Aoki Ryuusei SPT Layzner

SPT Layzner occupies its own position within the overarching (if not overbearing) market of 1980s mecha with a political and military focus. Within the decade, director Ryosuke Takahashi’s other works prior to Layzner included VOTOMS, with its focus on a deeply rotten and outright malignantly corrupt military bureaucracy, while Dougram adopted a more domestic sociological perspective, examining the way common people were affected by the colonisation of space. As the most popular franchise within the mecha genre, Gundam would have been the most direct market competitor, with its own thematic and narrative elements broadly comparable to both of these shows, but there is one specificarea in which Layzner retains a distinct identity from either Takahashi’s other works, or Gundam, and that is in its tone. More so than any specific details of narrative development, Layzner emphasises and materialises a harsh tone and atmosphere within its world, creating a pervasive sense of danger and insecurity at every moment, without reprieve. Sometimes within the mecha genre, the inside of the cockpit is treated as a safe retreat, a position for the pilot to assert their own authority and retain a sense of self, while exerting that will upon others, other times it is within the domestic setting that comfort is found, but Layzner makes the distinct decision to avoid providing comfort within any location in its universe. In its approach to worldbuilding, Layzner is remarkably subdued, infusing its Cold War setting with an appropriate sense of realism, an aspect which also applies to its technological design, most prominently seen through items like computers and radar systems, missiles and ships, all of which have a consistent and uncompromisingly rectangular, blocky form. This effectively encapsulates the post-detente era and its indefinite extension as depicted within the story, and secondarily it is able to add to the plausibility of the situation, not just in the design of its mechs but in all aspects that inform them. With this in mind, Layzner is not directly concerned with realism, it is only the byproduct of an intelligently restrained use of its setting. On a narrative level, the robots are a mechanism used for achieving goals, not a means unto themselves, and the overarching goal that Layzner is principally concerned with is inducing a sense of pure terror. Not in the sense of the horror genre, which centralises its entire sense of fear and danger through a single character, consequently relying on profoundly stupid characters, and even stupider strings of cliches in order to function. Layzner moves a step in the right direction, by instead endeavouring to make the very environment itself outright hostile to its characters’ survival, with dust storms on the surface of Mars completely obfuscating any sense of direction or vision, and the complete absence of any organic life on the planet can hardly be viewed as a reassuring omen. The only inorganic life found on the planet would be human life, and considering that the only other people are already dead, killed instantly with no possibility of escape, this too compounds the predicament and does little for the fighting spirit. As a furtherance of this hostility, the robotic weaponry used for humanity’s survival carries its own first-person identity. Hiroki Azuma has invoked the idea that science fiction anime depicts a classic philosophical grand narrative within circumstances that make its realisation impossible, and likewise, Layzner’s pursuit of scientific achievement, predominantly done within the context of geopolitical conquest and great power games, builds a universe in which this pursuit of scientific perfection is initiated, but with inherent qualities that make perfection an impossibility, and with far-reaching consequences. The computers that control the mechs within the series have their own thinking processes, giving information to the pilot, and recommending specific courses of action, with the unstated caveat that they are programmed in such a way that their decision making is deliberately limited and biased, at times counter to the pilot’s intentions, making the specific mecha on which humanity entrusts its own survival, unreliable and untrustworthy for that purpose. Found along this trajectory are the unmanned robots who hunt down the unarmed survivors of humanity, which only exemplifies the pure hostility inherent within the machinery. The unmanned robots (whose designs are inarguably the absolute coolest thing within the series) are not used to support a squad, they offer no tactical advantage, they are only used out of pure genocidal hatred, to kill unarmed survivors in the depths of the underground. Naturally, this sort of genocidal hatred is not limited to robots, in that respect the most deranged behaviour is found within the select few who infuse their organic bodies with wire and metal a la Giger, an option only accessible enough to those psychotic enough to accept their own destruction because they value the death of others more than their own sense of self. Christopher