Anime: Najica Dengeki Sakusen

Najica Blitz Tactics is fundamentally a pantyshot show, and needs to be treated as such. It's not really fair or effective to apply normal review criteria to it. The series does at least - unlike Aika - provide a consistent setting - what plot there is is coherent, even interesting. The basic setup - a shadowy corporation secretly producing extremely human-like androids (or rather gynoids), some of which then go rogue - is perhaps unoriginal, but the show does a good job of building up tension. The relationship between lead Najica and her robotic ("Humaritt") partner Lila is beautifully explored, and probably the high point of the show - Najica's initial distrust gradually develops into affection, while Lila struggles to overcome her hopeless ignorance of normal human behaviour. It's all strikingly believable, and I found myself caring a lot for both of them.

Sadly, the same tenderness is not applied to the larger-scale plot. There simply isn't enough time spent exploring it, most of each episode being taken up with fight sequences and character interaction, so we get very little development from the initial premise. The series' strictly episodic nature exacerbates this: each episode is a single mission, with a different (usually) Humaritt as the "target". So there's never enough time to develop properly characterised antagonists, and it often feels like we lose any progress made by the end of each episode, especially since many of the missions following the same formula. The ending at least makes some effort to resolve things, but it's done in the worst animé tradition and I found it deeply unsatisfying.

The animation is of its time, but has aged well; characters and backgrounds all seem nicely detailed. Najica Blitz Tactics is quite a high-action show, with gunfights taking up a surprisingly large proportion of the running time. They've generally well-choreographed and even manage to seem quite realistic in their use of cover and the like. That is, if one sets aside the unnatural falling and acrobatics needed to keep the pantyshot count up. The ending is exceedingly plain, but the opening, while not experimental, is at least fitting, and matched up with a superb jazzy tune (interestingly, without any vocals). The music in general is very nicely done, evocative jazz that meshes perfectly with the sexualized atmosphere. The show is trying to be a club singer, feeling sleazy without ever doing anything outright improper - at least, nothing you could objectively prove, because what series doesn't have pantyshots?

But most series don't have them like this. Take away the pantyshots and, unless you're very big on cute friendships between girls, there just isn't enough to sustain interest. Perhaps when new the action was good enough to justify watching, but by modern standards it's nothing special; for my money even e.g. Code Geass has better action, and I'd imagine something like El Cazador de la Bruja would be much better. Certainly this series compares unfavourably with Noir, which had the same kind of character interactions, similar fights and animation, even better music and actually went somewhere with its plot.

So ultimately, Najica Blitz Tactics lives or dies by its pantyshots (almost exclusively plain white, for those for whom that makes a difference). If you like them, it's probably the best place you could look for them - it has believable characterization, and by the standards of the genre an excellent plot (in that while there is little advancement, everyone's actions broadly make sense). You could even argue that an agent having several very similar missions is more realistic than building up to a finale - probably true, but it makes for a boring work of fiction. Which will, I think, be the main problem with Najica, should you tire of seeing white-clad crotches.

After watching the first episode, I was convinced this was going to be the worst anime of all time, and waited another 3 months before starting to watch the rest of the anime. However, once I started watching episode 2 I realized the anime was actually pretty decent once you got past the liberal use of panty shots.

The animation is decent, but for a anime this recent the animation isn't too great. The abundant panty shots also are a distraction (in a bad way) and really destroyed what could have been an above-average anime.

The soundtrack was good, I liked the mix of jazz, and it fit very well with the sense of "cool" the series was trying to portray.

The story was pretty pathetic, most of the episodes followed the same plot line, there was an overriding theme about the nature of the artificial humans, but it didn't amount to too much.

The characters were the best part about the series; I loved Lila, she reminded me of Kirika from Noir, one of my favorite anime characters. Najica herself was a bit stiff and not very fleshed out, but in the end I found myself likeing her character. The only downside here really is the propensity for the villians to be women who like to get knocked out in ways that optimize the panty shots.

The value of this anime is pretty low; I can't really imagine re-watching it; its similar enough to Noir that if I want to watch its genre I will just pick up Noir itself.

However, I did enjoy Najica: Blitz Tactics, and would reccomend it to people if they can look past the pointless and annoying abundance of panty shots.

I wasn't expecting much from this, but since I watched it's predecessor Agent Aika, I thought, "What the heck," and decided to give it a shot.

First off, it's set in the same universe as Aika, where the world is flooded and suffered a major war. There's not much background given to the characters or the setting, but that's okay given the series' limited length.

Overall, it is surprisingly good. The action sequences are about the same as Aika and are decently choreographed. The animation is quite a bit better (expected for a recent anime), as is the music. Fan service is mostly the same, with women everywhere, impossibly short skirts, low camera angles, and generic baddies always landing ass up. This time though, there was no hesitation in throwing in a bare boob or two. Mechanical design is pretty good (comparable to Hollywood spy flicks) and the technical jargon was surprisingly accurate whenever it's bandied around. I noticed the computer screens do not show any Engrish, though they aren't always relevant content.

