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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A surprisingly wonderful anime movie based upon a game!, January 6, 2003
A long while back, Konami released the game "Zone of the Enders" for the Playstation2. While the game have several glaring flaws, it still managed to gain a cult following, especially among anime fans who felt the game expressed the experience of piloting a giant robot better than any game before it. With a sequel in the works, one that promises to improve upon all of the game's major flaws, the "Zone of the Enders" franchise has also been made into an anime series set in the games' timeline. Kick-starting the anime series is an hour-long movie, "Zone of the Enders: I Dolo." Now most anime fans will tell you that anime movies/series based upon games tend to be pretty awful ("Tekken", "Battle Arena Toshinden"), but "I Dolo" goes against the grain by providing solid entertainment value.The story deals with Lieutenant Radium Lavans, a Mars-born human living under the oppressive rule of the Earthlings on his home planet. With his longtime girlfriend Dolores and his close friend Viola, Radium hopes to one day see the moment when Mars will be liberated from Earth's iron fist. One day, that dream seems to start bearing fruit when he is chosen to be part of a project involving a new type of Frame (mecha), an Orbital Frame, infused with a powerful element called Metatron. Once mastered and mass-produced, this Orbital Frame would lead the Martians against the Earthlings for Mars' independence. But as the project moves forward, things begin to get out of control as Radium is exposed to unforeseen side effects of Metatron, and the ever watchful eye of the Earth could at any moment discover them. For an hour-long movie, "I Dolo" is surprisingly well thought out and executed. No knowledge or experience with the original video game is necessary to understand "I Dolo", although it would definitely heighten the experience. The story plays out at a steady pace, and character interaction is performed wonderfully without being melodramatic or unnecessarily tedious. The characters themselves feel and act real, with small touches that make "I Dolo" stand out from all other anime movies/series based upon video game properties. Visually, "I Dolo" gives a polished presentation. While it's not the best-looking anime series on the market, it's a lot better than most game-based anime series and manages to hold its own. And when the series wants to look good, such as during explosive mecha battles, it can really look good. Character designs are memorable and well-designed, and movement flows smoothly. Quite a bit of effort was put into this project, and it shows. Audio-wise, the music isn't anything special, but it does manage to get the job done. As for the dub, it's neither good nor bad; it's completely average. While the voice actors don't fall into the trap of stale melodrama that many early anime dubs did, the VAs seem to have trouble putting the right emphasis in their speech at the right time. So while the dub isn't flat-out terrible and can be enjoyed by most dub fans, it's just a pity a little more effort wasn't put into the performances. But if dubs aren't your thing, then the Japanese track is here and good. DVD-wise, "I Dolo" gives a few solid extras. There are interviews with the director, character designers and mecha designers, a slideshow of concept sketches for characters, mecha, and backgrounds, and a timeline outlining the "Zone of the Enders" history. However, the timeline does feel a little incomplete, only giving events during the early history before of the story. Only people who are familiar with the game or the anime series will get anything out of the timeline. Overall, "Zone of the Enders: I Dolo" is a solid movie. Video game fanatics who love game-based properties would definitely want to look into this movie as well as the series, and anime fans in general should also give this movie a shot. Where past franchise such as "Tekken" failed miserably, "I Dolo" gives hope that the "Zone of the Enders" series will be a gem in the sea of bad game-to-anime conversions.
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DVD ~ Tesshô Genda
