The first anime I ever reviewed for H-C was Wicked City. It was an absolutely terrifying experience because, although I’d watched anime before, I’d never actually had to write about it and I wasn’t really sure I knew how. Thankfully, Wicked City was super cool and the review more or less wrote itself.
Like Wicked City, Armitage: Dual Matrix has proved quite simple to write about; unlike Wicked City however, Armitage is 90 minutes of complete dreck. Once again this review has more or less written itself, but this time because I really don’t have to think very hard about why I dislike the film. Here goes…
First, the art is b-b-b-boring. Watching Armitage made me realise just how limited my anime experience has so far been – I’ve seen a lot of masterpieces and not much else besides. That doesn’t make me feel any better about what’s on display here though. The character design is really bland and, despite being mostly pretty solid, there are some gaps in the 3D work that just bring the whole thing crashing down.
Second, the ‘plot’ is nothing but a collection of every sci-fi robot android replicant cliché imaginable, linked together by scenes of ‘high comedy’ featuring a spastic mechanic with a squeaky voice.
And… that’s it. The art and the plot are actually the only two things I actively dislike about Armitage; everything else is disappointing in their respective absences. Subtext? Character development? Exploitative sex and/or violence, even? Er, right. To be fair, Armitage is a sequel and, not having seen whatever’s come before, I’m not exactly ofay (or hell, even au fait) with the whole deal — but that’s not really an excuse for mediocrity, is it?
Calling Armitage 90 minutes of complete dreck is perhaps a little harsh — maybe 90 minutes of complete dross would be more appropriate. Or even just 90 minutes of complete average. There just really isn’t much on offer in Armitage, and that’s a shame.
Or this might be the review that finally reveals me to be the pig-ignorant philistine that I am. Maybe I’ve missed the point. Maybe I’m not cool enough to understand Armitage. For all you prospective viewers out there, I really hope this is true. Don’t listen to me — make up your own minds! But here’s my opinion anyway!!