BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 is a new breed of science fiction animation that mixes conventional character animation with computer generated imagery. The animators used high-quality traditional animation to depict the human and alien characters, and digital effects for the monsters, ships, submarines, vehicles, and backgrounds. The overall effect is quite mesmerizing to say the least. Even if BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 had no interesting concepts, characters, or storylines, the show would be worth watching for eye (and ear) candy value alone. Thankfully, the series has a lot going for it as it was adapted from Satoru Ozawa’s acclaimed comic book. BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 is a four part OVA that was released in 1998 by Bandai Entertainment. Pioneer is aware of a good thing when they see it and the series became their first Region 1 DVD release in conjunction with Bandai. BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 has such a strong buzz surrounding it that Pioneer knows they can be greedy with the property. You see, normally Pioneer includes at least 2 hours of episodes on each of their anime series DVDs. But with their BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 series, there is only one episode per DVD, totaling a rather scant 25 minutes (they could have easily placed all 4 episodes on a single DVD). So it seems Pioneer is attempting to milk this cash cow for all it’s worth—and it must be worth quite a lot, as rabid animation fans are snapping up videos of this revolutionary show. This review covers the third DVD in the series, BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6: HEARTS

Hundreds of years in the future, mankind is at war with a mysterious underwater race. This war has killed ten million people and resulted in the melting of the polar ice caps (most of the planet Earth is one gigantic ocean). The war is still ongoing with a fleet of high tech underwater military vehicles leading the underwater battle for survival. The most powerful weapon in this fleet is the Blue Submarine No. 6, manned by a brave and knowledgeable crew. The main characters are Tetsu, a brooding sub pilot, and Mayumi, a female pilot. The rest of the submarine’s crew are crusty war veterans and your typical authority figures.

BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6: HEARTS starts with Tetsu drifting on a raft in the open seas (after surviving a near-fatal underwater mishap in the previous episode). Tetsu’s life flashes before him, and he passes out. A peaceful member of the warring underwater race named Mutio, rescues Tetsu, and revives him on a the floating hull of a dilapidated tanker. Tetsu notices his rescuer treating him with kindness, and discovers that they can coexist peacefully after all. Though Mutio exhibits no hostilities toward Tetsu, her savage people come aboard the hull, and attempt to convince Mutio to kill him. She refuses, but their insect-like leader climbs aboard, determined to dismember Tetsu. He braces himself for the death blow, but then a Godzilla- sized underwater mutant breaks the surface of the ocean, startling the members of the underwater race and send them fleeing back into the ocean. But now, Tetsu and Mutio are at the mercy of this gigantic menace!

BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6: HEARTS not only features intricate animation and complex storytelling, the series is packed with relentless action. Though HEARTS is more emotional and introspective than other chapters, it still contains swift, well-paced action sequences that do not detract from the narrative. This episode also possesses a surreal and artsy tone. The creators provide larger-than-life (and sometimes disturbing) messages that suggest thought provoking ideas. Everything about BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6: HEARTS is unusual. Everything from the camera angles and animation techniques, to the jazz score, are unique. The creators definitely have an artistic vision behind the series, and it does not have the feel of a rehashed, rushed product (like most OVA’s). The series starts out introducing the heroes and villians, which initially seem stereotypical. But as the narrative progresses they grow with the unexpected twists of the plot. All the story twists are deliberate, and the dialog is always controlled, and never overbearing.

The animation and character design is nothing short of amazing. The hardest thing to animate is large bodies of water, but BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6: HEARTS successfully depicts tidal waves, sub-sea topography, water spouts, and the calm gyrations of the ocean surface. The characters are rendered with explicit detail. Unfortunately, some of the evil villains of the saga, look like they jumped out from the pages of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. To make things worse, these creatures go into a tirade about crushing their enemies by talking like a cheap villain from a bad comic book. But these are the only major flaws in an otherwise near perfect show.

The only extras on the disc are trailers for these other Bandai Entertainment properties:

• COWBOY BEBOP (FF, DD 2.0, 1:32)
• MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING (FF, DD 2.0, 2:56)
• JUBEI CHAN: THE NINJA GIRL (FF, DD 2.0, 1:17)
• OUTLAW STAR (FF, DD 2.0, 1:31)

-  Phil Chandler 

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