MD Geist

MD Geist is about a soldier who has unsurpassed combat skills and ends up being cryogenically frozen in order to suppress his uncontrollable nature. Geist ends up awakening from his cryogenic state and after the satellite that he is stored in crashes. He ends up in another war, helping the army to stop the planet's central computer from activating a doomsday  device that will wipe out all life on the planet.

This was a fairly short OVA and contains two parts. The first is MD Geist and the second MD Geist Doomsday (stay tuned for a review on the second OVA). There really wasn't a whole lot going for this short film as a whole. It was entertaining but didn't have any elements that jumped out and grabbed you.

Some of the positives of this film include the animation style, design of the cybernetic suits, the retro look and feel of the whole film. I really like old school anime so this was right up my ally. The characters (other than Geist) were not really all that memorable, but the design of the cybernetic suits that they wear was pretty cool. The concept for the atmosphere is very much like Fist of the North Star. The whole era was based in a post-apocalyptic style world.

Some negatives of this film were the story and the BGM. While I can appreciate the complexity in trying to tell and entire story and develop characters in 43 minutes, it is not impossible. I have seen many retro anime from the 80's and 90's do, so the era is not an excuse here. The BGM was pretty unmemorable. While the 80's Japanese rock music was entertaining right before a fight or when something commemorative was happening, there was nothing there to really grab me and make me want to get a copy of this soundtrack.

I found that the most memorable elements from this film all played off of the success of previous films and shows such as Fist of the North Star. While I was entertained in watching this, there really wasn't anything that felt unique or original in MD Geist. I suspect that the second OVA will display many of the same strengths and short comings as the first, but nonetheless I plan to watch it anyway and fill you guys in. I recommend watching this if you are into old school retro anime and want to kill some time with something that has action and not too much thinking involved. Stay tuned for my follow up on the second OVA and that may help you make your decision as to whether this OVA is worth your time or not.