Betterman, Vol. 4: Inhuman Nature (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani
Starring Kappei Yamaguchi, Colleen Blackmore, Takehito Koyasu

Features:

• Production gallery
  
• Mode Warp File #4
  
• Reversible cover
  
• Large foil art card
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Seriously gross human-controlling insects
• "Men have a weakness for nudes, but women have a weakness for moods."
• Humans as flowerbeds
• Scary old lady selling "amulets" and weird old man spouting "wisdom"
• Minor gratuitous jubbly action

Released by: Bandai
Region: 1
Rating: 13+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Definitely get it.

Betterman just keeps getting better and better. No pun intended, either. Keita and Hinoki are on a "date" when Miyako holds a meeting for the rest of the team recapping what they know so far. Some of what she covers is new to the viewer, but makes sense given what we've seen of the Biotechnology Provisioning Laboratory, Algernon, and the Animus flowers. What follows includes some pseudo-science about metamorphosing amino acids, enzymes, nerve poisons and so forth, but is interesting stuff.

As the saying goes, the plot thickens. This volume deals with some good character development--especially with Betterman, Hinoki, and Keita--and at the same time develops what we know about Algernon and the sickness affecting humanity. Certain mysteries are solved, such as who Chandy is, but at the same time, we still don't really know what Algernon is and how Betterman fits in with the whole thing. What's more: who is the mysterious Bodaiju, to whom Lamia/Betterman seems to answer? And who or what is the "all-powerful and all-knowing Pakila" who Bodaiju represents and how do they know about Betterman and Algernon? Who is this "Kankel" that Lamia is supposed to be pursuing? Is it another name for Algernon? Seeme, Lamia's spiritual sidekick promises to protect "our hope," but what, or who, does that mean? And who stole the missing neuronoids and where did they find appropriate drivers...or did they have to? More questions and answers both await in this volume.

This time, the disc features include a large foiled collector card featuring Kaede Kurenai, the head diver who can read electrical impulses around her. Mode Warp #4 provides more background information and show detail. Read this after watching the episodes, however, or you might encounter some spoilers. This disc, too, has a production art gallery that shows off how artists created this moody, engaging show. The reversible cover features a very similar front image, but the back is where most of the differences show.

The look of the show continues to be nicely evocative of mood and meaning. The colors are dark where they should be dark and light when appropriate. The Betterman vs. Betterman battle shows off the artistic style particularly well. The voice actors do a great job overall, though in places the volume seems overly and suddenly quite soft. The digital transfer does an excellent job of showing off both the mixture of animation and photography, and the excellent sound, music, and effects of the audio track.

Betterman continues to be an excellent show that is different and more ambitious than your average adventure or science fiction title. Combining spirituality, action, twisted science, human psychology, and more creative organisms than you can shake a New Type at, this is one show that knows how to get weirder and weirder without alienating its audience or ceasing being entertaining.