I heard about this anime way back when I was in high school, but I was never able to check it out until about a week ago. And well, I must say I don't regret watching this anime. I really enjoyed it.
Story:
A boy named Otaru Mamiya awakens three marionettes called Lime, Cherry, and Blood Berry, who are all different from other marionettes on Terra 2. What makes them different from all the other female robots/androids? Well, Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry have this thing called a Maiden Circuit, which acts like their heart. And that means they get to experience emotions. Basically, this story is about ... Otaru's daily life with the three mechanical girls and of course throw in a plot about an evil ruler from a German-inspired country/kingdom that wants to conquer Japaness (Otaru's Japanese inspired homeland) with his own Marionettes with Maiden Circuits, and you got one hell of a story.
Of course, all the episodes had me hooked. I enjoyed watching the crazy antics of Otaru's marionettes as they fought for his affections (Tenchi Muyo style might I add) all the while of learning about the daily lives of humans. The first half of the season is mostly about Otaru adjusting to life with the girls, with him teaching them about various human experiences such as life and death, and the second half of the series delves more into the reason for Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry all having Maiden Circuits and why there are only men on Terra 2, oh and the war against the German-inspired country of Gartland.
At first glance, this might seem like another sci fi-ish harem that's trying to be like Evangelion and Tenchi Muyo but honestly, it's not. It's not as goofy and lighthearted as TM but at the same time it doesn't try to be all that serious like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the similarities are still there. Each episode, believe it or not, carried the story on, adding onto the characters and their own little arcs. This series wasn't afraid to slow down and make you cry over something as trivial as Lime's pet squirrel dying (Ugh, yes there was an episode where Lime learned first hand about death...) or learning about the past of the antagonist, Lord Faust. There's also plenty of action scenes as well.
Art:
I'll admit that the art style of the characters all looked a little weird to me at first but I quickly got used to it. Everything looked great, even albeit a bit dated. The character designs really showed off the personality of all the characters, from the intimidating Lord Faust to the cute adorable Cherry. The action sequences were really fluid and the characters were really well done and expressive. And the scenery. There was a lot of pretty scenery.
Sound:
So, I watched the English dub and not the Japanese dub, and well, eh, I will say that the English Dub isn't bad, I mean it's not the best out there. But I liked it. I especially liked Lime's VA. But all of the actors brought life to their characters and the music, the opening theme got stuck in my head while I watched this. The ending song was pretty catchy. All the sounds overall were pretty good, from the cracks of plasma lightning(?) being heard in the sky, to the cute squeaks of the weird Ponta creatures in the forest, and the punches and kicks that Lime, Cherry, and Bloodberry dealt out when protecting Otaru.
Characters:
Ah yes, I will say that while the story did feel a bit awkward, the characters are really what makes Saber Marionette J shine. We have the serious yet kindhearted Otaru Mamiya, the cheerful and childish Lime, the soft-spoken and modest Cherry, and the tough badass yet flirty Bloodberry. There are other characters but I don't really wanna spoil anything. All I gotta say is that I loved these characters, especially Lime, she was really adorable and I actually cried whenever Lime cried. All the characters all added something to the overall plot of this anime. From Lime learning about life and death to Bloodberry being conflicted over possibly liking another character who was similar to Otaru.
Enjoyment;
I had a lot of fun watching this series though I will admit that there were a few episodes that were sad but they didn't evoke any emotions out of me at all, except for the one about Lime and her pet squirrel and possibly another one that I'm not gonna say anything about. Let's just say I was hooked on this series until the end.
Overall:
Overall, I'd say give this series a watch because while it seems like it's trying to be another Tenchi Muyo or another Neon Genesis Evangelion, it isn't. Saber Marionette J has the perfect balance of romance, drama, action, and sci fi.
Alternative Titles Japanese: セイバーマリオネットJ Information Type: TV Episodes: 25 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Oct 1, 1996 to Mar 25, 1997 Premiered: Fall 1996 Broadcast: Tuesdays at 18:00 (JST) Licensors: Bandai Entertainment Studios: Studio Junio Source: Original Duration: 25 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 7.421 (scored by 14,701 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #22832 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #3841 Members: 33,638 Favorites: 225 Resources |
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