Divergence Eve
Publisher
ADV
Director
Hiroshi NegishiHiroshi Negishi, Jun Takada
Production
RADIX
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
13 Episodes/ 25 minutes
Year
2003
Divergence Eve Volumes 1-3
By noghri
27th Mar 06 Divergence eve, Here we are with the review for the Divergence Eve I will be writing about the complete series which is sold as three individual DVD’s with five episodes on the first disk and four episodes on the last two disks. That ADV said Something wicked is waiting to be unleashed! In the 24th Century, Intergalactic Space Travel has become a reality. One of the first outposts in the far reaches of space is Watcher's Nest - an inflation hole drive portal - which has recently come under attack by a mysterious force known simply as GHOUL. A group of young female cadets assigned to the portal are unexpectedly thrown into a hornet's nest of trouble as they finalize their training to become an elite pilot in the Seraphim Squadron. Review I had seen the trailers for this show and to be honest I was more than a little dubious as to its quality. The animation looked to me to be a mixture of well-made animation with a heavy dosage of fan service grouped together with 3d CG animation of space scenes and mechs similar to the style of beast wars. I was curious to see how this would work. With the discovery of Inflation Holes (something like wormholes) in the 24th century, humans can now travel the galaxy. At the space station "Watcher's Nest" is a relay point for ships equipped with Inflation Drives and run by the organisation Seraphim. It is here that Misaki Kureha, a special ops trainee, is sent to battle the Ghoul. The Ghoul are a giant, alien race who are invading our universe from a parallel universe and they’re point of entry is the Inflation Hole, a hole similar to the worm hole in Deep Space 9. This inflation hole is found at "Watcher's Nest". What are these Ghouls and why are they invading? What happened to our star Misaki on her trip to the station when a Ghoul attacked her? Will she and the members of her team be able to protect the station and the humans living on it with their special mecha units called Rampart Armour? There is a relatively large group of main characters but the focus is directed towards Misaki The storyline is very fast moving, the terminology in the series is not user friendly, I am happy to say however that this only lasts for the first volume as your knowledge of the relevant terminology grows.
Episode Contents (may contain Spoilers)
1. Mission 2 Episode starts of with a first response team on standby for deployment into the portal to combat the expected appearance of a GHOUL. The incursion will involve a small transport and four individual fighters to provide point attacking. As they are prepping for sortie, Ensign Misaki is called away for a final physical and is brought to the sick bay. Apparently, while she is being sedated for the testing she will be used as a tether between the station and the sortie team to provide intelligence on the GHOUL.
Once inside the portal, the team comes across the GHOUL and after an unsuccessful first salvo, one of the teammates is killed (the smallest breasted female, natch). The event necessitates Misaki escape the sick-bay as she heads for her fighter to join up with her teammates. The remaining two pilots are struggling to avoid the enemy attacks, but are grateful once Misaki arrives in her fighter and engages the GHOUL head-on. As she grappleswith the enemy, she is directly attacked by the GHOUL but instead of being defeated, she suddenly transforms into a large being similar to the opponent. In a quick confrontation, she manages to ensnare and destroy the GHOUL, leaving her fellow pilots to wonder what they saw. Making things more confusing is when the sickbay technician pulls Misaki out of a chamber… she apparently never joined the battle… 2. Quantum Barrier Episode 02 seems to cover all of the missing pre-amble for Episode 01. This episode covers the transport of Ensign Misaki to the Watcher’s Nest (including a small tutorial on how faster-than-light travel occurs, apparently using worm-holes in space to travel between dimensions and then using a second worm-hole to return instantaneously to the starting dimension at another place – namely the Watcher’s Nest ; during the transport, all of the people on board enter a sleep state).
While in transport to the station, a GHOUL attack is imminent and the station command is going to try and let the transport materialize then close off the portal to prevent the GHOUL from arriving and attacking. The plan appears to work as the transport appears in real space, but the GHOUL somehow starts to appear on board the transport and grabs the comatose Ensign Misaki. However, the Ensign duplicates her transforming feat from the first episode and is able to defeat the GHOUL but then immediately falls back asleep (apparently unaware of what she can do).
