Metal Skin Panic Madox-01
The 1980s are considered the Golden age of anime due mainly to the explosive rise of the Japanese economy. In 1987 America was losing ground to the Far East Nation, and the Soviets were slowly losing ground to everything else. In 1987 Japan took the world by surprise when it surpassed the U.S. in GDP. In other words, the money was good, and when you have a lot of money lying around, it's only natural to want to spend it on something. That something was anime.
So I have this vision that somehow a bunch of intelligent guys were talking over shots of Saki, and one guy says to the other wouldn’t it be cool to make a short mecha, comedy, action anime while also foreshadowing the end of the Cold War? His partner looks at him and, with slurred speech and glassy eyes, says yeah, let’s do it, and so Metal Skin Panic: Madox-01 was born. You can also thank copious amounts of money for funding any idea floated. After all, how else would I get “Roots Search'' funded?
Madox-01 was a labor of artistic love. Produced by AIC, Pony Canyon, and Soeishinsha and directed by Shinji Aramaki, this classic anime clocks in at about 45 minutes. It’s rated NR and is currently distributed in North America by Retro Crush and be streamed either on the Retro Crush platform or Amazon Prime. This is suitable for those days when you crave a quick nostalgia fix. I’m speaking to Gen-X and Boomers.
So here’s the story in a nutshell. The Military has created this new prototype armored mecha known as the Madox-01 or, more officially, the Slave Trooper Madox-01. Remember that name because the machine is the master. Not quite as deadly as the Devil Gundam; nevertheless, pilots should read the manual before piloting it.
This new machine is more maneuverable and formidable than the outgoing tech, the tank. Unfortunately, this comes to the dismay of series antagonist 1st, Lieutenant Kilgore. When he is quickly defeated in a simulation by the attractive and confident Eriko Kusumoto, he becomes obsessed with getting his revenge and restoring his honor.
Through a stroke of luck, the Madox-01 falls into the hands of Harou Onose, a delivery driver. Now the mecha is compact enough to fit in a box making for easy transport and deployment. Harou takes the box to his friend Kouji Sugimoto.
Now Kouji is your typical 80's blue-collar protagonist, young and a bit of a hot head. He has more in common with Marty Mcfly (Back to the Future) than Michael Gant (Firefox). Kouji is a mechanic, so it's no surprise that when Harou shows him his find, he becomes intrigued. Powering the unit on, he takes it for a joy ride and catches the attention of the Military. Who, due to a transportation accident, wants their machine back.
At first, it's presumed Kouji is a terrorist, and Kilgore catching wind of the situation, decides to satisfy two cravings at once. The need for a fight and destroying the machine that took his honor. The day can't get any worse for Kouji as he finds out his girlfriend, Shiori Nagura, is heading to Europe before he can end the relationship. Additionally, the machine he is piloting is slowly taking over, and he doesn't know how to get out. The game of cat and mouse ensues as Eriko also attempts to find him.
Development is pretty straightforward. There is little in the way of character development. Kilgore is a relic of the Vietnam Era, and a soldier soiled in combat. What he so adored is coming to an end. Eriko is an ace pilot who reminds me a lot of Silvie Gena from Macross 2. She is the lead developer on the Maddox Project. As the series shifts, Eriko moves to the supporting cast role. Unfortunately, there isn't much to say about Kouji except he is your typical bonehead protagonist that is fixated on finding his girlfriend. Honestly, he is just the guy caught in the middle of a grown-up game.
Where Madox-01 shines is the animation. Great attention to detail makes this brief show worth a watch. Illustrated by Hiroaki Goda, his technique is stellar, and he would get to work on projects such as Re:Creators, Lycoris Recoil, and Appleseed. It's not surprising that there are similarities in his work. Character designs were completed by Hideki Tamura, who designed the characters for MD Geist. Geist is an anime classic among Gen Xers, and it's no surprise that Madox gives off similar vibes.
As this anime is vintage, it is subject to aging. Thanks to a 2021 Blu-Ray Kickstarter, the art and animation have been restored. That said, the art bears an aesthetic similar to most war, mecha anime of the time. Be on the lookout for the numerous Easter eggs strewn about. There are Military references to the A-10 anti-tank aircraft and the Boeing AH-64 Apache. There are also references to Disney and Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. It's rumored that mecha is an ode to the powered armor suits from the novel.
At under an hour, this anime is brief, and despite its beautiful animation, there isn't much for the modern viewer to hold on to. However, for fans of vintage anime and the works of Shinji Aramaki, it is worth a watch. Aramaki is considered a leader in 3DCG, and Appleseed, which he directed, was one of the first 3D live stop-motion anime.
Lastly, I recommend some other anime he's been involved in, such as Megazone 23, s-Cry-ed, Genesis Climber Mospeada, and Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045. Nevertheless, Metal Skin Panic Madox-01 is recommended!
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