E's Otherwise Volume 1 (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 5 Released by ADV Films Extras - Clean Opening/Closing - Japanese Promo Spots - Production Sketches
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E's Otherwise Volume 1 (DVD)

The world’s most powerful weapon is the mind.

In the near future, the planet is run by a federation of twelve powerful corporations. And amid the general populace, are psychics – metahumans capable of converting thought into energy. People with these mutant powers are known as “E’s”. Outcasts with the power to control the world. Or save it.

Kai is awakes in Ashurum, a military contractor that has put together an elite special forces team of E’s called AESES to bring about law and order. But when Kai is sent to wipe out an anti-corporate guerilla outfit from the slum town Gald, he discovers not all is as it seems.

It’s the X-men meets Anime. A post-cataclysmic world where society has reformed under the direct control of corporate guidance, the controlling corporations have begun to assert themselves through direct control of national defenses and the creation of teams like AESES. AESES is a crash team of psychics that is trained in the use of traditional combat techniques and then augment them with their powers. Because of the powers of the psychics – one person is able to equally combat dozens if not hundreds of human opponents at one time.

Episode 01

New team member Kai is awakened and meets with AESES leader Eiji. Kai is quickly introduced to most of the team that he will be working with, and learns that he will be undergoing rigorous training to bring his skills up to operational levels. Despite getting along well with most of the team (especially the women of the team), Kai starts to have friction with member Shen-Lon who is both jealous of the attention that Eiji and his sister Shin-Lu pay to him. Kai’s main concern is not of the team politics, but the care of his younger sister, Hikaru, who is extremely ill and bed-ridden. Because of his position, his sister receives some of the best medical attention that Ashurun can provide.

After his first year of posting with AESES, Kai is given his first mission: containing a guerilla with psychic powers that the local police cannot contain. The mission progresses quite quickly, and Kai is able to apprehend and detain the criminal after a short confrontation. Once AESES arrives, Kai is concerned about what is going to happen to the criminal now that he’s being brought into custody (he’s afraid of what will happen to another psychic – they are a persecuted group after all). He’s reassured by Eiji that nothing will happen to the man, and he’s taken away. In a secret laboratory, the captured psychic is tested and once his lack of powers has been confirmed he is disposed of.

Episode 02

The AESES team is assembled by Eiji and told that they are all going to be deployed on a single mission to the city of Gald. The mission profile claims that the city is a haven for a major guerilla force that is a threat to Athurun and keeps numerous psychics as prisoners to use as weapons. The plan is to use the conventional military to shell the city and have the team move in during the confusion to attack the guerilla force directly. Eiji claims that the city will be evacuated prior to the attack, so there shouldn’t be any civilian casualties. Kai is not happy about the mission, especially when he is issued a sidearm – he doesn’t want to kill anyone, especially the local psychics. The trip to the city doesn’t go without incident however, as we are able to understand how much Shen-Lon and Shin-Lu want to help the psychics

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of Gald, as they are from that city and were persecuted during their time there.

In the city of Gald, a local “handyman” named Yuuki is kidnapped by the guerilla forces and is brought to the leaders of that force. After a lengthy discussion, the leader informs Yuuki that he believes that Athurun will be attacking soon, and he wants to hire him to find a hidden object in the city that he believes the invading forces will be looking for.

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Episode 03

After saving Yuuki from a crumbling building, he knows that the city hasn’t been evacuated and there are civilians around. He goes into the

city and saves a little girl from a burning building; then to help the girl recover, he goesto get some water while Ruri watches her. Seeing military personnel, especially with a young girl, the locals attack Ruri and kill her and attack Kai when he returns.

In the meantime, Shin-Lu has been waiting to link up with Kai and Ruri and she has learned where the guerilla forces are reinforcing. Heading to the new site, she decides to proceed without any backup. Shin-Lu is able to defeat the human forces without too much difficulty but is brought down by a psychic attack from the guerilla leader. Sensing that his sister is in danger – Shen-Lon teleports to her aid and begins attacking the humans in sight. When Kai finally arrives, he tries to calm down Shen-Lon but quickly ends up in a pitched battle with him, which ends by Shen-Lon blowing up not only the building but most of the surrounding neighborhood. The episode ends with Kai washing up on shore and being discovered by a young girl.

Episode 04

Kai is slowly being brought back to health by Asuka (the young girl that found him) and her “family” Yuuki. Because of his injuries, Kai’s psychic powers are weak and the doctor that is checking him over states that he will slowly lose his powers without the medical assistance that Athurun supplied to their psychics. The doctor goes on to suggest that Kai may have been brainwashed by Athurun when he was brought to AESES, although Kai vehemently disagrees. After spending time with Asuka, Kai eventually decides that his perceptions about Athurun and Gald may be wrong and he decides to stay with Asuka and Yuuki for the time being.

Back in Athurun, Shen-Lon has returned but his sister remains hospitalized after being attacked by the guerilla psychic. Besides the information about E’s who can attack the mind, the Eiji is interested to note that there is a psychic rapport between the Shen-Lon and Shin-Lu. Eiji has decided to send a new member of his team, Maxim, into Gald to infiltrate the guerilla forces and find out more about the psychic who can attack the mind.

Episode 05

After a morning of watching Asuka butcher breakfast, Kai and Asuka go into the city to buy some more eggs. This is a great opportunity for Kai to experience more about Gald and to let Asuka try and convince Kai that he needs to be more true to himself and not sacrifice all of the time. When they get back home, Yuuki asks Kai to help him out with his missions and with his military training Yuuki couldn’t be happier to get a more competent partner. Their first mission as a duo is to expose the Syndicate leader at his casino and get him arrested. However, their plan might be the stupidest ever with Yuuki making Kai go in drag so as to make them less conspicuous. As Asuka points out later, Kai is very beautiful.

So far, E’s Otherwise is a very entertaining anime. It is a beautifully animated series with some decent action and a decent sense of humor which helps balance out it’s seriousness at times. It can suffer from being a little too formulaic and obvious at times, but that doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable.

- Tazman

(March 3, 2005)

"If I remember correctly, this should be the Physics department."

"Well, that explains all the gravity."

- Brian and Chris (Family Guy)