Art and typography by 0tacat
Thanks everyone for sticking around for another edition of The Anime Backlog. As you might guess, last week (and the three weeks before that) were some of the busiest weeks for me coordinating Anime Expo coverage. You can expect two more editions of The Anime Backlog this month; you can forgive me if I specifically target long-overdue shows and OAVs until things cool down this summer. I'll be hitting both Otakon and Anime NYC before the season is over!
This week, I threw away a physical release that had been sitting on my shelf for a few years after buying it on a whim—Alien 9.
Note: This section will frequently feature spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
©2001 Hitoshi Tomizawa, Akita Shoten Committee/'Alien 9′.
Alien 9
Why is it important?
Alien 9 is a four-episode television series that aired consecutively; we classified it as a “special” in the ANN Encyclopedia, but perhaps it’s more appropriate to call it an OAV that aired on television rather than straight to video. Released in 2001, Alien 9 is a peculiar kind of weirdness in an era where less is more and challenging your audience is the norm. Naturally, the story is often compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion on blogs, but it doesn’t quite work on that level; Evangelion is just used as shorthand for the anime “mindfuck,” and Alien 9 plays in that same sandbox.
At around 100 minutes long, the anime showcases the early work of creators who are now well-established in the industry. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood director Yasuhiro Irie directed episodes 2-4 before directing several projects at BONES. Sadayuki Murai wrote two episodes before writing Kino's Journey, parts of Natsme's Book of Friends, and multiple projects at Polygon Pictures. I won't give Alien 9 credit for launching the careers of some of the staff, but it's an interesting look at their directing and writing styles before their “big break.”
I mentioned that Alien 9 entered a period when anime, especially OAVs, were more esoteric. There were some projects from this period that simply didn't end well and were less concerned with spelling out narrative beats for the audience. Less Evangelion, Alien 9 was more like Boogiepop Phantom (Murai was the series' head) from a year earlier, or Wizard Princess from the 90s. What's going on? Find out for yourself.
Essentially, Alien 9 is about three sixth graders who are assigned to the “Alien Party,” a committee responsible for capturing aliens on campus. It’s treated like any other assigned class responsibility, but requires the three girls to wear a symbiotic alien called a “Borg” on their heads while facing off against a variety of aliens of varying aggressiveness. Crybaby Yuri is the main point of view, but we get some insight from Kumi, the responsible leader, and Kasumi, the high-achieving one.
There is also a very clear theme of puberty and the fear of teenage body development.
Does it live up to its reputation?
Alien 9 has often received praise on the internet for its unexpected tonal shift. The character designs, even the overall mood and plot, have a Madoka-like feel. There’s no crossover between the staff, but similar to Gen Urobuchi and SHAFT’s original magical girl series, Alien 9 has a very rounded, moe-y feel to it that contrasts with the gory action scenes and the 12-year-old girls constantly crying for their mothers. If you’ve been to this area a few times, you’ve seen more gore and may have seen a more emotionally wrenching series, but to put it in modern terms: Alien 9 pulled off a School-Live! about 15 years before anyone knew what that meant. It’s not a case of “I’ve heard of this before you,” but rather a matter of contextualizing why people are talking about this four-episode OAV being long overdue.
And it’s certainly weird. Beyond the rollerblading girls with winged frogs on their heads, Alien 9 also plays with adolescent body horror, particularly through the lens of Yuuri. As a character, Yuuri is a hard sell. Any frustration that arises from the “enter the robot, Shinji” meme is tripled when confronted with Yuuri. She cries when confronted with the disgusting nature of her new job; she cries when her friends show up for her birthday party, and she cries at the prospect of doing anything heroic. Yuri never matures beyond the first episode, and viewers will be frustrated with her and her inability to put the other crew members in danger. She would be a central character in a longer series, but Alien 9’s limited running time only allows it to convey so much information to the audience.
Still, the team does an exemplary job of laying the groundwork for Yuri's concerns surrounding puberty. There's a fair amount of overt drama throughout the OAV, from health-level measurements to hallucinating men singing about adulthood to Yuuri's choice of swimsuit during summer vacation. The girl is in a state of arrested development that's never resolved until the closing credits roll. Meanwhile, we only get vague outlines of Kumi and Kasumi's internal struggles, as well as vague ideas about the larger conspiracy plots going on behind the scenes. Sadly, the original manga is out of print and several of its sequels have never been published, but a quick browse of Alien 9's Wikipedia article should give you all the information you need to tie up those loose ends.
View or delete?
The OAV uses some truly bizarre visuals throughout its run and is interesting as a prototype. The first episode on my 2005 DVD copy is a bit rough with obvious interwoven issues. Also, any viewer who dives in should know that there is no conclusion and certain elements will never be satisfactorily resolved. Alien 9 is best approached as a curiosity, but if what I’ve written above doesn’t pique your curiosity, there’s no harm in skipping it.
Final Verdict: Unless I successfully convince you of it, skip it.
