Reviewed by Kenae Category: OVA
Genre(s): Action / Fantasy / Science-Fiction
Released: 2001
Studio:SATELLITE Publisher:Bandai
Have you ever watched the show Captain Planet, the show known for its cheesy quests to save the environment through superhuman powers? As I watched through most of Earth Maiden Arjuna (EMA for short) I was reminded of it... "the power is yours" kept ringing through my head as I once was as a kid watching that show. I became aware of the problems of the world. EMA, even though considered merely entertainment, brings strong pro-environmental themes as it shows humanity’s unseen war against our planet. It was almost enough to go out and join Green Peace...nah, I couldn't let myself become a hippy, I'd have to change my lifestyle so much, I wouldn't have any kind of technology... I would have to give up anime, and I can't do that now can I? Anyways, in this anime review I'll discuss the storyline, basic character information and (of course) my opinions.
Storyline
Earth Maiden Arjuna is a new twist on the classical "magical girl" genre common in anime. The anime focuses on environmental problems, possible solutions, as well as educating environmental facts, as well as being entertaining. EMA is about the battle of humanity versus the Raaja, invisible monsters who were created by pollution, or so it seems.
The main character Juna dies in the first episode, and in her death she see a vision of the pollution caused by humanity and also the destruction of the planet caused by the Raaja. As her soul flies to wherever souls go she is given a choice for a second chance at life, as long as she agrees to battle the Raaja, she becomes the chosen one, a being who can surpass time and space, the avatar of time. Juna, after being brought back to the world of the living, realizes that she has special powers which allow her to fulfill her agreement, to take up the fight against the Raaja. The next couple of episodes consist of her training on these special psychic powers and finding out her real purpose. I'm not going to give any spoilers pertaining to the ending but I will say it wasn't a bad ending.
Character Info
The story focuses mainly on three individuals, Juna, Chris, and Tokio.
Juna Just your ordinary high school girl, she practices archery for sport even... that is until "...One hot summer day..." That day she died and was given a second chance. Her classification in the military organization known as SEED is TI - 2 type psychic.
Tokio Juna’s boyfriend, he's just an ordinary boy when he was dragged into the situation due to his relationship with Juna. Since he is just an ordinary human he has no special powers, except for his skills at video games and driving his motorcycle.
Chris He is a powerful TI - 1 type psychic, who granted Juna's second chance at life on the condition that she would fight the Raaja. He is SEED's most powerful weapon against the Raaja. He is very kind hearted, this is his greatest weakness, but at the same time his greatest strength...
Opinions
From Shoji Kawamori, the creator of Visions of Escaflowne, comes another brilliant anime which I strongly praise. Some of the many pluses of this anime include great character development, animation, and also includes a great dub. The development of Juna from the beginning to the end is quite breathtaking, at first she was just a naïve teenage girl but after a couple of episodes she became the last, best hope humanity had for survival.
The animation throughout the series subtly shows a bit of CGI technology, this is done in such a way to where it doesn't seem out of place in the animation. As for my dislikes I only have a few, in the show there are "commercials" (I don't know if they're real or not) of "Appare Genki" the health drink and "Meriken Burger" seemingly a McDonalds' rip-off. Although I thought these commercials were quite funny, at times it reminded me of an American movie, Evolution, in which the sponsor had integrated their product into the show. I hope for the sake of my sanity that that wasn't the case. The only other problem I had with the series was the recycled scenes common in most anime. I like Earth Maiden Arjuna; although it's somewhat serious... it captivated me to go out and join Green Peace... well almost.
Extras Review (3 Out of 5)
Since I'm big into extras I've decided to review them as well. On the first three volumes I was sorely disappointed, the extras only contained three previews (Bandai previews aren't very good) a small collection of the Arjuna previews aired on Japanese television, a boring interview with Shoji Kawamori, and the only truly interesting thing I found in the extras was a small glossary of terms which was quite helpful with some parts of the storyline I could have been confused about. On the fourth volume of EMA, I was shocked to see it was full of extras (one main reason was that the final volume only had two episodes) the four I mentioned earlier as well as the quite comical commercial "Appare Adventures" (just imagine it, a live action short film about a plushy with the head of an orange fruit on a quest for the ultimate drink) A karaoke version of one of the songs, and a interview with the voice actors (and actresses) of the English dub... which wasn't the best, but it’s the thought that counts right?
I'll finish this review with a famous quote "The power is yours" -Cap'n Planet
-- Kenae
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