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Rating: 
Summary: "We're gettin' the band back together!"
Review: The third installment in the Legend-of-the-Earth-Saving-Salaryman-via-Electric-Guitar turns out to be just as cool as the first two. The story picks up a bit; at least, as much as a story like this can, as lead axeman Oji Tanaka goes about recruiting the rest of the former members of his band, Black Heaven to help him add power to the "ultimate weapon" that's keeping those pesky would-be Earth-invading aliens at bay so far. Of course, it's been over 10 years, and things have obviously changed. Oji finds out it's a real bummer when life gets in the way of one's dreams, as each contact busts, with the guys too busy with their jobs and families to come back to the way things were. And it doesn't help that each time Oji powers the ultimate weapon with his music, the bad guys find a way to adapt to it. What's a hero to do? As if that weren't enough, the aliens are building a "weapon" of their own, using a very surprising "engine" to make it work. Safe to say, the one thing that makes this series so much fun is the story. Oji's a very likeable guy, and some people can actually relate to his situation, alien invasion notwithstanding. His supporting cast is a complete riot, especially Layla Yuki's three bumbling "assistants" and their mauling of the Japanese language. As far as action goes, like I said before, there ain't much, but there's enough to keep me interested, at least. Again, the action isn't what makes this series great anyway. The comedy is another high point; everything from sight gags to wordplay brings big smiles all around. The animation isn't all that wonderful, even though it's computer-generated, but you'll get over it once the series gets going. The soundtrack...awesome as always; great heavy metal mixed with some quirky outer-space-like tunes, very unique. (Although when Oji plays his guitar, there needs to be more songs coming out of it than the "Cautionary Warning" riff; it's a great song, but enough already!) All in all, a series definitely worth a look for anime fans of just about any kind. Start at volume one, though; if you watch this one first, you'll be lost.
Rating:
Summary: "We're gettin' the band back together!"
Review: The third installment in the Legend-of-the-Earth-Saving-Salaryman-via-Electric-Guitar turns out to be just as cool as the first two. The story picks up a bit; at least, as much as a story like this can, as lead axeman Oji Tanaka goes about recruiting the rest of the former members of his band, Black Heaven to help him add power to the "ultimate weapon" that's keeping those pesky would-be Earth-invading aliens at bay so far. Of course, it's been over 10 years, and things have obviously changed. Oji finds out it's a real bummer when life gets in the way of one's dreams, as each contact busts, with the guys too busy with their jobs and families to come back to the way things were. And it doesn't help that each time Oji powers the ultimate weapon with his music, the bad guys find a way to adapt to it. What's a hero to do? As if that weren't enough, the aliens are building a "weapon" of their own, using a very surprising "engine" to make it work. Safe to say, the one thing that makes this series so much fun is the story. Oji's a very likeable guy, and some people can actually relate to his situation, alien invasion notwithstanding. His supporting cast is a complete riot, especially Layla Yuki's three bumbling "assistants" and their mauling of the Japanese language. As far as action goes, like I said before, there ain't much, but there's enough to keep me interested, at least. Again, the action isn't what makes this series great anyway. The comedy is another high point; everything from sight gags to wordplay brings big smiles all around. The animation isn't all that wonderful, even though it's computer-generated, but you'll get over it once the series gets going. The soundtrack...awesome as always; great heavy metal mixed with some quirky outer-space-like tunes, very unique. (Although when Oji plays his guitar, there needs to be more songs coming out of it than the "Cautionary Warning" riff; it's a great song, but enough already!) All in all, a series definitely worth a look for anime fans of just about any kind. Start at volume one, though; if you watch this one first, you'll be lost.
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