Cyberteam in Akihabara Volume 1: Cyber Genesis - Anime Revolution
- Anime Revolution
- Justin
- 11/17/04
- click here
"Cyber Team in Akihabara definitely has the potential to become a popular show."
Cyber Team in Akihabara opens with Hibari Hanakoganei, a rambunctious little girl that just graduated from elementary school. To celebrate her graduation Hibari tells her parents that she wants a Pata-Pi, a tamagotchi-like toy. After being denied her precious mascot, Hibari is told by a perverted old man that her ?sweet prince? from her dreams is just over a nearby hill. Hibari runs to the hill to greet her prince, only to find nothing at all. Suddenly, a little Pata-Pi falls from the sky and lands right in the arms of Hibari.
This first episode introduces Suzume Sakurajosui, another Pata-Pi owner and Hibari?s best friend. In this first episode we find that nearly the entire student body owns a Pata-Pi and that each toy is a reflection of their master. A Pata-Pi that is owned by a sporty person will be strong, while a fancy owner will have one that is prim and proper.
Hibari?s Pata-Pi appears to be nothing special until one day after school. Walking alone, Hibari finds herself alone in an alley being muffled by a woman?s enormous breasts. These two breasts belong to Miyama, our first villain. This confrontation causes Hibari?s Pata-Pi to morph into an older version of her and save the day. Our defeated villain refers to this transformation as a Diva. The next two episodes go on to show that Hibari?s two friends have the exact same power.
The first three episodes reveal the weakest aspect of the show: the story. Even for an action/comedy, this story feels contrived and forced. After the first episode reveals the secret power of Hibari?s Pata-Pi, the next two go on to show the exact same thing with her two friends. By ?exact same thing? I mean, they took Hibari?s character and replaced it with one of her friends while playing the episode out in the exact same way. In episode two, Hibari and Suzume get attacked. Suzume cries out and her Pata-Pi transforms into an older version of her. In episode three, the group?s newest friend Tsugumi Higashijujo gets attacked with them and cries out. Her Pata-Pi transforms and we now have three girls with a Pata-Pi that can transform and wear an outfit that matches the other two.
Did I mention that our familiar villain always attacks the girls in the exact same alley? I have no idea how the girls get lost in their own neighborhood and end up in the same alley from the day before without realizing it, but they do. As if having the exact same story wasn?t bad enough, our familiar villain only has one method of fighting. Her first attack consists of a group of dark figures, easily defeated. Her second attack consists of Cerberus, the keeper of the gates of Hell, and is easily defeated by a transformed Diva. All of this must have a meaning, because a ?dark prince? always watches the fights and reports back to the school?s principle.
Although the first three episodes or awkward, the last two on this disc are much more enjoyable. A new villain is introduced and some new environments give the show the freshness it lacked at first. The three girls have become much better friends by this episode and viewers finally get some good comedy bits. Most of this comedy is of the girls fighting over trivial things, such as which girl is a better friend of Hibari or who the leader of the group should be, but all of the voice actors finally get to show off their potential.
These episodes highlight the strongest point of the show: the voice acting. Luci Christian voices Hibari very well. Christian actually does a better job of portraying Hibari?s young age better than her Japanese counterpart. Tiffany Grant and Kira Vincent-Davis voice Hibari?s two friends Suzume and Tsugumi respectively. Grant and Vincent-Davis also voice their characters well and the three have great chemistry and comic timing. Chris Patton voices the black prince although we don?t get to hear much from him. Monica Rial keeps pace as our second villain Hatoko and the ensemble makes a strong voice cast.
The animation on this DVD shows some age and the color is faded in many scenes. Although Cyber Team in Akihabara is just being released by ADV Films, the show?s vintage is in 1998. The animation in each episode is somewhat choppy and is especially noticeable immediately following the very clean opening segment. The show has a nice style that emphasizes bright colors and girly charm.
Cyber Team in Akihabara starts off as a decent show but becomes much more enjoyable as the episodes continue. The animation shows some age and the story is a bit weak, but the pacing and voice acting give the show some merit. If the next discs are anything like episodes four and five, Cyber Team in Akihabara definitely has the potential to become a popular show.
Posted on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 (Archive on Friday, December 17, 2004)