ORGUSS (1983) (anime)

It's Friday once again and that means a review of some random anime I've watched recently. This week is the latest in a loooong line of Macross-related series. It's full title is Super Dimensional Century Orguss and was the second part of the "Super Dimensional" series released back in the early 1980s, which started with Super Dimensional Fortress MacrossSuper Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross.

Sadly, Orguss is not available on DVD in the US.

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Overwhelmingly so! I've watched a LOT of anime that has come out of the 1970s and 1980s and Orguss is, by far, the most imaginative and fun of any of the series. In some ways I like it more than my all-time favorite of that time period Gatchaman.


Technically any good? While the animation does look like it came out of the early 1980s, it's about a thousand times more consistent than it is on Macross and Southern Cross. The character designs are gorgeous and the mecha designs are really great. While I didn't care for any specific mecha, the sheer number of designs the story required was impressive. What's even more impressive is that the mecha are so different. You can recognize the style of the design as being from a particular country. It's really well done.

The acting is fine, though a bit melodramatic in spots. The story is pretty solid and does a nice job of getting you hooked after just the first episode or two. Most importantly, the characters in this story actually evolve. While you may have been rolling your eyes at Minmei's never-ending selfishness in the original Macross the characters of Orguss grow, change and become new, more interesting characters as the 35 episodes of the series pass by.

The only thing I had trouble with were the cultural issues. Character names and references to gender and sex were a little dated and a little annoying. However, as with most good anime, the series lets men and women occupy interchangeable roles of importance. Orguss doesn't say women can't do things. If anything, it says that all humans kind of suck (though the good humans do often do the right thing when it really matters).


How did it leave me feeling? Sadly, the series ends with a semi-classic "What the hell?" ending that is far too common in anime. However, the over all series is an immensely satisfying, well-written, character-driven, scifi epic, space opera set on Earth (sort of).


Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now! Of course, it's not on DVD. So you can't. But if you do find a copy, and enjoy great scifi and/or 1980s anime, you really need to see this. It's really a blast. The sequel series Orguss 02 is available on DVD, but I have yet to watch it. I'd start in order in order since Orguss 02 seems to directly reference events in the original series. :)

SPOILER: Usually I don't include story descriptions of things I review, in my pocket reviews, but I think since most people have never heard of Orguss before I should. So, if you just don't want to know what this show is about, don't read the following:

Premise: On an Earth plagued by spacial and temporal dimensional fractures, Orguss is the god of war in a culture that one of the crew members aboard the Glomar, a caravan of hippie-free-marketeers (!) who take in a human from another reality who may be the key to returning the dimensionally fractured Earth back to normal.

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Orignal From: ORGUSS (1983) (anime)