Grey

Director
Tetsu Dezaki
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
80 mins
Year
1987

Grey

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

I've never had the pleasure to read the original manga Grey is based around, but I'm informed that it's a very cool read, and comes highly praised from various respectable sources. So, it was with some anticipation that I purchased a second-hand copy of Grey from a local toy and book importers. Although it didn't match up to my expectations, Grey was nonetheless a worthy purchase and while I can't find enough positive qualities to highly recommend it, I can say that it wont exactly harm the respectability of your anime collection, either. If that kind of thing floats your boat.

Grey is set in the future. You know the rest - apocalyptic aftermath, few survivors, little natural resources and survival of the fittest. It's the survival of the fittest element that Grey concentrates the majority of it's energy on with mother computers nurturing entire towns and cities for the sole purpose of combat and sick, twisted entertainment. Grey is our hero, one of the top Troopers in his home city whose dream is to gain freedom through killing enough enemy Troopers to gain rank A and become a citizen. He's quickly achieving that dream, already at rank C and something of a legend within certain circles (infamously known as 'Grey Death' to some). However, not everything is as it seems in this bleak new future, and as Grey finally gets the chance to achieve his goals, he is dragged back down to reality and revealed the horrible truth behind the fate of the earth.

The plot has many similarities to Starship Troopers and The Terminator, although it's look and style are all it's own. The art isn't particularly great, but it does feel very 80's and has a nice nostalgic air about it. The characters are decent enough, although many of them seemed slightly hackneyed, they are strong enough to carry the more interesting characters, like Grey himself. Grey's past is slowly revealed to the viewer through flashbacks and memories, and the story of his helmet (bearing the logo 'LIPS') is pivotal to the outcome of the story. This multi-layered plot line and engaging character work is Grey's strongest point, and somewhat deals with the more obvious shortcomings.

The action scenes are plentiful, although they lack direction and the atmosphere the original manga obviously had in abundance. They do break up the story and provide some relief from the message-heavy theme, yet you cant help but think what Grey could have been with a bigger budget and better animation. Promising, but just not good enough to save it from averageness.

Update: I've since read the manga. It's longer than the animation and comes to a more satisfying conclusion, but what is here remains faithful to the manga version.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

Grey Images