Title: Solty Rei S.A.V.E.
Director: Yoshimasa Hiraika
Studio: Gonzo
U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment
U. S. Re-Release Date: May 5th, 2015
Format: DVD / 24 Episodes / 615 Minutes
Genre: Sci Fi, Drama, Action, Adventure
Age Rating: TV 14
Overall Personal Rating: B+
Synopsis:
It’s been twelve years since the Blast Fall, an unexplained disaster that left countless dead and many more maimed. Society is divided and every citizen feels the burn, most of all the Resembles – people whose mangled bodies have been rebuilt with high-tech prosthetic devices.
Roy Revant is living the hard life of a bounty hunter in a broken city – a city where thousands have died in a mysterious event called the Blast Fall. Those who survived share the sting of loss. Countless Resembles walk the streets; people whose mangled bodies have been rebuilt with high-tech prosthetic devices. Yet there are those that even science cannot mend.
Roy needs a miracle to escape his rut… and one night she falls from the sky. Like countless others, Solty is a Resemble, but one unlike the world has ever known. A young girl without a past, soon she will have a family. But in this world, pain and alienation are never too far away.
Unexpected allies are brought together, losing sight of the fine line between right and wrong as intentions are judged with sore hearts. After so much destruction and loss, Solty glows with the fresh life that Roy’s been seeking and there may be a chance for happiness in the dark. As strangers pass in the graveyard, bitter loss binds them all.
Commentary:
Funimation has maintained a great tradition of keeping titles alive and making them more affordable. Solty Rei may only be hitting it’s 10th year, but it has risen to the level of a series that needs to stay in production and also move to a price point that everyone can enjoy.
The series itself is an interesting look into the future and at the nature of the human heart to long to be untied to others who for what ever reason they have found a true connection to. This relationship connection is explored on many level in the series and it does a wonderful job of reminding us that we are not supposed to be alone.
The Sci Fi aspects of the series are simple enough, but the story does take a harder look at artificial intelligence as the series progresses. This is not something new and it is an easy target as a plot device seen though out Science Fiction for many years and it hasn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Overall Grade: B+
The thing about Solty Rei that helps keep it alive is the development of the main characters. As we progress through the story we discover more and more about them and begin to understand why they have come together. The thing that glues them all together is the salty old dog Roy, who has sub come to Solty Rei andante in the reemergence of his real daughter. This unlikely family is key to the story and even in the end there is a honest tough at the heart that makes all the tears worth while.
The animation is straight out of Gonzo’s production book and for 2005 it was outstanding, in todays terms it is a little dated, but still stands out as a quality in art styling and production. The overall story starts off a little slow but manages to pickup and in the final episodes it really hits its stride and gives us something to fell good about.
If you are looking for a split Sci Fi that is really all about relationships and the bonds that tie us, then you need to check this wonderful anime.
