“Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” features a series that was no doubt a fun, upbeat sci-fi action anime series. Unfortunately, its use of underage nudity and its numerous fan service scenes of young junior high girls was unnecessary and hindered the series.
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DVD TITLE: Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set
TV SERIES RELEASE DATE: 2013
DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 widescreen,Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, English Subtitles
COMPANY: Aniplex of America
RATED: Suggested 16 and Up
RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2013
Directed by Kazuhiro Takamura
Series Composition by Hiroyuki Yoshino, Kazuhiro Takamura
Script by Hiroyuki Yoshino, Shigeru Morita, Tensai Okamura
Character Designs by Kazuhiro Takamura
Animation Director: Atsushi Nishigori
Mecha Design by Kazuyuki Asaga
Music by Hideyuki Fukasawa
Anime Production: A-1 Pictures
Featuring the following voice talent:
Aya Uchida as Himawari Shinomiya
Ayane Sakura as Akane Isshiki
Maaya Uchida as Rei Kuroki
Rie Murakawa as Aoi Futaba
Yuka ÅŒtsubo as Wakaba Saegusa
Asuka ÅŒgame as Momo Isshiki
Haruka Yamazaki as Mizuha Amagi
Masaki Terasoma as KenjirÅ Isshiki
Mie Sonozaki as Crow
Mika Doi as Yuuri Shijo
Sakura Nakamura as Mashiro Isshiki
On an artificial island, Akane Isshiki, an innocent 14-year-old girl, lives a simple but happy life with her level-headed little sister Momo and their genius inventor grandfather. On clear days just over the water, everyone on the island can see the revolutionary invention that solved all the world’s energy problems, the Manifestation Engine. Thanks to the Manifestation Engine, the peaceful days that everyone had dreamed of had arrived.
But suddenly, a mysterious enemy called the “Alone” appear out of nowhere aiming to attack the Manifestation Engine, jeopardizing their quiet way of life. Equipped with incredibly powerful Palette Suits designed by her grandfather, Akane and her friends must rise up together in this desperate situation. Their friendship is the only hope to save the world.
In early 2013, A-1 Pictures produced the 12-episode TV series “Vividred Operation” aired in Japan.
Having received two manga adaptations plus a PlayStation 3 video game, the anime series “Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” has made its way to American shores courtesy of Aniplex, Inc.
The series is directed and features character designs by Kazuhiro Takamura (“Strike Witches” series and film, “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World”, “Queen’s Blade”), series composition by Hiroyuki Yoshino (“Guilty Crown”, “My-HIME”, “Dance in the Vampire Bund”) and Kazuhiro Takamura (“He is My Master”, “Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi”, “Mahoromatic” series) and music by Hideyuki Fukasawa (“Yatterman”, “Flowers of Evil”).
A series that features a combination of sci-fi action, magical girl-style transformations and for the otaku, plenty of fan service.
“Vividred Operation” is set in the future of Japan and the future is quite peaceful thanks to the Manifestation Engine which creates energy from the sky and has averted significant energy crisis that the planet was facing years prior.
Living on the island of Izu Joshima, teenager Akane Isshiki and her fifth grade sister Momoko live with their grandfather Kenjiro Isshiki, a renown scientist who was one of the great minds that have developed the Manifestation Engine.
Kenjiro typically locks himself in the house working on his research, while Akane works a part-time job to keep the family afloat and tends to the garden to feed the family.
As Akane is awaiting her friend Aoi Futaba, who is traveling to Izu Joshima for medical treatment, Akane and Momo hear an explosion takes place in their home and when they go to check, their grandfather has switched bodies with a stuffed otter doll and showing his research has progressed, so it seems.
But all of a sudden, the planet is attacked as an alien race known as the “Alone” has showed up on the seas near the island. As the military try to fight against it, they are destroyed.
Worried about her friend Aoi, Kenjiro gives Akane his latest invention, an Operation Key that can access the Vivid System. Meanwhile, Akane hurries as she sees Aoi’s plane crashing. Close to the ledge, she and her grandfather (in otter form) rush to the area, but Akane is scared of heights and she sees the plane about to fall from the edge. As Akane and Aoi scream for each other, the plane falls and the scared Akane, decides to run after her.
As she dives off the cliff in order to save Aoi, the Operation Key glows and activates the Vivid System which transforms Akane into a super-being, sporting a Pallet Suit and saving Aoi from death.
Sensing power within Aoi, Kenjiro gives Aoi an Operation Key giving her the opportunity to transform using the Vivid System and together they must use their new abilities to fight against the Alone. And both work together to destroy it.
Because their new school was destroyed in the attack, Akane, Momo and Aoi begin attending New Oshima Academy and through their new friendships, they end up adding kendo student Wakaba Saegusa and computer hacker Himawari Shinomiya to the group and all four become part of the Vividred Operation to protect humanity from the Alone.
