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Think cyberpunk anime and Manga Entertainment are generally the first company that comes to mind. They made their name in the 90's with a slew of sci-fi anime titles looking to emulate the success of the almighty Akira, but despite this recent titles have been more fantasy than sci-fi. Until now! Baldr Force EXE is a
cyberpunk thriller set in a world where people can log into an immersive
electronic network known as The Wire. Toru is a talented member of a
hacker group with the lawsuit-baiting name Steppenwolf, who bite off more than
they can chew when they attempt one last major hack before disbanding. The
group hack into a military server and end up encountering the online
anti-terrorism group FLAK, who kill Toru's best friend and mentor despite their
attempted surrender. Bitter and hell-bent on tracking down his killer,
Toru accepts an offer to join FLAK in the hope of getting close to his target
and making them pay. However, he soon discovers that it's not that
simple. Battles with terrorist groups within the Wire have a real-life
impact - die in the Wire and you die in reality too. Toru may have to rely
on his friend's killer to defend him in a battle, and that's not his only
problem. A deadly and unknown force is active within the Wire that
threatens to destroy humanity as we know it, and FLAK are just one of several
groups investigating it. As he delves deeper into the mystery of the Wire
Toru begins to learn of a far deeper conspiracy that ties him in to what's
currently happening, and could set him on a collision course with his friends
and allies... |
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Boasting a blend of traditional and stunning CGI animation, Baldr Force EXE looks on the surface like a very modern anime. However, beneath the shiny exterior hides a throwback title, one that evokes the feel of all those early 90's OVA releases that certain Right-leaning newspapers assured us would be the end of society as we know it. Let's take a look at the evidence. Outsider hero? Check. Paramilitary organisations? Check. Revenge story? Check. Exploding heads? Check. Unnecessary rape scene? Check. Anime has moved on in the UK |
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from the days when it was violent, parent-baiting, action packed sci-fi, but this is a title that appeals to the original anime demographic. Despite its modern look it treads well-worn sci-fi paths, seemingly drawing inspiration from numerous other sci-fi anime. The story, which includes high-level cyber
conspiracy, mysterious virtual entities and an online threat that
affects the real world, comes across much like an unused script from
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Whilst the series
also features a Matrix-style virtual world in which dying causes
death for your real body. As it progresses there are elements from
Akira thrown in for good measure and buckets of completely
unnecessary gore when online death causes people's heads to explode.
The characters are completely and predictably derivative, with the usual
cocky, maneater, loner, bookish and manipulative archetypes for the
noble but edgy lead to deal with. There's even a sinister company
president, genius child hacker and gruff but dependable team leader to
round off the entries from the big book of stereotypes. |
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But...it's not all bad. The action scenes are good, the animation strong and the story is ambitious, even if it is unoriginal. There is some effective horror, the virtual rape scene is extremely disturbing for example, plus it does manage to deliver some real emotional impact. The part when one character finds their sister is not easy viewing, and the final resolution is pretty harrowing too. The problem Baldr Force EXE suffers from is not poor execution, it's the story itself. It draw too much from other sci-fi titles and the characters suffer from |
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a lack of originality. There's also a time issue, with just four episodes to develop a complex story that leaps from straightforward mecha action to existential soul searching it's not surprising that the narrative is somewhat fractured. In a way it tries to do too much, which is one of the reasons it doesn't quite develop as smoothly as it perhaps could. Baldr Force EXE really is an old fashioned Manga release. It's action-packed and gory with a decent premise and some good design and animation. However, much like many of those titles it's a tad derivative, over-ambitious and predictable. It's still entertaining enough, and unlike many modern anime releases it's standalone so doesn't require the commitment of buying six or seven volumes. For those wanting a sci-fi fix before the next entry in the Ghost in the Shell franchise this is worth a look, but don't expect anything you haven't seen before. Extras: None. Ratings Feature:
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