Densetsu Kyojin Ideon: Hatsudou-hen

Pushed out to the far reaches of the galaxy, the crew of the Solo Ship faces impossible odds of survival. With the Earth destroyed and the remnants of the Buff Clan pushing them to their limit, the Ideon shows as the last line of defense for the battered remains of humanity.

As the tensions of their last stand rack up on their minds, Captain Bes Jordan and pilot Cosmo Yuuki race against the clock to protect their final opportunity of survival, even as desperation eats away at the minds of their loved ones. Using any weapons left at their disposal, the crew desperately fight on to protect themselves in the cold clutches of space, punished with a final duel against Harulu Ajiba, who is now desperate to reclaim the honor lost in her father's eyes.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Jordan, Bes Main

Tanaka, Hideyuki Japanese

Yuuki, Cosmo Main

Shioya, Yoku Japanese

Ajiba, Karala Main

Toda, Keiko Japanese

Imhof, Kasha Main

Shiraishi, Fuyumi Japanese

Formossa, Sheryl Main

Inoue, You Japanese

Zaral, Gije Supporting

Hayashi, Kazuo Japanese

Piper, Lou Supporting

Inoue, You Japanese

Afta, Deck Supporting

Matsuda, Tatsuya Japanese

Kitten, Kitty Supporting

Ukai, Rumiko Japanese

Fatomu, Moera Supporting

Sasaki, Hideki Japanese

Takizawa, Toshifumi Co-Director

Tomino, Yoshiyuki Director, Original Creator

Matsuzaki, Kenichi Script, Screenplay

Tomita, Sukehiro Script

Reviews

Mar 12, 2023

SuperJohnDoe

Recommended

It was all worth it. The awful first half, the nonsensical battles, the bizarre nature of the Ideon, neither side willing to negotiate after failed attempts to do so...

The movie rendeemd all of the TV show's faults and goes far beyond its original scope. It's hard to believe this was originaly intended to be a bunch of episodes as the flow of the entire film is quite smooth.

The score definitely helps in this case; we go from typical campy and upbeat songs you'd expect from an old-school anime to a proper orchesrta adding their colourful and rich sound to the events that unfold.

All of ... the character deaths, monologues and fights were much more impactful this time around and I was genuinely moved the entire time. The ending in particular had me in tears; it was cathartic an paradoxically hopeful, despite all the destruction that took place.

However, Tomino finally had the chance to focus on Ide, the mystery behind it and the meaning behind the constant fighting.. In the end... There simply is no meaning!

Ideon was Tomino's call to love life itself and to cherish the people and the world around you. Having a selfish and single-minded kind of thinking will ruin not only you and the ones around you, but all of us as a species. To deny that this is how we got here would simply be delusional; especially if one were to examine humanity's course after the Industrial Revolution. However, wether or not that was inevitable is a completely different discussion And yet Tomino showed all that nearly 20 years before Turn A Gundam too!

Ideon is often cited as an inspiration to Neon Genesis Evangelion and having seen both, I can definitely see the similarities; although if you come from EVA first (probably like most people), it will take some time before the similarities can manifest. Howver, by the end of both shows (and their respective "The End of" movies) EVA's Human Instrumentality Project and the Ide's power as well as the motivations behind each one will not seem very different. Both however draw heavily from Arthur C. Clarke's 1962 novel "Childhood's End" or "The Overlords: The End of Childhood" as it was printed in Greece in the mid 70s.

Man, what an experience this was. Good art can make you feel so powerful and energetic. You can of course make the arguement that all art is a product, but that is a completely different discussion... I for one belive that there is in fact a complex distinction between a piece of art and a product.

Space! Runaway!!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 31, 2022

rooster_

Recommended

Nowadays Ideon may come off as a heavy-handed allegory for nuclear warfare and the apparent inevitability of human conflict, but Be Invoked--a feature film that provides the original series with a final arc and ending, instead of the rushed final episodes prompted by the show's cancellation--continues to be one of the most emotionally devastating and spiritually aspirational anime. The fact that Ideon began as a transparently toyetic mecha franchise, which is still reflected in many of its designs, doesn't detract from how seriously the story takes itself, its characters, and its message. The violence pulls no punches, even when children are involved, and this is ... still Tomino's rawest look at civilian casualties and collateral damage in war. All leading up to its rather open conclusion, Be Invoked is an experience, and a touchstone for later "psychological mecha" shows (most famously Evangelion).

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 2, 2025

Sp1cyCrab

Not Recommended

Ideon as a whole is Tomino's rant in anime form.

The movie has no structure, it has a small recap of TV show's latest episodes, a series of three battles in space and then the worst thing that could happen happens.

Ideon has gruesome character deaths that have no value beyond shock value. That's because all the characters are incredibly one note and have no depth, including the Ideon pilots. The mech has only three attacks - missile spam, swords of light and Ideon gun that destroys everything in target's general direction. Battle scenes aren't really breathtaking.

Ideon isn't a raw gem, it's just raw. Strongest ... concepts were better defined and redefined in Gundam Zeta, ZZ and Turn A. And Be Invoked is just an unsatisfying end to an unsatisfying show.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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Week 1: February 5 - 11 Anime Releases Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen (incl. Prologue - Sakura to Futatsu no Kuma) Part 1 Blu-ray Deadman Wonderland (incl. Akai K...read more

Feb 4, 2019 9:26 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (4 comments)

	Poll: The Ideon: Be Invoked Episode 1 Discussion Beatnik - Sep 13, 2009	32 replies	by blauwiiss »» Jan 18, 10:36 AM
	Why do people say this was a BAD END Tomino show? Bigred2989 - Apr 17, 2009	11 replies	by Neemesis_2 »» Oct 31, 2024 11:27 AM
	Do i ahve to watch the TV series? argonseal - Dec 7, 2012	3 replies	by Sol_Ou »» May 5, 2015 6:01 AM