Review for 009-1: Volume 1 (Review)
Wednesday, 28th July 2010, 16:27

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Introduction
Damn it! Just when I was in the mood for some new James Bondery, they went and cancelled the forthcoming flick. The recession, coupled with MGM's woes, means that there won't be a new James Bond movie in the foreseeable future, and Daniel Craig's tuxedo clad pout may have had a short-lived tenure. But to be honest, I stopped enjoying James Bond movies quite some while ago, at least I don't enjoy them as much as I did when I was a kid. For the last twenty odd years they've been missing their greatest star, the Cold War. Living in fear of nuclear war may not have been fun at the time, but there's something more meaningful about Cold War brinkmanship, greater stakes being played for, and a conflict of equals that made the earlier Bonds edgier. Spies may be fun, but spies versus spies are infinitely more interesting. Fortunately to sate my desire for constant edge of nuclear annihilation entertainment, there is the work of Shotaro Ishinomori. He created 009-1 back in 1967 (not to be confused with the same author's Cyborg 009 from 1963), a manga series about secret agents fighting the Cold War, and it was adapted into an anime series in 2006, with ADV bringing it to the West a year later. But this is a world where the Cold War never ended, the West Bloc clandestinely fights the East Bloc 140 years on, and the secret agents are cyborgs.

Following ADV's demise, 009-1 is getting pretty scarce now in the UK, so I went and imported from the US. Incidentally, this is one of those series that was picked up by Funimation in the States, and they've re-released it without extra features or added goodies. If you are interested, try and find the original ADV single releases as I did. This first volume offers the first four episodes of this 12 episode series.

Mission 1. Infiltrators
Dr Zond Soyuz would be a defector, except that he's already fallen into the hands of his Eastern Bloc paymasters. Soyuz has made a monumental discovery, a revolutionary new energy source, and on the eve of a nuclear disarmament treaty, Deputy Director Ivan Godunov of the East Bloc security services, is determined to shift the balance of power Eastward. He's putting pressure on Soyuz to reveal the secret, but Soyuz is obeying his conscience. It's only a matter of time before he breaks though, and led by agent 009-1 Mylene Hoffman, it's the 009 group's mission to find and rescue him, and to complete his defection. But the East Bloc security services are anticipating their attempt.

Mission 2. Holy Night
It's a rare Christmas holiday for Mylene Hoffman, and she's looking forward to easing the trials of a training session with a luxurious soak. But a series of unexplained deaths necessitate a change in plans. She's to shadow the Mutant Disposal Unit to ensure that the Genetic Mutation Extermination Law is being enforced. That means working with the obnoxious Captain Double Gomez, hunting down dangerous mutants and ensuring the safety of society. Except that this mutant is a child with a terrifying ability that defeats even the most secure of psychic shields, and the East Bloc Doctor Green has a certain macabre interest in children with such talents.

Mission 3. Hard Boiled
A sniper with a craving for eggs is in town, reaping through West Bloc agents. Four are dead already, one sacrificed in an unsuccessful attempt to turn the tables on Egg as he is known. Now it's Mylene's turn to take this lethal marksman down, which is convenient, as someone has taken a contract out on her. She heads to a resort island, out of season, to minimise the chance of collateral damage. There's not much chance of that though, as Egg is a murderous artist with a code of honour. He'll kill his target within two weeks of taking the contract, he operates only during the day, he only needs one shot, and he'll only kill the target. Mylene has no code of honour, but it's still a stalemate between the two, and as their battles continue during the day, they have to do something to pass the time at night.

Mission 4. Invitation From an Old Castle
A prominent scientist, Dr Satonaka has been kidnapped at the second attempt. 3 years previously, the East Bloc made an attempt on him, but were beaten back by West Bloc agents. This time suspicion may fall on the East Bloc, but something strange has happened. Mylene is one of three agents contacted by a man named Phantom, and invited to a remote 'haunted' castle where they will be offered information on Satonaka's disappearance. They're surprised to find three East Bloc agents have been invited as well. Phantom is an information broker working for the Golden Bat group, but this time he is actually selling Satonaka, who's being held in the castle cellar. Phantom's devised a game for the rival agents to play, but when they choose not to play by the rules, the game turns lethal.

Picture
009-1 gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, NTSC of course, as befits a Region 1 disc. The transfer is clear and sharp, and I didn't notice any immediate flaws, beyond those that usually present themselves on anime DVDs, minor aliasing and the like. It's a curious blend of old and new for the anime, in all respects really, but also with the visuals. The character designs are very much of the period of the manga, stylistically appropriate to the 1960's, and a far remove from the character designs that are more prevalent today. That means a simpler design ethic, less detail in the faces and fewer nuances in the animation. You'll also find plenty of funky camera angles, as befits a 1960s spy show. But the world designs are detailed, the animation is energetic and fluid, and CGI is used to its usual fine effect in bolstering the 2D animation. In that respect it's very much a modern anime show. It's worth mentioning the costume designs, as this isn't a show where characters wear just one costume throughout, and Mylene has a large and stylish wardrobe to hand.

Sound
You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese, along with optional translated subtitles and a signs only track. It being an action led show, the temptation would be to opt for the Surround track, but while the main cast was solid enough, I did raise my eyebrows at some rather clichéd Eastern European accents. My preference as always was for the Japanese track, and the stereo manages to keep up with the bullets, lasers and explosions well enough. Taku Iwasaki provides the music, and it's a suitable accompaniment for a techy, futuristic spy series. However I do feel that his best James Bond riff can be heard in the soundtrack for Read or Die.

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