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With computer game tie-in anime series increasingly common nowadays, I suppose that a Mega Man anime series is not that surprising. However, rather than the Mega Man NT Warrior series that was shown on terrestrial television here, Manga have opted for the follow-up Mega Man Star Force. The series is set some time in the NT Warrior series'
future, and focuses on a world where many aspects of everyday life are powered
by electromagnetic waves (aka. EM Waves). EM Waves supply energy and
transmit communication, but they can be disrupted by EM Viruses which cause
overloads and damage. A special police force is set up to combat these
viruses, but things are made more difficult because they can't see them.
Geo Stelar is a schoolboy who has withdrawn from society following his father's
disappearance on an orbiting space station. His father was attempting to
use EM Waves to communicate with alien races, but his success was followed
immediately by an explosion that left nothing of him but his visualiser - a
device that can be used to see EM Waves and viruses. Geo now has the
visor, and through it he witnesses an invisible battle amongst the EM Waves.
The cause of this battle is Omega-Xis, a member of an alien race that is made of
EM energy. Omega-Xis has stolen a mysterious item called the Andromeda
Key, and his fellow FM-ians have vowed to retrieve it, even if it means
destroying the Earth in the process. Using the visualiser Geo is able to
communicate with Omega-Xis, and after finding that he may know something about
his father's disappearance he agrees to use a technique known as EM Wave Change
to merge with him. However, it isn't as easy a task as it may seem.
Although Geo and Omega-Xis's merges form - Mega Man - is very powerful, the
other FM-ians are also capable of merging with humans to increase their power.
With such dangerous opponents can Geo hope to defend the Earth, and find out
what happened to his father? |
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Mega Man Star Force is a bit of an unusual release for Manga, not only is it aimed at younger viewers, but also has no Japanese dub. For this kind of series it's not really a big deal though. Much like series like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, it seems to work well in English and like those series there is plenty to enjoy and frustrate here. I'll get it out of the way now, if you are an older viewer than this will probably not be your cup of tea. It is very obviously aimed a young teen/pre-teen audience, with plenty of action and peril but little of the dark edge that you find in series like Bleach or Naruto. To be honest this is not a bad thing, as it's kind of refreshing to watch |
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a series sometimes where the characters' emotional issues don't get in the way of the action. Mega Man Star Force certainly has plenty of action, the exposition of Geo's father's disappearance and his merging with Omega-Xis is covered very early on and the rest of the 13 episodes are focused on Mega Man facing down a variety of colourful foes. Those who have seen Mega Man NT Warrior will
know what to expect from the enemies, which are largely riffs on classic
Mega Man villains. They're generally well designed with plenty of
variety and have some cool abilities, with highlights including the
vicious Wolf Woods and bizarre Crown Thunder. However,
they're relatively standard until the arrival of Gemini Spark, a twin
terror who is more than a match for Mega Man and becomes a recurring
villain. Gemini Spark pulls the series up from the usual kiddy-fodder,
making a surprisingly intriguing villain as a merged form of an FM-ian
and an mortally injured human who chose life over the safety of the
world. Chuck into the mix Lyra Note, a one-time enemy turned ally
formed from the merger of an FM-ian with famous pop-star Sonia Sky.
She is effectively a re-imagining of the classic Mega Man
character Roll, but her arrival creates a nice potential romantic
rivalry between her and Geo's classmate Luna for Mega Man's affections.
It's got all of the ingredients you'd expect from an anime action
series, and this coupled with decent animation and character design
makes for a fun and entertaining series. |
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However, the problem with having all the ingredients you'd expect for an action series, is that it's not exactly original. You have the noble hero on a mission who is given an otherworldly power he doesn't fully understand. You've got potential love interests, the trio of bossy, nerdy and big classmates, a character with stupid hair, monsters-of-the-week villains and lots of fights. In places the links to the game are quite obvious, such as Mega Man triggering his powers by feeding trading cards to Omega-Xis. Also the fact that no-one seems to notice that Mega Man is Geo, despite him looking exactly the same and having the same voice, is |
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even more stupid than no-one recognising that Clark Kent is Superman with glasses. It's also a bit disappointing that the series seems to stop halfway through. As far as I'm aware there's no volume 2 on the way, but all this one does is end with half an episode reviewing the enemies Mega Man has already faced. It's a shame there's no obvious conclusion, but at least there's plenty packed on here to get your teeth into. Mega Man Star Force is colourful, action packed and entertaining, with great animation and decent music. It is certainly better than Mega Man NT Warrior, and despite the lack of a conclusion there is plenty to like here. Older viewers may find it a bit clichéd and predictable, but in Gemini Spark it has a bit more sophistication than you may expect, and it at least has a bit of a plot to drive it. Younger viewers will lap it up, and I think it's a shame that it's ended up with a 12 certificate as it will cut out some of the series natural audience. To my mind there's nothing particularly objectionable in it, but then I'm not a film censor. BBFC issues aside, Mega Man Star Force is a fun and enjoyable action series with plenty for fans of the corresponding games on the Nintendo DS. The series is not bad, I've seen better and I've seen worse, but if you're a fan Mega Man NT Warrior and Sonic X looking for something similar, then this is perfect for you. Extras Almost unbelievably there are no extras, at least not on the review copy I received. The full release will no doubt have a slipcase box like many of Manga's DVDs. Ratings Feature:
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