Shelf Life

Terraformars Revenge

The first season of Terraformars had a lot going for it on paper. A no-frills genre title based on a reasonably popular manga, it was the kind of thing that should have been tough to screw up. Unfortunately, potential doesn't always translate into success, and the TV series suffered from several problems at launch. The manga's first story arc was consigned to an OVA that wasn't available in the US, and the first few TV episodes were released with comical amounts of visual censorship over any violent scenes. Anyone patient or forgiving enough to ride out those initial speed bumps was treated to a decent but unspectacular story and largely underwhelming visuals. It wasn't exactly the best adaptation in anime history, but Terraformars Revenge manages to correct most of its predecessor's flaws.

If you're new to the franchise, here's a basic rundown. A botched attempt at terraforming Mars has left the planet mostly habitable but overrun with mutated, humanoid cockroaches. Humanity needs to gather biological samples from the bug-men in order to cure a deadly epidemic on Earth, but things haven't exactly gone as planned. The spaceship Annex 1 crashed on arrival, leaving its crew scattered and besieged by swarms of Terraformar soldiers. The good news is that everyone on the Annex crew has been genetically enhanced with special abilities derived from a variety of deadly animals. The bad news is that there are traitors in their midst, and they've been cut off from any hope of a timely rescue. As you might expect, plenty of desperate battle scenes ensue.

Towards the end of its first season, Terraformars found a comfortable narrative groove, and that framework carries over into Revenge with a respectable amount of success. Most fights last between one and two episodes, and each showdown focuses on a couple of characters, providing some emotional context for their struggle through extensive flashbacks. The writing isn't exactly a shining beacon of subtlety or nuance, nor does it need to be. Terraformars Revenge is all about raw emotions, brutal action, and bombastic monologues about never giving up. As long as you're on board with that no-frills approach to genre storytelling, it makes for good popcorn entertainment and Revenge has further refined the formula laid down by the first season.

The downside of this approach is that it eventually grows repetitive. While the early episodes are an enjoyable ride, Revenge starts to lose steam near the middle of its run. Once you realize that the series is repeating the same steps with small variations, it gets shockingly easy to predict how each character arc will play out. Somebody gets backed into a corner by either a particularly tough Terraformar or by one of the traitors within the Annex crew, we learn why that person risked his or her life to come to mars, and then that character either stages a comeback victory or makes a heroic sacrifice. Rinse and repeat, adding a little bit of progress in the overall narrative each time. There's a cursory attempt at adding some variety by cutting to scenes of international intrigue back on Earth, but this portion of the story is arguably the least interesting part of Terraformars Revenge. While it's not necessarily bad, it's not compelling or unpredictable enough to be worth the screen time it requires. When you sign up for a series to watch people punch space bugs, watching people argue at the space UN feels like a bit of a downgrade.

Thankfully, the last few episodes send the season out with a bang. The final story arc doesn't necessarily do anything new, but it cranks the intensity up even higher than usual, and that simple “more is more” approach works well with the show's overall tone. More lives hang in the balance, the potential consequences of failure are more dire, and one Terraformar in particular is more of an indestructible monster than any of its predecessors. Victory and defeat seem equally possible, ratcheting up the emotional tension by an extra notch or two. This high point is unfortunately followed by an inconclusive ending which implies that we're nowhere near the end of the story, but this is somewhat inevitable for an adaptation of an ongoing original work.

Returning fans will be happy to know that the visuals in Terraformars Revenge are significantly improved from the first season. The lack of obnoxious black circles covering up any hint of gore is an obvious step up from the original broadcast, but the animation in general is also better. It's still not a fantastic looking show, but Revenge does at least avoid the poorly lit night scenes and cheap still frames that sometimes plagued its predecessor. This set gave me a chance to finally check out the English dub for Terraformars, and the writing and performances do a nice job of translating the intensity of the dialogue. On-disc extras for this set include an art gallery and some video interviews with members of the dub cast.

Terraformars in general is what I'd call a “big dumb fun” series, the kind of thing that's best watched with a rowdy group of friends who yell and scream every time a character gets punched or dismembered. This sequel season equals the first in terms of being big and dumb, and it takes a modest step forward in the fun department. The manga arguably remains the best way to experience the story, but there's something to be said for the meaty sound effects that accompany every punch and kick in the anime. As simple, surface-level entertainment, it's crude but effective.
-Paul[TOP]