Anime: Oban Star-Racers

Critic's Log - Earthdate: November 18, 2012. Review #22: Oban Star-Racers



Hey There, name's Giovanni. You can call me the Fullmetal Cowboy if
you like since that is just a little nickname based off my username.
Anyway, I do these intros to my reviews because I like to and it's my
kind of thing. I also number my reviews so I can keep track on how many
I've reviewed so far. The whole "Critic's Log" thing is a homage to Star
Trek if you haven't noticed. Well i'm running out of material to
continue this intro so let's thrust those engines into Oban Star-Racers!





In the year 2082, Earth has been invited to compete in the Great Race
of Oban, an intergalactic race whose winner can be granted any wish in
the world, even bringing back a loved one. This invitation comes from
the Avatar, a mysterious entity who ends hostilities between Earth and
the sinister Crogs. In Earth, a girl named Eva has been hoping to hear
from her father for years. She leaves school to find her father Don Wei,
after she does find him the Earth team is off to compete in the Great
Race of Oban, Eva then takes the name "Molly" and she must prove that
she can win and make her father recognize her.



To be technical, this is a Sav! The World and HAL Film Maker
collaboration production. Sav! The World was a studio from France while
HAL Film Maker was from Japan. Oban Star Racers is one of those animes
that has a rare occasion having two studios collaborate while its
country of origin happens to be Japan and France. So… Should Oban Star
Racers be considered an anime to begin with? Well, let’s just say that
Oban Star Racers is an anime hybrid. I should note that Savin-Yeatman
Eiffel (the creator of the series and one of the directors of the show)
was inspired by a few anime series back in the 70’s which obviously led
to the inspiration of the series and it’s no surprise that he wanted to
collaborate with a Japanese studio regarding the animation. Speaking
about the animation, it was hard for me to speak my opinion about the
animation in Oban Star Racers. The show does deserve praise for its
integration of 2D and 3D animation when used. What is a bit hit and miss
is the character designs but that is sort of a minor nitpick for me
because there’s actually a small defense I have regarding character
designs. The animation style in France sometimes does not include noses
on its characters or so I heard in the Making of Oban video that I saw.
It may look weird but I think you might get used to it after a little
while unless you really have a problem with it. The animation is mostly
good throughout the show and it’s done well for a kid’s anime. The
integration of the 2D and 3D animation is done good that it should put
Gonzo to shame. Yeah, I just brought up Gonzo… Maybe I should call this
an “Anti-Gonzo Anime”. Putting jokes aside, I appreciate the animation
here and I also appreciate the unique art style that Oban Star Racers
has.







The music by Taku Iwasaki really sets the mood right for Oban Star
Racers, there are times when the music sounds adventurous which the show
has plenty of adventurous scenes and packs an emotional punch when
used. I got nothing really bad to say about the music, it’s composed
quite well. I should also mention that the staff somehow managed to get
Yoko Kanno to compose the opening and closing songs, need I say more
about Yoko Kanno? Well for this review… yes. Oban Star Racers has one of
the catchiest openings from Yoko Kanno, it got me excited for an
episode of Oban and I never really skipped or fast-forwarded the
opening, I liked every second of it. The closing song is nice too and
compliments the show well. The music department had the chance to shine
and it worked.







As far as voice acting goes, I cannot state my opinion of the
Subtitled version this time because The American release of this show
does not have a Japanese version, and it doesn’t have a French Version
either. Only the English Dub is available in the U.S. and to be honest.
This is a solid well performed dub. Chiari Zanni has a charming touch
while voicing Eva (or “Molly” if you prefer) well. Sam Vincent is great
as Jordan. Ron Halder is terrific as Don Wei. Kirby Morrow is charming
for the ladies as Prince Aikka and Brian Drummond is surprisingly good
at voicing a cheery old man. Here’s a couple good tidbits about the
extra performances. Alessandro Juliani (the English voice of L from
Death Note) is in the show and the Dobson Brothers (Paul, Brian, and
Michael) are also in the show. The dub is great for a kid’s show and
it’s a good anime dub in general.







The cast of characters are quite the bunch. The human characters are
relatable to some viewers and some characters are interesting as well.
Eva (or Molly) is an ambitious 15 year old girl that wants her dad to
recognize her. My brother once told me that when he saw the show, he
told me that he thought that 15 was the right age for Molly. For a kid’s
show, this does seem to be the right age for a main character for this
kind of show. Jordan is fun to watch and he’s also a character that I
think some male viewers can relate to. The most interesting character by
far for me was Eva’s father Don Wei. His character seemed a bit
dislikable at first but his character development made him a likable
character for me. Rick was a cool guy and he pretty much lives up to the
cool factor to his character. The character development for the human
characters was done pretty well for the most part. As far as the alien
racers. Prince Aikka is an interesting character that develops nicely
for the most part. There are some favorites I do want to list just for
kicks. I liked Para-dice because she uses a footpad to race which that
footpad sort of reminds me of Dance Dance Revolution. Rush was pretty
cool. Spirit was also cool but interesting (for someone who never
speaks) and Ondai had a cool robot form for a Racer. That’s just
personal preference, but I do like how there is a variety of design
regarding these Star Racers and that’s another thing I like about Oban
Star Racers.



