This review pertains to the first and second films in this series. Every section will be graded in the following format: "(Score for Film 1, Score for Film 2)". I will attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum, but if you wish to know the absolute minimum, I suggest reading the first subsection only. I will not provide a plot overview, as you can read this for yourself on the anime's AniDB page.
The First Compression, The Second Combustion (9.0, 6.0)
Allow me to start by stating this: The First Compression (the first film in the series) is a significantly better film than The Second Combustion in virtually every imaginable way. This is hugely disappointing, as the first film was of extremely high quality - The First Compression is an engaging and theatrical cyberpunk experience, complete with interesting characters, high-octane gunfights, and great animation. While the second film maintains the same visual quality, it cannot hold up to the series’ premiere in those other categories. The biggest problem with The Second Combustion is a glaringly weak mid-section, devoid of relatability, action or significant plot progression. The faltering section will be discussed in more detail in the “Story” subsection of this review, though I will be sure to avoid spoilers.
Art & Animation (8.0, 8.0)
The animation quality is very high - backgrounds are notably detailed in beautiful cyberpunk-fashion, and the colour range is extremely wide. Character designs are excellent – the series’ protagonist, deuteragonist, primary antagonist and secondary antagonist have distinct, memorable and visually appealing designs. In all four cases, the designs are extremely fitting for the character – Balot is a young, fragile-looking beauty, Oeufcoque is extremely cute and distinctive, Shell looks like a self-indulgent bastard, and Boiled is a hulking beast with a fearsome demeanor. Character designs in general are true to the cyberpunk genre, and even some of the goofier side characters feel completely appropriate for this series. I feel as though I have to knock off a rather hefty 2 points for the questionable use of grain filtering. Perhaps to give the films an ‘authentic’ feeling, grain is abundant in both movies. Even on a remuxed BD source file, the grain is very noticeable. Unfortunately, and rather counterintuitively, the film grain effect takes more away from the film experience than it adds, obscuring fine details and colours. The effect takes some getting used to, especially with modern anime generally having clean, sharp and filtered colours. Overall, the quality of the animation still penetrates through the grain filter, and both films can be commended for their great visuals.
Sound (8.0, 8.0)
The seiyuu for this anime are very good - especially the voices of the four most important characters I’d mentioned in the previous section, whom I will hereon refer to as the “main four”.
Megumi Hayashibara, who voices Rune-Balot, delivers a stellar, believable and compelling performance. When she ponders, the uncertainty of her character is palpable, and when she weeps, it has an emotional impact on the viewer.
I’m not familiar with the other voice actors off-hand, so I will refer to them by their character names. Oeufcoque has an authoritative, strong voice, which is hilarious considering the juxtaposition of his voice and his character design. He is voiced well, and the range of emotion this voice actor conveys is excellent.
Boiled’s voice actor has a menacing voice, and it is utterly appropriate for the character. The last of the main four, Shell-Septinos, sounds like an arrogant, narcissistic prick, which is absolutely as he should sound. Side characters tend to have compelling, animated voices that stand up well. Overall, the VA performance (in Japanese at least, which is the audio language I am reviewing) for this anime is the highlight of the “sound” section.
As far as music goes, the first film’s opening number is a great sounding piano piece, and this somber style of BGM is pervasive throughout both films. There is a fair amount of electronic-type BGM as well, as well as trumpet-y and violin overtones mixed in for good measure, mostly for action sequences. While the music is generally always appropriate, and at times rather good, it is mostly forgettable. Amazing Grace closes the first film, which was a questionable choice. The voice actor performance stands at a much higher level than the BGM.
Story (9.0, 5.0)
The first film has extremely good pacing, in that it rarely makes a misstep and it does not feel rushed or plodding in plot/scene progression. The story itself is rather interesting, and a great example of cyberpunk – a law called “Mardock Scramble 09” allows the police to use illegal means to create cases against criminals, including the use of forbidden cybernetic technology to rejuvenate the dead/dying litigant for whom the case is prepared. It gets interesting quite quickly when you learn more about this forbidden technology, and as you learn about and meet the dark and morbid organizations that run rampant in the world of Mardock Scramble. It is a brutal tale, extremely adult in nature, and the pacing between action sequences and plot progression is near-perfect.