Bolton suggested that the fear of integrating with technology eroding the essence of humanity is one of the main concerns exhibited within the science fiction genre, but the character of Gosterro disregards that idea, outright enthused in himself when he says “I’m not even sure how much of me is human at this point”, spoken through a visage that lacks the elegance of Robocop, looking more like if an IED were a person, with metallic armour smashed into his face and eyes, with other parts of tissue and wire exposed openly as they contort in purely inhuman ways. This generally applied use of technology as a means to invoke its warlike terror is present throughout the entirety of the series, as it moves from Mars to the alien occupation of Earth, as the survivors begin a resistance movement in New York City, which has since been reduced to a deprived slum, with its black skyscrapers looking condemned and its citizens living in abject misery – aliens haven’t erected a giant pyramid outside Yankee Stadium yet, but apart from that they did accurately capture what it’s been like since Rudy Giuliani retired as mayor. Since the 1980s, which happens to be when Layzner was aired, the notion of high concept film has permeated the industry globally, and it is much easier to find something that fits into the concept of high concept than the opposite. In that respect, it’s difficult to truly find an area in which Layzner could be considered high concept, as it lacks the purely adrenaline-driven emotionally charged protagonists of other action franchises, nor the sort of deep examination of minutiae and internal lore that is designed to appeal to dedicated otaku. Layzner has one thing to its credit, and that is its tension and atmosphere, which is unrelentingly carried across each of its episodes. It may not be a popular thing to have such an uncompromisingly hopeless atmosphere, the lack of popularity of Takahashi’s later Blue Gender, which doubled down on injecting horror into a mecha setting would seem to corroborate the idea, although in this respect Layzner would be seen as ahead of the post-Lost Decade zeitgeist that facilitated that sort of narrative direction. It’s certainly not high concept in the manner in which it is typically understood, but Layzner, which may not have done much to help reassure or comfort any of its audience about their fears of MAD, did at least manage to orchestrate a poignant sense of insecurity within all that encapsulates its visual and narrative design and structure, creating an emotionally engaging piece that contrasts with the genre’s established conventions, and the asphyxiating pressure and fear that defines Layzner as a series is idiosyncratic and incomparable.

Review written in English and French / Critique disponible en anglais et en français ~~~~~~ What can be said about Layzner? First of all, it’s the fourth major work of my favorite mecha anime director: Ryousuke Takahashi. Being a big fan of Votoms and especially Dougram, I had high expectations for Layzner. And indeed, I was happy to find Takahashi’s signature style. The series is divided into two distinct parts: episodes 1 to 24 and episodes 26 to 38 (the 25th is a summary). Without spoiling what they consist of, they are nevertheless radically different in tone. For the first part, we have a very dark story. The extended ColdWar setting works really well and adds to the constant hostility that prevails. The atmosphere is meant to be tense with a constant threat, an emergency situation, and limited resources for the protagonists. And it works really well. You could even call it a thriller. On top of that, Takahashi is not the master of Real Robot for nothing, and even if he doesn't go as far in realism as in Dougram for example, his signature style and attention to plausibility are entirely present. Apart from certain technologies, everything is meant to be realistic, especially the reactions of the various characters and the political decisions made. Until then, few anime, I think, had managed to so well capture how people would react to an extraterrestrial attack. This first part is really well-executed; I would even say it is comparable to an arc of Votoms (which is no small feat). The second part is radically different. We move to a more post-apocalyptic/dystopian atmosphere, and in fact, the series starts to resemble a bit, in a sense, Fist of the North Star with mechas (yeah I’m not kidding). While I find the idea good, with many interesting changes and initial episodes that work, it ultimately proves to be inferior to the previous part. The tone shifts drastically, and so does the narrative: the fast-paced, relentless plot is replaced by a more episodic format. Unfortunately, I find the writing less inspired, and above all, the tone is much less dark, even though this new setting would allow it just as much. Is it really bad for that reason? I wouldn't go that far, and there are still good aspects, but compared to the excellent first part, it is still inferior. The series was also shortened, but in fact, they just cut all the episodes that were supposed to be between