Thursday 9 February 2012

Been watching: First Squad.

 The Eastern Front 1942. While the Russian and German  armies clash on the battlefield, each has a secret unit waging war by occult means. On the German side, it's the sorcerors of the Ahnenerbe while the Russians have 6th Division. When the Ahnenerbe plan to release medieval warlord Baron Von Wolff from the world of the dead, 14 year old amnesiac Nadya is the only person who can stop him. Her and her old comrades from 6th Division's First Squad. Of course First Squad died a year ago so enlisting their help is going to be awkward.
 Studio 4c, makers of First Squad, list on their CV, Memories. The Animatrix and  the new Thundercats so the animation quality was always going to be good.
 Interestingly, not only is the original audio Russian language but the writers are Russian and maybe that's why there's none of the goofiness and fanservice Anime can be prone to. Frothy fun a la Strike Witches, this is not.
 Tone-wise this is quite dark and Nadya's trip to the world of the dead - a disturbing realm of shambling, bloody corpses - is probably going to inspire a few of my upcoming nightmares.   
My major criticism is this: The story is wrapped up in 57 minutes when it maybe deserves more time and space.
 Well actually it isn't wrapped up.Not quite.
Once the end credits roll you are left with the feeling that you just watched the pilot for  a longer series and wondering when the next episode comes out.  
 I honestly feel there's more of this story to be told; What happened to Nadya's parents? Who's the old monk that shows up? Who the hell are the two blonde Valkyries that keep trying to kill Nadya? Is there more to the world of the dead than the hellish bit we're shown?
 If this 57 minutes is it and that's all we're ever going to get, I'm going to be a bit peeved.

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