09-09-09 to Alien Nine!

In celebration for this day, 9th of September 2009, which writes as 09-09-09 (fantastic, eh?) We’ll be covering something along the lines of the number 9! Does the number nine in the world of anime ring a bell? Anything? Nothing?

It’s Alien Nine of course!

Alien Nine is a manga series by Hitoshi Tomizawa. It was later turned into an anime by J.C. Staff as an OVA anime series – or original video animation. Alien Nine is a high school-centric anime with a splash of aliens and in line skating action. Whichever is more rampant, you decide. The anime is actually rated seinen, or for older boys and men, but the television airing took care of that quite easily.

Enter Yuri Otani, a transfer student and a stranger to the new campus. Unwillingly, the 12-year old girl gets to join the ”Alien Party”, a small school faction which takes care of lurking aliens in the school. Equipped with roller skates, sticks and weird symbiotic organisms attached to their heads, Otani’s supposedly normal life is matched with alien-busting mornings and afternoons. And sometimes more often than it should be.

First impressions last. And our first impression was: “What in the world?”. That impression has not changed a bit after watching the whole series. Alien Nine, in its own special way is unique and strange, but nicely weird all at the same time. We just can’t decide. The character designs are rather ordinary but the weird and unexplainable Borgs, or the creatures they get partnered with somewhat saves that. The animation is kinda off, and the show appeared to put a lot more work on the motions of these creatures than the rest of the characters. The colors are also pale and pastel-ish in nature which does not help. However, whatever it lacks in design, it make up with its action scenes. Whoever thought that girls in skates and sticks can ever produce that much action scenes?

It’s a short watch but better get the most out of it. The action scenes are very well executed but other than that it’s all a blur. Still, it’s a seinen series that may borderline as something shounen.