Nice to see another review from you, Xuan! You did a nice job of getting to the point throughout the review and seemed very fair and unbiased. I have a few minor recommendations though too-first, I might switch the order of the story section so that plot comes first and characters second, because the character descriptions seem more clear once you know the context of the plot and what the story is like. Second, I might just add some sort of concluding sentence to each section just to make things flow a bit smoother as well as prevent sudden section endings. That said, this was a good review even without those things, so forgive me for nit-picking. Nice work, Xuan! :)
Dead Leaves tv Review
Story & Characters
52 minutes of random fun there is no better way to explain this entire story. I would state that the rating for this one would seriously be for a strong 16+ I so would not let a younger one see this one without a doubt ! We got violence to the max, sexual references and can't forget the mild nudity throughout the whole entire thing, which we all know is the lovely ecchi tag ! Now with that out of the way, let's begin the review shall we? now keep in mind this is a VERY short anime, it felt longer due to the actual plot line. I once dropped this because I was dull by it, but I'm glad I picked it back up and watched it again, it wasn't actually that disappointing, must have been in another mind set or something. Also note, this review is going to have a few mature references so keep that in mind if you wish to read further.
Plot:
I'm going to try to do this without giving away too much of the plot, it's going to be hard but I bet I can give it my very best, so bare with me.
Dead leaves is about two people, Pandy and Retro, which awaken on earth naked and with no memory of how they got there but they sure do have superior physical abilities. Pandy is hungry so they go on an adventure to get food and while they are at it, the crime spree embarks on clothing and transportation. It's a short spree for they are captured in downtown Tokyo by authorities and sent to the infamous Dead Leaves prison camp on the partially destroyed moon.
Once incarcerated Retro and Pandy are subjected to the activities taking place inside the prison facility, such as forced labor, straight jackets, and mandatory defecation. During which time we meet up with Cheeco, Triple 6 and Triple 7, all showing themselves as to what they really are, at this time Retro is given the unlucky showing of Triple 7's brute strength and Triple 6's commanding and leadership. Something all the inmates fear, except Retro.
At this time Retro and Pandy just does not want to remain in their cell anymore so they orchestrate a breakout where they discover the truth of the prison camp as well as the truth behind themselves and regains their memories and the reasoning behind why Pandy is always thinking about the caterpillar.
Characters:
As this is extremely short, the character list isn't going to be all that grand, as this review might be too short too, but I did watch it.
Retro: he has a tv for a head, but in Pandy's flashbacks he has a "human head". He has no memory of his former life and he doesn't really seem to care, he awakes on earth, naked, and he is convinced he is a mafia don or a ninja hitman, due, in large, to his excessive weapon's knowledge and martial arts skills. He is a very violent man and those around him tend to get killed due to his impulses to kill.
Pandy: pretty much the heroine, Retro gives her the name due to her panda like mark on her face and she gives Retro his nickname due to his tv for a head. She is ignorant of her past, minus a few flashbacks she gets here and there which really isn't very helpful in helping her remember. She's very strong and great at hand-to-hand combat and excellent user with handguns.
The Baby: Retro and Pandy's "love child" with being the child of Retro and Pandy, he is born with a special gene that enables him to have the same abilities as Pandy. He loves his parents greatly and shows this throughout the short life span of the anime.
Prison Workers: the people that Pandy and Retro encounter that have names, the others are just nameless faces in the crowds otherwise showing no logical point to the plot with a name but does help the story along the way even without a name due to a comical yet violent way and/or method that they tend to meet when encountering Pandy and Retro.
Galactica: the mysterious and tyrannical warden of Dead Leaves prison. Also the villain of the story. She is in charge of cloning and genetic engineering experiments that have created an unholy menagerie of deformed and infinitely expendable inmates. Something of a cyborg herself, she has weapons and sinister devices within her body. She doesn't do much throughout the anime but she does something really bad which stirs Pandy to the core.
666: product of the dead leaves bio-weapons experiments, he is a tall, skinny character who moves at high velocity when confronted with a challenge. His primary weapons are two long blades attached to his arms. In the English version he is referred to as Triple 6.
