Yuri Ootani, a girl who has been afraid of aliens, has been chosen to be on the alien party with the class president Kumi Kawamura, whose only intention to join the alien party is to get out of presidential duties, as well as Kasumi Tomine who is perfect at everything she does, including fighting all the aliens that come in their way. But can they defeat a massive alien who has already abducted Kasumi?
~~~img420(https://i.imgur.com/8jHqrAl.jpg)~~~ *Alien 9* unearths a preadolescent, existential terror buried and forgotten under my decades of adulthood. Though a coming-of-age sci-fi isn’t novel in itself, *Alien 9* twists the aesthetics of [*moe*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/萌え) into visceral horror, predating the better-known reference point of *Madoka Magica* by a decade. In fact, when I first saw _Madoka_, I took it as a throwback to a more subversive time. At the turn of the millennium, Mamoru Hosoda’s *Digimon Adventure* [short film](http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php/spotlight_on_mamoru_hosoda), *Revolutionary Girl Utena*, and *Neon Genesis Evangelion* put a dark, postmodern twist on their respective child-oriented subgenres; the aesthetics of _Evangelion_ in particular paved the way for mind-trip horror fare like *Serial Experiments Lain*. In this peculiar media culture, *Alien 9* emerged, depicting a Japan beset by invasions from a variety of grotesque alien monsters. Yuri is nominated into the “Alien Countermeasures” squad, tasked to defend her school from attack by nightmarish critters that descend from Giger-esque space pods. She is made to don a helmet-shaped talking alien known as a “Borg”. The creepy, winged Borg can slice anything to ribbons with its hidden blades. Of course, for the 12-y.o. crybaby Yuri, this new and grisly set of powers and responsibilities is an absolute nightmare. It doesn’t help that her squadmates are unapproachably eccentric, and her superior plots to throw Yuri into traumatic alien encounters in service of an ulterior motive. Many battles result in Yuri cowering in terror as her Borg enters a blind killing frenzy. ~~~img330(https://i.imgur.com/Lgo9XLy.png)~~~ Though this may sound almost exactly like _Evangelion_ in another form (which it is), it offers a slimmer, focused experience. _Evangelion_ presents many modes and layers over its dozens of episodes, as does the original *Alien 9* manga which escalates its Cronenbergian body-horror ideas beyond the breaking point. The four-episode anime adaptation finds an emotional foundation to construct its storytelling upon, adding several lovely dream sequences that give us glimpses into Yuri’s psychological journey. The anime is unsubtle about the Borg as a puberty metaphor. One day Yuri will fully merge with her Borg into a new being of grotesque power, and though it’s unclear what that entails, when out on patrol they are two discordant minds in one body; one clumsy and the other on point; one caving under society’s impossible demands while the other deadly when triggered. Unable to cope, Yuri finds herself left behind in a world indifferent to her struggle; such is a tween’s miserable existence. ~~~img330(https://i.imgur.com/FTDGcTX.jpg)~~~ In its portrayal of the tween condition, *Alien 9* contrasts its bubbly character designs with jagged ultraviolence, finding a subversive purpose for *moe* beyond the fetishization of innocence. And innocence is continually set against the shadows of sunset in its dimly-colored world. Tension chords and rhythmic chaos gradually gnaw away at the childlike instrumentation of its memorable [background music](https://youtu.be/8TH_Lcfk9pk). The short series is one of unnerving contrasts. Entertainment doesn’t have to make a sophisticated argument when it can make a simple one viscerally. *Alien 9* is a cut far above the mundane due to its many high quality elements working toward a shared emotional goal. Unfortunately, its best episodes are in the front half. The third episode bridge is an obligatory break from the tension — a beach, [*kimodameshi*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimodameshi) and summer festival episode all rolled into one — and its finale tees up continuing adventures in, in my opinion, the inferior manga which quickly runs out of things to say. In a perfect world, it would serve only itself and put a period at the end of the sentence in movie-like fashion, but anime almost always plays second fiddle to extrinsic interests. With that truism aside, *Alien 9* is still a special production that typifies a special era, with its earnest preemption of the trends of our post-_Madoka_ environment. One should experience the real thing sometime. Addendum: ~!It’s odd to me that none of the storyboarders and designers of *Alien 9* worked on anything even remotely resembling it. I’m reminded of something that Kenji Nakamura once said of his TV horror anime series, *Mononoke* — after directing episodes of Shinbou’s *The SoulTaker* and Yuasa’s *Kemonozume*, he felt it was natural to make something similarly strange. To me, that reinforces how notable works don’t always appear in a vacuum, and informs how I view the otherwise inexplicable *Alien 9.* That era of provocative anime has long since waned, which is why I took _Madoka_ as a throwback. But trendsetting as _Madoka_ was, even that was too crassly commercial and derivative to inspire anything beyond an era of cookie-cutter clones, or to push middling creators to try things they otherwise wouldn't.!~ [Comment on this review](https://anilist.co/activity/64821356)
