
	Format: VHS Length: 60 Minutes Released in North America by: Animevillage.com English Dubbed Version Reviewed
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Brain Powered

Score: 7 / 10

I can’t wait to live in the year 3000 or so, because if the entertainment industry, most notably anime production houses, have it their way we’ll live in a land filled will giant robots as THE method of choice for doing just about anything. Then again the other half of the entertainment industry says we’ll be serving these giant robots…maybe I’ll pass on living to be 1000. At least things seem civil enough in Brain Powered, yet another giant robot oriented anime now on store shelves.

The thing that makes these mechas so special is that they can think for themselves, although they won’t exactly engage in any heated discussions on Neo Platonic thought or tackle the sub versus dub debate. They are much like small children and their pilots must teach them so that the two can work together in combat. Volume one in the series follows the usual "getting to know you" routine, introducing the characters and laying out the basic premise of the series.

In an nutshell, there’s yet another power struggle for control of the earth (didn’t see that one coming did you?) between Orphan, who are headquartered in an undersea base and the surface dwellers of Earth. The big thing is to collect Antibodies which are huge discs that contain the unborn BrainPowereds (also called Grand Chers). One girl, named Utsumiya Hime, stumbles across one of these antibodies and witnesses the BrainPowered emerge, at which point see takes it upon herself to nurture it and help it adjust. Unfortunately members of Orphan also want the mecha

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to add to their forces, but Hime will have none of that and eventually sends them packing. From there Hime eventually joins the surface dweller forces in the fight against Orphan and the stories goes from there.

It’s a veritable whose who in regards to the people responsible for this series with Yadate Hajime (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne) and Gundam creator Tomino Yoshiyuki (also Brain Powered’s director) conceptualizing

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the series. Not to mention Nagano Mamoru (Five Star Stories) and InomataMutsumi (Tales of Destiny) handling mechanical and character design respectively, with Kanno Yoko (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Macross Plus) taking care of the tunes. However, despite having such an amazing assemblage of anime talent working on the title the first volume feels a little disjointed. The story leaves things way too vague making it hard to stay interested at times, and it flows too slowly. Granted it is the beginning of the story, but a faster tempo and a little less ambiguity would go a long way here. Hopefully this will change as the series continues.

Mecha design is quite interesting, as the artists have done an exceptional join of fusing a mechanical and organic look into them. Character design and the overall quality of the animation is also a cut above the norm.

Unfortunately the voice acting is not a cut above, in fact it can get down right horrible. Hime has particularly bad dubbing. This is a title that should really be viewed in the subtitled version. Musically, Kanno Yoko has done a very good job of adding to the mood, while adding her usual flair.

Despite the show's story problems, Brain Powered does look to have potential, the vagueness seen thus far does leave the door open to all sorts of possibilities, and the art is great. This is definitely not a title to go out and buy straight away, people interested in checking out Brain Powered should consider renting it first.

Reviewed by Mr. Nash