X-Men Anime

I enjoy Japanese anime even though I often find it to be repetitive in the way they portray action and emotions. Sometimes, like in films like 'Akira' the technique is very affecting. Other times, like in the recent 'Wolverine Anime' it really kept me from enjoying the program at all. Too many changes were made in the character of Wolverine that alienated me from enjoying the cartoon. The slow, deliberate nature of the storytelling left me bored also.

I entered the new 12 episode 'X-men anime' with the same low expectations but was happy to see that they took at totally different tact with this story. Immediately we are throw into the action. By starting with the 'death' of the 'Dark Phoenix' we find the X-men split up for a year out of grief because of the way they failed Jean Grey when she needed saving the most.


Only because of the necessity to rescue new mutant, 'Armor' does the team come back together. Little needs to be explained because we understand immediately why the team broke up in the first place. That event hangs over everything and will need to be dealt with if they can ever be the tight unit they once were.

The team, consists of Wolverine, Storm, Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, and new mutant Armor who has appeared in the comic but never in animation.


Although this is another culture interpreting these characters, I found that they pretty much nailed the personalities and dynamics between all the players. Scott and Logan predictably butt heads and cut each other no slack whatsoever.

There is real pathos in this version with the pains of being a mutant placed front and center in the storytelling. The Japanese version of these characters seem to work in ways that the singular Wolverine series did not.


I know I will continue to download this series weekly.

8/10