Earthian

mistress_reebi★ 7

Earthian is from the late 1980s- early 1990s but in no way should be viewed as a classic. It's just...average. There isn't anything special about it but it isn't completely horrible. Each episode was different: one was alright, one was bad, one was good, and one was cheese. Average. Even though there needs to be credit due to the age it's still alright. Earthian screams 80s, which can be a good thing, but only the sound was exceptional for the time period. Earthian is shonen-ai but the characters fell into the yaoi stereotypes. There was one guy who was emotionless and the "man" in therelationship, while his parter was emotional and the "bitch" in the relationship. Even the artwork milked the stereotype. During the "scene," one guy looked so much like a girl it was like watching hetrosexuals. He may be a man but his eyes are girly, his hair is pretty, and his frame is womanly--he is a girl! Too stereotypical. I thought this was yaoi... Putting the couple aside, even the other characters personalities weren't original. The antagonist was pure evil and the girls were too emotional. It was almost as if their personalities were picked out for them instead of being developed. Again, too stereotypical. The animation is old and gets better with each episode, but even for the time period it wasn't a work of art. The palette is neutral and some of the animation was shaky in fight scenes. It didn't match and seemed like some frames were missing. The lines are choppy, and for those who aren't into the 80s style would not like this anime. The music is, again, very 80s. Synthesised music was played in the background followed by a couple of electronic instruments such as a keyboard and guitar; vocals and percussion were the only natural sounds. The occasional pop ballet was played, especially towards the ending credits, but the genre of music was electronica. There was a lot of chasing electronic music that was very 80s, which was enjoyable. Though the music was pleasant, it wasn't musically difficult and stuck with a few notes and chords-- not special from a musical perspective. Usually 80s sound effects have horrible quality, Earthian didn't. The guns shots weren't completely realistic but for the time the sound effects were good. The voices quality in the sound was done well for the time period and the acting was good. It wasn't the best acting, but it was good. The Japanese Messiah voice (Hikaru Midorikawa) was a little too soft and high-pitch for the character but the other actors suited their roles. The sound was the saving grace to this OVA. The story had potential. The pacing was a little slow, and could have been more developed. The second episode's story line was boring and one could easily ignore that entire episode to save them a wasted hour. The plot, as well as the animation, was best at the third episode; all the other episodes were fair. If one thought Titanic reeked of bleu cheese they should see the last episode. It was cheesy, yaoi angst at it's finest. Earthian needed some comedy, even if it was unintentional. The plot could have been amazing, but was mediocre. Despite the harsh criticism, Eathian was surprisingly enjoyable. It's more of a "rent it" anime but some may wish to buy it. In other words, a guilty pleasure. It's like a poorly written song with one beat you can't stop listening to. Those who like science fiction and tragic yaoi, Earthian is the anime. For those who aren't into cheesy yaoi can avoid this OVA.

jyuudi★ 7

I don't get the bad reviews. Maybe it's because my expectations are low for someone who would find and watch this nowadays. I just stumbled upon it with not much care. Most of them are pointing out common, detrimental flaws in yaoi, such as problems with role tropes and characterization of women, which I'm already used to. I too hope to see them improved upon. I didn't mind the yaoi because I saw the tag. The romance part is pretty downplayed, which I like because there is less dumb drama. That's what I like about old anime. None of the cliche modern romance "You betrayed me!"between characters that only exist for messy misunderstanding purposes... I needed a break. Apparently, based on AnimeNewsNetwork's summary, the manga was more about the love between Chihaya and Kagetsuya rather than Earth's dilemma and dark angels but the anime chose to emphasize those parts instead. I admit the story and the characters were not the best... I mainly liked it for the overall feel of the show and the enjoyment, how each episode wraps up neatly though forcefully. It was like the characters were acting under a spell to deliver themselves according to the plot set by fate. For example, one scene Kagetsuya just somehow knew where to go, unexplained how he found such crucial information. I also understand that the concept of angels portrayed was unrealistic and simple. I just didn't care. This is fiction. I enjoyed the author's creativity. I liked how this addresses nuclear war and our carbon waste. How much waste and ruin humans are doing to Earth and that Eden was going to pass judgement and destroy the us! There was some moments I felt awed by the detail put into the movement, like the guitar playing, scenery, and fight scenes. Though sometimes the animation felt stiff because they cut corners. When an angel was landing from flying for example. It was a glide downwards rather than a flap of wings... There was also one scene where Kagetsuya dodged the bullet by doing flips in a straight line, no zig zag, wtf impractical. How did they not hit him. As for the sound and art, I loved the traditional, old fashioned feeling. The unrealistic sound effects and limited electric music another reviewer pointed out, I loved it too. Old anime induces such nostalgic, homey and saccharine feels. q-q I seem to really like old anime because of the reassuring and novel feeling one gets from familiar yet different sights. Old anime also makes me think of how far animation quality has gotten and the aspects that remain. The ending was rushed and random... The other reviewers were right when they said this was average, plain or boring. I wish they put more thought into the events. I recommend reading the manga for more depth, though it won't change there are loose ends. All 5 volumes have been translated, hurrah. You can find them on Amazon. Apparently the author planned on drawing for more than 5 volumes but was cut short so the loose ends were not tied as fully. That is unfortunate. I haven't read the manga yet but I'm genuinely interested in the story: the world of Eden, the mystery behind Chihaya, and what's going to happen. I'll read this for the same reason people read harem manga. All in all this was better than I expected. The concept touches on human nature, humanoids, science, and morals. I think this anime will be more enjoyable for people who like philosophy, mythology, and sci-fi. And angel boys (and girls?). Chihaya is so moe kyahhh...Moe uke angel ftw. Call me vulgar but I watch anime to relax and this does it for me.