Parody, thy name is Moldiver! Like Project: A-Ko before it, nothing is sacred, least of all the super-suit genre in science fiction. This show pokes fun at just about anything and everyone, include Japan's marginally successful F1 driver, Nakajima (or Nakagawa in the show. In real life too, he's had a tough time keeping up with other drivers and newer technology). Not even the venerable animation studio itself is immune, as its alter-ego is cast as the evil corporate monster. If that's not enough, how's this for a twist: The Mol effect will only work on humans if they're not wearing any clothes -- and there's a minor quirk that has to do with a time limit... The Japanese have no qualms about using nudity, or even implied nudity as a means to deliver humour. Moldiver uses this too-often used device in a very tasteful, if not effective way. Before you start yanking the tapes off your shelves, relax -- the nudity is very minor and very innocent, and it has to be: this series is targeted at the younger grade-school kids. (Has anyone else noticed that beauty pagents and skimpy bathing suits seem to appear more often in shows for very young viewers? Is there something I'm not getting here?) The target audience also means is that the story's pretty simple, and lots of gee-whiz techno-babble to keep things interesting. Keep in mind that this is the first of a series, so part of the show is a whirlwind introduction to the players.

Animation is above-average across the board, with some great motion perspective shots thrown in. And the cast? There's a very competent (and large!) line-up of vocal talents; but Nogami Yukana does a great job as the bubbly and mischievious Ozora Mirai, without going 'over-the-top.' Morikawa Tomoyuki delivers an equally competent performance as her geeky super-nerd brother, Hiroshi. Add to that a decently catchy soundtrack, and Pioneer's awesome packaging (postcards and informative posters) and you end up with an easy recommendation.
- AN, 98.01.20