The Avenger review: A tale of revenge woven with epic drama and character depth

AVENGER: A devastated future and a journey of revenge

AVENGER is an original anime TV series that first aired on TV Tokyo in 2003. The 13-episode series was created by director Koichi Mashimo and animation studio BeeTrain. The story is set in the desolate future of Mars and follows the journey of Layla Ashley, a young girl with a desire for revenge.

story

The setting of "AVENGER" is a future where terraforming of Mars has progressed. Humanity has lost the Earth and is starting a new life on Mars and the Moon. However, an unknown infertility phenomenon has spread on Mars, and children are no longer being born. As a result, pet androids called "dolls" have become widespread in place of children.

The people of Mars are isolated in settlements called dome cities and are fighting over limited supplies. Each dome city selects a representative warrior, and the distribution of supplies is decided by the warriors' battles. Meanwhile, Volk, the mayor of Volk City and the strongest warrior, rules the world with his strength and will.

The protagonist of the story is Leila Ashley, who has a secret desire for revenge against Volk. She is an emotionless 18-year-old female warrior and a member of the Barbarians, a people without citizenship. Leila continues her journey of revenge, wandering the wilderness with the only doll she can trust, Ney. Meanwhile, Leila and Ney meet a self-proclaimed doll breeder named Speedy, and they begin traveling together.

Layla's journey for revenge intertwines her past with the future of Mars. Will her journey bring new hope to humanity, which is slowly heading towards extinction in a time that has stood still?

character

Layla Ashley (voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi)

An emotionless 18-year-old female warrior. With revenge against Volk in her heart, she wanders the wilderness with Dol Ney. Her past hides a deep connection with Volk.

Ney (voice: Mika Kanai)

A 10-year-old girl-type doll. She travels with Layla, but how they met and the background to her journey are unknown. She is the only person Layla can trust, and supports her on her journey.

Speedy (voice: Shinichiro Ota)

He calls himself a doll breeder. He is an 18-year-old, smooth-talking man who sells all sorts of things, including dolls. He meets Leila and begins accompanying her. His witty character adds brightness to the story.

Volk (voice: Hiroshi Yanaka)

Mayor of Volk City and its strongest warrior. One of the Original Dozen, he is the de facto leader of this world. His power and will dominate the people of Mars.

Vesta (voiced by Shimamoto Sumi)

A woman who is an object of worship for all Dome citizens. She is one of the Original Dozen and is involved in the governance of Mars together with Volk. Her presence gives people peace of mind.

Pan (voice: Kazunobu Chiba)

Volk's aide. As Volk's trusted subordinate, he faithfully carries out his orders.

Cross (voiced by Yusaku Yara)

He is one of the Original Dozen and Leila's adoptive father. He is searching for ways for humanity to live outside the dome by providing seedbeds and seeds to the Barbarians. His actions may bring new hope for the future of Mars.

Worldview

The world of AVENGER is set in a future where Mars has been terraformed. Earth has disappeared and humans have begun a new life on Mars and the Moon. However, an unknown infertility phenomenon has spread on Mars, and children have stopped being born. As a result, pet androids called "dolls" have become widespread in place of children.

The people of Mars are isolated in settlements called dome cities and are fighting over limited supplies. Each dome city selects a representative warrior, and the distribution of supplies is decided by the warriors' battles. Meanwhile, Volk, the mayor of Volk City and the strongest warrior, rules the world with his strength and will.

The protagonist of the story, Layla Ashley, is an emotionless 18-year-old female warrior who desires revenge against Volk. She is a member of the Barbarians, a people without citizenship, and together with Doll Nay, she travels the wilderness on a quest for revenge. During this time, Layla and Nay meet a self-proclaimed Doll breeder named Speedy, and begin traveling with him.

Layla's journey for revenge intertwines her past with the future of Mars. Will her journey bring new hope to humanity, which is slowly heading towards extinction in a time that has stood still?

Production Staff

AVENGER is created by director Koichi Mashimo and animation studio BeeTrain. The series is written by Hidefumi Kimura and the world is designed by Mitsuhiko Sawamura. The screenplay is by Hidefumi Kimura, Mitsuhiko Sawamura, and Satomi Sugimura, with character design by Yukiko Ban and mechanical design by Kenji Teraoka.

Art direction is by Toshihisa Koyama, cinematography by Takashi Aoki and Jin Saito, special effects by Masahiro Murakami, color design by Setsuko Sato and Makiko Kojima. Sound direction is by Tooru Nakano, CGI by BeeTrain. Storyboards and direction are by Koji Sawai, Hiroshi Morioka, Yuki Ari, Shinya Kawamo, Tomoyuki Kurokawa and Masayuki Kurosawa, animation directors are Yukiko Ban, Tomoaki Kado, Yuko Iwaoka, Yasuhiro Saiki, Yoshiaki Tsubata and Minako Shiba. Music is produced by Victor Entertainment.

