Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
GARAHADDO
B̶l̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶R̶u̶n̶n̶e̶r̶ Armitage III is a gritty tale of a human-colonized Mars in the midst of a color revolution inflicted by an Earth that is now united under a wоkе fеmіnіst regime (the anime itself describes it as such) into killing all androids of a specific model — one capable of childbirth. The main part of the show has us following the main characters' hijinks in their pursuit of information about the ongoing android massacre, with a somewhat hurried and disjointed plot that one can expect of a short OVA like this. The last episode builds up to a wistful ending, featuring a Bonnie and Clyde-style final showdown as our human-android star-crossed lovers decide to die on their own terms. This would have been a fitting end, and yet inexplicably after this desperate last stand we are…
Read at the sourceTuls
Conceptual merit is probably the only positive of Armitage III, but that’s entirely by virtue of the cyberpunk themes. It’s simply half-baked, inept at forming an identity for itself as it meanders in its lackluster plot and world. Mars has developed a civilization advanced enough to develop Androids physically and intellectually indistinguishable from humans, and it leads to an insurgency from the human populace that fears they’ll snatch opportunities away from them. Armitage (an Android) and Sylibus are designated with the task of capturing the terrorist D’anclaude, who murdered a Third (advanced Androids), propelling the majority of the show to operate as a police procedural. The direction is downright awful, with nothing of worth occurring throughout the show as it insistently surrende…
Read at the sourceZeoguri
Riffing on popular American movies like Blade Runner and The Terminator and taking advantage of a new home video market that allowed studios to bypass broadcast standards, violent and gory sci-fi OVA series about hot girls who fight aliens, robots, and cyborgs were a pretty big deal in the 80’s. By the 90’s, however, the trend had already reached its intellectual apex with Masamune Shirou’s Ghost in the Shell manga series (and later its acclaimed film version) and the anime OVA market was beginning to trend more towards fantasy than sci-fi. Armitage III, the 1995 OVA series from AIC, the studio that kicked off the earlier trend with series like Gall Force and Bubblegum Crisis and written by the future creator of Serial Experiments Lain, might be characterized as an attempt to kick back aga…
Read at the sourcePierceAllAlone
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…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
Armitage III is a cyberpunk noir written by Chiaki J. Konaka, who is probably best known for his scripting on Texhnolyze—a superior work that is certainly a lot more artistic. Armitage, on the other hand plays out like a hollywood hardboiled detective story, just updated with cyberpunk themes and gloss; entertaining enough, but the story becomes muddled and kind of pointless the more we learn about what's really going on. There will be some minor spoilers here to talk about the themes, but most of this is revealed pretty quickly in the story or is obvious, and Armitage III is not so much about the story—it's about the visuals, the action, and the experience.
The character Armitage follows the trend of female characters in other cyberpunk productions from the time—most notably Ghost in th…
Read at the sourcebarsoapguy219
Nostalgia Alert - I used to see the laserdiscs for Armitage at the video store way back in the day. I was intrigued because I was a teenager and the cover art featured a scantily-clad waifu. Also, I was into cyberpunk and robots and all the like. So that was in 1997 or so and I finally got around to watching all four episodes in 2022. 25 years later but I got it done.
Story
The story is pretty good actually. It's a Blade Runner type set up with a few twists and turns. I always enjoy stories about robots and people grappling with their humanity and this is no exception.
While the concept is intriguing, it's played out slowly and awkwardly. I was not a fan of the pacing. One of the problems is with the runtime. There are only four 30-minute episodes isn't much time to explore all the sto…
Read at the sourceMotokogummi
Armitage III, where Bladerunner meets Japanese minds and reaches to stratospheric levels.
