Iczer 3 (AKA Iczer Reborn or the awkward UK title The Adventures With Iczer 3) is a deft cross of Robotech/Battle of the Planets style pulp Sci-fi and a little bit of Magical Girl style heroics. A young female robot Iczer 3 is sent down to earth to save the planet from the invasion of alien villainess Neos Gold.
Iczer 3 has a nice mix of psychedelic, powerful and multicoloured fighting action (a bit like a hybrid of Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon) and warm, well observed human drama. The main characters are all well written and believable, and main character Iczer 3 is young and naive in a charming and intelligent fashion, not just a brat with a squeaky voice like so many other teen anime heroines. It's a great ride, and an emotional one at that.
Still it's got a few drawbacks I possibly ought to warn you about. Firstly it's age. As a series that started in 1990 and finished a year later, Iczer 3 is nearly 18 years old. It does unfortunately show as this is a mass production budget series, not a film like the older Akira or Venus Wars. The colours look a little aged, and the character and mecha designs, while they'll induce feelings of nostalgia in older anime-heads, will possibly seem arcane and fussy to newer viewers more used to digital anime and music video animations.
Secondly...the dub is a little strange. In the UK this is only available with a dub track. As with most dub shows, I've kinda subtracted a point because I had to watch it dubbed and the dub has a few flaws, mainly some bizarre or unintentionally hilarious lines that screwed up the atmosphere intermittently and in Iczer's case especially there are points where dialogue is being spoken but nobody is talking on screen. If you don't watch Subs anyway, this is an 8, not a 7 as you won't mind, but I do prefer to watch a sub if possible.
Despite it starting to show it's age and having a slightly dodgy dub, Iczer 3 is a great series with likable characters you actually care for, great fight sequences and explosive action. The animation while a little dated is consistently excellent throughout the series, and unlike newer series, the entire series will only take 3 hours to watch. I'm sure you've got 3 hours lying around somewhere right?
Iczer 3 has a nice mix of psychedelic, powerful and multicoloured fighting action (a bit like a hybrid of Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon) and warm, well observed human drama. The main characters are all well written and believable, and main character Iczer 3 is young and naive in a charming and intelligent fashion, not just a brat with a squeaky voice like so many other teen anime heroines. It's a great ride, and an emotional one at that.
Still it's got a few drawbacks I possibly ought to warn you about. Firstly it's age. As a series that started in 1990 and finished a year later, Iczer 3 is nearly 18 years old. It does unfortunately show as this is a mass production budget series, not a film like the older Akira or Venus Wars. The colours look a little aged, and the character and mecha designs, while they'll induce feelings of nostalgia in older anime-heads, will possibly seem arcane and fussy to newer viewers more used to digital anime and music video animations.
Secondly...the dub is a little strange. In the UK this is only available with a dub track. As with most dub shows, I've kinda subtracted a point because I had to watch it dubbed and the dub has a few flaws, mainly some bizarre or unintentionally hilarious lines that screwed up the atmosphere intermittently and in Iczer's case especially there are points where dialogue is being spoken but nobody is talking on screen. If you don't watch Subs anyway, this is an 8, not a 7 as you won't mind, but I do prefer to watch a sub if possible.
Despite it starting to show it's age and having a slightly dodgy dub, Iczer 3 is a great series with likable characters you actually care for, great fight sequences and explosive action. The animation while a little dated is consistently excellent throughout the series, and unlike newer series, the entire series will only take 3 hours to watch. I'm sure you've got 3 hours lying around somewhere right?