But that's not what stood out. What stood out was that each episode examined a different aspect of the idea of Humaritts. Humaritts are artificial humans, so we have episodes examining how Humans view the Humaritts (as work partners, lovers, tools), how Humaritts behave (need for guidance, independence, etc) and more. The series is not long enough to go in-depth, but I guess that was its intention.

One episode, where Najica was investigating a pop group, reminded me so much of Blade Runner. Most Humaritts have short artificial histories and thus fail to develop proper emotional responses, so to test for a Humaritt, talk about something emotional and check the iris/pupil for a response. I was half expecting someone to say, "Let me tell you about my mother."

Okay, there is one noticably bad point: plot holes. There is some inconsistency in the ability to detect and capture Humaritts. It varies to suit the convenience of the plot. It isn't that bad though, since you can just let the ecchi distract you from that. Another less noticeable flaw: Because it skims over the entire concept of artificial humans with each episode being mostly unrelated, there's little time to develop each new character. It's minor because the new characters don't matter much. It's just an isolated episode the depicts one aspect of a human response coming from an artificial human (insert Blade Runner reference: "More human than human").

Anyway, if you like the sci-fi-cum-philosophical aspects of anime like Ghost in the Shell (everything but GITS: Innocence) and don't mind, or even like, lots of fan service, then this worth watching. If you want ass-kicking women and fan service, this might be okay, but you'd probably be better satisfied by anime like Tenjou Tenge and Ikkitousen.

Chicks with guns and kicks...nice...

The story:

Najica is a secret agent. Her super sexy moves and ultra classical attire make her the most dangerous opponent in all categories...until her company is wrapped into a huge operation with humanoids known as Humalits; with her new kawaii sidekick, Lila, it's time for Najica to use her blitz tactics to defeat her enemy!

Well, the stories' activities are much like a James Bond ripoff I'd say. I wouldn't necessarily give the story a Bond style - there are masterminds, but the schemes developed aren't quite as complicated as those that you might find in a Goldeneye movie.

As for the storyline...it is a collection of several missions, all with a different intent; however, each mission is backed by a bigger story, so it has a healthy plot movement. Nothing too disappointing about it, so I am confused as to why the average vote is not even seven...

However, the ending is really a matter of personal taste. I don't like faceless endings like the one in this anime, but it didn't destroy the story in any way.

Najica Pantsu-Inspection Tactics should be another title...

Lots of pantsu shots, this is totally ecchi. All the girls are mega-fucking hot, I couldn't help but drool everytime the sexy perspectives would roll in (they also make it seem like no big deal either, hehe.) Some episodes include bare breasts or bare asses for a brief moment, but nothing too perverted. The pantsu are always white though - I think it's rather funny that they spent so much time giving sexual innuendo that they didn't expand the universe beyond white panties...*sigh*

The action is great! The ecchi fits in really well with the martial arts...it makes the women look really cool and seductive. As for the fighting, there is some superhuman strength performed by the Humalits which looks really amazing and often times gripping. Not to mention Najica's uber-spins and twists that make the watcher wish he/she had that kind of style in their movements. Sometimes the animation carries the movements a tad too far, such as normal women jumping ridiculously high, or pulling out guns which look physically impossible to fire for the size that they are.

As for the characters, the story centralizes on Najica and Lila. Najica cannot really be predicted; her attitude conflicts with so many of her actions - and with the amount of ecchi, her responses to male characters are often quite the turn off (such is a personal reason why I didn't like her too much.) As for Lila, she is ultra cute and innocent, despite her unimaginable feats...and her ignorance can be hilarious or annoying, depending on how one sees her. As for the minor characters, they are so minimal in their presence during the course of events that they are hardly capable of being diagnosed. It might have been better to learn more about the antagonists in the last two episodes, as they are part of the entire story itself.

Sounds: Superb.

I love the opening theme, it's very unique and catchy. The bg music is very much jazz, making the action sweeter and more classy than the usual trance music like what I've seen in Naruto (and I like the trance, but Najica is just a different sound.) As for the ending, it's ok.

The seiyuu are average. I didn't like the voice of Lila, it was too bland, despite Lila's intended role. For Najica, the voice fits very well, and the voice actor may have had difficulty keeping Najica's coolness, while all-in-all giving her an emotional response towards the lives of others.

Overall: go ahead and *click*

I liked it. I don't know about those who didn't, but I found a little enjoyment with the ethics which are sprung out between the unhampered pantsu shots. I don't think I'll rewatch it for a while - it lacks the story appeal that I would find addicting, but it is good enough to watch with friends.

Note: I recall a friend mentioning to me that there will be a continuation - I wouldn't be too surprised, but hopefully that isn't just a rumor.

Recommending this is easy: Almost anyone can enjoy it. Action lovers could get there fix, despite the lack of blood. Newbies would begin to respect the pantsu shots, and ecchi lovers would get a decent anime to chuckle at or stare at depending on their fancies. Just remember that chicks with guns and white panties dominate this show.