Maps...
Years before robots with extension cords became all the rage, I picked up the VHS version of Maps...
The first episode of the series (the first half of volume one) is actually not as bad as you might think when you hear dialogue like "You are the Map Man. I have come for you." After the trite dialogue and amid cheesy scenes of Lipumira writhing on the floor oozing blood, is one the most stunning city smashing scenes that has come along since Shinji's infamous first encounter with an Angel some years later. The second episode (the second half of volume one) is actually surprisingly good and culminates in an impressive chase through the interior of a space station. The "Sacrifice Cannon" is a particularly inventive touch.
Of course, with the second volume (episodes three and four), the series takes a nose dive from which there is no recovery. Indeed, the series ends abruptly with episode four. Overall, there are certainly reasons to stay away from Maps, but, for those of you who are willing to go where others dare not follow, I recommend Maps. I used to have the subtitled VHS version of both volumes. Even though there were voices telling me not to (including the cashier at the video store), I went ahead and repurchased this title on DVD.
In Maps, a boy and his main squeeze leave Earth in the company of a scantily clad girl/ship on a quest to find crystals, which when joined together form a map. There is some mild fan service with regard to Lipumira's attire. While there is some violence in the series, there's not very much in the way of gore or bloodshed. There are those who really dislike Maps. And, I must admit that they have good reason to dislike it. It's poorly written, poorly executed and in general just really bad. Having said that, you're probably wondering why I would give it such a good rating (4 of 5) if it's so bad?Volume 1
When Gen Tokishima and his girlfriend Hoshimi step out of a theater showing the latest science fiction thriller, they walk into an adventure that will span the length of time and space! Confronted by scantily clad Space-Hunter Lipumira and her sixty-story-tall spaceship, our heroes learn that as a result of thousands of years of genetic programming, Gen is the only being in the entire universe who can locate the long lost crystal Maps that show the way to a priceless artifact hidden hundreds of thousands of years ago by a mysterious race of aliens! If Gen and Hoshimi have any doubts, they're quickly swept away in the chaos that follows as a second Hunter's ship arrives and begins to systematically destroy the city in search of Gen! As Earth's military is blown away, Lipumira convinces the two young lovers to join her on an epic quest for the ultimate treasure! The odds are impossible and every Hunter in the universe will be out to get them, but the prize is wealth and knowledge beyond all imagination! With ancient artifacts, beautiful babes, lost civilizations, living starships, evil space tyrants, stunning space battles and even an alien shopping mall, MAPS is the thrill-a-minute adventure animation fans have been waiting for!
Volume 2
The universe is already a dangerous place, but when every hunter in the Galaxy is after you it can be downright deadly! For hundreds of years Hunters have searched in vain for the Flowing Light, a priceless artifact hidden by an Ancient race, but the beautiful Hunter Lipumira has found the key in the form of Gen, a young human genetically destined to master of the long lost Maps to the Light's final resting place. Now, having located the first set of Maps, Gen, Lipumira and Gen's girlfriend Hoshimi, are the focus of a galaxy-wide manhunt, with the ultimate treasure as the prize! But first, Lipumira must confront a dark shadow from her past and Gen will find himself face to face with the most unusual alien of all. The shocking secret of the Flowing Light. is revealed in the cataclysmic double-episode conclusion to MAPS!
The first episode of the series (the first half of volume one) is actually not as bad as you might think when you hear dialogue like "You are the Map Man. I have come for you." After the trite dialogue and amid cheesy scenes of Lipumira writhing on the floor oozing blood, is one the most stunning city smashing scenes that has come along since Shinji's infamous first encounter with an Angel some years later. The second episode (the second half of volume one) is actually surprisingly good and culminates in an impressive chase through the interior of a space station. The "Sacrifice Cannon" is a particularly inventive touch.
Of course, with the second volume (episodes three and four), the series takes a nose dive from which there is no recovery. Indeed, the series ends abruptly with episode four. Overall, there are certainly reasons to stay away from Maps, but, for those of you who are willing to go where others dare not follow, I recommend Maps. I used to have the subtitled VHS version of both volumes. Even though there were voices telling me not to (including the cashier at the video store), I went ahead and repurchased this title on DVD.
