Wednesday, February 15, 2006 The Sol Bianca is a pirate ship and it does have an all-female crew, what is left out of that summary is that the fascinating crew are some of the most developed female characters in anime. Their motivations and reactions are much more in-line with how one would expect real women to act and react; hence, they don’t make boob jokes and prance around trying to win the affection of certain men. On the other hand, they don’t ignore men and act like they are useless. Like most women, their relationships are very complex, holding both anger and love for one another simultaneously. The crew is led by April (the whole crew is named after months of the year) and the series begins as they try to retrieve a personal artifact of hers that had been stolen. This particular item is one of the few items left from earth. The human race’s home planet has been set aside as a pristine preserve; everyone views the planet with reverence, and the current government keeps the location secret. However, the item, an ancient flintlock pistol, somehow holds a clue to the truth about earth, and, in that, the secret behind the Sol Bianca. The Sol Bianca is a sentient and powerful ship, probably the most powerful ship in the galaxy. I’m not sure how difficult it is to be a pirate when you have the biggest guns, but the crew has no lack of personal and psychological angst. Jun is the somewhat introverted “goth” girl, basically because she’s been experimented on and enhanced - something anyone would have trouble with. Jani feels betrayed by her own body: she’s the warrior of the group with the body to match, and her melancholy over her perceived loss of femininity is palpable. And, so it is with all the characters. But, like all of us, they go on with their lives. The first several episodes serve basically as character studies into each of the crew, and they are fascinating and riveting. The pacing at times may be slower than some anime fans may like, but, as a storytelling device, it’s masterful. The action, when it occurs, doesn’t disappoint. When the show calls for violence, the creators aren’t afraid to show it; the same can be said for sexuality, as well as all emotions. The final episodes pull together into a nice story arc about the Earth and the history of the Sol Bianca.
posted @ 8:20 PM
