Quick Stats

Title: Freedom (OVA)
Directed by: Shuhei Morita; Character Design by Katsuhiro Otomo
Total # eps: 7
Opening Theme: “This is Love”, Hikaru Utada
Genres: romance, sci-fi, adventure
Released:2006-2008
Fansubbing: Licensed; Image courtesy of Bandai Entertainment

The Story
In the year 2041, mankind created their first space colony on the moon. But after a freak cataclysm devastated human civilization on Earth, the republic of the moon built a domed megalopolis known as Eden. Now in the year 2267, a boy called Takeru spends his time engaging in hover-craft races against rival street gangs, unaware that he is about to embark in the journey of unearthing Eden’s origin. -Courtesy of Anime News Network

What dj thinks: <===== in major awe right now

2 reviews in a row! First of all, let me say that there are few series or OVA’s that I would actually go out and by (and it’s not cause I’m cheap). Freedom is worth every penny. If you’re a Otomo fan (Akira, Steamboy, Perfect Blue, Metropolis), this is definitely worth getting. As always, he lives up to his creative brilliance amidst the shameless product placement of Nissin Cup-o-Noodles..lol

Storyline
The OVA was actually created in collaboration with Nissin’s 35th anniversary in 2006 (which is why you see Cup-o-Noodles everywhere). The plot for Freedom is something that we’ve seen time and time again. Humans mess up earth and colonize on the moon. They then live a life similar to caged mice believing in a false reality, while a higher power hides the truth to maintain order. I have to say that the story is really similar (if not the same) as Megazone 23, minus the blood and violence, and the crazy tentacle robot alien. The storyline isn’t very deep; however, a great job was done in keeping the show from becoming too predictable. As the story progresses, you find deeper meanings to the plot. Also, Freedom’s diverse cast of characters really added to the anime, struggling with issues like autocratic rule and going against what is deemed the norm in the pursuit of truth. The last ep is filled with so much drama and emotion, that it will either make you cry, or call your best friend to tell him/her that you love them….guys, please don’t call you bros and say “I love you”.  A simple fist bump will do.

Characters/Animation & Design
Seriously, I can write forever on this. The visuals for Freedom were amazing. Otomo did an outstanding job with the characters. As in most of Otomo’s films, his unique style of focusing on the character’s eyes in order to convey emotion is very prevalent. Otomo really focuses in on human emotion through his characters (and for some reason, he likes big foreheads) to drive the story and provide conflict within them. Also, the futuristic backgrounds were really top notch and extremely detailed. Everything from the moon base to the vehicle designs was both clean and imaginative. The one thing that I enjoyed the most was the design of the motorcycles. A lot of the bike scenes were created as if they were paying homage to “Akira”, while the action was well choreographed with the musical score. My only complaint was that you could tell that most of this movie was done in CG, and there were some instances where scenes looked flat. But that’s me being nitpicky.

Closing Comments
I try to keep my reviews condensed, but it really hard when you watch something this good. Freedom was an awesome OVA from start to finish, carrying with it messages of friendship, love, and to never stop dreaming. Also the musical score was great, and it really added to the drama. If you haven’t already seen this anime, I highly recommend it. It’s worth buying and keeping for your collection.

Story: 5
Visuals/Animation: 5
Entertainment Value: 5
Characters: 5
Music: 5
Overall: 5 (woot!)

Next time: Old School Classic Anime review??? FTW?…lol

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  Thanks for reading the reviews that I put up.  Hopefully there’s more to come in 2009.

-dj722