Audience reviews
19 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Joe_Devaney
Note: This will be a review of both seasons.
Overview:
"Vandread" is an early anime from lesser animation studio Gonzo; a mecha anime that came out at the very beginning of the 21st century, it in many ways serves as a throwback to early examples of the genre before the "Gundam" series was created, while also having some elements of a romantic comedy thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, airing only a few years after the genre-redefining "Neon Genesis Evangelion" makes this an anime that has largely been forgotten, and while it does have some creative fights and interesting ideas, it ultimately proves to be no better than what I've come to expect from the studio.
Story (7.5/10):
"Vandread" is set in a distant future where humanity has been divided into two different societies; the i…
Read at the sourceEva_PhoenixAnime
For an anime that’s over 25 years old, Vandread is such a hidden gem that I’m genuinely surprised no one talks about it anymore! This show blends mecha, space adventure, romance, sci-fi, and comedy into one addictive adventure. It’s hilarious thanks to the cast and their antics, thrilling because of the epic mecha battles and transformations, and surprisingly deep with themes of personal growth, identity, and how men and women need each other to survive, no matter the world they’re thrown into.
Firstly, the setting hooked me instantly. Humanity has left Earth and colonised other planets, but over time, men and women split and grew to hate each other. This creates not only a tense backdrop for our protagonist Hibiki, a young male with a mysterious past who you can’t help but root for, but…
Read at the sourceJastereich
This anime is basically a mixed of comedy that tries to use stereotypes about gender for entertainment purposes. However, the show may not be suitable for people sensitive to stereotypes. Dita has some annoying traits, such as her high pitched voice and how she repeatedly calls Hibiki Mr Alien despite his protests. Hibiki’s ridiculous and self centered attitude towards fighting, combined with his insecure need to be considered masculine can also be annoying. The enemies in the show are not visually good looking, and it could be an issue to some people.
The show touches upon LGBT themes, those are dealt with quite well and it has a decent amount of exploration for all the related things throughout the series. The anime manages to create a credible environment for a universe tending towards…
Read at the sourcewhiteflame55
The series just doesn't know what it wants to be. It's all over the place in its efforts to build something resembling a cohesive story, trying its hand at multiple genres and doing none of them particularly well. The summary cut that is probably a better show just because it's more streamlined, particularly since I've heard that it evokes Gurren Lagann, and that's definitely in its favor. There are some elements of this that work, but it never gives them enough attention to make them more than side-notes, particularly the motives of the aliens who we have spent this whole season fighting. Just more faceless, nameless enemies, and the reveal that they were Earthlings feels kind of pointless without any context.
Read at the sourcevesheljinn
tl;dr Was a very nostalgic series for me. Hoewever, now that I've taken the obligatory trip down memory lane, I kinda wish I hadn't. 5/10
Story - 5
Men and women fighting each other was a great concept when I was 8 - we all know the classic chant "BOYS WIN, GIRLS IN THE BIN!". However, 15 years later I sit here and think there's got to be more to do with this premise than what Vandread gave us. After this point was visited and abandoned for all intents and purposes, the real big bad of the show is fairly vague and 100% irredeemably evil. However, it doesn't seem much better or worse than an average silver age Spider-Man villain - looking at you Thumper. Though this all would be forgivable in my books for 20 minutes of midless entertainment. That is if I could watch it mindlessly.
Certain…
Read at the sourceRedKnight21
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS!
So here's the basic backstory and plot.
Earth becomes unlivable and humans made ships to go out and colonize other planets. Along the way, humans settle on other worlds, yet they soon encounter an alien race that wants to harvest them. So the leaders of humanity made a deal with the aliens to allow themselves to be harvested in the future instead of the present. As minor pockets of humanity settle on other planets, the bulk of humanity settles on two planets.
Yet the real kicker is that humanity splits into two groups. Man Vs. Woman!
The views of the two become so warped over time you can't help but shake your head at the description they give on another.
This goes on for a few generations until the main character along with two other males is sen…
Read at the sourceDarkRavie
Note: This review is for Vandread and Vandread Second Stage.
