"This isn't a game...right?" - Tooru Souma

We all know there have been anime that have focused on the real and the virtual. For example, Ghost In The Shell and .hack//. Then there have been countless anime that have confined the action to mecha battles. The recent anime, Code Geass, Gundam, and Kannazuki No Miko are a few examples that differ substantially in terms of storyline and manner of executing mech battles. However, Baldr Force EXE, a production based off the popular PC action-shooter game by Giga, aims to incorporate these worlds of reality, the Wired world, and mech into one solid anime OVA that's sure to be worth your while.

Need a quick fix? Looking for a new euphoric experience? In the world of EXE, jacking into a faux life has become as commonplace as visiting a convenience store.

The prelude to EXE's protagonist, Souma Tooru, is centered around Steppen Wolf, a hacking team, and their leader, Yuuya, who had decided to disband the group. Everyone had conceded, but Yuuya was convinced by Tsukina to do one last hacking job into FLAK's server. To their surprise, their Shumikurams, digital battle mechs piloted by Divers (i.e. hackers, FLAK) that initialize and synchronize with the brain of the user when diving into the Wired world, are discovered sooner than anticipated. Tooru has already been initiated into an irreversible logout procedure, unable to come to Yuuya's aid as he is overcome and killed by one of FLAK's members. After jacking out of the Wired world, Tooru and Tsukina are immediately seized by a police team, while Yuuya had fallen beyond all help.

Steppen Wolf hacking team's final gathering within a private area of the Wired.

Even as Tooru wanders the streets, the disconnection between him and everyone else speaks for itself.

The key focus of this anime is engulfed in the mysterious existence of a dangerous presence within a site of the Wired. Users who have entered the site have experienced a "flat line" or what is known in the virtual world as "brain death." Among the common people, this rumored enigma is called the "Wired ghost," but upon investigating the corrupted area, one member of FLAK sees a young girl only moments before an overload in neural activity causes his head to explode. All of his comrades follow suit within the next minute. In terms of direction and scripting, the set-up of ambiguity of a direct correlation between the "terrorist attacks" causing brain death of innocent Wired users, and the girl that Tooru later encounters within the Wired is brilliantly executed.

Blood splattered across a control panel that is presenting the neural status of a FLAK member.

Jumping to the present state of events days later, Souma Tooru has been under brutal police interrogation since his initial hacking into the server of the Peace Preserving Bureau of Government Toops (i.e. FLAK), a high-class private organization that strives to perpetuate a sense of safety within the Wired world from malicious users. Having been at the source of a wired incident by accessing classified information from them, his captured team has caused an uproar within the city. He would normally be sentenced to at least 10 years in prison, but FLAK's First Platoon Administrator, Yagisawa Souju, finds potential in his skills. Souma is put into a win-win situation to join FLAK in place of his sentence, while also freeing his comrades. Upon visiting Steppen Wolf's dilapidated headquarters, Tooru swears revenge upon the Shumikuram that stole his leader's life while within FLAK.

Tooru remains stubborn in the face of higher authority, and tight-lipped for the sake of his comrades.

So far, the major weakness of this anime is the presence of a few cookie-cutter characters. Though I have never played the game, other anime based from PC games (mature-rated or not, though most are these days) seem to align themselves with how ever they were represented within the game. Also following such patterns in character development, Tooru, Liang, and Reiko Tachibana are the only one who appears to have any sort of potential to becoming well-rounded characters. With anime like these, I find it unfortunate that the main protagonist being the "ace of Steppen Wolf" is really no surprise at all, though I honestly wish that had not been mentioned. Yagisawa only gently mentions that he is was the most skilled within Steppen Wolf. Also, upon first seeing Tooru inside his Shumikuram, no concrete proof of his skill is apparent. Discovering his skill would have made for a reasonable surprise, since he was only a hacker with no interest in taking human life as part of his pleasure within the Wired. Elements of attraction that hint at the more mature nature of the game also exist. I am thankful that this is currently of the lowest level of plot-pushing devices.

From left to right: Yagisawa Souju, Segawa Minori, Kilstin Kairi, Souma Tooru.

The music for EXE has been planned with great care and moves with the level of excitement of the given scenario in terms of volume and dialogue. For example, the music remains nonintrusive during dialogue, and rises to take the foreground in the heat of battle. Most of the time, there is no background music at all, as the animation paints the picture as concisely as possible. EXE's OP, "Face of Fact (RESOLUTION ver.)" by KOTOKO, though slightly remixed from the Baldr Force game opening, works well with the gorgeous, opening animation that takes on a mix of smooth motion and creative panning. "Face of Fact" is energetic and fun in a way that I find characteristic as a fan of KOTOKO. Her sound feeds the action-oriented, high-energy battle sequences that ensue.

