Virus Buster Serge Vol 1

Description

This 1997 TV series is set in Neo-Hong Kong, 2097, when the Incubator is attacking Earth with a virus that turns bio-machines into metamorphic monsters. The elite warriors of S.T.A.N.D. fight in mecha suits that recall the ones in Bubblegum Crisis. The women have pneumatic figures that defy gravity; the men are brooding muscleheads. Director Masami Obari (Battle Arena Toshiden, Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture) disguises the cheapness of the production with fast cutting, dramatic shadows, and flamboyant colors. But the story is a morass of mysteries, relationships, dream sequences, etc. When Serge, the title character, tries to kill S.T.A.N.D. commander Raven, Raven greets him with the words, ‘You are loved.’ Raven recruits Serge for S.T.A.N.D., and he quickly becomes their top warrior. Fans of the related video game may not be troubled by the gaps in logic. (Unrated; suitable for ages 14 and older: nudity, violence, tobacco use, grotesque imagery) –Charles Solomon