Cosmo Warrior Zero, Vol. 1: Cold Steel Immortal (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Leiji Matsumoto
Distributed by Media Blasters/Anime Works

Features:

• Character Profiles
  
• Voice Actor Outtakes
  
• Textless Opening
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Gratuitous cat destruction. Muy mal.
• Angst overload.
• Violence that will bother parents more than kids

Rating: NR

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it if you like space tales.

Cosmo Warrior Zero takes place after Earth has been invaded and nearly destroyed by an alien civilization known as the Machine Men, and we meet Warrius Zero of the Terrestrial Federation. A tentative peace is established, and Machine Men are now found on ships with humans, but the peace is a very uneasy one, and agitators are always hoping to renew hostilities. Warrius and his crew are chosen to hunt down the infamous pirate Harlock, thus tying Cosmo Warrior Zero into the greater Harlock Saga.

The plot of Cosmo Warrior Zero is much more character-driven than plot-centered. The tension between the Machine Men and the humans on the ship is really the focus, as is the various ways that the main characters handle the war, each other, and their own psyches and secrets.

The characterization in Cosmo Warrior Zero is quite good. Warrius is a very interesting sort of military man—one haunted by all those he could not save and dedicated to the idea of saving those he can. He is haunted also by the ghosts of his wife and children, who also died in the war, but he is more than a cliché; he wants to achieve real peace with the Machine Men and therefore goes to great lengths to make sure that both the humans and the Machine Men on his ship are deal with fairly. The individual Machine Men even have their own personalities, at least as far as the ones with lines. An odd aside is that there appears to be only one female on the space ship—the first officer, Marina, who herself has a secret, but is dedicated to justice and peace. Given that much of Cosmo Warrior Zero depends upon character interaction, it’s good that the various characters can actually bear this much dramatic weight.

The audio and video both seemed just fine on this disc, though the art was a little mediocre. The animators seemed to be going for an older style, and one that is not as much to my personal taste. The colors are duller than other contemporary series, and the backgrounds are much less artistic and elaborate. While this allows viewers to concentrate on the characters, it can be a bit dull for viewers spoiled on the work of Yu Watase or Real Bout High School.

The extras are nice; it’s always fun to get some of the outtakes from the dub sessions, and the character profiles are very useful for viewers new to the Harlock Saga. While the textless opening/closing is beginning to be a bit ubiquitous on DVDs, it’s still a good addition, and it’s a good thing for fans of the animation, especially.

In short, fans of Matsumoto’s work in general will enjoy this disc. While perennial favorites like Harlock have had little play thus far, that will likely change soon, and this new group is just as interesting. Anyone who enjoys science fiction titles or character-intensive stories will enjoy Cosmo Warrior Zero.