Exosquad came out when I was about 9, and I was immediately obsessed with it. I remember coming home from school every day and plopping myself in front of the TV all excited, just to catch a rerun. It was seriously that good. The story, when it is boiled down, is basically a futuristic World War II. The insane, brutal tyrant leading his people in a fight for global (or in this case, multi-global) domination, and the extermination of an "inferior" race. (Note the Neosapien officer's uniforms and the constant striving to create the superior breed of Neo and tell me that's not Nazism). But the show was so much more than that. The characters were all given a chance to develop, and the writers always managed to reveal the reasons behind the actions. The audience could understand the motives of the Neos, and could even justify the carnage they wrought. The depth of the series surpasses anything else American animators have produced, and easily rivals the best of Japanese anime. The only negatives I can find are the animation (but it was a decade ago, so I can forgive that) and the abrupt ending. There was so much more they could have done with the series if only given a chance. But, if it was appealing to the marketers' key demographic, it wouldn't be nearly so good, so I guess we should be grateful for what we got. If you get the opportunity to watch, or even relive Exosquad, I highly recommend it. I recently acquired the majority of the series, and I can say that my childhood memories hardly do it justice. Now I'm able to appreciate it so much more, and I hope you can too.
