Series: Photon

Episodes reviewed: 1 & 2, dubbed

Availability: Subbed and Dubbed VHS

Now, stop me if you’ve heard this before. I just saw this anime where there’s a space pirate who spends an awful lot of time naked or in revealing clothing who crashed on this planet in the boonies and is sealed in suspended animation. And there’s this utterly personality-less guy who lives by a shrine who has special powers. And there’s this rebellious daughter of the chieftain who cases after her long gone crush only to be disappointed. The two girls squabble all the time over Mr. Bland, and there’s this rabbit-like creature that’s part of the space pirate’s ship. Neither girl can cook, and the space pirate can fly and toss energy blasts around due to some artifacts.

You know, I was actually expecting some originality in Photon. Not to say that I didn’t like it, but it really does seem, at least in the first two episodes, to be a rehash of the themes in Tenchi, but with most of things I enjoyed about Tenchi missing.

Central Park Media released the dub, an ominous sign for those who remember Revolutionary Girl Utena’s dubbing. Photon’s dubbing was technically good, but the voices were uneven. Keyne’s voice fit, helping to lend sympathy to her character that Ryoko never had. Aun become the girl I love to hate based on the whining tones of her voice actress. And I’m still debating whether the character Photon’s voice was intentionally that expressionless on purpose. I was also upset that there was no translation when Aun’s beloved troubadour sang a duet with his girlfriend. I know that it is not customary to dub over songs, unless you have a license to butcher like Anime Works does, but at leas provide subtitles so we know exactly why Aun’s crushed when she overhears it.

Musically, well, there was not too much to this. The opening’s aboriginal song was a nice touch, but the rest of the score was forgettable. (Now, mind you, the only anime scores that have impressed me have been Cowboy Bebop and Vision of Escaflowne.) Honestly, forgettable, if not outright horrid, music is what I expect from the average anime show these days.

Now, Photon does have more humor than Tenchi, much of it in either slapstick or sexual vein. However, the charm was gone. I really did not care for any of the characters other than Keyne Aqua, Photon’s resident exhibitionist. And, just like another rebel we know of, she’s emotionally troubled by memories of being alone. If it were not for this scene, I would have not cared much for her either.

The artwork and character design lack the brightness of color and style of Tenchi. Compared to it’s contemporaries, Photon falls short as well. This is an average looking OAV, a disappointment in its self.

Now, I would be lying to say I hated Photon. The humor, when it worked, was hilarious, but not enough to sell me on the series as a whole. If you are a fan of AIC and their RPG series (make the main character bland as possible so the watcher/player can see themselves in the character’s place) such as Tenchi, El Hazard, or Dual, you will enjoy Photon. If you want to see originality, look elsewhere.

The Final Verdict: Buy if you absolutely must, otherwise rent instead.