Iria: Zeiram the Animation Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: As a young bounty hunter, Iria battles the seemingly immortal Zeiram for the first time.

Review: I remember back in the mid-90s when anime was starting to gain a following, and the Sci-fi channel aired this as one of their films. I've mentioned this a few times before about how fun it was to stay up all night waiting to see what anime they would air on Saturdays (technically Sunday, but come on) at like 1 or 2 A.M. While I, of course, enjoyed Iria, it was definitely disappointing when they would rerun it. Not because I grew tired of it, but because Sci-fi would break it up into a two week event! My friends and I wanted to see new anime, but the moment you saw Iria you knew to forget all about next week as well. So, yes, this is a long movie. Essentially, it's a miniseries containing 6 episodes that were 30 minutes a piece without commercials; that meant only 3 episodes spread out over 2 hours with godforsaken commercials and, worse, infomercials accompanying the presentation. However, having the film broken up into small segments makes watching the film as a whole easier for those with limited time.

As for how the anime holds up compared to the live action films...it's significantly better. This is the proper realization of the lore and action I think the live action films desired. There are huge set pieces, big battles, super weapons, we see other aliens' worlds, etc. There is also a unique style in which everything appears as a technological version of Feudal Japan mixed with an organic spin; it's kind of hard to explain. I feel the live action versions do Iria justice, but she is cooler and tougher in the anime. Likewise, Zeiram is more powerful and deadlier than ever. Using the anime medium helped make his movements become fluid and less hindered by the various costumes and effects needed to bring him to life in reality. The story itself is more thought out as Iria is the apprentice to her brother as she is working her way up to become a bounty hunter. After running into a shady corporation experimenting on Zeiram, the brother is seemingly killed and Iria wants revenge. Between coming to terms with the brother's death and finally becoming a true bounty hunter, we see Iria battle Zeiram until she finally puts the beast down. The whole process plays out nicely between each episode with a ton of action to keep the pacing on point.

Unfortunately, there are three main aspects that hold the anime back: the most annoying Jar Jar character in the franchise, continuity errors, and yet another lackluster defeat for Zeiram. First off, the new Jar Jar puts the others to shame. It is some stupid brat that is annoying as fuck and Iria brings the kid along for the lulz. They also include a moronic twist in which you realize the kid is not a boy but actually a girl. Riiiight. Wait, did "Pitch Black" steal that?! I just can't understand why they thought including a Jar Jar would be a good idea? As for the continuity errors, they are pretty damn huge. If this anime was meant to stand on its own, then everything is fine, but if it's meant to be a prequel it failed miserably. In the first film Iria didn't know who Zeiram was, yet she obviously fought the son of a bitch here. This unleashes an entire slew of continuity issues from there. We still never learn why Zeiram would go to Earth or how he survived this film's ending. On top of that, in this universe, everyone appears to know of Zeiram. Although Zeiram is a lot stronger in the anime, he comes off as more of a nuisance to the universe than a legitimate threat. In fact, it is implied that the universe has become accustomed to Zeiram being a pain in the ass and they have protocols for dealing with him; everyone simply says don't mess with him and to teleport him off into space should he show up. Since no one can figure out how to kill him they just remove him from the equation. You have to draw the conclusion that the only reason why Zeiram is even a threat in this particular circumstance is due to the experiments the corporation was doing to him. We can assume it made him more intelligent to the degree that he can become a global threat with his clone army...yes, a clone army. Alternatively, there is evidence that absorbing Iria's brother made Zeiram smarter, but I'm sticking with the experiments. Anyway, this all boils down to that pitiful defeat of Zeiram that might be worse than the two live action films. All that happens is Zeiram gets the little face cut in half, since it's the weak point, and then he's left in a desert that apparently lights on fire or something. Okay, so a knife is the final thing to put him down? Dude, you do realize that in the beginning of the anime he got nuked (among many other devastating hits)? Knife or nuke? Hmm...

