Title: Coppelion episode 1
Director: Shingo Suzuki
Studio: GoHands
Distributor: Viz Anime
Release: Streaming on Line
Data: October 2nd, 2013 (simultaneous with Japanese release)
Format: Streaming
Genre: Sci Fi, Action
Age Rating: TV 14
Overall Personal Rating: B+
VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE NEW ANIME SERIES COPPELION TO NORTH AMERICAN AUDIENCES THE SAME DAY AFTER THE JAPANESE BROADCAST PREMIERE
Synopsis:
COPPELION takes place in the not-so-distant future as a catastrophic event has turned the old capital of Japan into a wasteland, forever changing the lives of its people. Decades later, three schoolgirls set foot into the now forsaken city. They are the Coppelion, genetically engineered humans created by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces to operate under the lethal conditions of the contaminated city. Trained since birth, the girls must use all of their skills and resources to carry out their one and only mission: to rescue those left behind.
“COPPELION is one of the most anticipated anime for Fall 2013, and fans won’t want to miss the opportunity to catch the thrilling debut of this lushly animated series this week,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Marketing Manger, Animation. “Ibara, Aoi and Taeko are a breed of genetically engineered beings known as the Coppelion who embark on often dangerous missions to restore hope and rescue people from the forsaken city. Plenty of action and unique characters are in store as the girls slowly uncover the Old Capital’s dark secrets!”
Commentary:
It is alway great when a show is aired in the U. S. at the same time it is released in Japan and in Coppelion gives me plenty of reason to be very happy about this event. First of all I do not spend much time streaming my anime, I am a bit of a purest and tend to want to own it rather than stream it, but when I can watch it in almost real time I am more than interested because I would expect it to be some time before it will ever make it to DVD or Blu-ray.
After the first episode I am hooked, the story has already given me enough information to that makes want to come back for more and I mean a lot more. These 3 girls, Ibara, Aoi and Taeko, all come across as regular school girls who just happen to be able to survive in a radioactive surrounding, but I feel like there is much more to it. They also appear to have a thirst to help other that I am sure will be even more important as the series develops.
As the series opens I was struck by the level of detail that the background is given. It is not unusual for anime to have rich, well developed environments that catch the eye and help elevate the show. In the case of Coppelion it makes a great deal of difference and when it is played against the rather 2 dimensional characters. The other aspect of the characters that makes the difference stand out is the heavy black outline to their figures. This juxtaposition is both interesting and disturbing at the same time. I realize that this is a relatively new fashion in anime styling, but the fad is starting to take its toll. In this case I found it distracting when I should have been spending my time and efforts to get deeper into the story.
Overall Grade: B+
With this only being the first episode I have high hopes, but could see the general animation being somewhat of a put off for some. The plot of the Coppelion appears to be solid and from what I have so far it should have plenty of depth to carry the series relatively far. The girls are created with enough normal characteristics to make them very accessible and at the same time I know there must be something very special about them that we just haven’t seen jet. All-inall I am looking forward to discover more about this series and know that it should find a relatively wide fan base here in the U. S.