3. Necromancer
Cadet Misaki and the rest of the training team are being put through the paces in training. For the training, they have been using simulators to get acclimated to both the equipment and the lack of gravity… however, Misaki doesn’t appear to be doing very well and her scores put her firmly at the bottom of the class. Unbeknownst to the team, is that they are in competition for an opening on the Seraphim team on the station and will be in active combat against the GHOUL forces (of which they also don’t know about). Unlike her competition,
Misaki is a reserve soldier and doesn’t have the extensive training that the other pilots do. As such, her skills always appear to be weaker than her compatriots and she doesn’t impress anyone until a live fire exercise where she blows away her competition. The test co-ordinator believes that Misaki has pre-cognitive abilities and can predict trajectories.
For the latest test, all of the students will be put through a full-throttle to braking in front of the energy barrier (that separates the GHOUL forces and human ones) to determine if they can take the rigors of combat flight. Unfortunately, the test goes horrible as Misaki’s pod fails to decelerate and she enters the barrier. Now surrounded by enemies that she has never seen before she is saved by the CO of Seraphim Squadron who swears her to secrecy on what she saw inside the barrier, not wanting the other testers to know what they will be facing. 4. Specular The girls finally get a day off from training, and they get to head off the base and into the main city for some R&R. As you can imagine, they are looking to have a little fun and after some checking out of the city, Misaki starts to notice that the current conflict against the GHOUL forces aren’t common knowledge. The girls quickly end up at a bar to end the evening – with each girl heading for their particular vice. The evening gets more interesting when their CO arrives to drink as well and even ends up speaking frankly to Misaki. The conversation doesn’t sit well with Misaki and she takes the Lieutenant’s speech to be an insult (after the Lieutenant suggests that the life of a Cadet was carefree and happy) and leaves the bar in a huff. On the base, the military is in high alert with a potential GHOUL break through the barrier and all of the base’s defenses are being readied to contain it.
While walking around, Misaki comes across a young girl who is drawing on the road with chalk of some ornate demons – the quiet girl seems focused on her work and doesn’t talk to Misaki. The situation becomes serious as a GHOUL appears in the same area as Misaki and the young artist. As the GHOUL materializes, the station’s defenses are able to contain the being and Misaki is once again instructed to not reveal what she has seen to the other girls. 5. Seraphim
:
Watcher’s Nest draws some unwanted attention, a news reporter who is looking for a story and he thinks that the creation of Seraphim Squadron is a prime example that the military is trying to hide something. After getting to watch the girls run some simulations, he gets to ride along with the entire team during a “live drill” which will take place on board a ship off-station. Thinking that the reporter will be sated if he gets to see some action, he’ll decide that there isn’t a story and will leave it well enough alone.
However, during the start of the test a GHOUL appears suddenly through the barrier and attacks the training ship. The initial attack takes out the main power and the girls are going to rush to their pods to get away. With only Misaki and Kotoko (the android officer) knowing what they are against, the remaining members of the team aren’t prepared and are easy targets for the determined enemy. Although once the base is able to reinitialize the barrier, it is too late to protect the students, and none of them escape uninjured especially in the case of Kotoko who literally loses her head.
6. Watcher's Nest More testing continues. Misaki and four other girls are hooked up to a machine one of the test machines is designed to investigate our senses and what would happen in certain scenarios Susana was the first to go. When she was done she was terrified and she decides to resign her commission as a test pilot at watchers nest. she is told she will ahev to leave watchers nest. The commander said that because she wants to leave she has to get her memory erased. According to the doctor 2 years of her life will be forgotten. 7. Quantum Core The reporter who also witnessed the attack tricks Misaki into giving him of her I D card so he can hack into the watchers nests computer system. He promises she will not be found out he will erase his tracks. Whilst he is stealing data from the robotic system he reprograms it. The robot goes on a killing rampage, but since the reporter is under protection no one can touch him.
8. Alchemy
Misaki is found in a rampart armour suit unconscious on the quantum core. The reporter and Misaki head down to the quantum core to discover some secrets after the robots goes on the killing Spree. Misaki then awakens in the hospital section of the watchers nest and has no recollection as to how she got there. One of the nurses Advises her that the lieutenant to rescue her. She is told to rest and so Misaki lies down and tries to remember what actually happened. Something disturbing crosses her mind. She remembers seeing the image of her dead father's face from inside the partly destroyed enemy robot suit. What on earth is happening? Misaki goes to commander Leblanc of the watchers nest and for some reason he decides to share the secret with her . once within the quantum core beyond the quantum barrier, when you die you don't really die you are in some way transformed as the living dead. Effectively zombies, these resurrected pilots still pilot their downed Mechs. The commander and the nurse start illegal tests on Misaki. Weird things start to happen to Misaki and for this and some possibly unknown reason she is terrified. They use the image of her dead father to their advantage and with this stimuli Misaki stars to mutate. Misaki does not seem to be human but neither is she Ghoul its appears as though whe may be some sort of hybrid of the two.