Overall, this is a fun anime that complements the live action films but serves better as a standalone feature. Everything from the characters to the action has been enhanced and taken to a whole new level in comparison to the live action counterparts. You get more emphasis on the Iria vs. Zeiram struggle as well as more information about Iria's life. On the other hand, the film is not without its faults as Zeiram goes down easier than ever. Exacerbating the situation is a Jar Jar character that will not shut up or die! If you can overlook the minor gripes, this is a wonderful display of what '90s anime was all about. The animation is beautiful and you do not feel the running time with the segment breaks. If you could only check out this or the live action films I'd recommend choosing this option.

Notable Moment: It may be redundant, but the opening sequence to each episode is really amazing. The song is nice and the imagery is great; it definitely sets the tone for the series right from the get go.

Final Rating: 7/10

Zeiram 2 Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Zeiram has been resurrected as a robotic assistant to Iria when he breaks free of his control.

Review: So the first film made a ton of mistakes that held it back--did this sequel learn from them? Well, yes and no. The action has been improved considerably with more emphasis on Iria being a genuine badass. I mean, come on, giving Iria a sword, as cliched as it may be, is a must in Japanese action! Speaking of Iria, still played by Yuko Moriyama, she looks better and more alien; I don't know if it's the silver/blue streaks in the hair, or more/less polish to her makeup, but it worked. I also liked that we got to see how feared she is by other aliens as an entire horde of flunkies back away in terror. And, as such, it was wise to showcase more aliens as a means of expanding and developing this fictional universe more thoroughly. I certainly appreciate the attempts to make this movie a bigger and better experience than its predecessor.

On the other hand, they chose to bring back the same dumbasses from part one. They aren't quite as Jar Jar-esque as before, but, still, they do a lot of screaming and nearly dying. To make matters worse, they included a third Jar Jar--a little bitch who keeps trying to betray Iria; though he is removed from the story at one point, it wasn't through death and that's simply unacceptable. As for Zeiram, I did like some of the new ideas for his forms, but he appeared weaker to me. I don't know...he got beat a lot easier this time around despite allegedly being more powerful and durable. For example: at one point this bitch is put out of commission for hours after being impaled by Iria's sword. If Iria weren't so distracted by all the Jar Jars running about, Zeiram would have been toasty toast fairly early on. The final defeat of Zeiram is almost as equally anticlimactic as part one as well. Finally, the story felt a bit shaky at points and too similar to the first one. We never learn why someone would resurrect Zeiram and send him to Iria, but he malfunctions right away and they end up in another pocket dimension. Essentially, the stakes are the same as the first one except Zeiram isn't quite as intimidating and Iria does most of the fighting rather than the Jar Jars.

Overall, this was a better film than the first one but the margin of difference is narrow. You have the focus put on Iria--where it belongs--and we see her capabilities in their full glory. The new additions to both Iria and Zeiram's arsenals were cool and provided interesting setups; the notion of fighting in the giant statue/temple was fun. They did try and downplay the Jar Jars, but they could have been left out entirely especially if you add a third little bitch to the mix. But, if I had to pick the one gripe that truly stopped this from significantly surpassing the first film, it would be the ease to which Zeiram is defeated. He felt relentlessly immortal in the first one, but he's nowhere near as unstoppable this time around despite boasting all of these upgrades. These are cool little films if you get a chance to check them out, but we will have to see if the anime can surpass them both!

Notable Moment: When Iria does that badass, midair reload. Predictable...but oh so satisfying.

Final Rating: 6/10

Zeiram Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A bounty hunter attempts to capture an alien before he can wreak havoc on Earth.

