Although this begins as though it could easily become all bubblegum and fluff -- despite the bloody opening -- the story becomes anything but.

Or, stated another way: Armitage III has all the earmarks of a very typical anime -- scantily-clad females, blood, guns -- but becomes much, much more, an examination of just what it means to be human and what happens when those in power decide that you're not.

If this sounds a bit like the story and setting of Blade Runner, well, it should: The similarities are inescapable. Ross Sylabus, the newly-transferred policeman just arriving on Mars, is a very Deckard-like: He starts off with all the prejudices of the world around him, despising almost without knowing why those human-like robots known as "Thirds". And he learns not only to get along with, but to love, one of those very persons. The story, in which Thirds are being hunted down and killed, is also like Blade Runner, except the hunting is done by a criminal and not the police. And, of course, the plot evolves away from this similarity, taking on a life of its own.

The only foul thing about the English DVD version is that you don't get a Japanese language track. Why they thought I'd only want to listen to Kiefer Sutherland and Elizabeth Berkley I don't know, and, like many dubbed titles, the story suffers a bit because the dubbed voices aren't always convincing. This is the one mistake at Disney almost made with the Princess Mononoke DVD, and kudos to them for rethinking and giving us the Japanese version as well.

Overall I'd give Armitage III high marks, not as high as Ghost in the Shell or Blade Runner, but certainly better than most. It is a good addition to any collection.

I can't believe I just said that...