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Title (English) Metal Angel Marie

Title (Japanese) Watashi no Marie (?)

Advertising
Fantasy Novel

Notes 3 episode OVA series, from Studio Pierrot, 1996. Adapted from long-running manga.
UK release (dubbed) from ADV, cert. 15, 80 mins, ｣12.99.

Classification -

Synopsis Hiroshi, a socially inept amateur mad engineer, builds himself a robotic duplicate of his dream girl. Hovever Marie is not only almost indistinguishable from a real human, she also has a mind of her own and a whole host of questions about the meaning of life.
The first episode is to do with the creation of Marie and her introduction to the world, and her role in helping Hiroshi get closer to his dream girl, who is also called Marie. The two Maries meet, without the first realising that the second is a robot and not Hiroshi's sister.
In the second episode, a tough girl, Hibiki Kennou, is confused by her feelings for Hiroshi.
In the third, robot-Marie has dreams.

Review In essence, this is a rather charming romantic comedy. The three episodes are fairly loosely connected and it seems likely that several more would have been made if the first three had been a commercial success. The artwork is pretty, and there is plenty of comedy. In some ways the anime seems a bit all over the place. It came as a mild shock to me to realise, partway though the first episode, that the principal characters are all adults, as they all seem emotionally very immature. Even robot-Marie, who is nominally the youngest, is passed off as an 18-year old. It's therefore further disconcerting to find that some quite adult situations appear in the anime - hence the "15" video certificate! Apparently the manga was also quite spicy. Some things in the "Hibiki Kennou" episode are a bit on the dumb side wheras there is some quite clever stuff in the "dream" episode, and generally in the delicate way the series explores the idea that real girls might be more satisfying than make-believe, and the way it explores robot-Marie's rapidly growing self-knowledge and her feelings for Hiroshi.
The designs have the lightness and prettiness often associated with shoujo anime, though it isn't classed as shoujo. Not perfect, but well worth watching.
***

Credits Original story: Sakura Takeuchi, Goro Sanyo
Screenplay: Goro Sakamoto
Character Designs & Director of Animation: Hiroto Tanaka
Art Director: Hidetoshi Kaneko
Music: Hisaki Hogari
Director: Tomomi Mochizuki
Producers: Yuko Sakurai (Victor Entertainment), Michiyuki Honma (Studio Pierrot).
Executive Producers: Kazumitsu Higuchi (Victor Entertainment), Yuuji Nunokawa (Studio Pierrot)

Episodes 3

Release UK:VHS

TV Showing See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.

Date 1996

Production

Broadcaster

Animation

References & Help Look up the latest data on this title at:
Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or
Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) ,
or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001).
Help & further information.

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Information
Title (English)	Metal Angel Marie
Title (Japanese)	Watashi no Marie (?)
Advertising Fantasy Novel
Notes	3 episode OVA series, from Studio Pierrot, 1996. Adapted from long-running manga. UK release (dubbed) from ADV, cert. 15, 80 mins, ｣12.99.
Classification	-
Synopsis	Hiroshi, a socially inept amateur mad engineer, builds himself a robotic duplicate of his dream girl. Hovever Marie is not only almost indistinguishable from a real human, she also has a mind of her own and a whole host of questions about the meaning of life. The first episode is to do with the creation of Marie and her introduction to the world, and her role in helping Hiroshi get closer to his dream girl, who is also called Marie. The two Maries meet, without the first realising that the second is a robot and not Hiroshi's sister. In the second episode, a tough girl, Hibiki Kennou, is confused by her feelings for Hiroshi. In the third, robot-Marie has dreams.
Review	In essence, this is a rather charming romantic comedy. The three episodes are fairly loosely connected and it seems likely that several more would have been made if the first three had been a commercial success. The artwork is pretty, and there is plenty of comedy. In some ways the anime seems a bit all over the place. It came as a mild shock to me to realise, partway though the first episode, that the principal characters are all adults, as they all seem emotionally very immature. Even robot-Marie, who is nominally the youngest, is passed off as an 18-year old. It's therefore further disconcerting to find that some quite adult situations appear in the anime - hence the "15" video certificate! Apparently the manga was also quite spicy. Some things in the "Hibiki Kennou" episode are a bit on the dumb side wheras there is some quite clever stuff in the "dream" episode, and generally in the delicate way the series explores the idea that real girls might be more satisfying than make-believe, and the way it explores robot-Marie's rapidly growing self-knowledge and her feelings for Hiroshi. The designs have the lightness and prettiness often associated with shoujo anime, though it isn't classed as shoujo. Not perfect, but well worth watching. ***
Credits	Original story: Sakura Takeuchi, Goro Sanyo Screenplay: Goro Sakamoto Character Designs & Director of Animation: Hiroto Tanaka Art Director: Hidetoshi Kaneko Music: Hisaki Hogari Director: Tomomi Mochizuki Producers: Yuko Sakurai (Victor Entertainment), Michiyuki Honma (Studio Pierrot). Executive Producers: Kazumitsu Higuchi (Victor Entertainment), Yuuji Nunokawa (Studio Pierrot)
Episodes	3
Release	UK:VHS
TV Showing	See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.
Date	1996
Production
Broadcaster
Animation
References & Help	Look up the latest data on this title at: Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) , or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001). Help & further information.