777: is also a product of the dead leaves bio-weapons experiments, he is a bulky and powerful counterpart to Triple 6. Tends to say a quick prayer before going into any battle. Tends to prefer his brute strength and a wide assortment of guns he has at his disposal within his body. In the English version he is referred to as Triple 7.
Inmates: As there were several hundred of these and such a short anime, there really wasn't many that their names were used. Various numbers but they weren't all that noticeable or worth noting.
Cheeco: A drill for his "manly part" he is one of the most loyal followers picked up by Retro and Pandy during their attempted escape.
Dr. Yabu: A curiously knowledgeable inmate when it comes to prison affairs. He too aids in the jailbreak. He used to be a doctor but was sent to Dead Leaves when one of his patients dies.
Sarge: Appears later in the movie when they encounter the Armory. He seems to be the leader of sorts and knows about running a tank.
Rating:
Art
I have to admit, this was one of the most unique styles of artwork that I have seen for quite some time. It did remind me of another anime, but references aren't one of my specialties due to people maybe not having seen the other anime in question to compare. But I will tell you this, there was no moment where this anime made any sense in art style. Now the gore scenes were extremely well drawn, and there tend to often be more blood squirting out from the human body than expected, but this is something I would place within the comedy section as well as action and some science fiction. Now I won't lie, the details to the important scenes were quite remarkable. The prison camp, the dead leaves bio-weapons experiment place where the details to even Galactica was outstanding. Not to mention to Retro's tv head. The flashback scenes had a lot of detail to them as well.
Rating:
Sound
There really wasn't much of a sound to speak of. I mean there were the occasional weapons, the sounds of a drill and other cute little noises that helped the story along, but there wasn't really nothing wonderful to mention about the sound. I have to admit some of the sounds due to the helpful scenes were quite nice and the score was decent. I only watched the American (English) version, so this is what this review is based off of. There were some notable voice actors that I noticed in the anime however.
Jaxon Lee as Retro
Amanda Winn-Lee as Pandy
Jason C. Miller as Triple 7
Keith Burgess as Cheeco
Douglas Rye as Dr. Yabu
Rating:
Presentation
Over all, I have to admit this sure was one random anime. I was impressed with how this one came about for such a short anime. I actually wished it was longer AND possibly another part or movie or something, sadly nothing has surfaced but that doesn't mean this diamond in a rut should ever go unnoticed. It appeared in 2004 and I'm just now able to admit that I saw it, I found it quite entertaining for a bedtime show due to it's short length in nature. I would still suggest someone that is mature in nature and/or older to watch this one. I can't help those who do venture into wanting to see this, but I can state my suggestion and/or warning all the same. Not everyone is into this or that, and I like to mention that so people won't stumble into an anime that disturbs them, which isn't very fun I might add.
Rating:
Final Verdict
5.6667 (average)
Reviewed by angelxxuan, Jan 28, 2012
Comments
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SnickerdoodleNinja Retired Moderator Jan 28, 2012
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CyanideBlizzard Retired Moderator Jan 30, 2012
You had me sold on the first sentence of this review.
I actually like the fact that you kept the other sections short and sweet. Sometimes, there isn't too much else to say about a series and giving us a meaty paragraph is a great way to leave it at that.
Other than Snicker's suggestion for conclusive sentences, I think this is a rather strong review and I really liked the personal touches to it as well. Great job, Xuan!
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z827 Jan 30, 2012
OVAs - their , admittedly , a pain in the arse to review in the plot section , particularly if it only comes in a one episode or two :X
Seems to me that this Anime is within the "gore comedy" list.
Smells like Dokuro-chan on crack or something :PAnyways , you might want to add your own opinions into the plot review - not the violence , not the art - but the plot.
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back07 Feb 29, 2012
another interesting review.
i love the way you explain the story and the plot.Nice job angelxxuan..
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angelxxuan Banned Member May 20, 2012
movies, the hardest thing to review, and since this one was that much shorter, made it slightly that harder to do. thanks for stopping by and visiting.
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UberDog Mar 08, 2015
Kicking Review there bunny, really liked how you reviewed it well, I cannot argue against this review, for, as I own this, this anime sure is random and weird.
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