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REVIEW: Blue Submarine No.6 Blu-Ray

I thoroughly enjoyed this OVA, and I think it should join Princess Mononoke as an anime that presents an environmental message in an interesting and non-preachy way (I normally can't stand "eco-entertainment"). And say what you will about how the CG has aged, those submarine battles are a blast to watch.

I believe I enjoyed the story itself more than Theron. I actually found Blue Sub 6's lack of a need to explain every aspect of the plot refreshing as a fan of sci-fi. The characters were both emotionally resonant for me and effective in representing different viewpoints on the issues being dealt with. Definitely a gem worth buying!

Also, shippers would hate this show, due to it having two possible romantic interests for main character Hayami, but focuses on their significance to the show's themes rather than pairing either of them off.

Mutio is the best character in the show. It's quite a feat to make a non-human character with zero lines of dialogue the most interesting and likable of the entire story. She also gives me really awkward and confusing feelings in my pants...

I think the only thing really holding Blue Sub 6 back from being legitimately great is that it's maybe a little too ambitious. There's some lip-service about acceptance, and the cycle of violence, and living for tomorrow, but it all kinda gets lost in the truncated running time. It just ends up a jumble of mixed metaphors and cool actions setpieces. Its short length makes it easily worth the time investment, but it's a double-edged sword that ultimately tempers the intended impact of the story. I feel like even stretching the story out to a half-cour would have done wonders. Episodes 1 and 3 could have easily been double their length, and gone more in depth into Kino and Mutio respectively. We barely learn anything about the eponymous sub's crew, and very little about the world the characters begrudgingly live in. Ultimately, there's a lot really cool ideas in Blue Sub 6 that just don't have enough room to grow into their own.

Could very well buy it just for the sexy Range Murata awesomeness on the cover.

Mutio is the best character in the show. It's quite a feat to make a non-human character with zero lines of dialogue the most interesting and likable of the entire story. She also gives me really awkward and confusing feelings in my pants...

Damn, I had though about upgrading my old Bandai DVD set to Blu-ray, but since the only version on Blu will be the mostly edited one then there is really no point is there.