_Alien 9_ is about an elementary schooler’s reluctant encounters with aliens, some of whom protrude uncontrollably from their head. Their mentor is an ambitious, playfully mysterious young woman who may or may not have her protege’s best interests at heart. So far, so _FLCL_, right? But what if instead of _FLCL_’s Naota, Shinji from _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ was the protagonist? Instead of a preteen trying to seem older than he is by feigning disinterest, we have a cry baby who frequently balks when they’re called to action, deeply aware of their shortcomings compared to their peers and struggles to find their inner strength? However in _Alien 9_ the entire main cast are young girls and women (with [the widest moe faces](https://i.imgur.com/c0OWFuS.png) I’ve seen this side of _Nichijou_) who encounter disturbing horrors… so maybe it's more accurate [to call it proto-madoka? - _make sure to check out this excellent review._](https://anilist.co/review/5831) I think my fumbling attempts to describe _Alien 9_ using a complicated, multi-series analogy does it a disservice. As its cult fandom will attest, _Alien 9_ strikes a unique tone. ~~~Img500(https://i.imgur.com/SSoFR3X.png)~~~ Take, for example, the animation. _Alien 9_ is the rare case where traditional 2D animation and 3D CGI work together effectively. Usually the use of both is awkward, an unconvincing attempt to create a seamless world. In _Alien 9_, the obvious difference between the two mediums heightens the alien nature of the alien limbs that exist as the only CG animation in this 2D world. Or if we examine [the score]( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGdOfu9e_wHv7MH7Pxp47cFGZjxE5ejnN), which is unusual and often experimental, frequently discordant yet somehow soothing. There are instruments commonly used in children’s music lessons: recorders, xylophones, bells, even a kazoo amongst the sounds I could identify. These are used in dissonant but thoughtful ways that evoke a [nursery-like]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTPHJnfGwwI&list=PLGdOfu9e_wHv7MH7Pxp47cFGZjxE5ejnN&index=5), or at times [circus-like]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf1M6I7K350&list=PLGdOfu9e_wHv7MH7Pxp47cFGZjxE5ejnN&index=9) atmosphere, giving us a distorted sense of innocence with terror lurking just beneath the surface. Mixed amongst these tracks are [electronic-based pieces]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M-WEfKs5jE&list=PLGdOfu9e_wHv7MH7Pxp47cFGZjxE5ejnN&index=10) that wouldn't be out of place on a 90s _Massive Attack_ album. ~~~img200(https://i.imgur.com/RsED4Qk.png) img200(https://i.imgur.com/7WQEbnY.png) img200(https://i.imgur.com/vwXpCdE.png)~~~ As a protagonist Yuri Otani is quite frustrating. More often than not she’s crying, with an almost permanent look of discomfort and terror, anxious to the point of pain. She’s afraid of everything, big and small, being attacked or just being alone. Your mileage may vary on whether you find her passivity and anxiety annoying, but regardless you do feel sympathy for her. I often found myself reflecting on that feeling unique to childhood, of an insurmountable task of momentous proportions that you have no choice of whether or not you must do it. You may not even have the concept of saying no, or taking charge. A painfully real character who struggles with her own weakness. Juxtaposition emerges as a theme throughout _Alien 9_, from the 2D/CG animation, to the score and the genres (slice-of-life and horror). More instances of this that I love are in [the ED](https://youtu.be/6jJRaML5hy4) in which the anime characters are placed on to live-action photographs, and lyrics from the theme song are both sung and spoken by the voice-actors at the same time, overlapping in an atmospheric way. All of this builds to a singular take on the terrors of tweenhood. At only 4 episodes it’s a short binge-able watch, but I spread it out over the course of a week, savouring each visit to the exquisitely unique _Alien 9_ world. ~~~[Comment on this review here](https://anilist.co/activity/274416353)~~~
Alien 9 is a 2001 OVA adaptation of the [manga of the same name](https://anilist.co/manga/30889/Alien-Nine/) by [Hitoshi Tomizawa](https://anilist.co/staff/97664/Hitoshi-Tomizawa) brought to us by the studios [J.C. Staff](https://anilist.co/studio/7/JC-Staff) and [Genco](https://anilist.co/studio/79/Genco). I personally had very little knowledge of Alien 9 prior to first watching the OVA and I would recommend that if you are interested in it, to just go ahead and watch it without reading this review. Because this is just one of those series that I think the less you know, the better. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/2K33XPB.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/rnAccg6.png)~~~ Before I delve into the specifics, I’ll hit you with the ultra short version. ___I fucking love this series.