Super Atragon (1995)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama and Mitsuo Fukuda
Based on the novel by Shunro Oshikawa
Character Design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Mechanical Design by Makoto Kobayashi

Features:

• ADV previews
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Americans as the bad guys (gasp)
• cool subs you can’t have
• military justice

Rating: 15+ for violence

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it.

It’s World War II, and the United States has just dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Moments later, a mysterious, super-powerful sub belonging to the Japanese government, the RA, meets a surprise—a similar sub, called the Liberty, belonging to the American government. When the two subs clash in battle, they are thought lost. Fifty years later, seemingly unrelated strange black columns sprout in the Antarctic, causing widespread devastation and the melting of the ice caps. When the UN sends a team to investigate, it is destroyed. Eventually, we learn that these columns, now over the North Pole, as well, are the vanguard of an invasion from a race of subterranean people intent upon destroying surface humans, who they don’t see as fit to live. It’s up to the rebuilt RA, made in part with subterranean technology and containing a representative of that race, to stave off this invasion and save all surface humans from destruction.

Super Atragon is more than just a science-fiction battle. It contains political intrigue, romance, sibling rivalry, and a coming of age story. Luckily, the writers of this story are up to the challenge of weaving these dissimilar plot elements into a coherent whole. As unlikely as a subterranean race seems, it works better in execution than you might think. Shades of Jules Verne aside, this title’s plot works quite well.

The characters are interesting, serious, and lively. Go Arisaka and Annette, the main characters, have depth and individuality, and I cannot wait to see how they grow further in the next disc in the series. The voice actors do a good job of expressing emotion and character in both English and Japanese. These intelligent, motivated characters are quite refreshing in the days of Pokemon and other children’s series.

The audio and video are both solid. The subs especially look great here, and there is little distortion in the underwater scenes and other tricky animated sequences. The audio, both vocal and musical, is clear and clean with few problems. Both the Japanese and English cast and production works.

The extras on this disc are minimal. We have a set of ADV Previews, and that is it. What would have been great is a .pdf of the original novel, of course. It would have been nice to have had some of the usual special features, such as outtakes, cast and crew interviews, or a making-of feature. Even a gallery would have been nice, especially as attractive as this show is in places, and how unusual the underwater action is. Maybe next time.

In short, if you are a fan of science fiction, alternate history, WWII, or war tales, then you should enjoy Super Atragon. Fans of titles like Gundam Wing or Blue Submarine will probably enjoy this one, as well, especially if you don’t mind the touch of the mystic in this title.