Release Date: Oct 2, 2013
Studio: GoHands
Genre: Sci Fi, Suspense, Survival Horror
Premise: Following a catastrophic meltdown at a nuclear power plant in 2016, Tokyo became a radiated ghost town. Twenty years later, three teenage girls bioengineered to withstand the high radiation are dispatched to investigate the increasing number of SOS signals coming from the remains of the city.
Verdict: An interesting enough pilot. The skeleton of Tokyo, gutted by the nuclear fallout from the meltdown, is beautifully realized by GoHands' super-talented animation staff. Dust particles swirl and blades of grass bob in the wind on the deserted highways that have been reclaimed by nature. Entire buildings list to one side or the other, downed telephone poles and street signs littering the streets below. The production design alone makes I Am Legend look like Wonkaland.
The characters themselves are fairly distinct types as well. Ibara, the fearless maverick leader, leads the bespectacled animal-loving Taeko and the energetic (read: already annoying moe-blob) Aoi through the ruins with a refreshingly steely resolve that many anime heroines have been sorely lacking. Their mission is pretty straightforward (walk around investigating SOS signals, rescue people who aren't too crispy), but the pilot raises many more questions by its conclusion.
What happened to cause the meltdown in the first place? Are humans the only thing they need to worry about finding out here? Why is their handler from the Self Defense Force such a humorless dick? I am more than satisfied with GoHands' track record (if you haven't caught the Mardock Scramble trilogy, remedy your grievous mistake, immediately) to patiently wait for some more answers. Time will tell if the slow sizzle of this first episode will ever come to a boil, but I think this is one to keep your eye on.
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