___ I did know going into it that it was tagged as horror, but I really didn’t imagine it was going to be as effective as it was. #___THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A FULL SPOILERS REVIEW. WATCH/READ ALIEN 9 RIGHT NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T. ALSO ~~ALIEN~~ GORE WARNING.___# ___ #Heaps of Horror# Impossibly, Alien 9 somehow struck through and pinpointed some of the exact flavors of horror I love all while on the surface not appearing to be horror. If I’m being generous, I want to say my thoughts upon reading the description and seeing the cover were something along the lines of *“Well okay maybe the aliens have a good and creepy or monstrous design.”* ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/sDyZRRg.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Z93HyUs.gif)~~~ Which if by itself would have been cool but you know, creature designs aren’t everything. What I wasn’t expecting was how creepy the world building was going to be. Like there’s something really upsetting about how all the characters beyond the main protagonist are acting. img440(https://i.imgur.com/DNgjcCi.png) It’s way creepier if not only do these monstrous and horrifying aliens exists, but humanity is perfectly aware of their presence and treats them as normal. If anything, in this world, it’s odder to be upset by or fearful of them… and that’s where I primarily drew the horror from. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/C7IPJxN.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/otsfaTI.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/nelw3hN.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/o8snoKQ.png)~~~ *And yet somehow in this universe, [Ridley Scott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridley_Scott) was still allowed to make his disgusting anti-alien propaganda movies. Ugh.* ___ #Yuri Otani# img(https://i.imgur.com/J0esAhw.gif) I haven’t quite felt genuinely as bad for a character as I did for the protagonist of Alien 9 in a while. Merely an elementary schooler, Yuri Otani drew the short straw or rather was sold out by her entire class and chosen to join the “Alien Counter-Measure Party.” ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/p1m5CJn.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/MXz1RZK.png)~~~ The purpose of which is to capture any aliens that show up on the grounds of the school. Yuri Otani very much did not want to join. She did not volunteer herself, literally the rest of her class wanted no part of it and thus collectively threw her under the bus. She wanted to join even less when she found out that she would be required to wear a hat while fulfilling her Alien Party duties. img440(https://i.imgur.com/Xt8PGha.png) The hat of course being a sentient alien capable of conversation and also understanding the ~~host~~ wearer’s thoughts and feelings. And these hats or Borgs rather, feed off of the DNA of their wearer. They consume the DNA through tongue like appendages which lick the naked bodi--okay holy fucking shit this is creepy. For the record, as I must underline this, this would still be horribly creepy even if the characters *weren’t* elementary schoolers. Or if they were male. img440(https://i.imgur.com/mOXI4UQ.png) “Okay, everybody. It’s time for extracurricular activities, *NOW PUT ON THIS TALKING SENTIENT ALIEN HAT THAT IS GOING TO LICK YOU WITH TENTACLES WHENEVER YOU BATHE.*” So whereas in a bunch of other horror series, I would have been frustrated as shit with a character like Yuri, I completely sympathized with her. Like no shit she doesn’t want to have any part in this. Of the other Alien Party members, you have Kumi who while not exactly thrilled about being in the Alien Party, has accepted her duties as a member. And there’s Kasumi who seems bizarrely skilled at capturing and handling the aliens. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Fk0Fg8o.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Ulr41iI.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/fnPVFwO.png)~~~ So they’re continuously having to try and get Yuri to pull her weight in their team or trying to get her spirits up because she is constantly on the brink of having a panic attack due to how fucking scared she is of these aliens. Then after a particular traumatic experience with the aliens and summer vacation begins, Yuri starts having nightmares of just even returning to school. And pretty much all the adults including her parents are frustrated with her. You have to go to school! It’s a part of growing up! *YOU WERE ~~BULLIED BY THE ENTIRETY OF YOUR CLASS~~ FAIRLY ELECTED TO DO THIS.* img440(https://i.imgur.com/A9TvYQ9.png) Joining the Alien Party has quite literally made her daily life a living hell because whenever she’s in school she’s constantly worried that the alarm is going to go off and she’s going to be forced to go and capture some nightmarish alien creature. When in actuality, all Yuri wants to do is complete her schoolwork and spend time with her friend who isn’t in the Alien Party. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/SEfNpMI.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/HPhulG0.