Blue Gender: The Warrior

No one knows where they came from, some sightings date as far back as 2017. But during the year 2031 mankind was all but extinguished by this savage new lifeform.
Known simply as The Blue, these horrific, insectoid creatures ravaged humankind and now exert their terrible reign over the planet. The last remnants of humanity have long since fled to outer space and wage war against The Blue from Second Earth. Their hopes rest with The Sleepers, cryogenically frozen humans of a bygone era who may be the only thing that stands between humankind and total annihilation.
Yuji Kaido is one such sleeper who is about to be plunged into this new and nightmarish reality, will he fulfil his destiny and deliver the earth from darkness or will the strain of this new future destroy him entirely.

Beginning as it means to go on the opening act of Blue Gender: Warrior is an explosive tour de force, just like ‘Sleeper’ Yuji we are thrown head first into the action with barely a mention of what’s going on, frenetic and horrifying it’s a memorable intro, there’s nary a hint of exposition, the creators relying instead on pure visceral, visual power to snare the viewers interest, and it works. The sight of The Blue laying waste to everything that moves and then harvesting their prey manages to muster more chills than a voiceover or flashback could ever hope to.

This certainly isn’t a film for everyone; if you’re a fan of straightforward narratives, the jumbled and oft confusing storyline will leave you largely disinterested, but in spite of this the story is infused with such rawness and power that I found myself simply more and more engrossed as the film progressed and events spiralled out of control, the storytelling may be flawed but on an emotional level anime films rarely come as affecting as this. The entire movie is drenched in desperation; it’s all too easy to get caught up in the hopelessness and anguish of the protagonists, whilst the plot may go over your head it will undoubtedly affect your heart.

I’m not usually a fan of whiny, apathetic heroes however I found myself becoming unusually invested in Yuji’s plight. The abject terror he suffers in the beginning soon gives way to a grim resolution to fight; the journey from wide-eyed amateur to unlikely saviour is handled with a degree of sensitivity avoiding many of the pitfalls and clichés of similar characters.
Marlene Angel is Yuji’s partner of sorts, it is up to her to make sure the precious ‘sample’ reaches Second Earth in one piece, at first she sees him only as part of her mission but soon a tentative relationship begins to unfold between them. Their fragile, touching relationship is a glimmer of hope lending a tale fraught with so much misery a touch of much needed humanity.

Visually this is a little under whelming for a feature film, lacking some of the big budget sheen of movies such as End of Evangelion, still the animation is of a very high quality and the designs are exquisite. Pooling a lot of ideas from western sci-fi cinema this show is steeped in the dark, militaristic aesthetics’ of James Cameron’s Aliens, the chunky utilitarian weaponry and vehicular design will illicit many a knowing smile. The Blue however have been ripped straight from ‘Starship Troopers’ but have been given the kind of sleek, slimy, bio-terror overhaul unique to anime. It’s an interesting melange of familiar styles that will please anime and sci-fi fans alike.

In Summary

Proffering a vision of dystopia that’s grimy, nightmarish and austere in its intent Blue Gender is a bleak and gruelling experience, rarely do adaptations of this kind work so admirably but Blue Gender struck many chords with his reviewer, its chilling vision of a desperate and unforgiving future will remain in my mind for some time.