009-1

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV Films DVD 2007

Review based on volume 1 (episodes 1-4)

Rating TV MA

What it’s (basically) all about: Imagine that The Cold War never ended. How would the world look? How would technology have advanced? What kind of spies would there be? Mylene is a spy in this same alternate future- secret agent 009-1. She’s bionic, beautiful, and lethal. Melene goes into situations that would make Bond cringe, but it’s all in a days work for her. With her fast wit and faster reflexes, there’s no mission that she can’t accomplish with style and finesse.

Nitty Gritty: This series isn’t very heavy on plot. It’s very episodic, and though each episode is a well written story, nothing seems to carry over to the next one except the characters. The animation is very sophisticated, and the whole thing is based on a manga that was written while The Cold War was still going strong. It has a very James Bond, 1960’s feel to it, with more modern action sequences.

As you may have guessed from the rating, this spy drama isn’t meant for kids. There is heavy foul language (including sh*t, bastard, and the F-bomb) and lots of bloody violence. Mylene also has a penchant for nudity, mostly stylized, and she’ll sleep with her enemies (male and female) before killing them if that’s what it takes to get close to them. She also has guns in her boobs, a lá the Fembots in “Austin Powers,” but she usually bares all to use them. There’s a fair amount of sex and/or gory violence in every episode.

Special features include clean opening/ closing animation, an interview with the Japanese director and staff (in Japanese with subtitles), How the Manga Became and Anime (lots of reading here),  information on the weapons and gadgets (more reading) and DVD credits. Previews included are for Le Chevalier D’eon, Gantz, Kurau Phantom Memory, Gilgamesh, Air Gear, and Gravion. There are also Newtype-USA and Anime Network promos at the start of the disk.

Survey says: Adult collections.

Personal Ad: While not as gratuitous as the fan service in Najica, there is quite a lot in this which can be distracting. However, I found myself really liking Mylene for her strength and humanity in the face of all the violence she deals with everyday. I think she’s a great character and this is well worth having in adult collections.