper-space, personal energy shields, and the holographic fighting simulators (and we're just getting started). Cool stuff.

The fights in this show are great. Some people might get tired of seeing our hero fight the same villain for hours, but personally I loved it. The fights just get more and more intense, as the horrible creature called Zeiram simply refuses to die. During her fights with the monster, Iria will do all kinds of martial-arts moves, fire weapons until they run out of ammo and grab another one only to keep blasting, dodging, running, and doing all kinds acrobatics. Very slick.

Of course Iria herself is also an extremely likable person, and as we slowly learn more and more about her and how she came to be a hunter we come to care about her more and more. Iria may be tough-as-nails, and cool-as-ice, but in the end she's still a girl with a little bit of growing up to do, and she's not out to prove anything or hurt anyone, just to destroy the monster that threatens to kill everyone it comes close to. Iria is now officially one of my favorite anime heroes.

Really, the pacing of this anime is fantastic. It starts out at fast, and the tension just keeps building until by the end of the final episode we just know that either Iria or the monster is going to die. The desperation in the battle is palpable, and the viewer is on the edge of their seat. I love this anime. If you like action, you probably will too.

First of all, I'd like to thank Pioneer for including all six episodes of Iria in one DVD, because they prove it can be done (other companies decide to put only three or four eps per DVD, whereas they can fit plenty more).

The movie is excellent, surpassed only by, perhaps, Ghost in the Shell. A story of a bounty hunter named Iria, and her brother Gren, and the mysterious, immortal monster, Zeiram.

The movie includes great animation, storyline, action, and other blockbuster elements. The one downside of the series was the ending that ended abruptly. I have found an answer why however (and this is to answer all those reviews that gave Iria a lowsy rating because of the ending). I have found rumors that a second Iria movie is in the works, but dont count on it, because these are only rumors from various websites.

Anyways, whether or not you enjoy anime, buy this excellent DVD!

It's hard to say that every episode of an anime series is good, but Iria seems to have pulled it off well. All six episodes are well-crafted and blend well together. As for the plot, it keeps from being tedious, but suffers a little predictability closer to the end (But hey, it's an anime, right?). Still, the story is upbeat, with interesting characters and an even more interesting handful of settings. The world Iria seems to show is so weird and complicated, that it can't be helped but seem so believeable. Sort of like a blend of Ancient Chinese Dynasty with some organic machinery. Another plus to this is the awesome action and quite possibly the coolest villain in all of anime...ZEIRAM. A definite pick and also one of my favorite animes.

To tell you the truth, this was not only the very first anime I owned, it was also the first one I saw. The story, the action, the characters and designs, all gloriously original. Anime about bounty hunters are nothing new, but Iria : The Zeiram Animation brought its own original twist to the sub genre. It is somewhat disappointing to only have six episodes, but once you own a few OVA's, it's more than enough. I bought the VHS back before DVD's were even around. The only reason that I hesitate to give it five stars is the English language track. It is littered with odd sounding phrases and seems to be poorly translated altogether. The voice acting is excellent, but marred by the odd translation. All in all, I highly suggest purchasing it. It is great for anyone starting a collection or just building upon their existing one.

You either love this or hate it. Well, it began my love for anime. In fact, I think I enjoyed this on the Sci-Fi channel before even I developed my obsession for Sailor Moon. I wasn't trying to write a review in my head while I was watching it; I just sat through it and thought it kicked butt. Some people found the kids annoying, which is strange, because I ALWAYS find kids annoying, and didn't find these to be so. I liked the music. I liked the animation. Iria is cool. Yeah it has mistakes, but c'est la vie. Know thyself--if you're like me and enjoy a lot of femme butt-kicking and futuristic settings, you'll like it. If you're like a lot of these reviewers and don't like a bit of wholesome non-sensical violence and characters whose personalities you learn from having them thrown in your face, well, then, you won't like it. :) I liked it, my friends liked it--maybe we're shallow, but we're happy.

Anime while at times is incredible is also at times one of the boringest things I have ever sceen. I personally love anime for the detail in the shows but at times they put me to sleep. I got my Iria DVD in the mail and figured I would pop it in and watch an episode now and another one later ( there are 6 episodes on the DVD about 3hrs of footage ). Since there was about 3hrs on the DVD I figured there was NO way I could sit through all of it during one sitting... MAN WAS I WRONG! From the begining to the end I was hooked. This show is none stop action and entertainment. Man, I paused this DVD everytime I had to leave the room, I didn't want to miss a second of it. I loved every hour of it and plan to watch it again soon. GREAT SHOW... BUY IT!

I've read a lot of reviews on this seires and have seen a mixed bag. My stand is that Iria was a great seires and here's why.

First of all the animation was great, and the series was only six episodes long, so it can be watched in one evening. Zeiram, the villan, was tough and practically unstopable, which is how a good anime villan should be.

The background music compliments the series well and at times gets stuck in your head throughout the day. The series is light enough, in language that preteens could watch it w/o their perents freaking out.

The plot moves along at a quick pace and the action keeps you into the series.

To be fair, I will say that the dialouge dubbing could have been better, but after awhile you get used to the chopping converstaions.

Lets put it this way, Iria was meant to be an action stroy, not a character developing anime. If you want character development, you may not like Iria, but if you want an action thrill ride with a lets shoot first and ask questions later attitude, then Iria should be to your liking.

This anime title is the best of it's kind. It has a nicely developed plot, a incredible monster, spellbinding animation, and the greatest anime heroine ever: Iria! She is a strong female character yet she isn't mean spirited. There is a shortage of strong female characters who don't have a mean streak. Iria is on the top of the heap. She is also extremely HOT man! The only other anime to rival my love for this movie is Sol Bianca, which has the same exact amount of charm. Buy Iria immediately if you love anime.

This animation is a strange anime for several reasons. Firstly the animation is up to the standard of some Manga productions. It is clear and well realised. The story is strong in that the villan is far more interesting than the heroine. Iria is a bounty hunter who is caught up in tracking the creature 'Zieram'. There follows a complicated tale of her adventures that are frequently inter-spersed with flashbacks. However the real star of the show is Zieram who proves more than a match for anything that it comes up against (It absorbs there DNA thus making itself stronger). The music is good and the dubbing is fair. Overall it should appeal to science fiction fans as well as those who enjoy a blockbuster type animation.