Assemble : Insert |
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The situation with idol singers in
Japan is about the same here. A nice looking girl, some
harmless songs, little talent, and lots of exploitation.
Idol singers are known to have short careers, and if you
don't believe me, just ask yourself if Britney Spears
will be as popular as she is now in five years. Sweet
Jesus, I just made a Britney Spears reference. Before I
hang up my editorial hat out of pure shame, this intro
does indeed have very much to do with Assemble Insert. In Assemble Insert, the cops of the city are getting a bad name with their inability to deal with the Demon Seed. Who are the Demon Seed? If you're thinking of an eccentric villain that commands a group of mecha, you're on the right track. Due to their lack of good P.R., the police form a special division to both get rid of their bad name and to dispose of the Demon Seed while causing as little damage to the surrounding areas as possible. Chief Hattori's master plan, thought up while under the influence, is to use one of these aforementioned idol singers to fight the crime and take the blame should anything bad happen. After the initial planning stages(arguing with each other) the special agents hold a talent contest to determine which citizen will play the role of champion of justice. Through a strange twist, the bashful and unsure Maron is selected to be the newest idol sensation. Now the agents are forced both to prepare Maron for battle, and groom her to be the newest singing sensation. To call Assemble Insert a niche title would be a little bit of an understatement. I feel that the pacing of the story, along with some plot elements will only be found enjoyable by the seasoned and tendered anime fans. The show is very Japanese, with some pokes and jabs at the culture that will leave most people, and even hardcore anime fans scratching their heads. The whole idol phenomenon really only makes sense in the context of the story if you understand the whole cultural background dealing with Japanese celebrities. Even if it is sort of a niche title, Assemble : Insert has a few nice touches that were really fun to watch. Maron, the one selected to play super hero, is not your typical anime protagonist and it's a lot of fun to see her wimpy attacks actually wreak havoc on the Demon Seed. Speaking of the Demon Seed, they're a fun little group of villains that really don't get enough screen time during the series. The leader seems to be devoted to following the rules set by supervillains in the past(at least this is my assumption), and in some cases is overly polite. Case in point : He phones the police ahead of time to tell them when and where he will attack, and in the last episode he states he will only strike with the rest of the Demon Seed if the rain clears up. Just think of him as a more subtle Dr. Evil. Even though some of the humor was really subtle, I got a chuckle out of a few of the scenes. Being only two episodes, Assemble Insert has a lot of ground to cover but not too much time to do it. After watching the DVD, I felt that it would do great as a regular television series because of the fact that not too much is resolved at the end of the last episode. Although it could get repetitive, I did like the characters and felt that too little time was spent on Maron for her to be such an important part of the story. The end of the series was kind of abrupt, as I was expecting to see another humorous fight like the one featured in the first episode. The series would have been much better with more focus on Maron rather than the bickering of Hattori's group. Being an older show, Assemble Insert shows its age. It's sad to think that eleven years is considered being "old" for an anime series, but that's how it goes in the DVD transfer business. The print looks kind of dull and dirty, but I doubt that the source materials could be spruced up enough to make it look really good. Animation is minimal, but there are a few nice sequences here and there(especially the opening song). The character design is kind of odd, but it's also very unique. I get tired of seeing so many cookie-cutter anime characters, so it was nice to see the stylized Assemble Insert characters in action. As for the sound of the show, stick to the Japanese track. Although I love the American voice actor for Hattori, the show is very Japanese(which kind of sounds redundant when describing an anime series) and the sub track just seems to fit better. The English dub also sounds very loud, and does not really mesh well with the animation. It could just be me, but the English dub was too clear and kind of distracting will all of the quiet scenes throughout the show. The presentation of Assemble Insert is kind of questionable. I could really go for a more exciting cover, as the front of the DVD case gives you no idea what the show is about. Not a good idea for such a niche title. The only extra included is the "commercial" already watchable inside the show. Nothing great, but with a show so old I doubt they could do much better. I'll go easy on them. Assemble Insert is an average show with some pretty choice moments. Anime veterans will enjoy it, but it could leave some newbies scratching their heads. I'd like to see some more done with the characters, but only these two episodes were made. Oh well. And while we're wrapping things up, just what does "Assemble Insert" mean, anyway? -Bob Mackey |
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