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/A0J8q6w.png)~~~ Meanwhile, this horrible *horrible* pro-Alien teacher who is leading the Alien Party’s all like, “okay Yuri, I’ve seen this in plenty of works of fiction. I’m going to purposely put you in a spot of trouble and you’re going to undergo character development and use your Borg which will help you overcome your fear of the Aliens!” ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/4bSMiLF.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/6USZlQ4.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/CRiyyuz.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/ZgtBVOj.png)~~~ ...Oh. I guess just forcing someone to get over their fear only works in fiction. *Whoops!* ...I feel like an ___absolute monster___ because I was basically almost cheering at this scene. It's just so good. From Yuri just finally suffering a complete mental break that like even Kumi and Kasumi telepathically felt even though they were nowhere near to her when she was slaughtering literally every single alien they had captured. *"No, Otani-san. Don't kill the aliens. Don't be scared of the aliens, you'll get used to them."* *"No, fuck you. They're scary."* *"Okay fine, I'm gonna make you go feed them alone and send a bunch of boys controlled with other alien hats to attack you."* *"Okay, I'm going to fucking murder all of the aliens all while hysterically crying because my life is terrible ever since I got put in your goddamned pro-alien group."* ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/L2ZOuRR.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/vDAmzuZ.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/zBK5VMV.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/rEIovav.png)~~~ *"Oh, you little shit... do you even have ANY idea of how much trouble I'm going to be in with my alien employers??? I mean uh... KILLING IS WRONG NO MATTER WHAT. HUMAN OR ALIEN. PLEASE STOP KILLING MY ALIENS, THOUGH. __I'M GONNA GET FIRED GOD DAMN IT__"* img440(https://i.imgur.com/s3L9xTi.png) ___ #The Aliens# Also, did I mention how cool the aliens are? They’re genuinely horrifying and just absolutely disgusting. Like I just think about that scene when Yuri’s going alone into where the school keeps all of the captured aliens caged up and the room is even purposely kept dark and… it’s just so great. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/oglLp6I.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/5ocK7ld.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/9bVrra4.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/FFlTCqH.png)~~~ The entire concept of the series would immediately fall right on its face if the aliens didn’t look truly horrifying. And that’s not even to say that there are only aliens that are mindlessly aggressive. img440(https://i.imgur.com/qm2kLY3.gif) There’s one that shows up in the final half of the OVA called Yellow Knife that just gets dropped right onto the school’s roof and then starts psychologically dominating one of the girls telepathically and it’s fucking terrifying. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/k3VuYVZ.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/cwLBYJZ.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/wMwwLUQ.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/UzSTfsV.png)~~~ Then you have the other alien hats that a couple of boys "randomly" find and start putting on that makes them feel really happy as it takes control of their minds and makes them go attack Yuri and her Borg. Even when they get freed of them once, they realize that life sucks when you don’t have an alien parasite *literally hooking its way into your brain.* ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Bt7Xueo.png)~~~ ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Fs6Dmrb.png)~~~ I’ll always find dumb blunt horror of someone just lunging at the viewer with a knife fun, but it’s nothing compared to like witnessing a person’s behaviors and minds be altered or taken control of by an external force. *And I just typed that sentence about a series where all of the characters are elementary schoolers.* ___ #Conclusion# The only true negative thing I have to say about the Alien 9 OVA is of course it’s only a partial adaptation of the manga (which I will now assuredly finally read the rest of now that I’ve finally done this review). But that’s not really a flaw that’s worth dwelling on. As a fan of horror, whenever I encounter a genuinely good anime with even a scrap of horror (let alone if it’s actually good) in it, it literally feels like coming across gold. In this case, it was of course gold that I had already previously been told of but chose to hoard for as long as I possibly could. Alien 9 is a __10 out of 10__. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/K0jpKrc.png)~~~