If there’s anything that will vary your mileage is what you would
expect out of Oban Star Racers. The story is a bit generic at first and
almost was slightly uninteresting to begin with. It does pick up quick
as it progresses and chances are if you stick to the series long enough
it may have been worth seeing after all. Again, this is depending on
what you would expect out of the show. What Oban Star Racers does have
that does not disappoint is the racing moments, they are exciting to see
and is literally the driving force that makes Oban Star Racers a fun
show to watch. If you like the characters long enough, chances are
you’ll like how they develop. What really gets me liking Oban Star
Racers is that this is a kid’s show and it does deal with some dark
themes running through it. Not a whole lot, just a little and it was
effective for the most part. It starts out fine and then it starts
getting interesting once the group is in Oban and then it starts
twisting things around which I was a bit surprised. Then there’s the
ending, I have read sources that some people did not like the ending too
much and some people thought it was okay. I will agree that Canaletto
was not that interesting of a villain while he looks weird at the same
time. I do think that part of the ending is a bit anti-climactic, but
the majority of the ending wasn’t too anti-climactic. It had an
appropriate ending for what the story was giving. In all honesty, this
ending could have been a little more extensive and it could’ve ended
just a little differently. The ending for the most part isn’t bad, it’s
certainly not A+ material either. To make a long story short about the
ending. It was pretty average.





If there’s something about this anime that I would like to say before
I wrap things up, I’ll say it now. Oban Star-Racers has got to be one
of the most underrated kid’s anime ever made. It aired in more than 90
countries and it never got the recognition and it truly deserved. This
anime got seriously overlooked. Savin-Yeatman Eiffel and Thomas Romain
(The creator of Code Lyoko) sure have impressed me to some degree with
this series.



Oban Star-Racers is available from Shout! Factory



With that said, Oban-Star Racers is an exciting anime series that
integrates 2D and 3D animation well when used. It also had good
character development during the progression of the story. It has a
soundtrack that compliments the show well and even though the story
isn’t completely A to A+ material. The racing is what made the show
watchable and the story is good enough to go alongside the exciting
racing moments. This truly is an underrated and overlooked anime.



I give Oban Star-Racers a 7.9 out of 10, it is GOOD!



Feel free to comment below and get your chance to shine

Oban star racers...i watched it,Arabic dubbed on TV,and enjoyed every episode of it.Personally, i like french animation.they have a unique sense of fantasy that i honestly can't find in japanese animation most of the times(at least recently).

Animation:9
i liked the animation very much.the characters are well drawn and lots of weird looking ones.the background is gorgeous,red weird looking trees,beautiful sky and lots of exotic looks.i would give it a ten,but sometimes,there are repeated frames(the audience in the races)which annoys me very much.

Sound:8
the sound is ok,nothing speical most of the time.but the ending is wonderful,really beautiful.

Story:7
the story is average most of the series,but it really gets interesting sometimes.Oban as the center of the universe,the avatar,canalito...etc
there are some good side stories too.

Characters:7
the characters are memorable and well designed.there are some unique characters,but nothing special here.

Value:10
this series is really memorable and rewatchable.i rewatched it at least 3 times.it will take you somewhere else in your childhood.

Enjoyment:9
this is definitly one of the most enjoyable things i have ever watched.if you are looking for deep complicated stuff,then you may not be satisfied 100%.but if you are looking for a great fantasy,beautiful,unique series,this is the show for you

Well, look at that. Another Japan / Europe co-production. We know what this means, right? By mixing eastern and western elements, we always get a series that is generally better than an average cartoon and worse than an average anime. This series is basically aimed for 12 year-olds but it packs some mature themes that may attract older viewers with low expectations.

ART SECTION: 6/10 [Stands out in the crowd.]
Analysis: General Artwork 2/2, Character Figures 1/2, Backgrounds 1/2, Animation 1/2, Visual Effects 1/2

A very nice concept art was used to depict the alien planets and civilizations. Weird symbols, eerie shaped plants, rocks and buildings, interesting forms of spacecrafts. There is not much detailing but it still makes the series to look different from all others. And if it stands out from the lot, it’s enough for me.