9. Tragedy of Cherubim
The Test pilots have graduated but they fail to feel exhilerated. Instead of celebrating the girls go and do their own thing. Misaki and her friends do decide to go out and have a nice meal together. And an amuzing scene starts where Misaki tries to teach the rest of the team how to use chop sticks. This is a bit of light relief which is much needed from the tense storyline. 10. Divergence EVE The Ghoul attack once again but some of the soldiers are indisposed at the moment so Luxandra goes and tries to hold off the Ghoul as long as she possibly can. Reinforcements don't arrive in time Luxandra's Battle armour is damaged and she is vulnerable to attack. A Ghoul decides to take this advantage and she is devoured and the sad thing about it is seconds later the quantum barrier was activated and she could have been saved. Misaki after finding out about this is saddened by the news and for some reason sees the ghost image of her friend. Misaki blames herself for the death of her frend. But like good friends Luxandra reassured her that it wasn't her fault, but rather Luxandra’s destiny and that what happened, happened for a reason.
11. Designer's Children
Since the last episode Ghoul have been attacking the watchers nest continuously and the pilots are run ragged. They have been also been appearing inside the watchers nests cities. After the Ghoul are defeated Misaki decides to go to the city by herself and she finds the church. Inside is a computer with all the names of people who have ever died at the watcher's nest. She finds her fathers grave. She then comes across one of her friends and returns to the subway. On the way guess whom they run into Susana. She has no memory of the Ghoul Terror or anything that has happened, she is now a janitor sweeping the road. Misaki goes in talks to her but finds that she does not remember Misaki at all. 12. Mission 1 This is actually the first episode but played now as to not reveal too much too early. The Ghoul attack for the first time, and the attack force is massive. This is one of the pilots first major missions. Every soldier is dispatched to keep them Ghoul busy until the quantum barrier can be repaired Misaki in the heat of battle mutates, this time the now familiar form appears to be even larger. Somehow she is recovered and is placed into some kind of liquid contained in a mass of machinery. An illegal microchip is implanted in Misaki’s brain, this controls Misaki by means of controlling emotions and movement. It is here that you find out the purpose of the experiments. 13. Mission 3 Misaki is by now under full control of the commander and he sends her into Battle once more by herself. He knows exactly what is going to happen in he's counting on it. The watchers nest is under attack yet again, but this time it can't be defended as the quantum barrier has failed. An evacuation order has been issued for all citizens, employees and staff have been transferred into the cities and these cities have been jettisoned from the main platform. Commander Leblanc who is performing the illegal experiments does not go to the cities for the evacuation. He comes back to the control room and reactivates the system. He then inserts himself into the control computer and monitors Misaki from a safe distance. Something happens to Misaki she sees her own death. For some reason Commander Leblanc who is still plugged into the computer in the main base appears to run into trouble and the wires that are plugged into him actually kill him.
While Commander Leblanc does manipulate Misaki, it's not until he sets about for the potential to kill everyone on the station, just to achieve the power of the Ghoul, that he really appears to be a bad guy. A lot of little bits from earlier episodes come back into play here as things and conversations come full circle. The flashback sequences are shown to be prologues and with their aid we finally discover more of what happened when things first started at this site and how it relates to Misaki and the other test pilots. The series ends when Misaki experiences a flashback and sees herself and one of her friends back on earth heading for the recruitment centre of the watchers nest. Thoughts After watching the first four episodes in was found left wanting, and I doubted this anime was to be one I would enjoy a lot. The animation grated and the characters seemed only to be divided by their hair colours. As soon as the fifth episode starts the story begins to focus on what lays beyond the "quantum barrier" instead of above it the story changes completely and, with the help of some flashback scenes, they actually bring the show exactly what it needs. Perhaps the strangest thing about divergence eve is that the first episode is actually the 2nd episode in chronological order the next is then actually the 4th episode. The reason for this is that the revelations of the 1st and 3rd episodes would not even make sense if played in chronological order and would just spoil the storyline, so instead the show takes a risk by alienating the audience for the length of the first volume.
