Review - Venus Versus Virus Vol. 1 - Outbreak
Reviewed by Richard Brownell on 12.4.2007.
Score: 6/10
Venus Versus Virus, despite sounding like a weird name, actually describes the show quite well. Two girls are faced with the task of fighting off a hoard of invisible (to us normals) demons using the unique powers that each of them has. It's not all that fresh of a concept, but VVV is at least different from most shows I'm watching right now.
In the world of VVV, there are lost souls who wander the Earth invisible to most people. Called Virus, they are actually drawn to those that can see them. If they can catch them, they steal their soul and a new Virus is born. They spread quickly, hence the name. But there is an organization dedicated to destroying them called Venus Vanguard.
Venus Vanguard is made up of four members, all unusual in their own way. The leader is an older man who looks like a young man pretending to be old. We really don't know much about him other than that he is behind much of the technology of the group and that his daughter, Lucia, is the main fighter. Lucia's character design sticks out like a sore thumb among all the ordinary people. Her outfit is part maid, part schoolgirl, part pirate, and all weird, topped off with an eyepatch. Sure, they do give her a reason to have the eyepatch (that eye has special powers), but she really feels like somebody wanted to give a character a certain bizarre look and they designed the rest of the anime around her.
Lucia is complimented by another odd character, a younger girl in a colorful frilly outfit. She helps Lucia's dad with their technology and has a bubbly personality. And...we don't know any more than that after four episodes. Venus Vanguard is the central part of the show, but they're definitely stretching out the secrets surrounding it and its members over the whole show.
The fourth member, and starting point for the show, is Sumire. She is, of course, your "average everyday schoolgirl." But after a strange incident, she has been struck with the ability to see Virus. More than that though, when she comes in contact with the weapon Venus Vanguard uses to combat the virus, she turns into a living weapon herself. She goes berserk, fighting everything in her path, virus or otherwise. It's a power too strong for Lucia to ignore. So Sumire leaves her ordinary life to become part of Venus Vanguard and fight off the never-ending Virus.
The Virus themselves leave much to be desired. Most of the time they take the form of gelatinous black goo with eyes. It's not creepy or even menacing. Sometimes they appear as gargoyle-like creatures which is a bit creepy, but the designs just aren't very inspired. Still, I did have a pang of uneasiness despite the Virus designs. The music and sound keep things at a good ambient eeriness in all the right places.
Anime's animation quality has really come a long way. And while TV series generally don't have as high quality as feature films like Paprika, they generally look quite good. VVV is not on the higher end of the spectrum. It's got unusual character designs and only some of the action is really intense. It isn't bad; it just doesn't do anything above and beyond.
The pacing of VVV makes it another anime that does things in a different way for seemingly no reason. The show opens with an episode a little while after Sumire's joining. Later we get an episode that shows her actual beginnings. But it doesn't really seem to matter in what order things were told. There aren't any great secrets revealed in the first DVD. And as each of the episodes could stand on its own, the out of place order doesn't make things work better.
Still, there is potential, as with most anime, for VVV to rise above its humble beginnings. The conflicts surrounding Sumire and in particular her exploitation by Venus Vanguard, are the best part of the show. If the Virus continue to be rather tame looking and unthreatening, VVV is doomed to be a very average show. But if we get more intense action and an engrossing story, it could become a rather good show. For now, VVV is not worth buying with all the better anime that's come out in the past year, including shows specifically about demon hunting.
Special Features
· Clean Opening
· Clean Closing
