Do you enjoy your anime series full of espionage, secret agents, evil organizations, sexy cyborgs, super-spy gadgets, playfulness and…machine-gun boobs? If so, I highly recommend 009-1!
Created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, 009-1 has appeared in a variety of media, including manga (009ノ1), a live-action series (Flower Action 009ノ1) and now a 13-episode anime series, originally broadcast in Japan (on TBSTV) with the English version distributed by ADV! Some of Ishinomori’s other well-known creations include Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider!
Story
A science fiction story, 009-1 takes place during The Cold War…140 years in the future. There are two main governments on Earth - the West Block (who are basically the good guys) and the East Block (yep you guessed it - the bad guys). The action centers on the sexy cyborg agent 009-1 (Mylene Hoffman), who is member of The 9 Number Group along with 8 other sexy cyborg agents. Together, they work on a variety of assignments that test their sexy cyborg skills to their limits!
Volume One Episodes
- Infiltrators - As the introductory episode, the action gets the story going very quickly. We see The 9 Number Group do their cyborg thing, there’s a great snowmobile chase, murder, mayhem and more!
- Holy Night - This episode takes place at Christmas…but it’s not all about jingle bells and Santa. This is one very serious story involving a little girl who happens to be telekenetic.
- Hard Boiled - My favorite episode of volume one, a game of ‘cat and mouse’ takes place on an island. 009-1 has been assigned to take out an assassin…who also has a hit out on her! You’ll love the interaction between Mylene and her ‘target’…but which one is the cat, and which one is the mouse?
- Invitation From An Old Castle - West and East Block tension builds in this cool ‘haunted house’ episode. This one kinda gave me the creeps…there’s some serious horror stuff going on in this one, which I think you’ll enjoy! Don’t watch this one at night by yourself!
Character Design
The character design for 009-1 is very unique. It feels very similar to that of the great Osamu Tezuka, so it’s kinda ‘old school’. I think the designs are strong, but it’s not my fave style - simply because the characters tend to look a little more ‘cartoony’ than most anime. I would also compare the style to that of Tetsujin 28. You can read Rachel’s thought’s on this style in her most-excellent review of the Tetsujin 28 anime series.
Likes
- The production of the series is really tight
- The widescreen format helps sell the epic adventure
- Realistic sound effects
- Unique character design
- Twists and turns to the story keep it alive
- Editing feels cinematic
Dislikes
- The character designs take time to adjust to
- The cyborgs can alter their identity too easily
- The cyborg boobs can be distracting (as if that’s a bad thing)
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the first volume. It feels like the 1960s-era James Bond movies (but in the future). It’s playful, yet action-packed…and has lots of cool technology. The animation is outstanding and the action is very well choreographed! Overall, if you’re a fan of playful, secret agent series, then you’ll probably like 009-1. Just don’t take it too seriously!
Official Sites:
009-1: Volume One hits stores next Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Special thanks to ADV for letting us review 009-1 volume one!
Machine gun boobs? Sad to say, but I think you piqued my interest right there. But is that a reference to their actual firepower, or just their shape? LOL.
Seriously though, this sounds fun. I think I’ll check out the first episode on the net. Oh, and in regards to Tezuka, they’re having this awesome exhibit focusing on his Manga at the SF Asian Art Museum. My wife and I actually took a picture with a giant Astroboy sculpture.
Good stuff again, Dave.
@Chris
There is a post from last month which mentions this exhibit:
http://theanimeblog.com/2007/05/24/anime-update-2/
It is the second to the last story. Also, it mentions how to win
tickets to the museum. The last story mentions another exhibit
which is running concurrently…”Yoshitoshi’s Strange Tales:
Woodblock Prints from Edo to Meiji”.
What did they have about Kimba, the White Lion?
I didn’t think I would even remotely warm up to this anime…mainly because David was stoked about it. But 009-1 is a really fun anime. It feels a lot like James Bond crossed with Barberella with a bit of Austin Powers thrown in (machine gun jubliees? Yeah baby!)
I’m actually on the same page as David with this one.
Ah. D’oh. And I posted on that one too. I think I completely forgot about it until I was in the musuem.
We were actually there the week before the official opening, so I’m not quite sure what all they have. I plan on going back this weekend or next. They had the astroboy statue and a sort of Manga Resource room where you could learn about and even create your own fledgling manga. The gift shop had a bunch of cool t-shirts, posters, manga and DVD sets, suprisingly reasonably priced, as well as DVDs of Kimba…so I would assume they would have kimba in the exhibit.
The Wood Block one is very cool…non-traditional woodblocks, featuring depictions of horror tales, criticisms of historic events, or simply humorous setups (a nearsighted man not seeing a ghost trying to frighten him). The AAM is easily my favorite museum in the city, and by far the most educational one they have (the deYoung’s a joke). If you can’t win free tickets, the admission’s about $7 for students, and if you go on Sunday there’s free street parking city-wide. I think the regular price isn’t too much more than that. Still, one of the best museums the city has to offer, and totally worth the admission cost. I think we’ve been about 3 or 4 times this year alone.
[...] Campbell, the (English) ADR director of Gatchaman, Guyver, and recently 009-1 (which was recently reviewed by David). In this brief interview, Campbell talks about 009-1 as well as some of the challenges of ADR [...]
[...] so don’t tell anybody. Especially Rachel - she thinks all that I like are anime boobs and outrageous mecha [...]
coooooooool I do
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