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for "AVENGER" are handled by ALI PROJECT. The opening theme is "Gesshoku Grand Guignol", and the ending themes are "Mirai no Eve" and "Hell's Season". The insert songs are "MOTHER", "Shojo Junketsu" and "Mayu". The lyrics are by Takarano Arika, and the music and arrangement are by Katakura Mikiya.

Ratings and Recommendations

"AVENGER" has captivated many fans with its unique worldview and deep story. Set in the desolate future of Mars, this work depicts the journey of Layla Ashley, a girl with a desire for revenge, and deeply moves viewers.

In particular, the character portrayal is extremely detailed, drawing the viewer into the story, including the relationship between Layla and Ney, the fate of Volk, and Cross's actions as he searches for the future of Mars. The theme song and music by ALI PROJECT are also important elements that add to the atmosphere of the story.

This work is especially recommended for those who like science fiction anime and dystopian works. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy a deep story and character development. It is a short series with only 13 episodes, but it is packed with dense content. Please give it a watch.

subtitle

Episode 1: DOME
Episode 2: DOLL
Episode 3: CHILD
Episode 4: ADULT
Episode 5: SILHOUETTE
Episode 6: REFLECTION
Episode 7: BARBAROI
Episode 8: PILGRIM
Episode 9: GODDESS
Episode 10: FROZEN
Episode 11: LUNATIC
Episode 12: MATCH
Episode 13: OUTER

Main Robot Items

Mars: Terraforming was undertaken by scientists on Earth. However, although colonization was advanced to a certain extent, it gradually fell into disuse as the colonization of the Moon, which is closer to Earth, took precedence. In addition to the scarcity of all supplies such as water, air, and food, the future is even hopeless due to an unknown infertility phenomenon. Meanwhile, while colonization from Earth to the Moon is progressing, their mother planet, Earth, is destroyed. Humans living on the Moon decide to head to Mars to make it their second home, but...

Dome City: A settlement built to allow humans to live comfortably until the terraforming of Mars is completed. Each is governed by an authority called a mayor. Each dome city competes over limited supplies, but the system is such that distribution is decided by the battles of one warrior called the representative warrior. The difference in strength between these warriors directly affects the strength of the dome city, so each mayor is constantly searching for stronger warriors. Currently, the strongest and wealthiest dome city is Volk City.

Moon: The moon looms over the Martian sky. After the destruction of the Earth, humanity corrected the orbit of the moon, which had lost its gravitational pull, and it is now fixed in Mars' satellite orbit. When it approached, it caused a nearby cataclysmic event called a "Lunar Storm."

Barbarians: People who do not have citizenship in the dome city and live outside the domes. They live in abandoned colonies and other places with a lack of air, water, food, and other supplies. However, it seems that people are gradually beginning to adapt to life outside the domes.

Dolls: The performance of dolls varies depending on their rank, from pet dolls to dolls for work and surveillance. Each doll also has an identification number that indicates its owner, and dolls without this identification number or broken dolls are immediately discarded. Also, outside the dome, there are stray dolls that have escaped disposal and are wandering around.

Children: After a certain point, children stopped being born on Mars. The reason is unknown.

Doll breeder: A specially skilled person who customizes the function and appearance of dolls according to the owner's request. He also repairs and adjusts them. Speedy collects doll parts discarded in the dump and sells them, and provides information. He is more of a jack-of-all-trades than a doll breeder.

Arena: A place where representative fighters' matches or fighters' matches to decide the representative fighters take place. There is one in each dome city.

Representative Fighter Battle: Originally, this was a battle in which one representative was chosen from each dome city to fight in order to decide the distribution of limited supplies on Mars. In the combat, the use of weapons other than the equipment specified in the regulations is prohibited, and it is stipulated that one side fights until they are completely unable to fight. In addition, the loser of a combat battle will have all of their rights stripped away by the winner.

The Original Dozen: The survivors of the first Mars colonization project. They are being kept alive because they hold important positions in the governance of Mars.

Conclusion

"AVENGER" is a work that has attracted many fans with its unique world view and deep story. Set in the desolate future of Mars, this work depicts the journey of Layla Ashley, a girl with a desire for revenge, and deeply moves viewers. In particular, the character portrayal is very careful, such as the relationship between Layla and Nay, the fate with Volk, and Cross's actions in searching for the future of Mars, drawing viewers into the story. In addition, the theme song and music by ALI PROJECT are also important elements that enhance the atmosphere of the story. This work is especially recommended for those who like science fiction anime and dystopian works. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy a deep story and character growth. Although it is a short series with only 13 episodes, it is packed with dense content. Please give it a watch.