Armitage III

If Armitage as a series has a flaw it's that it leaves you wanting more. The moments between Ross & Armitage are way too short.

Sure, the animation is clunky, the details might look dated, but on it's own Armitage the 3rd is really an action romance show hiding under the cyberpunk aesthetic. It definitely can't hold a candle to ghost in the shell in terms of pure visual quality, but it actually displays a bit of the casual fun present in the GiTS manga / SAC or say battle angel alita. It is one of the predecessors of the whole 2000s - 2010s series ... of action animes that center around a female robot love interest (ie: sora no otoshimono, plastic memories). It is again just such a shame the little scenes we get of Armitage flirting, having fun or cracking jokes are so short. Despite all its shortcomings the show really makes it easy to adore Armitage with just how she interacts with everyone else in the show. A real 'waifu' if you will.

Overall, the show is absolutely a must watch for 90s anime fans, or even 90s cartoons fans since the english dubs really fit Armitage and ross well. It's a great watch too if you enjoy abit of detective noir, romance, robot women all in one show. However, you probably won't enjoy Armitage the 3rd if your expecting something serious like GiTS.

(Clap clap clap clap) Armitige III, well done. After a strong of watching really disappointing OVAs, my expectations were low. Even if my expectations were high however, I would still have enjoyed this as much. There are many positive elements to mention here so be prepare for some gushing.

First off, the music and sound. Goodness me it is perfect. I am really not a fan of anime intro and outro tracks normally. Far far far too often they are cheesy parodies of themselves. This show however is most certainly not. I watched the intro and outro of every episode. Within the show, the music ... is even better. Maybe I'm a little biased in this regard. One of my favourite bands is Front Line Assembly so with me being a huge fan of early nineties techno industrial, I was already the target audience before I started watching. It's bold, it's loud, fits every scene perfectly and is utilised perfectly. I was very impressed with this shows music. Absolutely outstanding. 10/10.

The story is also very fascinating. Very often with have these types of Sci-fi themes involving robots or mech and humans do not like them. It's been done many many times and will be done many many times again. This however, I believe, is one of the finest examples of this I have seen. The pacing is superb, especially with the double length first episode. It gave the show so much room to set the pace and develop the characters. It gave us the time to love the characters, be pulled into the story and by the end of ep 1, you are wondering where the heck those 40+ minutes went. By the final episode I was very apprehensive as to how it would be drawn to a close. Normally, you are taken on a wonderful journey for it to be abruptly written to a close in the last two minutes. Here, this is not the case. A very satisfying ending that leaves the story open, yet closed at the same time.

Finally the animation. The show has a great pallet, it's classic nineties animation delivered exactly the way you want it to be. I felt every frame was draw with a purpose. The character art is great, has an excellent varied look to each individual. The world the story is told within looks stunning. A lot of time was clearly spen making sure the surrounding of the scenes was detailed and in line with where the story was taking you. The action scene animation was handled incredibly well too. Not OTT, just enough to deliver an exciting and engaging scene to guide you along the story.

All in all, this is a fantastic OVA. Great animation, excellent story and brilliant music. Definitely one of the best OVAs from the nineties. Definitely watch this, you won't be disappointed.

Poor character designs are what drive me away from a lot of shows. I watched this one anyway, and it's not just the art I don't like, I think it's boring as hell. I also don't like the obvious fan service. Like there's a reason people think all weebs are incel freaks and shit like this doesn't help lol. But, like most things, I have to give it some credit. It was animated well and the premise was so cool. Its influence on TV as a whole can't be ignored, it really did inspire a lot of people to create. It's also a staple of ... the cyberpunk genre. I think it probably would have done a better storytelling job had it had a couple more episodes, because it does feel rushed. And I suppose that is the recurring problem with OVAs isn't it? I would recommend it cause it's a classic, and the issues I have with it are just a me thing