Let me get one main thing out first, this work is not a very cohesive work like many people want to expect likes of Akira, Ghost in Shell SAC shows or maybe something like that of Psycho Pass. But it's more of a like Midnight Eye Goku by Kawajiri. One of the finest Cyberpunk Sci Fi Classics. The reason is this one will just indulge you into the world of the setting and what the artists want rather than exploratory aspects. You would be first intrigued by how they construct the show over the time. The OVA gets more interesting after 2nd. Because until then it just shines light on our protagonist lady Armitage, so please do not think it's not that great or such because it's not extremely fleshed out th…
Read at the sourceMarryMeSenpai
I haven't watched too many anime that fit in this category, so keep that in mind when reading the review
overall the story was my biggest problem. the first two episodes are pretty good and dragged me into the story. but the last two episodes feel rushed and forced in ways. had me questioning if i missed part of the episode multiple times. several thing are not really explained.
art was pretty good actually thought this was an early '00 anime. character designs are real nice and the backgrounds are fitting for the story.
sound had a nice wanna say funk vibe going on. op and ed were both nice and enjoyable.
guess i said all i had to say characters are semi developed but never full fleshed out
overall its worth a watch. it is about as long as a movie so its not super long or anything.
Read at the sourceKrunchyman
“I wish I had no brain to think and worry.” — Naomi Armitage
Ah, the age-old dilemma of being human (or a robot emulating a human), that which separates us from the animal kingdom — namely being, our superior cognitive abilities — is the same variable that alienates us, as well. We have the capability of creating fantastic technological instruments to ease our lives, yet those same instruments have the ability to “replace” our intended “purpose” of existence. From a biological perspective, we tend to believe in passing on our genes to future generations in a process known as procreation. The sense of “fulfillment” gives us great pride, yet evolutionary theory does not adhere to a designed “purpose,” nor does it care how genes are passed on, or if they are passed on at all.
Faced with the…
Read at the sourceGundroog
Armitage III is a good example of how important execution is now matter what concept you're working with. At the core this is a standard cyberpunk romp about the complex role of ever improving technology in human society, in this particular case it's about incredibly advanced androids that are not much different from humans in their make-up and functions. I don't think there's much wrong with the plot since story is not the highlight this time and more of a vehicle for stylized action that's occasionally mixed with some noir and drama.
Art\animation - I'm not quite sure who did the character designs for this show but sometimes it felt like it was done by two different people. The show is not entirely consistent with its style so some main characters fit this archetype of 90s fashion with…
Read at the sourceVoivodian
Cool anime that was completely overshadowed by the far more influential and spectacular Ghost in the Shell movie that came out the same year! Only room for one cyberpunk epic and unfortunately, this anime would of came out on top if it was any other cyberpunk anime.
For one the story is above par, for both a 90s OVA and a cyberpunk anime. Written well, cute snappy dialogue, no plotholes that were particularly unsettling (but strong inferences are needed when some events lead to the next) and the cyberpunk compulsory themes of government/ megacorporation conspiracy and robots vs humans in the battle over who possesses more humanity. Not everything is fully explained to a satisfying depth; whether the characters or the premise that features political backgrounds fit for a 18 episode series…
Read at the sourceJebekiSan
I have a great nostalgia for Armitage III (OVA), for it is among the first anime I had seen, having found an abandoned copy on VHS in a dorm room in 1995 (its year of release). I'm not sure it is possible for me to distance myself from that bit of affection in writing a review, but I have seen it many times since and it remains among my favourite and most esteemed works. Not for its story or art, in which it has surely been outdone by others, but for its sheer visceral feeling.
To clarify, I must make two suggestions. The first is to be certain that you watch the four-part OVA, rather than the film (Polymatrix), as the latter leaves out enough material to be a disservice. And secondly - very importantly - do yourself a favour and watch it subbed. The dubbed version, as so often is the ca…
Read at the sourceTropeskiller
First let me give you a little backstory as to what Armitage III really is. It was one of the first cyberpunk animes to feature a strong female character (coming out the same year as the first Ghost in the Shell movie). However, it typically receives much less attention. It takes place on the planet Mars, and plays out in a "buddy cop" detective style.
Detective Ross transfers to the Mars police force trying to escape his mental anquish he feels from his former partner being killed by a cyborg. His new partner is a woman named Armitage who is secretly a "third type" robot masquerading as a human. The central plot focuses around a spree of murders involving these robots, detective Ross trying to come to terms with his psychological damage and mistrust of machines through Armitage, and findi…
Read at the sourcewarniefn
This was a really amazing anmie with great(though aged graphics ), good sound work and a really really solid story.
