Green Legend Ran OVA

Green Legend Ran

Green Legend Ran is another post-apocalyptic anime where Earth had been turned into a wasteland. It might also seem like just another sci-fi anime. However, it delivers some novel concepts which negate the rumors of it being unoriginal. Green Legend Ran is an OVA with three episodes that came out in the early ’90s. It involves a lot of modern concepts while being so old. We’re surprised how technology-oriented everything looks in this anime. Let’s take a look at Green Legend Ran in our in-depth review.

The story opens in the near future with a warning from humans- the Earth will turn into a desert without a single drop of water, and humanity will go through extinction. And the Earth does turn into a vast desert devoid of all water bodies. A young boy and a girl want to change what Earth has become. Humanity has polluted everything on the planet. There are weird objects that fall from the sky and suck up air, water, and everything pure.

There are very few humans that are left, and their survival depends upon their struggle. Rodo is an oppressive set of rulers who are ruling the Earth amidst the chaos. One of the two youths, Ran, stands against the oppression of Rodo and decides to join an “Anti-Rodo” group named “Hazzard.” He wants to save the Earth and wants to find the one who killed his beloved mother. Will he be able to do something impossible like this?

One thing about anime with environmental themes is that they tend to be preachy. However, Green Legend Ran is nothing like that. It was released in the 1990s where there were a lot of pro-environment messages being circulated. We see that the Rodo in the anime wants the Earth to be clean and green again but at the expense of humans. That is entirely evil, we'd say.

On the other hand, our heroes want the Earth clean and green as well, but not at the expense of humans. They want a balance where humans and nature can exist together without disrupting each other. So here, we can see both types of pro-environmentalists, and none of them are shoving their ideas and beliefs down our throats. We commend how environmental issues were portrayed in Green Legend Ran.

Green Legend Ran involves a lot of themes and ideas. It has aliens: religious factions, revenge, love, post-apocalyptic Earth, environmental issues, and much more. But unfortunately, the series does not know how to contain all of these things and actually make sense.

We’re confused about where it’s all starting and where it’s ending because too much is going on simultaneously. Each one of the themes and ideas is not given their appropriate time and is just rushed. There are a few plot holes as well that are pretty obvious. Sure, the concept is fascinating and the issues discussed are significant. However, it’s hard to pay attention to them when relying more on dialogues than action.

So, the plot has its issues, and it’s not entirely flawless. But we love the themes that this anime is addressing. The story is definitely unique and engaging.

The two main characters, Ran and Aira, have some fantastic chemistry going on. We love their interaction. Their interaction is interrupted by the bad guys every time, and that’s when we see Ran getting all serious after being predominantly playful with Aira. That’s a bit disappointing to see because Ran is robbed of his chance of interacting with the one he cares about, and the bad guys get all the attention. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

We have mixed feelings towards Ran. He’s not that likable, but the series tries its best to make us care about him. And that works a little as well. However, it shouldn’t be like that with the characters. The villains of the series are also over-the-top cartoonish. They do not make sense at all.

The characterization of this anime has its issues. If Ran were not dull and had enough time to spend with his loved ones, the story wouldn’t feel weird at all.

Being an anime of the 90s, we are served with retro-styled animation. The animation is pretty decent despite being old-style. The movements are fine, the scenery is excellent, and the character designs are pretty appealing. The background is heavily detailed, and there is a good use of colors. Everything about the animation is impressive, and it’s probably the only thing in this anime series that is given some proper attention.

The opening and ending soundtracks are pretty average. They’re not that bad but not that good either. The background music is pretty decent and relevant. There isn’t much to talk about in the music section because there isn’t anything special about it.

Green Legend Ran had so much potential when we look at its premise. However, it could not do well because of the poor execution. The story seems weak because of all the issues we discussed above. Sure, we get the message. But it was not enjoyable to watch it as it was confusing. Green Legend Ran is full of it! If you’re into environmental themes, then you can check this one out.