(Warning: Minor spoilers and mention of abuse) The opening song from the first episode of Alien 9 right away introduced me to the strangeness of it. It was a memorable moment where the uniqueness and quality of the song instantly made me realize that I was going to watch something very different from most other anime. At the time, I had no idea where this story was going to take me, and the disturbing nature of its content that is sometimes overt and sometimes subtle. The character designs of the anime deceived me. Nothing could have prepared me for the collective shock I'd receive, and the horrifying revelation at the end after I thought the series was done tormenting me! Alien 9 creator Hitoshi Tomizawa wanted to create something that would appeal to people with similar interests and who enjoy making use of their imaginations. The absence of men felt bizarre, though he said he chose a cast of girls because it would be easier for the viewers to empathize with them. Tomizawa was not involved with the anime. He wanted the staff to be creative, and to not be "shackled" by the source material. The anime and manga have many differences, such as the anime being even more mysterious by omitting certain bits information. The source material also looks more sexualized. I think the staff did great to insert their own interpretations of Alien 9 with their sometimes disturbing anime only content. It's an interesting way to let the viewers theorize more by having them try to interpret their own interpretations of the manga. It's an added layer of storytelling that shows how well the staff understood the work. Some of this comes from Yuri's nightmares, Kasumi's visions about her brother leaving, and the vacation the girls took that was much more expanded upon. Yuri is clearly not cut out as a member of the alien party. Because the teacher wanted to test out 3 girls for the competition she is in, she kept forcing Yuri to try to make her better like constantly cranking a bad lawnmower, hoping that eventually it works. She was made to fight a losing war, with no choice but to find a way to push forward and fight. What happened to humanity in Alien 9? It felt like they were being kept in an ignorant state. It felt as if the merged teachers with aliens were harvesting the humans and propping them up like science experiments. The girls don't know why they are really doing any of this. We're all kept in the dark. The girls conform to and blindly accept the role of alien fighters as a normal part of life. Whether they were good at capturing the aliens or not didn't matter to the teacher. There is a complete disregard towards their mental well being, especially in Yuri's case. The school is more like an experimentation lab where it's a "cage" of kids. The best of them were not used to advance the human race, but for those of the teacher's. The human race was being farmed. And yet no one really questioned it. They're parents don't even know what is really happening. Humanity appeared to be in a horrifying position. There's something strange about the portrayal of men in Alien 9. Yuri's dad, and Kasumi's brother were portrayed in this ominous like manner where you can't see their faces, or are from among the shadows. The boys who put on the alien hats were a scheme by the teacher to try to improve Yuri's poor performance. Their aliens seemed to have a drug like effect on them that made them dependent and addicted to the point they lost meaning in their lives. One of the kids names is Manabu Maniki, which to me looked like a reference to CAVE's star video game composer of the same name. On the topic of music, the strange style in this anime reminded me constantly about Earthbound. I appreciate the oddness of the Alien 9 soundtrack. The erratic, otherworldly compositions that feel inhuman, do well to compliment the types of emotions this story creates. It's an electronic, infantile sound that torments and disfigures itself with feelings of anxiety. Even in its calmer songs, there is an unsettling feeling towards many of them. This all ties into the emotional chaos of the trauma Yuri dealt with throughout the series. The situation does not seem to get any better for her. On the contrary, things seem to only get worse, and worse. One unfortunate way I can relate to her is in how much bad luck I have. Sometimes I feel that bad things happen to me that only happen to me. The weirdest kind I can't find solutions to. Whether it is falling down the stairs, or getting cut by chance from alien body debris, or falling in the ocean and swallowing salt water by accident, she also felt to me she had this unique type of bad luck surrounding her. Her constant crying and refusal to go along with the Alien Party didn't mean to me that she is merely a crybaby and a coward. It's disturbing. The school staff don't seem to care about her feelings or mental well-being for as much as she begs and pleads to be allowed to get out of the alien party. She at least has her friends. Kumi would begin to develop feelings of friendship towards Yuri. Towards the end, it felt hinted that the feelings were romantic. In the scene where the girls were watching the fireworks, the viewer can see Yuri blushing when Kumi looked at her shortly after Kumi's confession of friendship. Kasumi looks right at Kumi and smiles playfully, as if having figured it out and realized there could be something more going on here. Every time I rewatch Alien 9, I feel more and more uncomfortable about Kasumi's character. On the surface, she seemed as the ideal student. Happy, and motivated in her life. Adorable and appearing to be pure and innocent. Then I started to notice things the more I watched it. Unlike Yuri, who is outright about her fragile feelings, Kasumi has a wall built up. She's constructed the facade of a flawlessly