"If humans didn't want me, why did they create me?"

As things go, I'm relatively new to anime. Oh, I've seen stuff like Pokemon and Digimon before but those are so widespread they don't even really count. It was only about two years ago I really got into anime, watching stuff on Netflix and Hulu. Coincidentally, this was around the same time I became friends with a lapsed anime fan whose brain I picked for recommendations. One of the first things he brought up was something he called "Anime Blade Runner". Or its actual title Armitage III.*

It's the policy of this blog not to give spoilers, but here's how our story begins. A space shuttle is landing on a partially terraformed Mars. Onboard is Detective Ross Sylibus (voiced by 24's Kiefer Sutherland), newly transferred from Earth. Sylibus is a tall, wide man who looks like he stole Roy Mustang's coat. He caught sight of a mysterious guy that looks like Sting on the shuttle and is tailing him and his luggage through the airport. Before he can make a move though, Sting is subdued by a tiny blond girl in a black bra and red hot pants. This is Naomi Armitage (Elizabeth Berkley), Sylibus' new partner. Sting gets away before they can arrest him, but they open up his luggage and find a dead lady country singer inside. And it turns out she's a robot, indistinguishable from a human.

As Armitage and Sylibus investigate the murder and try to track down Sting, they delve into the world of Mars' secret robots and accidentally find a conspiracy that will have huge repercussions for Mars. The Blade Runner comparison my friend made is apt as Armitage III delves into a lot of similar themes as that masterpiece. What separates humans from robots and what counts as a person are looked into as is prejudice against robots. But Armitage III brought in a new wrinkle to this sort of robot self-reflection  story. I can't tell you what it is because it would be a huge spoiler, but let's say that the story changes when we find out what these robots are designed for.

It's not quite perfect. The animation is good, and the backgrounds look great even if they're just aping the same 80's cyberpunk Blade Runner-Akira look that everybody uses. And overall the voice acting is done well, Berkley is especially surprising. She slides into her role of Armitage with ease and can go from Cyberpunk Harley Quinn to self-doubting, broken girl without it sounding too awkward. Unfortunately the same can't be said of Sutherland. He starts off pretty wooden and while he does get better, still gets stiff and stilted at times. The other problem is the plot, but not a major one. It feels rushed at times and we're told not shown things that are important. But it never gets boring and keeps you guessing what's going on until the end.

In the end, if you're a fan of old-school anime or 80's cyberpunk I'd say it's worth it to see Armitage III. It can feel a tad derivative at times but has a cracking mystery plot and an interesting central character in Armitage. It also builds a great atmosphere to the Martian city and the world around it. If you're interested, check out the trailer below and decide for yourself.

*Quick note on the title. It's supposed to be read as Armitage the Third, not Armitage 3. That is actually a plot point. Also there are a few different dubs of this out there. If you want the one with Berkley and Sutherland, look for Armitage III Poly-Matrix.