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(it might be best not to read this review until you have seen stage one, "Uoodo City") To be honest, for most of it's length I didn't think this stage was as good as it's predecessor. But Votoms is definitely an acquired taste, and if you didn't acquire it back in stage one (Uoodo City) it's unlikely you would have come this far. So I won't try to convince you that this is a classic series which you absolutely must see. In all likelihood, you are already well aware of the curious mix of strengths and weaknesses which comprise Votoms, and have already made up your mind whether it's worth continuing onwards. Though she wasn't extremely enthusiastic, critic Tasha Robinson described Votoms as "definitely the most ambitious piece of anime I've watched this decade". Perhaps it's this ambition to be like a great novel, telling it's complex story at it's own pace, which somehow intrigues us and keeps us going. The first episode of this stage is a summary of stage one. Afterwards we see that Chirico has found his way into a Vietnam-like guerilla war, complete with search-and-destroy missions, Russian roulette, napalm, and helicopters (of a sort). I was pleased to see him reunited with his precious companions, Gotho, Vanilla and Coconna, who had been responsible for the humor back in Uoodo City. Unfortunately, Chirico spends his time largely apart from them during this stage, so I found myself laughing a good deal less. For the time being, he's also been seperated from Fyana, the "phantom woman". I think the two surprisingly touching scenes in Uoodo City came when Chirico realised the genuine friendship Gotho, Vanilla and Coconna felt for him, and the affection (perhaps love?) he felt for Fyana--I wanted more of these interpersonal relationships, but was initially disappointed. Maybe Chirico really does have such an emotionless personality that we need his friends (and enemies) to maintain interest and carry the story along. On the other hand, perhaps it's the pity we feel for this hardened warrior which makes us (or at least me) genuinely want him to be reunited with Fyana. One way or the other, something was done right here, because after all my frustration I was impressed by the way things came to a head in the final episode or two. Just as in stage one, the s--- hits the fan at the end, with a three-way battle between the Veela rebels, the mercenaries, and the Melkian military. It's a wild free-for-all, that got pretty damn exciting with hordes of ATs launching an attack while riding in "scooters", a duel-to-the-death between former best friends, and Chirico able to get some answers to his questions from the villain Borough at gunpoint. I think one way in which Kummen Jungle Wars was better than Uoodo City was the way it concluded. Though the story as a whole is clearly far from over, there is a sense of closure here, sort of a feeling that an act of a play is coming to an end. And, believe it or not, we're actually halfway through the Votoms saga! In spite of my misgivings, I'm eager to move on to Deadworld Sunsa. My favorite line: "Save the preaching for my funeral, pal!" --Kan Yu Last updated Monday, February 04 2008. Created Saturday, February 28 2004. | ||||||||
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