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Now in Japan
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Written by maehara
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Thursday, 15 June 2006 00:00 |
 Time for some sci-fi shounen action with Jyu Oh Sei, the newest series from Studio Bones, the folks behind RahXephon and other fine shows. When twins Thor and Rai are cast away on an inhospitable penal planet, their best chance of escape is to take on the strongest of the planet's inmates - but will either of them be up to the task..?
1 - Destiny
Mankind has spread to the stars. Thor and Rai, twin brothers, live on the space colony Juno, sited in the Balkan star system 50 light-years from mankind's home planet. Juno offers an extremely comfortable life for its inhabitants - but after finding their parents murdered, the twins are themselves captured and cast away on a planet where plants have gained the upper hand against the human inhabitants, most of whom have resorted to savagery in an attempt to survive. The planet is Chimera, a prison planet for dangerous criminals, and there's only one way to leave...
Lots for the conspiracy fans to get their teeth into here. The Federal Army Space Forces were the ones responsible for the killing of the twins parents, but because of the nature of their work they were supposed to be protecting them - which begs the question, what was their father up to, or what had he uncovered, that drew such retribution? It also gives the twins a reason to seek revenge if / when they can get themselves off Chimera.
As for the twins, they're identical in appearance, but not in outlook. Thor's the assertive, aggressive one, while Rai's much more submissive - a bit of a whiner, really, and not much use in a pinch. Leaving Chimera will involve defeating the leader of each of the planet's four Rings (nations) - a good excuse for some gratuitous fighting, don't you think? - which means that Rai's going to be something of a liability to Thor if he keeps him around, something that's already touched on in this episode. If only the ruthless can survive... Well, you work it out.
For some reason, the setup here evoked shades of Infinite Ryvius in tone - and that meant that Jyu Oh Sei just didn't interest me. Teenage angst, anger and fighting do not a good series make, no matter what the past record of the creators, and the end result is a series that failed to really grab me. Pass. |