the 37th and the last one to jump directly to the latter, so it doesn’t make much sense. Fortunately, out of the 3 released OVAs, the first 2 are summaries of the first 37 episodes, but the third provides the ending the series deserves. It’s not perfect because it’s shorter than planned, but it’s largely acceptable and satisfying. If you watch the series, you should simply replace the last episode with the last OVA for the best experience. Moreover, my explanation for the slight drop in quality is that due to the series' lack of success (and more specifically the merchandise sales), Takahashi likely had his creative freedom restricted. He explained in an interview I saw that the merchandise sales model for mecha series wasn’t a problem that made the series commercialized, but rather that he had complete artistic freedom as long as sales were satisfactory. In the same way, he likely lost some freedom with sales below expectations. Despite everything, it’s a very good series that is really worth watching, at least for its first part especially, and even during the second, you have a good time without any problems. So I highly recommend it for Real Robot fans, in spite of the fews flaws of the second part. ~~~~~~ Que dire de Layzner ? Tout d'abord, c'est la quatrième réalisation importante de mon réalisateur d'anime de mechas préféré : Ryousuke Takahashi. Étant très fan de Votoms et surtout de Dougram, j'avais de grandes attentes pour Layzner. Et effectivement, j'ai été heureux de retrouver la patte de Takahashi. La série se découpe en deux parties distinctes : les épisodes 1 à 24 et les épisodes 26 à 38 (le 25e est un résumé). Si je ne vais pas spoiler en quoi elles consistent, elles sont tout de même radicalement différentes en termes de ton. Pour la première, on est déjà sur une histoire très sombre. Le cadre de Guerre froide prolongée fonctionne vraiment bien et ajoute à l'hostilité permanente qui règne. L'ambiance se veut angoissante avec une menace constante, une situation d'urgence et des ressources limitées des protagonistes. Et ça fonctionne vraiment bien. On pourrait même la qualifier de thriller. En plus de ça, Takahashi n'est pas le maître du Real Robot pour rien, et même s'il ne va pas aussi loin dans le réalisme que dans Dougram par exemple, on retrouve totalement sa patte et son attention à la vraisemblance. À part certaines technologies, tout se veut réaliste, en particulier les réactions des différents personnages et les décisions politiques prises. Jusqu'alors, peu d'anime avaient, je pense, réussi à aussi bien cerner comment des gens réagiraient à une attaque extraterrestre. Cette première partie est vraiment très maîtrisée, je dirais même qu'elle vaut sans problème un arc de Votoms (ce qui n'est pas rien). La seconde est radicalement différente. On passe à une ambiance plus post-apo/dystopique et en fait, la série commence à ressembler un peu, en un sens, à du Ken le survivant avec des mechas (oui, oui, je ne délire pas). Si je trouve l'idée bonne, avec de nombreux changements intéressants et des premiers épisodes qui fonctionnent, elle se révèle malgré tout en dessous de la précédente partie. Si le ton tranche radicalement, c'est aussi narrativement : le rythme soutenu et l'intrigue sans temps mort sont remplacés par un format plus épisodique. Malheureusement, je trouve l'écriture moins inspirée, et surtout, le ton est nettement moins sombre, alors que ce nouveau cadre le permettait tout autant. Est-ce que c'est vraiment mauvais pour autant ? Je n'irais pas jusque-là, et il y a encore de bonnes choses, mais par rapport à l'excellente première partie, c'est quand même en dessous. La série a d'ailleurs été raccourcie, mais en fait, ils ont juste coupé tous les épisodes qui devaient être entre le 37e et le dernier pour passer directement à celui-ci, du coup on ne comprend pas grand-chose. Heureusement, sur les 3 OAV sortis, les 2 premiers sont des résumés des 37 premiers épisodes, mais le troisième apporte la fin que la série mérite. Ce n'est pas parfait car de toute façon plus court que prévu, mais largement acceptable et satisfaisant. Si vous devez regarder la série, il faut donc remplacer tout simplement le dernier épisode par le dernier OAV pour la meilleure expérience. D'ailleurs, mon explication pour la légère baisse de qualité, c'est qu'en raison du manque de succès de la série (et plus spécifiquement des ventes de produits dérivés), Takahashi a dû voir son niveau de liberté restreint. Il a expliqué dans une interview que j'avais vue que le modèle de vente de produits dérivés pour les séries de mechas n'était pas du tout un problème qui rendait les séries mercantiles, mais qu'au contraire, il avait pleine liberté artistique tant que les ventes étaient satisfaisantes. De la même manière, il a sans doute perdu en liberté avec des ventes en dessous des attentes. Malgré tout, c'est une très bonne série qui vaut vraiment le coup, au moins pour sa première partie surtout, et même devant la seconde, on passe un bon moment sans problème. Donc je la recommande vivement pour les amateurs de Real Robot, malgré les défauts de la seconde partie.