The second film is heavily flawed in terms of story. The beginning of the film is a tad slow but picks up at a fair pace, and lots of necessary plot is unveiled to the viewer. The ending of the film is also extremely interesting in that you learn much of the motivations/backstory surrounding a particularly interesting character. However, I cannot say much good for the entirety of the film’s middle section. For at least half the film, scenes take place in a casino where the characters partake in various games across different tables. It is banal, and feels like a questionable, out-of-place and uninspired homage to the Robert Luketic film “21”, which does a much better job of making the skill behind counting cards and other gambling-related techniques interesting. In Mardock Scramble’s case, the explanations for how the characters involved are so amazing at gambling is extremely limited and utterly uninteresting and unrealistic. While being ‘unrealistic’ in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when considering the computerlike-intelligence of the characters involved, the entire part of the film at this time becomes this unrelatable, exhausting display of poor film editing. These scenes should not have been half of the film. Plot progression is also hardly present throughout this entire section of the film. It feels like they abandoned the cyberpunk of the film’s universe and temporarily switched over to a poorly-made story about gambling. Massively disappointing, and even for the scenes that were decent, I’d still have to cut off 5 points since I believe this was half of the film.
Characters (9.5, 6.0)
I’ll address the main four and then the others briefly, and at the end I will provide some comments about why the second film has a lower rating without actually spoiling anything plot-wise (though if you’ve read up till now, you can probably already imagine why).
Rune Balot (protagonist): a 15-year-old prostitute with a depressing backstory. She is an extremely believable character, as her childlike nature is very perceptible, yet she is an emotional character who is also scarred because of the men in her life. When she cries, it makes me feel upset and extremely sympathetic, because her struggles and feelings are genuine.
Oeufcoque Penteano (deuteragonist): Balot’s case officer and an extremely cute mouse/multi-purpose weapon, Oeufcoque is immediately likable given the uniqueness of his character. His quirks, such as wearing a mouse-suit or having a mouse-sized tea cup, only add to his charm. While at first he may seem like not much more than a cute little mouse, he is an extremely deep, conscious character who truly cares for Balot, this being perceptible rather soon into the film. Without going into detail, I will say that the more you learn of the mouse, the stronger a character he becomes and the more attached the viewer gets to him. Because of his strong personality and conviction, he is likely my favourite character in this series.
Shell Septinos (primary antagonist): I’ve little to say about Shell – he is the primary antagonist and fits his character personality well. He is a misogynist, a ritualistic woman-killer, a money launderer and a bit of an airhead. An interesting condition prevents him from storing his memories for too long, which is the most interesting thing about him. He isn’t the most interesting enemy in the film, however…
Dimsdale Boiled (secondary antagonist): Working as Shell’s case officer, Boiled quickly becomes the most threatening, extreme and awesome enemy in the series as he sees much more screen time than Shell insofar as action sequences go, and this is absolutely fine as he is exactly what a cyberpunk villain needs to be. He looks a lot like Batou from Ghost in the Shell, only markedly more evil and his hair is also quite long. His voice is brooding and his combat ability is terrifying. As you learn more and more of his backstory, his personal reasons for being involved in this case become apparent. His story really began to grip me by the end of the second film.
Most of the side characters are extremely fitting for the cyberpunk theme, they are wacky, animated, loud and violent. The second film, however, has an incredibly annoying character named Bell Wing. She is part of the unacceptably long casino scene, and everything involving her is the lowlight of the series. It isn’t necessarily that she is a terrible character, but rather an average character whose existence is limited to one long, terrible scene.
Value (9.0, 5.0)
The First Compression is quintessential cyberpunk that fans of the genre should have in their collections. For all the reasons I’ve exhaustively talked about in other sections, it hits all the right notes as cyberpunk film, and simply as a film in general.
The Second Combustion should be collected by those who feel invested in the characters or plot enough or who simply like complete collections. It is necessary to watch it, and the third film, to get the full resolution of Mardock Scramble. If the third film is as good as the first, then it won’t be hard to recommend this one as you’d need it to complete your collection anyway.
Enjoyment (9.5, 4.0)
I’ve seen The First Compression twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. The pacing, the characters, the animation grip you throughout its entirety, and while it doesn’t have an unparalleled plot or groundbreaking twists, it hits all the right notes as a cyberpunk film for mature audiences who like action, cyborgs and great characters.
I enjoyed less than half of The Second Combustion. The casino scenes, which dominate the film’s hour-long length, are tiresome at best, and frustrating at worst. There isn’t much more to say about it than I’ve said in the various sections of this review.