Life sucks for Hibiki Tokai. Raised on a planet filled with just men, he is taught that women are the enemy. Working to build war mecha, Hibiki dreams of something more and will do anything to find a way to prove his existence. To prove to his comrades that he isn't the loser and screw-up they think he tries to steal one of the mecha and then suddenly finds himself in the middle of a battle that brings him face to face with the enemy.
My thoughts:
Vandread and Vandread Second Stage is good. I do like the storyline but the character of Dita is very annoying especially when she goes around shouting Mr. Alien. Hibiki is a brash, selfish, annoying loud mouth that is clueless when it comes to his feelings and the feelings of others.…
Read at the sourceMalhavok
Vandread is one of those shows that you really shouldn't like, but for some reason you keep coming back to it. The premise is absurd and the story itself is full of plot holes and rambles incoherently for most of the first season and the pacing is relatively uneven, but at the end of the day the reason why you enjoy it is because the majority of the cast are incredibly likable and interesting.
I would have to say that Vandread is mostly a simple boy meets girl story with a lot of window dressing on it and in that regard it does an efficient job of making that story come to life. Wheels do occasionally spin, but characters do make progress and grow, which is really key to these kind of animes. I wasn't dissapointed by seeing the cast and crew of the "Nirvana" grow closer together as the ep…
Read at the source-ShadowClaw-
This a complete review of Vandread and Second Stage as i considerd tham as one . I will try not to spoil to much of the story but be warned some minor spoilers might be present.
Imagine A future where Humanity has spread out to the far reaches of the galaxy, settling on different planets for colonization after Earth has been rendered almost uninhabitable. Each planet forming it’s own type of society, Within this Society there are the 2 sister planets of Mejere and Taraak and both have been settled by humans except there is just one difference, One is only populated by man and the other by Women and to each other are mortal Enemies, Yep sounds about right a battle of the sexes is on.
Story: The general plot focuses on Hibiki a third class citizen who lives in the lower ranks of society on…
Read at the sourcephantosereviews
when you think of ecchi, the last thing you think of is seriousness. Vandread uses the fact it's allowed to talk about adult subjects (the body) to it's advantage. admittedly due to that same attribute it is forced to use sexual humour, but the downplay is so much that more comedy comes from non-ecchi moments than ecchi. the show actually deals more with racism, sexism, prejudice, social impairment and ones self-worth.
the animation is fluid with well hidden off models that come fue and far apart. it also shows a great use of cg which is used to give weight to combat. as
with all ecchi the character models are often sexy, however as there is a more serious tone being used, they are not overplayed, and offer less fansevice than normal; even the spacesuits are more about purpose than fanser…
Read at the sourceTzu
I believe that you have separate generations of anime. Strictly speaking between what was popular then and what is popular now.
New review for something old, buckle down.
My trip down nostalgia lane isn't a fun one, anime wasn't always there for most of the time. School, work and other sorts were always in the way of me enjoying myself. Honestly Vandread was probably the first title I followed around 10 years ago, unlike a good portion of viewers who found themselves in English dubs on Cartoon Network. Anime was popularized worldwide strictly by action, more bang and then some.
Vandread is a title I feel that is in between the anime generation gaps, it employs the popular then mecha approach, with the popular now comedy, romance and what not. You either like blenders or you don't.
What…
Read at the sourceangelsreview
I think that this show was well put together. It had its bit with comedy but also had a couple good lessons inside such as life can’t be token for granted and how man and women can balance each other out despite differences. Sadly, we don’t get much of the characters back stories like I would really like and I really wanted to know why Hibiki was so special though part of me feels like I can tell just by watching it.
The strange idea of men and women being on separate planets leaves a lot of fan girls thinking of Yaoi and Yuri and it does happen just a little bit in the show. The yuri comes out much more though because most of the women in the show have other women they like but it seems a lot of the girls seem to fall for the men as well. It’s strange since they are not supposed to thin…
Read at the sourceDrDoom389
Vandread:
At first glance this seems like a classic sci-fi mecha, then it looks like a baffonish comedy, and finally like an epic romance anime. Now let me say i am no fan to any of the 3 genre's i just listed.I am also not a fan of ecchi or the classic 15 year old boy becomes all powerful scenario.
What this title does perfectly is bind some of the best things of all those genre's together.