Armitage really steals the show , one major hawt bad ass , if you ever saw one.
what i liked even more , was some of those awkward questions raised as whats just considered life ,who deserves to be protected and how society deals with its demons and outcasts.lots of thought provoking stuff.
damn good anmie and well worth your time.
Read at the sourcePandaMaster99
The story is focused on two cops, Ross and Armitage as they try to discover the reason behind all the chaos. At times I was under the impression that it is maybe too much influenced by Hollywood movies such as Blade Runner or AI but in the end, the story is well constructed and presented through the 4 OVA's. This is well explained with the use of the great animations. This came out in 1995 and it looks amazing for its time. The high amount of details is very impressive and you can see another anime that influenced The Matrix with the now famous green data line flowing down the visor. The faces of the characters are a little sharp and maybe needed a little polishing but that's a minor detail. The sound was awesome. Industrial and some metal riffs fit any cyberpunk anime like a glove. As far…
Read at the sourceAnimizeEU
The first thing you should keep in mind while watching Armitage III is 1995... It was released back than... So for sure the drawings and animations can't keep up with newer works, but for the given time it was near to stand of the art. Same goes for the sound, the music isn't anything special nowadays, but back than it was good (Oh yes, just good ;)).
To the setting:
In the 2040's mankind has teraformed and colonized mars, and lives there in a highly technologized society, meaning Robots, Cyborgs and so on are fully developed and can be used for all kinds of things... If Armitage would have been released today you could say it's old food - but back than the idea was somewhat fresh... Cool, so it's a +.
To the characters:
Police Detectives seem to be kind of nostalgic, even in 2040 they a…
Read at the sourceArchaeon
I will admit that I'm a fan of cyberpunk in its many forms, from novels by the likes of William Gibson and Iain Banks to movies like Blade Runner and Mad Max. As a child of the 80s, these were mainstays in my entertainment repertoire. By the time Armitage III was released in February 1995, I had already been exposed to titles such as Appleseed, Battle Angel Alita, Cyber City Oedo 808, Genocyber, AD Police Files, and those classics Akira and the Bubblegum series.
Now, given the time of it's release, much of the hype of that moment centred around the forthcoming Ghost in the Shell, set to be released later that year. Because of this, Armitage III has been somewhat left by the wayside when it comes to mid 90s anime, especially given the huge marketing campaign devoted to GitS. This irony is…
Read at the sourceTheTaxiAE
Setting is probably 100years from now after we’ve colonized mars and are capable of creating advanced robots capable of being both useful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well. There exists hidden within the human population of mars a new generation of robot, one that has both emotions and another interesting ability. The animation is nice and detailed though not overly drawn and the sound is not the worst ever. There are 4 eps that I have found and if anyone wanted to they could probably be turned into a movie. Nothing special, has an interesting concept but over all I was just bored with it
Read at the sourceDARGONofWitWGARA
Humans from Earth who created androids known as the "Second Types" colonize mars. People on Mars eventually become paranoid about these very human looking androids, causing riots and lynch mobs to burn the "Second Types" in mass quantities. The androids begin to resist the only way they can, by evolving into a new class of Android the "Thirds". A group of these "Third Types" begin to murder humans in retaliation for the way their kind is treated. The "Thirds" are soon classified as unlicensed androids, for the simple fact that they not only look, but act exactly like human beings.
Upon arriving on Mars Detective Ross Sylabus is thrust in to the middle of a baffling murder, which eventually spawns an investigation into the mysteries of the "Thirds." During this encounter at the Space Por…
Read at the sourceHuntsman
Arimtage III is a truly great anime OVA. Sadly it came out about the same time as the original GHOST IN THE SHELL, and was overlooked for the overrated Ghost in the Shell movie. The story is far better, truly delving into whether machines are alive or not and could they be considered human, along with many other questions. Can they fall in love, or even have children. Then there are the two main characters, Naomi Armitage and Ross Sylibus. They add depth and bring life to the story. The action is great keeping you watching even in the quiet times of the anime. The animation isn't as great as it was after all it's been 13 years since it first came out, but it still holds up today. I would highly recommend this anime over any of the Ghost in the Shell anime.
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