| Fafner
Vol-2: Ultimate Sacrifice (2004)
Animation Production: Xebec
Released by: Geneon
Entertainment
Running Time: 100 Minutes
By Jeffrey
Couto
Introduction
Fafner is a series that at first glance came
across as perhaps too derivative from other works and maybe
not all that original, but upon closer inspection the initial
episodes in the series demonstrated some interesting potential
that made all of us at the Japan Hero anime labs eager to
see more of it.
With volume two we finally move beyond the
introduction of the core plot points and concepts introduced
in episodes one through four and make inroads into more character
and story development-oriented areas. Fafner is starting to
get really good if these are anything to go by…
Story
"Nothing has been the same ever since
the Festum invaded the island. While the population copes
with constant attacks and battle preparations, the leaders
of Alvis struggle to move forward under increased political
pressure from the Neo UN. Meanwhile, battle fatigue has set
in for the young pilots and, while Kazuki is away on a rescue
mission, Shoko is pressed into service to pilot the Fafner
with devastating results." -- DVD Box
Review
The second volume in Geneon’s release
of Fafner features episodes five through eight in the series,
which include:
Episode 5: Pledge (Promise)
The heat is on at Alvis Headquarters as the attacks from the
Festum take their toll on everyone and the Neo UN forces are
back up the clandestine organization up against a corner they
can’t get out of. However things really get out of control
when the strange invaders attack both Alvis and the Neo UN
at the same time! Will Kazuki be able to help turn the tables
on these powerful monsters?
Episode 6: Sacrifice (Soaring Sky)
With Kazuki trying to protect not only his home at Alvis,
but also the Neo UN personnel under attack by the Festum,
Shoko decides to take on the attacking forces herself and
keep her promise to defend the island for Kazuki. Will she
be able to rise above her physical ailments and drive the
invaders away, no matter what it may take…?
Episode 7: Parent and Children (Family)
This is a sad time for everyone at Alvis, especially for all
the young pilots as they look back and remember their fallen
comrade. Despite their loss the team must pull together and
come up with some type of strategy that will help them get
through this tough situation.
Episode 8: Koyo (Strife)
An island similar to the one where Alvis is hidden has been
found and believed to be a similar operation, although the
base looks deserted. When Alvis’ forces arrive and begin
to investigate what will they end up uncovering and what exactly
is it that the children’s teacher is doing? It looks
like she may be working for someone else…
With this second DVD Fafner picks up some
momentum and begins moving beyond the introductory phase of
the show to dwell deeper into what it is that is motivating
the characters and pushing the plot forward. With the first
couple of stories the basic concepts were laid out for us
with little explanation on the background details (such as
what exactly are the Festum, why this island they live in
was created, where the robots come from, etc.) and that is
still true here, but there is a heightened sense of tension
and angst that comes into play this time, which adds an interesting
layer to a show that already had our attention.
Little time is wasted and as we get right
into the flow of things as we see the Alvis’ new commander
come under pressure to do something which his heart tells
him he can’t do (hand over one of the bases robots to
the Neo UN), but which ultimately can’t be avoided so
as to protect everyone on the island base. This leads to a
series of confrontations and planning that are quickly interrupted
by the Festum which appear right in front of the incoming
Neo UN forces. This forces the Alvis team to hastily put a
rescue mission together for an organization that they’d
rather see destroyed by the golden giant. Needless to say
this makes for some tense exchanges and scenes.
The real story/character development driver
in this collection of episodes however comes from episode
six as Shoko sacrifices herself to protect everyone onboard
the Alvis base, which leads to a variety of reactions and
personnel conflicts that threaten the very operation Shoko
was trying to protect. These are then in turn elevated and
magnified by the many attacks that come in from the Festum
when the Alvis team is investigating the other island base
they have discovered.
The only thing we don’t see too much
of (if at all) in these episodes is revelations on what is
happening and what really is what. If anything the mysteries
surrounding the events we see unfold get deeper and more clouded
by the introduction of even more mysteries. As someone who
always wants to know what’s happening (whether it be
in the real world or TV shows) this made me want to see the
rest of the show even more, simply so that I could get the
details that are yet to be given to us. In that sense Fafner
does an amazing job at capturing your attention and keeping
you on edge trying to guess what exactly is happening here
and why. Personally I now find myself obligated to see this
series through to the end now, not only because the story
and characters are solid, but also because I want to know
what secrets are laying just ahead in upcoming episodes.
One other thing that became more apparent
with this DVD that I suspected with the first one is that
the mecha action between the Fafner robots and the Festum
are meant to be taken (so far into the series) as a secondary
aspect of the show, that is to say that the mecha action is
not going to be as heavily focused on the same way that other
mecha/sci-fi oriented shows do. This is not necessarily a
bad thing as it makes the actions sequences really count towards
the plot advancement, but it is something that should be noted
by anime enthusiasts who may be very interested in that area
of the series.
In terms of production values as with the
first set of episode these Xebec gives us another amazing
piece of work with this anime. The animation is crisp, smooth
and visually rich to a degree that is right up there with
the best contemporary anime releases. The hand drawn piece
of the equation is supported by very tightly integrated CGI
rendered effects that add to the realism and complexity of
the drawings (especially the mecha sequences) and background
art.
The soundtrack featured again was rather good,
with the opening and closing themes being particularly good.
The BGM featured in the actions scenes also came as a nice
surprise with its dramatic military stylings although it did
suffer from not having any stand out pieces. The voice acting
was superb and made the characters come to life brilliantly.
On the DVD front this is a basic release with
a small number of extras contained in the disc. These include
a Japanese cover art gallery as well as previews for other
Geneon anime releases. There is also a small insert inside
the box with more info on the release dates for the rest of
the series and soundtrack on one side and a mini poster on
the other and a small trading card. The video and audio transfers
for this one were perfectly carried out with no noticeable
issues. Subtitles were easy to read and well timed.
Final
Thoughts
Fafner continues to surprise by creating an
atmosphere of mystery and science that brings you in and absorbs
your attention completely. If the show continues to build
on what it has here it definitely is headed for even more
intriguing areas.
This one is recommended for all anime fans.
Jeffrey
Couto |
