Genocyber - The Collection
J**H
The most underrated anime I've ever seen
After finishing Genocyber, I really feel that I should write a review, because all over the Internet there is a lot of negativity directed at this series, and after viewing it, I strongly disagree with the negative reviews railed against this great OVA and thus feel obligated to give it the praise and respect that I feel it rightfully deserves.First of all, if you are squeamish and do not like blood and gore, then you should obviously not watch this series, as people are torn apart and eviscerated throughout each episode, and yes, this does include children. Many people found the opening scene in which several children are gunned down, their bodies graphically torn apart to be disturbing and absolutely appalling. While such a scene might at first glance seem pointless and random to some people, it factors into Elaine's (who is referred to as Laura in this episode) motivations later on in this and in the next episode as it is hinted that she might have had a bond with some of these children.Other people have criticized this has either having no plot or having a very choppy plot that is hard to follow. I personally had no issues following what was going on or being able to figure out why certain things happened the way they did or why characters reacted to events the way that they did and I did not think that the series felt choppy or rushed at all. This isn't one five-part storyline, but instead three 45-minute stories, the first one set in the early twenty-first century (which would be considered the near-future back in 1993 when this series was made), the second one, which encompasses episodes 2 and 3, being in the near future, and the third, encompassing episodes 4 and 5, being set hundreds of years into the future. Each story involves the Genocyber character but are otherwise unrelated to one another and the viewer must keep this in mind when watching the series rather than sitting there complaining about how it all of a sudden jumps to the year 2400 and has completely different characters than the ones it started off with. Each storyline is handled very well, with plenty of violence, gore, and carnage to satiate the bloodlust, but it also contains plenty of intelligence and a very compelling plot as well.Characterization has been done well enough considering that each story only has about 45 minutes to delve into the characters and get the plot rolling, but they do give you enough information about characters to understand their motivations and reactions and each storyline features a few likeable heroes to root for, such as Myra in Episode 2 and 3, who lost her own child earlier but is very protective of "Laura" during this arc. In episode 4 and 5 we have Mel who is blind but psychic and Ryu her lover, who is searching for a cure for her affliction in the City of the Grand Arc and winds up getting himself way over his head in the process once he and Mel are caught in the middle of the war between the government of that city and the underground worshippers. Elaine is a very endearing character; a mute child with the mind of an animal, yet with a heart of gold and a fierce protectiveness toward her friends. The motivation of the villainous are not as well fleshed out beyond motives such as greed, arrogance, power, and the need to keep that power and they are therefore not at all sympathetic. But they are still believably portrayed. Each of the characters were interesting in their own way, and perhaps if the stories were longer they might have been fleshed out even better (though the stories were as long as they needed to be, in my opinion), but characterization was still handled well and I did find myself caring about what happened to them.Considering this anime was made in 1993, the art and animation hold up fairly well. The artwork was clean and detailed, particularly on the gory bits, and the character designs were well-rendered. The animation flows well enough, though there are a lot of still frames throughout each episode.Overall, I found Genocyber to be a very enjoyable and compelling ride through each of the three storylines and can recommend the series with at least some confidence despite the glaringly negative nature of many of the reviews I have read. Obviously, if you prefer more light-hearted, zany, happier fare such as shoujo, slice-of-life, high school comedies, or animes of that nature, then you will absolutely despise Genocyber with every fiber of your being. If on the other hand you prefer works of a darker and more brutal nature, such as Elfen Lied, Now and Then Here and There, Berserk, or Gantz, then I urge you to at least give Genocyber a try and hope that you will enjoy it as much as I have.
A**R
Cool but Very Gorey and Graphic
There are only four episodes ever made so the DVD is short. The story starts out interesting but after the first two episodes it gets kind of off track and splits into a separate story. If you love gore and violence you can't get much better than this one. But the story kind of lacks.
J**N
Gore porn.
The story sucks but it's one of those "must owns" for hardcore collectors and gore porn enthusiasts.
N**K
Came in perfect condition just as i would have hoped
Came in perfect condition just as i would have hoped, DVD showed no signs of damage plays everything without any disruption or skipping.
E**I
Five Stars
It is oldie buy goodie
P**L
Probably one of the greatest animes of all time.
Ok not really but it sure is awesome. I'm in my early 20s and you shouldn't watch this if your under 17 maybe 18 unless your really mature and at least finished . For example when I first saw MD Geist i was 19 I thought it was a horrible piece of C#!p. I watched it just yesterday and I thought it was a clasic I understood it all and loved it. Genocyber is just that unless your mature and intelligent enough you probably wont understand it. Its about two sisters being experimented on both psychic ones a cripple the other feral. The Feral one Elaine escapes Diana the crippled one in a cybernetic body tracks her down. Bad stuff happens Elaine invades Dianas body they become genocyber(in several peoples opinion the incarnation of the Angel of Death).OAV 1-2 Starts off by showing how horrible war and in term man is by showing a clip of bad stuff happening to kids. Elaine ends up in a ship where an experimental robot is being tested a Vajradroid(probably spelled wrong.) She meets the a doctor who reminds her of her dead daughter Elaine gets close to several people on the ship. The droid sees Elaine as a threat and story goes on from there. OAV 4-5 has a horrible English Dub but is watchable in short Genocyber and mankind fight for a couple hundred years Elaine decides to lay dormant and sleep since all she can do is destroy and no one leaves her alone. Later in a future a couple make it to a city Ark La Grande(or maybe thats just the name of the OAV). The male loves her even though shes blind and does his best to get money to pay for her surgery he gets involved with some shady people they frame him then things get rougher from there. Genocyber ends up being worshiped as a deity by an underground group blind girl whos pregnant and has limited psychic abilities ends up with them. Bad stuff happens she awakens and temporarily joins with Diana and Elaine and takes care of bushiness in the evil city. OAV 4-5 are my least favorite OAV 1 is easily the best OAV 2-3 is still great but not OAV 1. IF Elaine would just be left alone everything would be fine but the main antagonist which you rarely see keeps trying to destroy her and therefor she keeps turnig into geonocyber as a means to defend herself.Everything Elaine cares for is taken away and shes left to wander around.This Anime is underrated lets put this way it doesn't pull punches and shows you the world how it is It has a story its easy to follow unless your some kid whos easily distracted the gore is necessary to prove its point. If you like MD Geist I,II, the Hellsing OAVs,Ghost in a Shell, Fist of the North Star, Akira, Full Metal Alchemist chances are youll like this just remember this has a lot more gore than all of those combined so if your a Naruto or Bleach Fag sorry i meant Fan chances are it will blow your mind or you wont understand it. Old School animes are the best.Cyber City OEDO 808, and Devil Man are prety good too.
池**彦
DVDしか無い国際アニメなのに海外で購入
日本では、買えないから海外で購入しました。久しぶりに観れて満足しております。早く日本でブルーレイを出して欲しいです
P**2
Five Stars
thanks great!!
Trustpilot
2 months ago
2 months ago