Among one of the most identifiable sub-genres ever discerned is that of dystopian fiction. Serving to fascinate in their depictions of failed and downtrodden societies, false utopias strewn together with webs of lies, or the eventual extremes of political ideologies, dystopian fiction has proven both a successful form of social and political critique as well as an enjoyable diversion. While human interest in such typically dispiriting works is up for inquiry as to purpose, what isn’t subject to such debate is that of the shear multitude of works within the sub-genre itself. One of hundreds of such works to dot the ever engrossing category that of Battle Angel.

Initially a manga created by Yukito Kishiro under the title of Gunnm, an OVA was eventually crafted primarily for the purposes of generating further interest in the manga. Produced primarily by studio Madhouse with the involvement of KSS and MOVIC under the direction of Hiroshi Fukutomi, the Battle Angel OVA spanned only two episodes, both released June twenty-first 1993 and roughly covering the material of the first two volumes of the manga. Though a complete series had been on the drawing board, the creator and producers eventually founds themselves too busy with other projects to further pursue such a production.

The plot of the Battle Angel OVA follows that of Gally, the primary protagonist of the franchise. Rescued from the scrap-yard that lies beneath the floating utopia of Zalem, Gally is restored and granted a new body by cyborg-physician Daisuke Ido. Taking up residence with the physician, Gally finds herself surrounded by a world of crime, filth and decay on the earthen dumping ground below the supposed utopian paradise that floats loftily overhead.

Driven by an intriguing premise and setting, Battle Angel offers a glance into the franchise and a taste of what further incarnations of the storyline have to offer. Though restricted to being a simple adaptation of the first two volumes of a manga, the OVA does the courtesy of presenting a work that can stand on it’s own. The scripting of the OVA is rather average grade, though decisively better in it’s original language. That stated, the script in general alternates between the occasional inspired moment and a few awkwardly handled instances, evening it out overall.

Beyond the semantical, the artwork and animation of Battle Angel is suitable and effective. The art depicts decidedly dark and gloomily subdued night scenes with contrastive bright yet gritty daytime ones. Stylized and appealing, the artwork well depicts the events of the OVA and allows for a full appreciation of the work. Supplemental to artwork the animation of Battle Angel is fluid and smooth, allowing for enjoyable and fast paced action sequences without the utilization of the tricks and shortcuts commonly employed in such an area. The animation allows movements to seem more natural and fluent, as not to draw unnecessary attention or bring one to pause.

By contrast the voice work of the Battle Angel OVA is more of a mixed bag, with both the English and Japanese renditions offering a few dismal and pleasing performances apiece. While little of the voice work in either dub is particularly stellar the OVA does have it’s moments, being generally decent the remainder of the time with the odd exception. The music of the Battle Angel OVA is another point of interest, many scenes choosing to forgo employing any music, though when tracks are utilized the viewer is treated to a number of atmospheric tunes. The closing moments of both episodes also serving to highlight the impressive rock-medley theme tune of the OVA.

The Battle Angel OVA finds itself at an odd impasse as a work of fiction. While complete and certainly watch-able in itself, it seems somewhat fractional without the further elaboration given by other sources such as that of the manga. It is here that the OVA succeeds in it’s intent, to seed interest in the original work from which it derives. Though no further anime adaptation of the works was ever attempted, director James Cameron has purportedly had a live action adaptation in mind for some time now. Though what is to made of this and any future endeavors of the franchise remain to be seen, the Battle Angel OVA offers a brief yet commendable departure into a finely rendered peace of dystopian fiction.




~ Colme




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