If you like JRPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, Makai Kingdom and Odin’s Sphere , you will immediately like the way the characters are drawn. Very simple faces, weird cloths, and occasionally body tattoos. Facial variety is very low and each character seems to always wear the same set of cloths, but they are still adorable to look at.

All backgrounds and spacecrafts are entirely computer generated. They have high definition and plenty of gimmicks to make each race to look different. But still, their variety is very low and you will feel like you watch the same set of scenery repeating over and over.

The simple-drawn characters don’t leave room for great animation. And the attention to physics during the races is generally ok but I can’t say there is great fluidity. Still images are used in plenty of occasions and some spacecraft crashes feel fake.

The entire series generally feels very poor on visual dressing; most special effects are just neon light and spot light filters.

SOUND SECTION: 6/10 [A bit better than average but that is that.]
Nothing to write about. Voice acting was ok, music themes were silly J-pop and average action-pumping orchestra.

STORY SECTION: 4/10 [An interesting premise that is ruined by the childish presentation.] (spoiler alert!)
Analysis: Premise 1/2, Pacing 1/2, Complexity 1/2, Plausibility 0/2, Conclusion 1/2

The story is a weird mix of science fiction, sports, drama and coming-of-age. If you look at its genres individually, you will see just the same old clichés of the kind. But if you see it as a whole, it looks nice. Earth is under attack by aliens. All the races are invited to participate in a race, whose winner will receive the power to rule the cosmos. Enter your average teenager with a sad past and the wish to win the race in order to prove herself to her father. That’s right! She doesn’t care about the fate of the world; just for her daddy. Add some scheming aliens, funky racing, a mysterious lurking evil power and a lukewarm romance in the air. And there you have it; a nice blend of the best clichés. It is not great but it does trick you into thinking it’s original.

Realism suffers a lot and it is hard to get in the mood if you can’t buy the presentation. The fate of the universe will be at the hands of a race winner. Not weapons, not brains, not charisma decide. Just the fastest (and most cunning in most cases) guy in a public sport. Reason states that the races would kick the shit out of each other and scorch the entire planet in an attempt to steal the price for their own profit. Who the hell plays fair before the chance to become almighty? Who the hell has fun watching or taking part in such a thing? And who the hell sends characters with psychological issues, like revenge, maniac laughter and a teenager with a dad she hates and yet is her race supervisor? As for that mysterious power lurking throughout the series, it was just a pathetic attempt to keep the viewers interested with an otherwise generic theme. Not convincing at all.

Almost all episodes follow the same pattern. The participants talk of their personal issues during the first half of the episode, where you get to know them better (and hear a lot of cheesy dialogues about honor, justice and love). And then, they take part in a race in the other half of the episode (where you get to see some cool racing spacecrafts running, bumping and fighting each other). A few episodes feature more mystery or character coloring. But no episodes are considered great as the plot is usually predictable or leads to a very anti-climactic resolution.

Although the entire focus falls on the leading Earth girl, several secondary characters have their stories presented as well. None gets a center spot but they are there, nonetheless.

The series ends with your average “happy ending”. It’s so sappy it’s almost awful. The mightiest of beings reveals its devious plan without a reason. And yet, it’s too stupid to see a normal guy doing the simplest thing in order to stop it. What a bull of an ending that was! Totally anti-climactic. I regrettably have to say that if the ending were bleaker, the series would have a much better final impression. But no; the scriptwriters aimed at turning the otherwise sad story into a silly adventure with a fairy tale ending.

CHARACTER SECTION: 5/10 [From the leading girl to the most unimportant character, the entire cast feels adorable but also completely fake.]
Each one races for one specific goal, which is determined by some basic ideal or vague backdrop story. All motivation is just “for justice!” or “for power” or even as corny as “to make my daddy love me”. During times of stress, you will see them doing complete nonsense, like talking about their goals instead of finishing off their adversaries or leaving their antagonists win, in order to prove they are friends. It is not any different from most shonen series, where everyone simply wants to become the champion in some sport or martial art. Forget the story. It doesn’t matter; it’s just an excuse to see them race. It all comes down to race, train, cry, laugh and make dreams about the future. Personalities are nothing more than a simple demeanor or quirk in the way of talking. Development is presented only when someone drops out of the race. And even after the series ends, you will feel like nobody changed much or is worth remembering in the sea of competition casts of anime series.

VALUE & ENJOYMENT SECTION: 3/10
The concept art makes it a bit memorable. And some races are nice to watch again. But beyond that, there is little value or enjoyment in a series with a simple story, a repetitive plot and a generic cast.

VERDICT: 4.5 / 10
Is this series about the fate of the universe or the personal issues of a teenage girl with her father? Make up your minds!