It may have been a great risk, but personally if you watch past the first volume you will be rewarded with the depth of storyline you do not commonly get in a 13 episode series. while not as complex as the likes of Neon Genesis Evangelion to get half that story into 13 episodes is still a challenge, but one that the creative team of divergence eve embraced. The story doesn’t actually seem to suffer from this disjointed timeline. If anything it spurs you as a viewer into trying to gain the answers you seek for yourself. The main thing that can’t help but draw your attention is the fan service, all of the female characters posses the likes of which have not been seen in nature. The sheer ridiculousness of the breasts in this series is something I cannot describe well enough to do it justice. The boobs are bigger than the female characters heads and their waists are smaller than their necks. The cast are 95% female and they each possess equally oversized breasts with the exception of a few male characters and one 10-year-old cyborg that thankfully, is flat chested. The most amazing thing about the overly large boobs is what I like to call the jiggle factor, imagine a scene if you will on the bridge of a spaceship whether it be the Archangel, SDF-1 or the Nadesico. When the communications staff or petty officer turns in her chair to address the captain each breast adopts its own circular motion, usually in the same direction but not always. This independent movement had me in hysterics, but I can see through the fan service in Najica Blitz tactics to see the plot, which is fantastic by the way. As I said earlier I was curious as to how the mixture of animation styles would work, but unfortunately I would later find out that in my opinion it just doesn’t. I really wanted to enjoy it, but I simply struggle to get my head around the totally mismatched animation styles. 3d rendering can be used well and in titles such as DN Angel and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed we see that this even works well. the Ghoul is an interesting design, but again with the mismatched CG animation and when it comes down to the attack scenes the stark differences in quality of the animation styles is obvious. I find myself completely at a loss for the choices made by the creative team, whether they were trying to be inventive or original I couldn’t tell you, but it just doesn’t work for me personally, but I honestly think this shouldn’t put most people off it is just my personal issue with the show. The fan service and animation aside, this show really does have an amazing storyline, which isn’t hindered by the over complicated script too badly. It is mostly character driven like most shows of its type, the main difference is the detail that the creative team have gone into to design the Divergence Eve galaxy. The music in this title is actually quite good the opening is fantastic, it is a kind of techno-rock fusion and suits the mood of the show very nicely. The ending theme by complete contrast is a summery fast paced song with the most random closing video, which appears to have nothing at all to do with the show. The fan service in these scenes is entertaining, it is a little out of place but this serves to bring the viewer out of the seriousness found in the series, and really brings the episode to a cheerful end. Divergence Eve is one of the more interesting science fiction stories but has been hidden behind the fan service. It's extremely serious nature is probably in need of a little light relief, but this could have been out of place in the story. There's a fascinating story being told here with the aid of some really neat concepts and animation. The CG work is the biggest let down in this series, but once you can look past those relatively minor details you can see the show for what it truly is a fantastic piece of Sci-Fi Storytelling. The depth of invention into the technology employed by seraphim is displayed handily on the inside covers of each DVD. About 200 words on each inside cover is a nice touch and gives anyone the background into many different aspects of the story. The quality of this show was a real surprise to me, I could have easily looked at the front cover and decided the fan service was the reason for the series like many others out there on the market. Or to take the cg animations at face value and assume this was all the show had to offer. That would have been a grave mistake on my part and I would advice anyone with doubts of picking up this series or any doubts after the first volume to bear with it and give the show another try. The story continues in "Divergence Eve Misaki’s Chronicles". Which is currently being released on Region 1 DVD, this will hopefully be released in the UK this year by ADV.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: Japanese 2.0 Language, English 5.1 Language, English Subtitles, Original Japanese promo spots, Commentary, Clean opening animation, Clean closing animation, Divergence Eve Mini Manga.
Release information: ADV /Available now
Notes: Using the same main artwork as the Japanese release the artwork really does make the dvd cases a handsome collection. differing mainly in basic colours, blue green and purple. the artwork show the test pilots in uniform and each is acompanied by Misaki in skimpy clothing. this too enforces the image of a fan service based story. i do feel that although these are modified japanese covers it would have been in ADV's best interest to remove these pictures from the front covers, it is not a content found in the series, except during the medicals and in the closing scenes. The rear covers show scenes from the volume in question and a brief introduction for each volume. technical details are also listed on the rear of the case. inside the case each DVD holds secrets into the technology employed in the Seraphim organisation and Watcher's nest.
The audio track is fantastic with a techno-rock intro to the show and the closing is funky and fresh enough to bring you back out of the seriousness of the episodes leaving you with a feeling of happiness.
the transfer DVD has been completed well and since it was released during 2003 the show is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is enhanced for anamorphic playback
-- noghri 27th Mar 06
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