Venus Wars | Review | Pinnedupink.com

VENUS WARS

Venus Wars is a cult classic Japanese action anime film. The film is from the golden era of eighties’ anime where the action was aplenty, and the stories were original. Funnily enough, Venus Wars might not fall into either of those categories, but what it lacks in content it makes up for with stellar animation and a highly entertaining premise! Let’s talk more in-depth.

In the not-so-distant future of Venus Wars, Venus is under the occupation of two different nations; Ishtar and Aphordia. Both nations are engaged in a cold war as tensions begin to rise, and all signs indicate conflict. Susan Sommers is a reporter sent from earth to write a story on the growing tensions between the countries and war breaks out.

Aphordia’s capital city is attacked by Ishtar’s ships and tanks. Now caught between the crossfire, Susan stumbles into Hiro and the rest of his squad of "Killer Commandos.” A ragtag group of Venus’ bike racing scene, as they are forced into perpetual war while their homes burn down, and their nations are unleashing the full wrath upon each other.

The film was based on a short-run manga of the same name by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, which was a pretty decent read but nothing exceptional. I feel like the film faces the same issue as the manga, a paper-thin plot that brings the story down dramatically. It’s not that the plot is terrible by any means; quite the contrary, it’s a decent film.

The problem, however, is that it’s not unique. It feels unoriginal and the same when compared to other eighties’ anime, and there’s not much exposition on the backstories of the world or the characters.

The prologue at the start is only a few seconds long and never dives into the history of Ishtar and Aphordia’s origins. It doesn’t provide much context tat their relationship to Earth or how they’re functioning independently from Earth despite most of the population being there. There’s no proper motivation for their war either; it’s just for the control over all of Venus.

This trend continues into the film’s characters too. Hiro’s shown as someone who belongs to a wealthy family, but his family’s legacy isn’t explained, nor is there much detail on how they got to Venus. He only really mentions the fact that the Aphordian government pays them just to exist? It’s almost the same way with the rest of the characters, they have no proper motivations for existing, and their stories aren’t told.

However, despite all that, there are going to be a ton of characters in Venus Wars that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Characters such as Maggie, Susan, Will, and Kurtz have unique, compelling characters, and the film isn’t shy to show their flaws.

The problem with the plot and the characters is definitely because of the direction and writing done by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. If they had gotten someone more competent in the filmmaking aspects, maybe this would’ve been different. In my experience, most mangaka aren’t outstanding filmmakers.

Now to talk about the best part of Venus Wars, and the sole reason why it’s not going to be considered just another eighties old anime film; the production. The art, animation, designs, action, and music in Venus Wars are all absolutely stellar; Triangle Staff has aced every single department here. While the animation will feel dated if you watch it now, but at the time of release, this was probably revolutionary in the use of color and designs.

The animation isn’t the smoothest, nor is the art the cleanest, but the style works so flawlessly with the film’s plot that it is just perfection for the world and the atmosphere of Venus. Dark and gritty animation, with rough and jagged edges, fit the desolate vibes that Venus exuded.

The designs and the details of each weapon, vehicle, and character to how they move and behave are animated so beautifully and designed with such attention that everything feels unique to look at. The action scenes are riveting, from the bike racing, which is both brutal and exhilarating, to the combat choreography between the heroes’ fights against military weaponry.

This level of action is elevated further by Joe Hisaishi’s incredible original score. For those of you who don’t know, Hisaishi is a longtime collaborator with the great Hayao Miyazaki, and his competence shows as he delivers yet another score that fits pitch perfectly in the film that it was made for. The music simply enhances your viewing experience for Venus Wars, which is a testament to how great Triangle Staff had set up the production values for this film.

While the story and characters might not be the most unique or original I’ve seen in anime, Venus Wars’ strength is being an engaging science fiction action and war film. It might not be the best piece of anime that I’ve ever seen, but it’s a damn entertaining one. It has some of the most unique and original animation, art, and designs which are used to perfection in the most exciting action sequences and set pieces.

The film also has a beautiful score to keep it from getting bogged down into mediocrity. If you’re someone who has a soft spot from classic cult anime as I do, then Venus Wars’ action-heavy total playtime will be one of your favorite anime rides yet!