happy individual to cover up her pains about loneliness. Yellow Knife showed how hurt she was about her brother leaving. One scene shows him fading over the ocean getting closed off by her awards. To me, it showed how she was taking up all these educational subjects and competitions to fill in the void of her brother leaving her behind. She loved doing all these things because she had to. Sometimes, the shell would begin to break, as was seen when she frantically demanded that Kumi not run away from Yuri, just as her brother had "run away" from her. It felt strange for me to see her character suddenly crumble like that at first. Though she becomes this powerful symbol for Kumi and Yuri, in the end, she became the strongest force against them, fueled to take them out by the fire of her traumatic emotions. Continuing about Kasumi. Part of what makes Alien 9 uncomfortable to watch is that it makes disturbing implications that are not easy to talk about in discussion. This is about the disturbing hints towards the incestual sexual abuse between her and her older brother. Every time I come back I pick up on something new. From the weird preference of what perfumes Kasumi wears, Yellow knife piecing into her women parts and her odd and pleased reactions, The strange portrayal of her taking in Yellow knife's fluids and appearing to be all too obedient. The brother going overseas and Kasumi being told he can't visit now. Were they caught and he sent away for her protection? I think Kasumi is the most interesting and broken character in the series for me that tells us people don't always want to show signs of abuse. The horrifying reality is that even the person that appears to be the most happiest and content can be the most broken and disturbed. I felt more unsettled with the attack Yuri was dealt with by the three boys. The manga revealed they were just having fun. What was this fun? To gang up on Yuri, and to pierce her from behind with phallic objects, bringing her down into a traumatic state. The girls are constantly put in disturbing, uncompromising positions. The men are mostly portrayed as predators. Yuri was already traumatized from the start, fearing that she could get maimed, broken, crushed, wiped out. Alien 9's epilogue managed to painfully make me understand how Yuri really felt. The epilogue put me in her shoes. I felt left in the dark. I was confused, felt emotionally alienated in that moment from what was safely secured in my heart. I didn't know what was going on, I was scared, and felt dread for the future. I think what the ending of alien 9 does is that it really nails down the darker feelings of the series all at once on the viewer. This traumatic emotional climax became one of the most memorable moments for me. But did I have to be hurt this way and left scarred? In these feelings of anxiety, I related to Yuri again. The fears I carry about my myself, my life, and where I am going. Can I overcome these? Or will I crumble under them. Am I making myself look perfect, and wearing a mask in front of everyone to hide how I really feel? As confident as I may appear, as little as I gain, at times I feel I just can't take it anymore. (The superior video version is on my profile)
Kasumi does everything perfectly, in a system that tells you doing everything perfectly will net the perfect results. Life isn't as easy as getting everything through hard work, however. Nor is life as easy as loving everything that you have to do in it. So still she fears loneliness, maybe even moreso than the other two given she aims to claw herself so far away from it. Kumi in contrast has her mother and some legitimate experience of what we consider "adulting" not limited to trying to love everything, and Yuri doesn't cope with change; less is bottled up. Nevertheless, the others are still terrified by loneliness and mortified by growing up, not just in the bodily sense. They all are. No one is safe. They're already viewed as drivers of productivity too, mind you, kids ranked against each other. Kids are statistics. Kids are to be shaped in fire to be how the adults wanted to be themselves, or as part of some proxy war with other adults, or out of spite, well intended or not. They must become weird hair aliens. This, all while their bodies and minds confusingly try to change their shapes too. Things are difficult and messy at all ages of course. Mistakes are just often bigger with clear impact as you age. You're shielded less, but let's not pretend you're not prodded and moulded. In some ways moulded to accept stabs. We're all pretty broken and bruised. "Adulthood" throws us all to varying degrees into responsibility, strips us of our time, strips us of social spaces, and expects us to be perfect and fulfilled in an unbearably faulty world, or rather an actively malicious one. No one is ready for that then, I don't think anyone ever fully is. In this world where that transition (and many others) is never going to be smooth given what it is, the difficulty of it is raised higher still by what it is we actually have to walk into. It's unsurprising that childhood is viewed simultaneously as naïve and idyllic, while adulthood is viewed as dark and sensible. In actuality, adulthood is supremely boring for the most part, and