It makes you feel for most of it's characters in a way that i couldn't understand. it seems like they are all shallow or repetitive at times but you can't help caring when one falls from grace or get's their heart smashed. even if you don't like comedy in your anime you will chuckle occasionally at the great male vs female jokes. the cliche let's work together and believe in yourself stuff gets alit…
Read at the sourcerandomvoice
Vandread is a poor excuse for an anime.
I think the least an anime series should do is have some reason for existing. Vandread doesn't. It doesn't try to be an intelligent sci-fi series; it doesn't try to be a heartwarming, iyashikei slice-of-life one; it's even too weak to be considered a harem romance anime. All you get with Vandread is episode after episode of pointlessness.
(And if you're wondering, I only watched it because it was being screened at an anime society. Oh, hours of my life that I'll never get back.)
Story [2/10]
The men-are-from-Mars-women-are-from-Venus premise, while cheesy, could have gone somewhere. In theory. In practice it was an excuse to have a harem-style setup in space.
There are unexciting space battles which exist so viewers can giggle about the innuendo…
Read at the sourceTiger_of_Kai
Vandread is baically a really under rated mecha/romance [kinda] anime. It doesn't really seem all that arractive in the beginning, but it'll grow on you. There are alot of things you have to watch twice to get, but maybe I'm just slow that way. All in all, you'll have a great time watching it, ecchi for days, and a great love story, real cutesy. [The first episode two dudes talks of making a baby, I thought it was yaoi]
(P.S.: The mech fusions are awesome, hehe, Dita should bend that way for me ^///^)
Read at the sourceDick75
You're probably wondering why I watched every episode of this show when I so clearly despised it. Because I'm stupid. So here's my review, I'll try to do it all in one breath (pardon the commas). This show contains the following sins, bad 3-d, stupid mech designs, "I'm the main character that's why" writing, a chosen one (anything with a chosen one is bad don't question it accept it), characters that act based on the story instead of their own beliefs (I know the characters are fake but it's your job as a writer to make people understand the characters beliefs), and Power ups (he shudder under his breath.) Power ups make the show into an arms race and their skill becomes a sidebar to the amount of money and luck the characters posses. So my review is a bad review don't watch this show. I d…
Read at the sourcekawaiimisato
Vandread is an excellent space/sci fi/mech/comedy anime with a premise not found in any other show (that i am aware of anyway) and that is that men and women live on different planets and know nothing about eachother.
With that set in, the character interactions are amazing and comical. The show is more comical than serious, but it definitely has its moments of seriousness. The animation is done amazingly well with a mix of drawn anime and CGI space battles. Normally when the two mix it turns out pretty bad (Divergence Eve) but Gonzo managed to pull it off.
The story is nothing to intricate but as it progresses, its gets deeper and deeper which brings a lot more action and battles into play. The character development is pretty good as well, no empty characters are really present (with e…
Read at the sourcelonestar6969
A war between men and women!!! wooooo hooo BRING IT ON. Set in the future, the age long contest between men and women will be fought in space and in mechas. Enters the hero where he finds himself on a ship full of women after accidently becoming a prisoner of war and then guess what... WHAM enters the unknown aliens... now what?? Whats great about this anime is the funny incidents that occur between ppl who have no idea what to do with the opposite sex. Intriguing plot where we see how these bunch of wacks work together to fight though the tough times.The animation is great with smooth fight scenes of beautiful mechas in 3D animation using the latest anime technology very well. Think of gundam with more sex appeal and comedy... enjoy
Read at the sourcejet2r0cks
While there is a lot of ecchi embedded in the plot (usual panty flashes, touching, talking about reproductive organs) there is something to the story of Vandread. I like the idea of men and women not getting along together, then throughout the series they learn to work with each other and win their battles. There’s also the theme of making a difference to prove you’ve existed, which is Hibiki’s goal throughout the series.
Now that I mentioned battles, I’m really not good when it comes to mecha battles. Intergalactic wars tend to either confuse or bore me, but because of the CG I was a bit captivated. The battle scenes did look a bit busy, I wasn’t sure on what was happening all the time. The technical dialogue kind of made it worse, but compared to other mech…
Read at the source