Juna Ariyoshi was just an ordinary teenager... until she dies in a motorcycle
accident.
As Juna's spirit floats farther and farther away from her body, a mysterious
being named Chris gives her a choice. If Juna agrees to fight the Raaja which threatens to destroy the earth, Chris
would save her life.
Desperate for another chance to live, Juna agrees without fully understanding
the implications of her decision.
Review: Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna
The first time I read about Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna (Arjuna) was sometime back in early 2002.
I was very excited about the prospect of another masterpiece in the tradition
of my favorite anime series "The Vision of Escaflowne", to be brought about by
combining Shoji Kawamori's directorial talents and Yoko Kanno's musical genius
once more.
The good news is, Arjuna anime is certainly a unique series and I've never seen
anything like it.
The bad news is, the whole viewing experience can be likened to one
excruciatingly long and boring ecological lecture.
The first episode was exciting enough. Juna dies in an accident, she's faced
with a choice between life and death, etc etc.
The basics are established and we are presented with a very interesting
situation, the type that would normally make you want to see the next episode
as soon as possible.
Arjuna's main problem is it never quite gets past the basics.
All the episodes that follow the first are repetitious, always preaching about
pollution and other environmental problems caused by civilization but never
really clarifying what our heroine needs to do.
It got to a point where Juna couldn't even eat a burger because she sees how
it was processed with chemicals and such as soon as she touches it.
She can't drink canned juice because she sees how pesticides had been used on
the fruits as they grew on the fields.
These changes frustrate Juna, more so her loved ones. It made me wonder how she could possibly continue living in the city.
Juna's savior and mentor Chris is of no help, forever spouting cryptic remarks
about the earth, humanity, and Juna's supposed objectives.
All the ecological lectures and "one with nature and everything" talk got on
my nerves even before I was halfway through the series.
Soap opera-ish elements such as family problems and a love triangle are
present as well, not that it really matters.
Then there's the Raaja, the bane of the earth and Juna's existence. It is never clearly explained what the Raaja is, but from what I make of it
it's supposedly the result of mankind's abuse of the earth.
Raaja eats away at everything it touches, causing sickness and destruction
wherever it materializes.
Raaja takes on the form of tentacles and Arjuna has to stop it from wreaking
havoc, although according to Chris she isn't supposed to kill it.
I guess the Raaja is their way of depicting the consequences of human
advancement, over-exaggerated and at times somewhat silly as it would appear.
Needless to say, Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna takes the concept of environmental decline to the
extreme.
The art and animation can be considered excellent, with its smooth mix of cel
animation, computer imagery, and live-action footages. I was not too fond of the character designs though, especially Juna's.
The normal Juna looks plain, but the transformed powered-up Juna looks plain
freaky.
The enthralling music suits the series perfectly, which is no surprise
since the great Yoko Kanno is the one behind it. Given my high expectations, I was disappointed by Arjuna.
Now I'm all for environmental concern and I understand the good motives that
came with the series' creation, but it kept on stuffing the same message down
my throat episode after episode.
I was sick of Arjuna by the time I reached the ending, which was as vague as a
lot of the plot points were. I wouldn't call it a bad series though, just redundant and overdone as hell.
Miscellanies: Arjuna
Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna series is 13 episodes long.
Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna (Arjuna) | |
| Genre | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 13 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jan 9, 2001 to Mar 27, 2001 |
| Producers | Bandai Visual, Sotsu |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | - |
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