+++
title = "Armitage III (1995)"
author = ["Michał Sapka"]
date = 2024-12-24T20:56:00+01:00
categories = ["reviews"]
draft = false
weight = 2007
image_dir = "reviews/screenshots"
image_max_width = 765
abstract = "My review of the anime"
rating = 3.75
image = "reviews/covers/armitage-iii-oav.png"
reviewSection = ["Anime OAV series"]
+++

There was a time when anime was _the_ place to get cyberpunk-like stories.
Titles like _Akira_ or _Ghost in the Shell_ are still the standard, which which we measure new movies.
In most cases, that's a very disappointing comparison.
Have we peaked in the 90s?

But among those giants, a lot of titles dissapeared from our shared consciousness.
What once was known to anyone in the SF and/or anime community, is now completely forgotten.
This is a review of such title.

_Armitage III_ is a 4 part OAV series from 1995.
Damn, that's close to 30 years!
In it, we are transferred to the not-too-distant future.
Mankind has colonized Mars and humanoid robots became a commodity.
Ross Sylibus is a detective from Earth transferred to Mars after an accident where a robot left him crippled and forced to use cybernetic leg.
He is assigned new partner - Naomi Armitage.
At the same time, a series of robot's murders is discovered.
We learn that they were all a part of a new series of androids - The Thirds.
They are not known to the public, but it soon we learn that in contrast to all previous generations, they are capable of bearing children.

The story here is, sadly, very basic.
There is a reason to why _Armitage III_ is a forgotten classic.
Upon my first rewatch of the series since my teen years, I left a bit dissapointed.
We've got robot woman, who can be impregnated by human males.
How much story possibilities does it give?
How many questions does it raise?
Apparently, zero.
They give birth to humans, end of story.
This is not a philosophical anime.

{{< image source="https://animenostalgia.tumblr.com/post/651897636160487424" class="alt A woman with a bullet hole in her forehead" class="centered" file="armitage-iii-oav-1.jpg" >}}
I love that 90s aestesteric.
Someone spent hours on those bullet holes.
{{< /image >}}

But if not that, then what?
Well, it's deeply human.
It should not come as surprise that Naomi Armitage is a Third (it's in the title!), and all she wants is to be a human.
She doesn't understand her place in the world.
Humanity seems to _hate_ robots, but it was the same humanity who created them.
For her, the story is finding her human side.
For Ross it's about dropping all prejudice against androids.
He starts as someone who would wear a "no robots allowed" t-shirt (if tshirst were still in fashion), but when he gets to know Naomi, all his believes are put to a test.

_Armitage III_ and everything in it is just a pretense for their story.
If we look at it like that, it's really nice.
There is no pretense to ask questions about nature of humanity.
It's much more starigt forward, and is done really well.
There is _some_ depth - humans treat android as property.
They are sexualized, but they are more sexual creatures.
They walk half naked, but it's all for the joy of humans.
The first robots who are closer human, who can bear children, is hunted and have to live in hiding.
But that all plays second part.

{{< image source="https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/flashbacks/armitage-iii-martian-cyberpunk-review" class="alt A woman taking out of her holster. She is wearing a heavy coat which is waving to the back revealing her red underwear." class="centered" file="armitage-iii-oav-2.jpg" >}}
I said it's over-sexualized
{{< /image >}}

Even the ending, where we learn why Thirds were developed, is only a reason for more Ross/Naomi scenes.

All in all, _Armitage III_ is a very well made classic.
I love the character design, I like the music.
They action scenes are nicely done, there is no time to be bored.
All my gripes come from comparisons with _Ghost in the Shell_, but those comparisons are not needed.

As it stand, I wholeheartedly recommend _Armitage III_ to anyone exploring the golden age of anime.
Just don't come in expecting one of the greats.