Being a big fan of the Space Opera genre of storytelling, I had long been interested in seeing this show after reading about it on a list of underrated mecha anime. Long story short; I was absolutely blown away by this show. From its mature, deliberate narrative pacing that takes the time for characters to breathe and undergo more subtle and believable character evolution, to the quality and consistency of the animation. This was really pretty stellar most of the time. Every show has ups and downs, but Layzner seems to my eye to maintain keyframe level details throughout even subtle moments in the show, tosay nothing of the stellar action scenes. While it cannot be denied that the high quality (strongest in the first 24 episodes) dips in the last handful of episodes as the show was apparently abruptly cut short after one of the producers/backers left the project; the 3rd OVA (which replaces the original final episode as an extended finale and is included in the blu ray set from Discotek Media) served as a proper and quite satisfying ending to the show. While I *have* seen better, Layzner certainly deserves to be placed among the greats in the Sci-Fi and Mecha pantheons of anime. If you’re a fan of any of classic real robot, space opera, or sci-fi shows like Gundam, VOTOMS, LotGH and their like, check it out. There’s a lot to love.

So yeah, this had no review up to now ( october 2020) and I think it deserves one to tell people if this anime is for them or not - yes it is not for everyone. Story: 6 Well I like the fact that in a way the aliens are quite similar to humans, which is relevant to the plot, but it is kinda simple and the series try to cover it in mystery for way too long. Also certain events feel a bit forced to happen or simply doesn't make much sense, specially after the 3 year jump which happens at one point. Yet the same jumpmakes other aspects better - more world building and some interesting plot twists. Also whenever they do those jumps forward they do so in the middle of climax letting us guess how that event or battle ended. While not horrible since you make up more or less what happened it kinda breaks the narrative. So it has nice structure, but becomes a bit random and absurd at times. Art: 9 I am taking in to consideration the anime's age and the mecha genre as factors here. Mecha design is quite amazing, full of detail and they try to give as much dept as possible. Settings are also interesting and character designs are full of personality, specially over the 3 year gap when they look different. Combat scenes tend to be pretty cool and intense, be it on mecha or with characters fighting on foot. Sound: 8 The music is great, opening can get easily stuck in your head for days xD Background music works just fine and adds to the mood. Sounds are your usual mecha anime ones and they work just fine. Characters: 6 Well characters have a cool base and premise until they start making weird choices which won't fit them, like villains letting the heroes go off when they could pursue and terminate them. Main character is overly pacifist - I get it that he descends from both aliens and humans and sometimes he fights relatives or friends, it is hard to fight your sister for example. But he even avoids killing dangerous foes who he actually never met and had all reasons to despise, feels kinda like forced pacifism and eventually other characters fall to that as well. On the good side, secondary characters are kinda interesting and they get far better when they grow a bit after the 3 year fast forward. Enjoyment: 7 There were points when I was so hooked that I couldn't stop watching one episode after another, others when I was watching and liking it, but sometimes the plot skipped forward or closed an arch and I left it untouched for a few days. So yeah, it is exciting in key moments, has some mysteries to make you wonder but has some boring bits here and there. Overall: 7 So, is this for you? If you are into mecha, action and sci fi or if you want to know how a Gundam Like anime can mix with Hokuto no Ken, by all means watch this :3 Ig not then well, there is better stuff out there with better characters and plot. Bottom line: Cool mecha show but slightly bellow average as regular anime.

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