Innocent Venus

Full Title: Innocent Venus
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Mecha, Military, Science Fiction
Episodes: 12
Uploaded By: Mavrik
My Age Rating: PG-13 (Language, Intense Violence, Disturbing Themes)

Question: What do a knife licking bada$$, a seemingly black and white duo, a mysterious girl who happens to be the key to something of world changing importance, mechas that aren't exactly what they at first appear, a turncoat special ops captain, a post-apocalyptic future, and various other overused plot elements have in common? They're all main story components of Innocent Venus, and they are all completely unoriginal.

The world is split into two factions, the Logos (the rich and the few) who maintain their dominance over the Revenus (the poor and the plenty) by means of military might. The story revolves around a pair of friends who are, strangely enough, risking their lives to protect a seemingly harmless young girl codenamed Venus. Everybody seems to want to get to Venus for the same (unexplained until later) purpose, but in order to lay a hand on her, they have to get through the two military Benedicts first. Helped by a young (insanely annoying) native Revenus, the two are taking her somewhere to achieve their own ends...

Um... yeah. This anime has a lot to say but, unfortunately, none of it is the slightest bit original. Every single character in this anime has not only been done before, they've been done better. Every single plot device used has punched the proverbial horse at least once. That being said, you'll probably end up liking it anyway. Yeah, sure it throws the same ingredients in the pot, but it's all in the way it's stirred I guess because this anime held my attention from "Hell" to "The World" (first and last episodes) quite well. Whether the horses this anime takes a whack at are dead yet is really up to the viewer.

As for the production, it really couldn't be any better. The action sequences are smooth, and except for a couple fight scenes, the 3D effects are blended well with the animation. The animation itself is interesting as it seems to have gone through special measures to make itself look like a crisper, cleaner version of the hand drawn animes of old. The opening sequence and the ending credits are worth your time at least once, and the voice acting won't disappoint you either. This is a very good anime to watch for inexperienced anime fans; it could end up being your favorite. As for the experienced ones, this will lose points for being same-old-same-old, but I recommend you see it anyway. Just for the pretty drawings if nothing else.My Rating: 6.8/10 (Good)