Review: Some may be familiar with the anime, "Iria: Zeiram the Animation," which serves as a prequel to this film and the sequel, "Zeiram 2." Well, these are live action films that are kind of a cross between "The Terminator," "The Thing," and "Power Rangers." That probably sounds like an unusual mixture, and it certainly is, but it works well enough. The only downside to this film, however, is the lack of action. I was expecting things to be relentless or at least have an interesting story to help move you along through the slower parts but nope. More to the point, the film hypes up the main character, Iria, as if she is going to have a crazy battle against this hulking, mutating, seemingly immortal alien, Zeiram. In actuality, she fights Zeiram once early into the film and then two Jar Jar-esque humans get stuck doing the rest until Iria shows up again at the end. Oh come on!

We don't get a lot of back story as to what the hell is going on; the anime serves to fill in these gaps. All we know is that Zeiram is an alien bio-weapon that is extremely powerful and hard to kill. They don't even explain why he comes to Earth either. Iria is also an alien, but it's convenient that she looks Japanese, learned the language, and has been hanging out in an area close to Zeiram's trajectory. Iria is a bounty hunter working with her AI helper, Bob (though, he's not really an AI). I will note Iria looks pretty cool, and I like her gadgets she uses to fight Zeiram--I just wish they spent more time focusing on that. Anyway, Iria and Bob want to capture Zeiram for the money, obviously, but Bob is worried because Zeiram's power level is OVER 9000! Sorry, that joke is getting old, I know. Actually, his power level is over 87...whatever that is supposed to mean. Speaking of which, Zeiram himself (or herself) is an interesting concept and looks impressive. Each time Zeiram takes substantial damage he mutates with each form feeling distinct and menacing. The special effects were a surprising highpoint, and I think they still hold up well enough.

Iria and Bob have set up a pocket dimension for Zeiram to slip into, when he arrives on Earth, so he cannot kill any humans. It also provides plenty of room and a controlled environment for Iria to fight Zeiram. Unfortunately, the story quickly becomes hindered by the introduction of two goofball electricians who screw everything up. When Iria prepares to enter the dimension, those two idiots get pulled in with her. It's not a big deal at first since Iria has a respectably cool fight against Zeiram in which she triumphs; she puts Zeiram in a kind of stasis for transport. When Iria goes to teleport out of the dimension, a pain in the ass Zeiram clone goes with her and breaks the machine; the Zeiram clones are stupid bitches he can create when he eats people. With Iria stuck on Earth, the two idiots must fight another Zeiram clone alone. Though they do kill the clone, they idiotically shoot the stasis control on the real Zeiram--freeing him once more. This scene is followed by a huge chunk of the film dedicated to these two fools running around screaming with Zeiram always in hot pursuit. Who thought this would be a good idea? After much annoyance, Iria manages to get back into the dimension and save their candy asses. Iria blows Zeiram up, and he turns into a skeleton-like monster that they think a rare weapon will eliminate. Iria shoots Zeiram with this gun and the main chunk of Zeiram's head still is alive, but Iria puts it in stasis.

Trying to learn from the mistake of earlier, Iria lets the two idiots teleport back to Earth first where Zeiram breaks free and breaks the machine once again. Oh good lord. Now Iria is trapped in the dimension and those morons are stuck fighting Zeiram on Earth; Zeiram also takes on a new monster form. With the dimension they created collapsing, one of the dumb electricians conveniently uses his skills to fix the machine and bring Iria back. The film ends with Iria anticlimactically shooting Zeiram to death, and then having her picture taken with those imbeciles as if they somehow helped.

If you took away the Jar Jar antics, the lackluster defeat for Zeiram, and filled in a few details, this would have been significantly better. The action scenes that are here were decent, and the special effects were commendable for the time. Iria is a badass character in theory, but her execution was lacking and undermined when they focus on the Jar Jars instead. Zeiram was an awesome creation and one that needed more exploration in this film rather than through sequels. Overall, this is a film that could have been cheesy awesomeness, but, instead, turns out mediocre due to poor decisions in how to present the story.

Notable Moment: When Zeiram transforms into the skeleton form. While obviously inspired by the terminator, I liked the concept and the stop motion wasn't bad for that time.

Final Rating: 5.5/10