But unaware that working with the Alone is another student in their class named Rei Kuroki, who is intent in working with the Alone to destroy the Manifestation Engine.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” is presented in 16:9 widescreen and presented in Linear PCM Stereo. To keep the compression artifacts to a minimum on DVD, Aniplex Inc. features all 12 episodes on three DVD’s. For the most part, characters are well shaded and background art is well-painted. There is a good amount of detail in the mechanical designs from the Alone to the detail on the characters Pallet Outfits.
But this is a vibrant anime series on DVD.
The soundtrack is in Japanese and I would not be surprised if Aniplex does release “Vividred Operation” on Blu-ray with an English dub soundtrack. It’s quite an enjoyable series that I do hope it does receive an HD release. But voice acting is well done and dialogue and music is front-channel driven.
Subtitles are available in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” comes with the textless opening and endings and the web version previews.
EXTRAS:
“Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” comes with a slipcover case and a five postcard set. Also, the DVD cover is 2-sided and reversible.
“Vividred Operation” is a sci-fi action series about a group of friends, each with their own personal quirks and also weaknesses that become part of the Vividred Operation to defend the Manifestation Engine that has helped the planet from an alien race known as The Alone.
As each episode focuses on Akane meeting friends or new people from her school who eventually obtain an Operation Key and to transform via the Vivid System to fight against the Alone, each must face their weaknesses and put their friendship to a test in order to become teammates.
And as Akane is able to get Aoi, Wakaba and Himawari to join them, they each try to get Rei Kuroki on their team, not knowing that she is working with the Alone and trying to destroy the Manifestation Engine.
The series is quite intriguing as it tries to combine sci-fi action with magical girl transformations.
And while the series is more on the fun, humorous spectrum versus more serious and deep, the series also incorporates quite a bit of fan service and also nudity (which gives it a Suggested 16 and Up rating).
But as much as I enjoyed the series for its storyline and characters, the fan service and nudity, in my opinion, was a significant hindrance.
And this is probably the difference between American and Japanese culture in which certain things just don’t happen.
The camera tends to end up shooting under the legs of a character and or focusing on a character’s rear end, may they be standing or riding a bike, it’s one thing to have fan service, especially for older characters but it definitely makes one feel uneasy considering the characters are 14-years-old and in junior high.
In fact, the character of Rei Kuroki is shown nude during her shower sequence and and a bathing sequence and what may work in Japan, is definitely not going to work in the U.S.
I know there are anime fans that will say, “Well, this is a Japanese anime and it’s not real, so it’s OK.” or ” It goes by Japanese culture, Americans must see things in the Japanese perspective not American, so it’s OK”.
Having covered Japanese entertainment for over two decades, while I agree that there are certain entertainment where one should expect to see a different side of Japanese culture, it becomes dangerous if underage nudity of an anime character featured in an anime series becomes a cultural norm.
I don’t agree with people who have the mindset of it being OK but that is my opinion and as a parent it’s not something I can or will support. And as a reviewer, it was unnecessary to have those scenes as the series could have done without it.
Nudity of children in anime and manga has been a debatable topic for a long time, from “Crayon Shin Chan” (and his elephant) to even the “Dragon Ball” manga being released in grade school libraries. It’s a long debate that will always continue as debates from the old anime BBS forums to present anime forums on the Internet. Even Usagi’s transformation scene in “Sailor Moon” was also a big discussion at the time.
So, as a parent and a longtime anime reviewer, it’s important for me to let parents and anime fans know that this anime series features under-aged nudity and unnecessary fan service for characters that are of a young age.
In the case of “Vividred Operation”, for the young characters, was it necessary to have so many shots of Akane’s butt while she rides on the bike? Was it necessary to shoot a horizon between a character’s legs? Was it necessary for the animators to show a naked Rei in the shower?
I’m sure there are otaku that would scream, “Yes!” but I felt the series could have done without it. I did enjoy “Vividred Operation”, four friends who have their own personal weaknesses, joining together for the greater good to defend humanity from an unknown alien force. The characters are enjoyable, the anime series entertaining but it’s unfortunate that certain decision to make these young junior high characters more sexual appealing, had to be incorporated to the series.
As for the DVD, the picture quality is colorful and vibrant and one would expect it to look even better in HD, if Aniplex decides to release it on Blu-ray in the future. Voice acting in Japanese is well-done and as always with an Aniplex release, you get anime swag with a five postcard set.
Overall, “Vividred Operation: Complete DVD Set” features a series that was no doubt a fun, upbeat sci-fi action anime series. Unfortunately, its use of underage nudity and its numerous fan service scenes of young junior high girls was unnecessary and hindered the series.