childhood is painful but has good moments (or should). Being forced to grow up means you also get forced and force yourself into an ignorant box. "Joy is naïve. Animation is for kids. A is for girls. B is for boys. There is no in between. Those progressive policies are unrealistic. That's weird. That's childish. Those people fit into this box. It's their fault not the system. It's this easy answer not the hard one. You have to do this because I did even though I didn't like it either. Climate change, genocide, poverty? Oh ignore those, just keep chugging along, keep going, keep passing the time". Don't worry, everyone! I'm sure constant escapist consumption will solve it! As will bottling up of emotions and concepts in adulthood! Everything else is naïve! To really solve it though, don't forget we've got to couple this all with forcing people down that same path of boredom and boxes! It's clear people can hold on the surface, or further beneath, distaste for themselves and a notable proportion of everything; desperately clinging to warped but somewhat comforting boxes and scapegoats. Constantly tumbling forward down the conveyor belt, frequently pursuing cancerous growth like a parasite (like our capitalist economies...). Kids are forced out of their "comfort" zones by adults rigidly in theirs. Buzz words and bureaucracy function to unceremoniously drain us so that we apathetically ignore or never learn cruel realities and legitimate possibilities. Kids are viewed with contempt, and the world "childish" is used as a vicious insult by society, because we're still filled with spite on being forced to grow up into a cruel world where we're expected to just keep going, ignore it, and be menial and genial. No one is saying the world isn't cruel, kids are plenty aware, the solution to that isn't ignoring larger cruelties while scoffing at smaller joys. The cliché (another box of its own) is old people furious at "loitering" teenagers. As well as the phrase "back in my day". It needs noting that the notion of "Kids these days are lazy etc" has been printed at the top of newspapers since they began and uttered and muttered since time immemorial. You see - you idiot, you child, you little shit - that fun you're having is childish, because if it isn't, then why did I have to throw it away so completely? Hope? That's childish, you should stop trying, I did. Despair? How immature of you, everything is fine, look at me, I'm surviving, and things aren't that bad. Whether consciously or not we name things, making distinctions, divides and designations, so that life will be easier, with everything fast, but life's not actually easier this way is it, or rather, it's not better is it? No, we should all hoard what we have and leer at what we were asked to give up. Do you know what this all means? That's right! It's time for us all to become "sensible centrists" on everything! Things might not be great, but you see they also can't be significantly better. From one stagnation to another. One cell to another. One state to another. Now for your next lesson, I'm going to let you know that you've all got to be individual, freedom and all that, oh but not TOO individual. Don't stick out. Also, you've all got to be part of this "efficient" system, oh but super individual still somehow - wait - no - don't question the system! Everything is damn oppressive, and that starts from day one. Borders are annoyingly drawn, controlling. You're forced to move from one absolute to another as if there's a clean divide where suddenly you can adult perfectly. The same goes for many other concepts, unsurprisingly. A lot of things are rarely 100% untenable, and those who claim so are are often either actively oppressing you for greed, or out of habit and obligation, or because they're furiously trying to come to terms with the boxes they've ended up stuffed into by pushing the same on others as if we can all fit neatly on perfect shelves. A crab bucket.. Variety is the spice of life, but those different spices are in near identical containers, and only those which looked a certain way made it there. Then they're thrown onto the clean cut shelves of a company, which made sure to buy out that other thing that varied too much, and now all that variety is under but a few roofs, and it's altered to run out of steam in time for you to buy profitable variety number 2 then 3 then 4. It's all just enough to keep the illusion going, the consumption revving, the growth unsustainable, the world infuriating. Not that knowing all of this gets you out of participating in or furthering it, nor does it lets you know how to solve it all, and it doesn't mean you're "better"... I'm passionately shouting at the world in a review while not doing much in actuality. Having energy and motivation is hard at the best of times. My review turned into a somewhat connected rant again. Anyways, my point is that childhood and adulthood are both hard, and the transition is sometimes excruciating, and that while suffering is unavoidable, it doesn't have to be the way it is, facilitated by false boxes. Plus, the same can be said for a lot of other things. So. Uhhh. The character designs are cool, the colour palette is fittingly moody, and shout out to the quality of a lot of these layouts.