The mundane atmosphere similar to standard-setting film, The Matrix, can be felt permeating the human world Tooru desires reckless abandonment from.

The ED, "Undelete" by Kawada Mami is soft and emotional, inkeeping with the hinted romanticism that could be highlighted in later episodes. A surreal representation of Alice In Wonderland is painted during her delicate singing - a simple effort was offered for this ending that has the potential for inducing relief upon exiting the world of EXE. Together, I have no qualms about letting the ending play through. If you liked the 1st OP theme from Shakugan No Shana, also sung by her, then her vocals and memorable vibrato should resonate a similar mood, albeit more subtle than her high-energy SNS OP.

Mysterious cuteness of the Wired taking a nap.

Separating music from sound is another angle that I find enjoyable to approach at times. On my first listen of the first episode, I did not pick up on any familiar seiyuu. However, after my second and third, I was sure that there was definitely a familiar seiyuu cast. The seiyuu of Shinn Asuka from Gundam SEED Destiny (Suzumura Kenichi) was the first familiar voice I pointed out as Souma Tooru. Upon further investigation, Nakahara Mai (i.e. Mai Hime's Tokiha Mai) voices Segawa Minori, the outside support (like Tsukina) of the Platoon 1 Division and EXE's resident meganekko, while Mizuki Nana (i.e. Naruto's Hyuuga Hinata) voices Liang, a skilled, commanding Shumikuram pilot of a Chinese cyber-terrorist group, Fei-Dao. SFX are crisp and non-intrusive. Where music is absent, the SFX take over, working hand in hand with the animation. When music takes the foreground, you are sure to experience the distinct atmosphere of jacking in and the clash of battle within the Wired world.

Liang's bloodthirsty countenance of kill-joy. My kind of woman.

As I have clarified through prior specific details, animation for EXE is of venerable quality. I had no expectations of animation before viewing, but I was very much impressed with the effort put into giving everything life, especially the people wandering the streets, dancing in the alleys, etc. Very often animators will only use the "connected" (i.e. major characters) to inform the viewer what is taking place on the outside. Instead, they put effort into using the "disconnected" as another venue of revealing the status of the real world. Aside from that being a reason to acknowledge EXE, the CG battle sequences are fluid and memorable. The major battle in episode one alone had me all smiles; I was hyped up, engaged, and waiting for more. Just hope the animators don't fall into the trap of reusing Souma's FLAK login sequence every time, and keep it fresh. Upon finding out that this is a 4-episode OVA, I think I can rest easy.

FLAK-issued Shumikurams ready for pursuit and battle.

The artwork does lax up at times, but at points where there would usually be no animation other than a pan, those lax points have life to them. Given that I have only seen that at very minor points so far, I believe it is safe to say that the character designs, color key, and backgrounds are both vibrant and expressive. Also, if you are familiar with Baldr Force games, you should also expect light nudity and a size DD female character or two in as early as the opening theme.

President Tachibana means business. Somehow I think she means other things as well XD

Baldr Force EXE Resolution manages to bring out the best in animation, initial plot devices, and overall atmosphere of the world in which the characters are interacting in. There is a call to be an active watcher of this OVA, as a wealth of information and interconnectivity of themes that should interest those who often dream of a utopia, however artifical or binary it is. If you are expecting to be slapped with technobabble, you can toss away that preconception right now. Everything is stated in relative terms that will be familiar to those who grew up with the internet. The terms presented in regards to the world of EXE are intriguing to the point of me wanting to make a glossary about it just so I can stay in tune with the story and its evolution.

To be blunt: layered, meaningful plot narratives, beautifully coordinated mecha animation, and girls that are drawn with moe intentions = Baldr Force EXE Resolution. With this Spotlight Review being based off just the 1st of 4 episodes, there could surely be a massive paradigm shift in my views of characters and the narrative progression. Thing is, as long as the episodes are subbed, I'll be jacked in my seat to witness it. In the words of Enma Ai: The rest is for you to decide.

Tooru piloting his Shumikuram in the heat of battle. This is certainly no game...

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight! I know she did! ^^

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Published on: 2006-12-23 (5069 reads)