Synopsis

Otaru and his friends have helped to bring peace to Japoness, but sometimes peace can bring its own challenges. As a new threat emerges, the Marionettes must learn to deal with their human emotions in a world that does not fully understand them.

Review

Set after the events of the Saber Marionette J series, Saber Marionette J to X does a good job of preserving the flow of events from the original series. The story starts a bit more slowly this time, focusing on the everyday events of Otaru and the girls, exposing some of the conflicts that have developed in their tightly-knit ?family?. In fact, most of this series deals with elements regarding relationships, emotional struggles, and self-discovery in some way or another. The new threat does not begin to emerge until the show is well under way.

Although some of the issues raised by Otaru, Bloodberry, Cherry, and Lime are thought-provoking, the dialogue is a bit stiff and often borders on juvenile. The philosophical aspects of the show don?t feel forced, however, since the concept of machines with human emotions is integral to the story.

The Saber Marionettes are all vying for Otaru?s affection, and Otaru?s dogmatic commitment to love them all equally doesn?t satisfy anyone. They desperately want to be treated as individuals, and when they all lose their memories and become separated, they are able to discover that they can all make it on their own. Otaru also learns how much he has taken for granted, and sets out to prove his devotion by finding them.

Although all the principal characters are still instantly recognizable, the animation style has changed significantly from the original series. Most notably, the characters faces are somewhat more squat and childlike, which takes some getting used to. The colors are also much more vivid and the lines much darker, extremely so. The action scenes are well-done, but there don?t seem to be nearly as many as the original series. Overall, I felt it was a step down from the darker, grittier original. This is especially noticeable in some of the flashbacks, which use footage taken directly from Saber Marionette J.

It also seems that the comedy was not as effective this time around. There were actually more comedic elements, but it often wasn?t as natural or satisfying. This is not to say that it was unfunny, as the show does a reasonable job of incorporating humor overall, and there were several quite funny moments.

Although fans of the previous series will be the most-likely audience, knowledge of the original series is not a prerequisite. Quite a bit of back-story and explanatory dialogue is provided, which could be fatiguing to die-hard fans, but may provide a needed refresher course on the world of Terra II for more casual viewers.

Like Saber Marionette J, J to X succeeds in covering a variety of real issues, without wallowing in offensive material. Friendship, selfishness, sacrifice, love, and loyalty are all portrayed by the characters in a sympathetic and believable manner, without becoming too melodramatic. As such, I would recommend this as a good choice for younger viewers.

Conclusion

Saber Marionette J to X follows closely in the wake of its predecessor, but there are some significant differences. While the quality of several aspects has dwindled to some extent, fans of the original series will certainly be satisfied to find out what happened to their favorite characters. Viewers will benefit most by having some background from the original series, but it?s not necessary to follow the plot in J to X. Those looking for a sci-fi series that focuses on human/robot interactions in a more cheerful manner than most will appreciate this series.

-Review by Reptile (23 Jun, 2007)

Audio:	Upbeat soundtrack with some cutesy vocals
Video:	Very crisp and colorful animation
Plot:	Not very compelling, mostly character-driven
Style:	Interstingly cartoonish style
Characters:	Likeable, multi-dimensional characters
Violence:	Mild
Language:	Mild
Nudity:	None
Genre:	Scifi
Episodes:	25
Rating:	3.0 of 5
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